Fishingforfish
Aquarium Advice Activist
After visiting my local Petco today, I couldn't stop thinking about the Bettas they have in those little plastic containers. Usually, I don't seem to notice them, but today I just did. They even sell BABY BETTAS..they look soo miserable in that small volume of water..and then *BOOM* I just HAD to get one. It wasn't just me, my sister and mom were crazy about it too. We didn't get one..yet.
When I was younger, my mom took care of a betta, and when I asked her, she said she didn't use a cycled tank. But after researching, I'm just getting mixed opinions.
For example:
"You don't need a cycled tank, bettas are hardy fish and breathe air from the surface. you could just use rocks or media from an established tank, ...."
And then there's:
"YES you need to cycle the tank before you put bettas in, they may not live long and there will be numerous water changes if you don't"
I plan to put him/her in a 5 gallon tank with a filter and basic decor; nothing too fancy..BUT I do want to make sure they will remain healthy. My sister and mom are going to help too, haha.
Point: Do you need a cycled aquarium (5g) before putting in a betta? Thanks!
When I was younger, my mom took care of a betta, and when I asked her, she said she didn't use a cycled tank. But after researching, I'm just getting mixed opinions.
For example:
"You don't need a cycled tank, bettas are hardy fish and breathe air from the surface. you could just use rocks or media from an established tank, ...."
And then there's:
"YES you need to cycle the tank before you put bettas in, they may not live long and there will be numerous water changes if you don't"
I plan to put him/her in a 5 gallon tank with a filter and basic decor; nothing too fancy..BUT I do want to make sure they will remain healthy. My sister and mom are going to help too, haha.
Point: Do you need a cycled aquarium (5g) before putting in a betta? Thanks!