Quick setup to save betta... cycling?

[shocked99]

I have a 40 gal community tank... 2 very large angels (mated pair), 3 bala sharks, and one male betta (aka "Fanny"). Something has completely destroyed the betta's fins over the past 2 weeks or so... the angels, I presume. He seems happy, but he's nearly finless on top, bottom, and rear.

So I decided to get a new 5.5 gallon tank to aid in his fin rescue. I filled it about 50 percent with water from the big tank, and then added fresh water. I didn't move over anything else from the big tank.

My big tank has finally cycled wonderfully. I did it the old fashioned way--trial and error. I lost a handful of danios and a fiddler crab during one event, but otherwise was able to correct any crazy shifts without any others suffering anything longterm.

Am I going to run him through new tank syndrome if I move him in any time soon (like a number of days)?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[colematthewmalaka]

The angels did it they're a type of cichlid and they're fin nippers

 

[HooKooDooKu]

There is no reason for him to suffer "New Tank Syndrome" if you do DAILY partial water changes to keep the ammonia levels down. Simply buy an ammonia and nitrite test kits. Test daily, and do PWC. If the levels are getting too high, then increase the size of the PWC. Keep doing PWC daily until ammonia and nitrite consitantly register zero. You can speed the cycling of the new tank if you try to bring some bacteria from the old tank along. Keep in mind that MOST of the bacteria are going to live inside your tank filter. But all the rest of tank surfaces will have some of the bacteria too. So if you can move some substrait from the old tank to the betta tank, that will seed the bacteria in the new tank and decrease the time it takes to cycle the new tank.

 

[joy13]

You can put gravel or decorations in from your big tank it will help a little if you don't want to move your filter medium over. You will have to really watch the ammonia and nitrites because they can cause fin rot on already damaged fins.

 

[shocked99]

Thanks for those instructions. Test, test, test... I vow to stay on top of it.

So the new filter has a "bio screen" of sorts that fits into the power filter. I removed it from the new tank and shoved it into the back of the power filter in my 40 gallon behind the replaceable cartridge... worth a shot.

My substrate of my old tank doesn't match my new tank.
1. Should I try the panty hose trick I've read in other posts?
2. Also, would it be worthwhile to put "dirty" water syphoned from the gravel of my old tank to the new tank or would this just cause ammonia levels to harm the betta?

 

[An t-iasg]

What is in the 5 gallon tank besides the water? You need a filter to hold the good bacteria. A sponge filter is a good filter for a 5 gallon tank. Squeeze the filter media from the 40 gallon tank gently into a baggie - get some brown water in the baggie. Squeeze the sponge filter in the brown water in the baggie. Put the sponge filter in the 5 gallon tank and add the betta. Don't forget to put the media back into the 40 gallon filter!

Add some gravel to the 5.5 gallon tank, and adding a bit of gravel from the 40 gallon tank is a good idea, like HooKooDooKu says. You'll have to test the ammonia and nitrites and do water changes like he mentions also, but by using the 40 gallon's filter media to seed the 5 gallon filter, and by borrowing some gravel, the cycle should progress quickly with little stress to the betta, and then he can recover from his torn fins.

 

[missileman]

Alot of good advice and putting the Bio-filter in the back of the old filter for a little while can't hurt.
If it was me I would dose the betta in his new tank with Melafix to aid in his fins healing and possibly prevent infection and Melafix should not effect your cycle.
As with any meds would have to remove the carbon filter (replace with floss to help with mechanical filtering)

 

[joy13]

I don't use melafix on any fish with a labyrinth organ because it can irritate the organ. Bettafix has the same ingredient as melafix so I don't use that either.
I find that Indian almond leaves work best. Since they are hard to get I use betta spa, it is an extract of the leaves. It does has some salt and but not enough to irritate the fish. Indian almond leaves contain a natural antifugal/antibiotic. Of course I have to order it from online instead of going right to the store and getting it the stores don't carry it around here. I use it on all of my bettas over 2 years old regularly without a problem.

 

[An t-iasg]

shocked99, sorry, I didn't see your post above mine until now. You can put some of the gravel from the 40 gallon tank into some new, clean, unwashed pantyhose. It won't mix with your new gravel that way. When the 5 gallon tank cycles, you can lift the pantyhose and gravel out.

Instead of putting dirty water from the 40 gallon into the 5 gallon, try my hint above to get some "dirty water" into a baggie or one of those Ziploc storage bags, depending on how big your 40 gallon media is. You just want to get some of that media into the bag so you can squeeze some brown water out of it for the new media in the 5 gallon tank. The water itself from the big tank should not hurt the new tank since the big tank is cycled and you won't be introducing ammonia to the new tank. But squeezing media into the water will probably give you a cloudy tank so that's why I suggested the baggie trick. It gets the bacteria where it is most likely to be effective - the filter media - and not free-floating through the water. It would settle into the filter eventually but you may have a cloudy-looking tank in the meantime.

 

[new2betas]

I don't use melafix on any fish with a labyrinth organ because it can irritate the organ. Bettafix has the same ingredient as melafix so I don't use that either.
I find that Indian almond leaves work best. Since they are hard to get I use betta spa, it is an extract of the leaves. It does has some salt and but not enough to irritate the fish. Indian almond leaves contain a natural antifugal/antibiotic. Of course I have to order it from online instead of going right to the store and getting it the stores don't carry it around here. I use it on all of my bettas over 2 years old regularly without a problem.

joy13 - just wanted to let you know...there is a guy on here in the classified section that sells Indian Almond Leaves. He is in Thialand and I ordered some from him quite a few months ago and have been very impressed. I got a huge amount of leaves for a very reasonable price. His username on here is block22.