Setting up a 3g bowl for my betta

[khorshidbetta]

Hello! This is my first time posting to this thread.

I currently have two betta setups. One is a 5.5 gallon planted tank I've had for about 6 weeks. It has a filter and heater and is successfully cycled (I used Seachem Stability, which I think helped with that.) My betta Tera loves it. He is very active and loves the space to swim, and inspects everything!

My other betta, Khorshid, is currently in a 2.5 gallon tank with a heater. His tank is also pretty new. I tested the water yesterday and I do have issues with ammonia. I am using Prime and doing water changes every few days, but I'd like to get him in a healthy and stable environment as soon as possible.

I ordered a 3 gallon glass bowl online. Khorshid is a crowntail betta and not quite as active as Tera. I think 3 gallons is a good size for him. Also for aesthetic reasons in my home, I like to have a round setup, instead of two giant rectangular tanks facing each other. That is the main reason I'm going with a bowl for this second setup.

Anyway, I have been researching options for a filter and a heater for the new 3 gallon bowl. I have heard that with frequent water changes, a filter is not absolutely necessary in this case. I think I found a filter model that is suitable for a 3g bowl. But honestly, the main reason I want to avoid a filter is because it interferes with the creation of bubble nests. So my main question is if it is possible to have a cycled tank without a running a filter. I know the beneficial bacteria need a medium in which to grow. Can they find enough of that in the gravel and other items in the tank? Are there other reasons a filter is essential for cycling?

I'd appreciate any feedback on going filterless in a 3g bowl, and welcome any other comments on my setups as well. By the way Khorshid means Sun in Farsi, and Tera means Earth is Spanish.

 

[DFly]

I would not recommend keeping a betta in a bowl not just because it is almost impossible to keep them cycled but because the rounded nature of a bowl can stress out any fish living in it. It would be like looking through a fish-eye lens all the time. It can cause glass surfing and self fin nipping (which is even more likely with crowntails). Also bowls if are hit by sunlight it can cause hot-spots in the bowl because it amplifies the sun like a lens. To my knowledge correct me if I am wrong; there is no way to keep a bowl or tank properly cycled without a filter. You would need to do a 50% water change every few days which means the cycle will be restarted every few days. The gravel may hold some bacteria but it would have no opportunity to accumulate said bacteria because of the frequent water changes.

 

[Ashenwelt]

So first off I would not recommend it. If you were bound and determined... I would only do a walstad bowl. Look up walstad shrimp bowl... that actually would deal with the filtration... but so still don't recommend it.

 

[khorshidbetta]

Thank you for your responses. I had heard that bowls can be disorienting for bettas. Still, I have seen plenty of people use them without obvious signs of fish stress or agitated behavior. I would have thought the bowls would be unsuitable for other, more problematic reasons -- lack of space, and absence of filter and a heater.

I thought perhaps a 3g bowl would not be as disorienting as a 1g. Maybe I am wrong though. Perhaps I can arrange the plants and other decor to obstruct the most curved areas of the bowl, at least from the betta's viewing angles. I do hope to make this work somehow, esp. since I already made the purchase of nearly $40. But I will not go with it if I will have a very stressed fish.

Also, now that I've read about the Walstad method, that sounds like a very fun project, and I like the idea of less maintenance down the road than I have to do with my current 5.5 filtered tank. Is there a particular, well summarized article that someone can recommend without me reading the whole book by Ms. Walstad?

Thanks for your feedback and I welcome more.

 

[Ashenwelt]

Read:

https://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Walstad_method
http://www.bookmasters.com/marktplc/00388Shrimp.pdf

I would urge caution but good luck.

 

[khorshidbetta]

As I am thinking more about this, I will probably steer away from putting the betta in a bowl, as I do not want to cause him undue stress. I will maybe return the bowl I ordered, if that is possible. If I keep it, the Walstad method may be a fun project. In that case, does anyone have recommendations for other pet organisms that can be kept in the bowl and be a part of the Walstad ecosystem -- perhaps shrimp or snails? Ideas welcome.

 

[Ashenwelt]

As I am thinking more about this, I will probably steer away from putting the betta in a bowl, as I do not want to cause him undue stress. I will maybe return the bowl I ordered, if that is possible. If I keep it, the Walstad method may be a fun project. In that case, does anyone have recommendations for other pet organisms that can be kept in the bowl and be a part of the Walstad ecosystem -- perhaps shrimp or snails? Ideas welcome.

In a heart beat I would make it a neocardina (cherry family) and Nerite snail tank.

 

[Cuereus_George]

i would also advise not to go filterless, but you could get a heater mat (not sure how well they work seen at LFS). If you are determined to go filterless with the walstad method you will need to cram as much plants in it as possible. on top of that you would need let the plants grow out and establish themselves.

shrimp, would get eaten. unless he is very, very docile.
a large snail would survive. i keep a mystery with mine, every now and then i see it missing a antenna or two