17 replies to this topic

[Brownie~s♥️buddy]

What brand & type of water conditioner? You should only need the water conditioner for all regular water changes. How deep is the gravel, do you use a gravel vac/siphon to clean the substrate? I would increase the the volume of water being removed and probably stop using the waste control product. The aquarium salt is really only recommended if dealing with freshwater parasites, as they can't survive the salt additions well.
i'm not sure, i'll need to ask my brother. i think the gravel is about 2" or so deep? we have the gravel vac too

 

Personally I've never been a fan of deep pebble gravel. When you don't have live plants, it just traps uneaten food & poop/waste, which causes water quality issues because it's not easy to use the gravel vac/siphon... Can you use this gravel in the new tank? If yes, be sure to fully rinse it (preferably in 5gal bucket outside with hose), so that you start 'clean' in the new tank!

 

Also, this is what I meant when I was talking about permanent filter media

 

like i said in op post, it's silk plants and he was never housed with any other fish so i'm guessing it's fin rot. it's no longer as bad though!

 

Sorry I missed that part, I assumed they were the plastic aquarium plants. As for fin nipping, some stressed Bettas bite their own fins, that is what I was referencing.

 

btw- my parents said we could upgrade if only there is no substrate, is that okay?

 

Totally! And partitioning off 1/4 or so, opposite & away from the filter output, will still give your Betta the benefits of 20g of water. If you guys can get your hands on Seachem PRIME water conditioner, that is the best product and it's super concentrated so you don't use much!!

[ajuniceuhamsters]

Personally I've never been a fan of deep pebble gravel. When you don't have live plants, it just traps uneaten food & poop/waste, which causes water quality issues because it's not easy to use the gravel vac/siphon... Can you use this gravel in the new tank? If yes, be sure to fully rinse it (preferably in 5gal bucket outside with hose), so that you start 'clean' in the new tank!

 

Also, this is what I meant when I was talking about permanent filter media

 

 

Sorry I missed that part, I assumed they were the plastic aquarium plants. As for fin nipping, some stressed Bettas bite their own fins, that is what I was referencing.

 

 

Totally! And partitioning off 1/4 or so, opposite & away from the filter output, will still give your Betta the benefits of 20g of water. If you guys can get your hands on Seachem PRIME water conditioner, that is the best product and it's super concentrated so you don't use much!!

that's the one we use, thanks

[♥~kitkat7♥]

So basically after asking my brother a bunch of questions it doesn't seem like our care is that great.... Advice would be helpful!

 

We have a male guppy (his tank mate just died- presumably by age, he was about 2.5 yrs old) and a male betta in a 10 gallon tank split into two, they each have 5 gallons. They're both around the same age, 2 years old. 

The tank has substrate of aquarium gravel, and each side has a few silk plants. The betta's side has 3 silk plants, a betta leaf, and a castle hide thing. The guppy's side has two small castle hides, 2 silk plants and a shell hide. The pump and heater are located on the guppy's side of the tank.

We run the pump for 12 hours since the betta can't swim well with it. It's this filter and pump https://www.petsmart.ca/fish/filters-and-pumps/filter-media/top-fin-if-s-4-in-1-filter-cartridges-5282570.html

I know the tank size isn't ideal- we had them in a 20 gal long until parents....

The betta gets fed a pinch of brine shrimp in the morning and evening, and betta flakes mid-day. Normally the amount we give him lasts 1 minute. 

The guppy gets a pinch of guppy flakes in the morning and evening, and brine shrimp mid-day. the amount lasts about 1 minute.

We do 1/4 water changes each week and use water conditioner and waste control every week. Once a month we add 1 tsp of aquarium salt. 

ATM, we're doing 1/3 water changes every other day due to fin rot in the betta.

 

Is this care any good? I have a feeling it's not....

Over all, not bad! I would get a bigger tank, like a 40 gallon for a happy fish. The food sounds good and all, just get a bigger tank.