mat92 Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Hey Yall I finally got my new tank... Vince has finally moved up from his 3L hellhole... into his 14L tank. yay! I figured i had to just buy a new tank for him rather then wait until i moved (to unpack our old 11L one), as this morning i woke up to find the tank overgrown with algae. despite my overly frequent water changes. And then at the pet shop when i bought the tank the man kept on saying "you don't need a large tank bettas live in puddles, i have three" GRR stupid man. But i ended up convincing him to actually let me buy the tank. anyways i'll stop rambling now... I got a small 25w heater and a 3w power filter... things are getting a bit turbulent though and i think its a bit of a whirlpool for the fish I've turned the filter flow down to pretty much as low as it gets. Would this still be ok for him? Also, the little stick on thermometer i got with the heater doesnt seem to be very accurate. It says its 28 degrees on the therm but it feels alot cooler. Maybe I just have a bad sense of judgement, but idk. I set up the thermometer on the opposite side from the heater just like it said. but the water still seems rather cool. Also, i think the temperature out of the water is a fair bit cooler, and there's a bit of fog on the tank. Is this alright? The tank has a lid. I thought the air temp (inside the hood) would be around the same as the water. And Vince keeps flaring, but really aggro compared to usual. Is that alright or is he stressed or something? Like, his flaring is really extreme. His gills open up even more than usual. Oh and heres my new setup (excuse the annoying bubbles - theyre pretty much gone now) Sorry about all the questions i've been asking lately but i'm new to keeping Bettas.... Anyway thanks for everything so far! Mat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 that's ok we were all new and full of questions once Looks like a great little setup there The filter may still be too strong for the betta... watch how he behaves when he's swimming, if it looks like he's being pushed around or he needs to make an extra effort to swim it is too strong for him. You may need to buy a flow control valve (most look like a little T with a wheelie thing on top) so you can turn the air down as well. He may be seeing his reflection in the glass and that's why he's flaring, or he may just be getting very territorial in his new home and he's all excited with so much space! OR maybe the current from the filter is too strong and he's angry with it Keep an eye on him and see how it goes. Also what kind of lighting is around the tank area? i found that when I used to use an ordinary desk lamp and normal globe that I got heaps of algae. Another thing is to use Live plants instead of plastic as the live plants will use up the plant friendly nutrients in the water (and some of the ammonia produced by your fishy) and make it harder for algae to grow. A great live plant is Hornwart, cheap and easy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Looking good! If the filter is too strong (looks like the smallest Aquaone model, or is it even smaller still?) set up something in the tank to reduce the current. All you need is something that the water will bump into and slow down/change direction a bit. Vince can then find a place in the tank with as much or as little current as he wants I tend to use rocks, but anything'll do. Even a coffee cup on it's side or one of the bubbling pirate ships. Maybe a large chunk of driftwood with anubias on it even If you use a terracotta pot, plug the hole or bore it out larger. They are dopes and will find their way to getting well and truly stuck in there . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 With most Betta's if they are really stressed you will see a white horizontal line on his body I find it more obvious on my females but I have a blue male who hates water changes and the stress line is quite obvious on him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat92 Posted March 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Thanks! yeah i think it is too strong for him... but i turned the flow right down and angled the filter so it sorta trickles down the glass of the tank, rather than straight into the water, and things seem alot less turbulent. I dont get what u mean about the flow control valve... its a power filter not one of those air pump ones.... I think hes flaring from his reflection... hopefully he will realise its not a real fish because i don't want to cause him stress... At the moment i'm just using a fluro desk lamp... i cant afford a proper aquarium one at the moment. Oh and it is a real plant =P. I absolutely cant stand fake ones... They look so plasticy ergh. I'm not sure what type of plant it is... The man just sold it to me for about 10 bucks. Thanks again.. mat =] (and vince!) that's ok we were all new and full of questions once Looks like a great little setup there The filter may still be too strong for the betta... watch how he behaves when he's swimming, if it looks like he's being pushed around or he needs to make an extra effort to swim it is too strong for him. You may need to buy a flow control valve (most look like a little T with a wheelie thing on top) so you can turn the air down as well. He may be seeing his reflection in the glass and that's why he's flaring, or he may just be getting very territorial in his new home and he's all excited with so much space! OR maybe the current from the filter is too strong and he's angry with it Keep an eye on him and see how it goes. Also what kind of lighting is around the tank area? i found that when I used to use an ordinary desk lamp and normal globe that I got heaps of algae. Another thing is to use Live plants instead of plastic as the live plants will use up the plant friendly nutrients in the water (and some of the ammonia produced by your fishy) and make it harder for algae to grow. A great live plant is Hornwart, cheap and easy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jusdeb Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Looks good...the fog is because the air outside the tank is cooler than the air in the tank...Maybe you could get another thermometer if your not sure about the temp...It is hard to tell , I just did some water changes and the water in my tanks felt too warm only beacuase it is quite cool here so the water felt warmer , I dont usually worry about thermometers when doing W/C but had pull one out today just to be sure. If you cant get the water flow slow enough so as not to stress him out then maybe put in a sponge filter , I know its more money but you dont have to buy filter media so you save in the long run. I have the same filter and I think I tried everything to reduce the flow but nothing worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat92 Posted March 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 The filter is turned down ALOT, but he seems to try and spend time around the filter... he constantly flares up around the spot where the water trickles in... and gets pushed around a bit... will he eventually learn or does he like it or something.... =S thanks. Looking good! If the filter is too strong (looks like the smallest Aquaone model, or is it even smaller still?) set up something in the tank to reduce the current. All you need is something that the water will bump into and slow down/change direction a bit. Vince can then find a place in the tank with as much or as little current as he wants I tend to use rocks, but anything'll do. Even a coffee cup on it's side or one of the bubbling pirate ships. Maybe a large chunk of driftwood with anubias on it even If you use a terracotta pot, plug the hole or bore it out larger. They are dopes and will find their way to getting well and truly stuck in there . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 some Bettas do like to play around in the current, perhaps he's one of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted March 31, 2008 Report Share Posted March 31, 2008 Sounds like he's having fun Be careful how low you turn the filter as restricting the water flow can put increased pressure on the motor can shorten it's useful life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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