Vacation betta care question

[Elaine T]

I picked up a second betta with really bad timing. I was at the local
aquarium society and there was a young red and blue male crowntail betta
in the auction that I couldn't resist.

He's jarred at the moment (waiting for his eventual spot in a divided 10
gallon) with java moss to help soak up ammonia, gravel from an
established tank for some bacteria, and big water changes every other
day. However, I'm going away for a week and while I feel safe with a
friend feeding, I don't want to rely on her for water changes too.

I've never been in this situation before since I don't usually keep
jarred bettas. How much water do I need to put him in for a week? Is a
gallon jug big enough or do I need even more water than that?

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[David]

On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 08:49:51 GMT, Elaine T >
wrote:

>I picked up a second betta with really bad timing. I was at the local
>aquarium society and there was a young red and blue male crowntail betta
>in the auction that I couldn't resist.
>
>He's jarred at the moment (waiting for his eventual spot in a divided 10
>gallon) with java moss to help soak up ammonia, gravel from an
>established tank for some bacteria, and big water changes every other
>day. However, I'm going away for a week and while I feel safe with a
>friend feeding, I don't want to rely on her for water changes too.
>
>I've never been in this situation before since I don't usually keep
>jarred bettas. How much water do I need to put him in for a week? Is a
>gallon jug big enough or do I need even more water than that?

Hi Elaine,
I certainly won't claim to be any expert, but maybe I can give you a
point case example:
I have two bettas, each in his own gallon jug. I have had them for
eight weeks now and have been testing weekly, and doing 50% water
changes weekly. I am feeding 6 Betta Bio-Gold pellets each, daily.
Each jug is stuffed with hornwort and some other plants, and both get
daily direct sunlight. Both fish and plants seen perfectly happy, and
the plants are growing like crazy.
I have had zero ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates since the beginning.
Apparently the plants are consuming everything, and the jugs haven't
even tried to cycle...
I don't know whether this is just blind luck or not, but I'm not going
to change anything until I learn otherwise.

[IDzine01]

Perhaps you could ask your friend to add a dose of ammonia neutralizer
half way through the week. AmQuel+ or equivalent.

It's not a perfect fix but should help things out when you aren't able
to do a water change.

[winddancir]

A one gallon should be okay if you are not gone longer than 6-7 days. At that time, his water would be getting a little icky. Hopefully your friend won't over feed them, that's what makes the water go bad really fast.

[Elaine T]

IDzine01 wrote:
> Perhaps you could ask your friend to add a dose of ammonia neutralizer
> half way through the week. AmQuel+ or equivalent.
>
> It's not a perfect fix but should help things out when you aren't able
> to do a water change.
>
Good thought! Thanks. That in a gallon of water should get him through
just fine.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><