Betta Gallon Bowl - need advice

[Jamie Drilling]

Hello all. I'm new to this group and relatively new to aquaria (well,
I had some 10 gallons as a teenager but never understood why all the
fish died. Except one really weird swordtail.)

I'm slowly purchasing supplies for setting up a 55 gallon aquarium, and
because a) I couldn't wait and b) the betta was so cute, I bought a
Betta, some banana plants, a small borneo sword (found out later it's a
bog plant, damn) and stuck everything in a 1 gallon bowl. The borneo
sword is in a custard cup (instant planter) with white gravel over peat
moss.

The plants have fertilizer and CO2 injection (yeast, sugar, 2 liter
coke bottle) and a plant light. Betta has expensive betta bits, which
he hates, and regular flakes, which he says are delectable.

No heater and no air pump - I keep my small apartment at 80 F and he's
a labyrinth breather so I thought he'd be okay.

Then last night he developed fungus on his head (I blame a few bulbs I
dropped in the water for a week, they didn't sprout anything but
fungus. They now have their own cup, also beneath the plant light.)

Betta has had 25% water changes daily since the tank is tiny and
cycling, and I intended the 100% change every Saturday. I ran to
Wal-Mart where the fish lady who kills *all* their fish told me I
couldn't keep plants in a gallon bowl (why not?) and just to raise his
temp.

Did this, fell asleep with only one contact out last night. When I
woke up I meant to make the 100% change and maybe give him a salt bath
but the fungus was gone.

What happened? (And is this setup I have prior to housing Tony the
betta in my 55 gallon community tank not workable at all?)

Thank you,
Jamie

[Daniel Morrow]

Bottom posted.


"Jamie Drilling" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hello all. I'm new to this group and relatively new to aquaria (well,
> I had some 10 gallons as a teenager but never understood why all the
> fish died. Except one really weird swordtail.)
>
> I'm slowly purchasing supplies for setting up a 55 gallon aquarium, and
> because a) I couldn't wait and b) the betta was so cute, I bought a
> Betta, some banana plants, a small borneo sword (found out later it's a
> bog plant, damn) and stuck everything in a 1 gallon bowl. The borneo
> sword is in a custard cup (instant planter) with white gravel over peat
> moss.
>
> The plants have fertilizer and CO2 injection (yeast, sugar, 2 liter
> coke bottle) and a plant light. Betta has expensive betta bits, which
> he hates, and regular flakes, which he says are delectable.
>
> No heater and no air pump - I keep my small apartment at 80 F and he's
> a labyrinth breather so I thought he'd be okay.
>
> Then last night he developed fungus on his head (I blame a few bulbs I
> dropped in the water for a week, they didn't sprout anything but
> fungus. They now have their own cup, also beneath the plant light.)
>
> Betta has had 25% water changes daily since the tank is tiny and
> cycling, and I intended the 100% change every Saturday. I ran to
> Wal-Mart where the fish lady who kills *all* their fish told me I
> couldn't keep plants in a gallon bowl (why not?) and just to raise his
> temp.
>
> Did this, fell asleep with only one contact out last night. When I
> woke up I meant to make the 100% change and maybe give him a salt bath
> but the fungus was gone.
>
> What happened? (And is this setup I have prior to housing Tony the
> betta in my 55 gallon community tank not workable at all?)
>
> Thank you,
> Jamie
>

From what I have read about what you typed everything is fine Jamie. The
extra water changes you did helped tony (your betta) feel better and less
stressed and so his immune system got a boost and he fought off the fungus I
am betting. Even fish with fin and tail rot often fully recover after an
increase of water change frequency without medication at all. I seem to
remember elaine (a real expert here - she is even educated in these things)
saying as much. I am betting your betta will live a good life. A 1 gallon
bowl should be a good container for him as long as you keep up the good
work, but don't go TOO far on water changes! Good luck and later!

[Elaine T]

Jamie Drilling wrote:
> Hello all. I'm new to this group and relatively new to aquaria (well,
> I had some 10 gallons as a teenager but never understood why all the
> fish died. Except one really weird swordtail.)
>
> I'm slowly purchasing supplies for setting up a 55 gallon aquarium, and
> because a) I couldn't wait and b) the betta was so cute, I bought a
> Betta, some banana plants, a small borneo sword (found out later it's a
> bog plant, damn) and stuck everything in a 1 gallon bowl. The borneo
> sword is in a custard cup (instant planter) with white gravel over peat
> moss.
>
> The plants have fertilizer and CO2 injection (yeast, sugar, 2 liter
> coke bottle) and a plant light. Betta has expensive betta bits, which
> he hates, and regular flakes, which he says are delectable.
>
> No heater and no air pump - I keep my small apartment at 80 F and he's
> a labyrinth breather so I thought he'd be okay.

80F is a great temperature for bettas. As long as it doesn't change
much from day to night you don't need a heater.
>
> Then last night he developed fungus on his head (I blame a few bulbs I
> dropped in the water for a week, they didn't sprout anything but
> fungus. They now have their own cup, also beneath the plant light.)
>
> Betta has had 25% water changes daily since the tank is tiny and
> cycling, and I intended the 100% change every Saturday. I ran to
> Wal-Mart where the fish lady who kills *all* their fish told me I
> couldn't keep plants in a gallon bowl (why not?) and just to raise his
> temp.

Why not? I haven't a clue. I keep plants in small tanks and bowls all
the time, and I've seen exquisite pictures of 1 gallon planted tanks in
competitions. With CO2 and a plant light, yours should grow great.

> Did this, fell asleep with only one contact out last night. When I
> woke up I meant to make the 100% change and maybe give him a salt bath
> but the fungus was gone.
>
> What happened? (And is this setup I have prior to housing Tony the
> betta in my 55 gallon community tank not workable at all?)
>
> Thank you,
> Jamie
>
The setup is fine, if a bit small. I like heavily planted 2 gallon
containers for bettas myself, and I change 50% of the water every couple
of weeks. Nitrates stay nice and low. For a gallon, I'd change 50% a week.

HTH

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[Jamie Drilling]

Thank you for your replies! Tony is doing great - he built a bubble
nest while I was at work yesterday. =)

Jamie

[IDzine01]

>Betta has had 25% water changes daily since the tank is tiny and
>cycling, and I intended the 100% change every Saturday.


Hi Jamie, welcome back to the hobby. :D

I just wanted to mention that you'll want to EITHER do 100% water
changes or cycle your tank. If you cycle your tank and then do a 100%
water change you're likely to toss out much of your nitrifying
(helpful) bacteria and uncycle your tank. Also, it's more challenging
to maintain the nitrogen cycle in smaller volumes of water. There's a
lot more room for error. If I were going to cycle a small tank I
probably would start with a minimum of 2.5 - 3 gallons. Other aquarists
may recommend more for someone new (or returning) to the hobby but it
comes down understanding the cycling process and diligently monitoring
and maintaining your tank.

Oh, and congrats on the bubble nest!
-Christie