Fish tank too big??

[kage no neko]

I had my betta in a 5 gallon tank, light and filter and everything. But he was looking super depressed and thanks to my mom I realized he has fin rot (I thought it was just getting pinched off in the stones he was hiding under).

So now he's in a one gallon bowl, since it's easier to do water changes and manage it.. and as soon as I put him in there he perked up. No more moping at the bottom of the tank. He's been spending lots of time in the front of the bowl dancing for me.

Is it possible that the tank was too big for him, and he's happier in a smaller tank? I've never heard of it before, everything I've read says that bigger tanks equal happier fish.

We're still working on the fin rot, but it seems to be looking better. Maybe it's just because he's looking happier. I felt like the worst mommy in the world when I realized it.. I should've known, and yet his fins are already in such bad condition.  

[Kithy Kitty]

From what I have noticed, fin rot seems especially common around betta.

I don't think that the tank was necessarily too big but if it wasn't fully cycled or the chems were off a bit, that might've done it.

How often were you checking your water quality and changing the water?  

[kage no neko]

Kithy Kitty

From what I have noticed, fin rot seems especially common around betta.

I don't think that the tank was necessarily too big but if it wasn't fully cycled or the chems were off a bit, that might've done it.

How often were you checking your water quality and changing the water?

The levels were all fine.. and I never really did water changes. It'd just evaporate and I'd refill it.  

[Kithy Kitty]

kage no neko

Kithy Kitty

From what I have noticed, fin rot seems especially common around betta.

I don't think that the tank was necessarily too big but if it wasn't fully cycled or the chems were off a bit, that might've done it.

How often were you checking your water quality and changing the water?

The levels were all fine.. and I never really did water changes. It'd just evaporate and I'd refill it.

Do you know what the ammonia was at?  

[Shanna66]

bettas do like having small hiding spaces, maybe that was the issue?  

[Azusanga]

kage no neko

Kithy Kitty

From what I have noticed, fin rot seems especially common around betta.

I don't think that the tank was necessarily too big but if it wasn't fully cycled or the chems were off a bit, that might've done it.

How often were you checking your water quality and changing the water?

The levels were all fine.. and I never really did water changes. It'd just evaporate and I'd refill it.

You never changed the water? No wonder his fins were rotting. Poop doesn't evaporate, you know. He was probably happy to finally be in a clean environment.  

[kage no neko]

Kithy Kitty

Do you know what the ammonia was at?

I'm not of a specific number since it's color coded, but it was in the good section.

Shanna66

bettas do like having small hiding spaces, maybe that was the issue?

Then it's backwards.. because he was hiding under rocks, like completely flat looking dead in the 5 gallon tank.. and in the 1 gallon bowl there's nothing. Just the bowl, water, and him.

Azusanga

You never changed the water? No wonder his fins were rotting. Poop doesn't evaporate, you know. He was probably happy to finally be in a clean environment.

The filter worked pretty well. The water was clear and clean and the levels were all fine.  

[Kithy Kitty]

I've only been keeping fish for six months but nothing eliminates having frequent water changes. No amount of filtration will make up for it. Even if the levels seem fine you should always do at least one water change a week. For me, I have to do sometimes two because my tank is getting too small but I can't afford a bigger one just yet.

20-50% water changes are usually good and the best thing for any fish.

Your ammonia should be at 0 ppm so if you can get a more accurate test, that would be best.  

[Kithy Kitty]

As far as I know it's virtually impossible to have a tank too big but betta like lots of hiding places.

Also, you had a filter. Was it creating a strong current? Betta are gorgeous but those tails come at a cost. They're not very strong swimmers so they need very very low currents in a tank. There's ways to,I think the word is baffle?, the filter so the current isn't so strong while still being a good filter.  

[kage no neko]

Kithy Kitty

As far as I know it's virtually impossible to have a tank too big but betta like lots of hiding places.

Also, you had a filter. Was it creating a strong current? Betta are gorgeous but those tails come at a cost. They're not very strong swimmers so they need very very low currents in a tank. There's ways to,I think the word is baffle?, the filter so the current isn't so strong while still being a good filter.

The filter itself wasn't too much, but I did have to turn off the bubbler. He LOVED it at first, would swim in the bubbles constantly, but then it became too much and he didn't want anything to do with it.

I have a question, how do you keep the tank "cycled" if you're doing constant water changes?  

[Kithy Kitty]

kage no neko

Kithy Kitty

As far as I know it's virtually impossible to have a tank too big but betta like lots of hiding places.

Also, you had a filter. Was it creating a strong current? Betta are gorgeous but those tails come at a cost. They're not very strong swimmers so they need very very low currents in a tank. There's ways to,I think the word is baffle?, the filter so the current isn't so strong while still being a good filter.

The filter itself wasn't too much, but I did have to turn off the bubbler. He LOVED it at first, would swim in the bubbles constantly, but then it became too much and he didn't want anything to do with it.

I have a question, how do you keep the tank "cycled" if you're doing constant water changes?

What cycling is is the buildup of good bacteria that help keep your tank clean. So it's not necessarily the water it's the gravel, decor, sides, and what's in your filter. When you have that all built up your tank is cycled. Since you have your betta in another home I'd suggest a fishless cycle. There is a great forum for betta specifically called bettafish.com They're not necessarily the friendliest people around but their hearts are in the right place and their foremost concern is the fish, not your feelings. If your skin is tough enough I'd suggest posting there too for some advice but there's some great posts about cycling so let me link you to them ^^

During my cycling period for my 10g it was so stressful cause I had no idea what I was doing. There were times it looked like I was killing my fish because during cycling ammonia sometimes builds up.

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=107771 Oldfishlady is an angel.

The best way to ensure your fish stay happy is frequent water changes as well as cleaning the gravel. It's a little tough at first and sometimes confusing but once you're cycled you can pretty much rest easy. During cycling I sometimes had to do changes daily and I only had one fish.

Stay positive :3 For now just change your bowl water and make sure to use a gravel vac to suck up all the waste.  

[Kithy Kitty]

Oh just thought I'd add something! For water changes only I use old kitty litter buckets (you know the yellow ones?). One only takes in "dirty" water and one only fresh. I fill my fresh one up first and add in my chems and let it sit and get to temp. Once it's ready I start siphoning off my tank's waste and about 30&#xis;h of the water. The ammonia in a tank can add up quick depending on how much you're feeding (if you're over feeding especially because some foods release ammonia) and how much waste your fish is producing.

I didn't know any of this a few months ago @_@ I now know why I've killed like 20 goldfish and two betta when I was younger.  

[Azusanga]

kage no neko

Azusanga

You never changed the water? No wonder his fins were rotting. Poop doesn't evaporate, you know. He was probably happy to finally be in a clean environment.

The filter worked pretty well. The water was clear and clean and the levels were all fine.

The filter can't compensate for fresh water. Unless your filter is magical and can scoop up all of the poop and debris that a water change would, you really need to read up on fish care.  

[Shanna66]

you might just have a weird fish  

[kage no neko]

Kithy Kitty

What cycling is is the buildup of good bacteria that help keep your tank clean. So it's not necessarily the water it's the gravel, decor, sides, and what's in your filter. When you have that all built up your tank is cycled. Since you have your betta in another home I'd suggest a fishless cycle. There is a great forum for betta specifically called bettafish.com They're not necessarily the friendliest people around but their hearts are in the right place and their foremost concern is the fish, not your feelings. If your skin is tough enough I'd suggest posting there too for some advice but there's some great posts about cycling so let me link you to them ^^

During my cycling period for my 10g it was so stressful cause I had no idea what I was doing. There were times it looked like I was killing my fish because during cycling ammonia sometimes builds up.

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=107771 Oldfishlady is an angel.

The best way to ensure your fish stay happy is frequent water changes as well as cleaning the gravel. It's a little tough at first and sometimes confusing but once you're cycled you can pretty much rest easy. During cycling I sometimes had to do changes daily and I only had one fish.

Stay positive :3 For now just change your bowl water and make sure to use a gravel vac to suck up all the waste.

For the changes in the gallon bowl, I put him in a cup with clean water (I refill the water jug and treat it as soon as I refill the bowl, so there's always some ready!) and scrub the bowl with a paper towel.

In the 5 gallon tank, I didn't have any gravel. I had a few bigger stones for decoration and to give him something to hide behind.. I figured if there's no gravel, the waste won't settle into the pebbles and build up, instead it'll float up to the filter and be removed.

I remember when my dad had his 55 gallon.. and watching him get a mouthful of fish water every time he started up the suction for the gravel. And watching the fish go after his arm hair, hahaha.. He made it all look so easy. And I can't even handle a little tank with one fish. I don't even know what's gone wrong though.. I had my other betta for 4 years before he died. He never got fin rot or anything..

Kithy Kitty

Oh just thought I'd add something! For water changes only I use old kitty litter buckets (you know the yellow ones?). One only takes in "dirty" water and one only fresh. I fill my fresh one up first and add in my chems and let it sit and get to temp. Once it's ready I start siphoning off my tank's waste and about 30&#xis;h of the water. The ammonia in a tank can add up quick depending on how much you're feeding (if you're over feeding especially because some foods release ammonia) and how much waste your fish is producing.

I didn't know any of this a few months ago @_@ I now know why I've killed like 20 goldfish and two betta when I was younger.

I have a gallon jug that came with water in it. I dumped the water out and put in tap water (because I have no clue what's in the water that came in it) and water treatment drops to get rid of the chlorine. Right now I'm keeping both the bowl and the gallon jug on a heating pad since the gallon bowl is too small for the heater. And I make sure not to over feed. I like watching them eat, so they only get what they'll eat.