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Post by abm on Dec 9, 2003 17:57:54 GMT -5
Still learning...just wondering if any of yall would care to describe the process you use for water changes. My goal of course is to minimize stress on my fish...so I'm just curious if you have a step by step process or just pour, scrub, refill and plop.
I currently use 5 1-1.5 gallon tanks, various shapes, regular aquarium gravel, silk plants in each one.
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Post by Doofusmom on Dec 9, 2003 19:33:18 GMT -5
I usually drop a piece of food in and wait for them to come and get it then I stick a small jar next to them and it sucks them into it along with some water. I then check what temp the water is so I can match it when i refill. Then I take out the plant and set it aside. I rinse out the tank and scrub off any algae then I refill the tank and add stresscoat and aquarium salt and mix....Then I float the jar with the betta in it in the tank for a few minutes making sure the water is the same temp as the water I took out. After 2 minutes I add a little of the water in the tank to the jar and then after 5 minutes I put the betta into his tank again making sure to get as little of the old water from the jar in the tank as possible...hopefully that was helpful to you...I have has my betta, Doofus for 4 years...he was my first and so this is a proven way to do a water change... ;D
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Post by abm on Dec 9, 2003 20:00:27 GMT -5
Tremendously helpful! Tomorrow will be fun!
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Post by mickey85 on Dec 11, 2003 19:21:32 GMT -5
With the males, I try to use the jar trick, but I pull all the plants and such out first so they have nowhere to hide! muahahahaha!!!! Anyway, sometimes they're too sneaky for me, so I just net them (and that's what I HAVE to do with the 10 gallon tank - it's just too big to go chasing fish around). I keep the water around 78-80 all the time, so that's what I fill them back up at, but the fun thing is, I don't have a sink big enough to fill a 2.5 gallon tank, so it's off to the shower! And these are hooked up to the same water line as the toilets, so every time the toilets flush, all the cold water goes away and it gets scalding hot, so I try to keep the water cool. then I treat the water, stick everything back in, wait for 15 minutes or so, then plunk Mr. betta back in. My room is so small that I honestly cannot have a 5 gallon trash can with aging water, and if there's little bubblies that could stick to the fish, I wait until they're gone.
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Post by abm on Dec 11, 2003 20:05:32 GMT -5
That's what I like to hear - someone who really makes water changes an ADVENTURE, both for you and the fish!
After Anakin jumped yesterday, I decided I really need to pay more attention to my method - when I initially posted this question it was more in the theoretical vein but now I'm scrutinizing my every move. So far two successful changes w/o losing a fish! (This week that is - gotta do two more tomorrow.)
I can't wait for Christmas when my loving family will be buying me larger tanks with heaters! My fish will love me!
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Post by palepinkvase on Dec 13, 2003 1:03:45 GMT -5
Hi. I have been filling empty spring water gallon jugs with water and letting it set over night in the same room as my Bettas. I net my guys and put them into a large half-filled (about 8oz) glass of the new water. I wash everything with hot water and then refill using the new water. I just dump my guys gently back into the bowl. I swear one of them in particular looks forward to the dumping....like a Betta roller coaster. I usually end up spending time with a clean spoon lifting out grit that comes off the gravel. I have had my since the spring and no amount of rinsing seems to eliminate the grit. Is this to be expected? or am I doing something wrong? Otherwise, Giovanni, Kang Pei, Lambert, and Scraggle Fin seem happy.  |
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Post by Denise on Dec 16, 2003 2:39:11 GMT -5
Sounds like everyone has a similar routine, except I use the kitchen sink instead of the shower! All my guys are in one gallons and get changed once a week, with a partial change after three days. I use colored glass marbles and silk plants. Palepinkvase -- a turkey baster is a great device to use as a mini syphon and may help you to clean your gravel. If you like using a spoon, I think you should use disposable plastic spoons. You should never use anything metal for the fish. You should have a set of plastic measuring spoons on hand just for the fish for medicines, aqua salt, or whatever. I only use gravel in my ten gallon goldfish tank and I use marbles for all the betttas since the marbles are so easy to clean. I also fill empty one-gallon water jugs with new tap water, treated with Amquel, Novaqua, and aqua salt. With eleven bettas, we are on a tight cleaning schedule and I always have three or four gallons prepared and sitting in the kitchen where most of my bettas live. I use cut up pieces of pantyhose to put over the water jugs with a rubber band so it can breathe and won't get dust in it as it ages. I cover the kitchen sink drain with a stopper that has drain holes for water but no fish could accidentally go down. I bring the gallon bowl to the kitchen counter next to the sink and I scoop out my betta using a 9 oz. clear plastic solo cup and cover it immeciately with a little plastic margarine lid with a small air hole cut into the lid. The lid doesn't have to fit, it just lays on top of the cup. I set him aside in a safe spot. I usually take out the plant before I get the betta and it's a little easier. I never use food to catch them, but some are much easier to get into the cup than others. I rinse the plant really good under hot water and scrub with my fingers, then rinse in cold water (some bacteria love hot water and are killed by cold water). I pour out the old bowl water and marbles into a plastic collander in the sink, rinse the marbles well, rinse the bowl well and scrub the inside with a paper towel. I rinse the marbles and bowl in cool water after the hot water so they will be close to room temp when I add the new water. Then I just dry the outside of the bowl with a paper towel, put back in the marbles and plant and fill with my prepared water. I always use a few new drops of Amquel and Novaqua to take care of the tap water that was just used for washing everything. I also use Melafix with every water change, about 8 drops per gallon. Oh, I also test the pH on the new water before I fill the bowl. Our tap water tends to be high, but it varies and sometimes it's just right. When it's too high, I add some bottled reverse osmosis drinking water (which has a very low pH) to help bring the pH close to neutral. I have a little stick-on type thermometer on every bowl, so I can see if the new water is the right temp when I fill the bowl. It's usually about two degrees warmer after washing everything in hot water, but that's usually a good thing since we like to be warm and two degrees is not too drastic. If the new water is too warm or too cold, I sometimes float a plastic bag in the new water filled with either hot or cold water as needed, and it will change the temp up or down within a few minutes. I hold my betta's cup over the collander in the sink and tilt the lid a little to pour out most of his old water, then I place the cup at a sideways angle in the bowl and let him swim out. I've only had two mishaps in two years and both times it was when I was lifting the betta out of the bowl and into his little cup and he jumped on the way up before I could get the lid on. Both times he landed in the sink which thankfully had a covered drain, and I was able to scoop him right up in my hand and into the cup. For two of my bettas who are particularly nervous over water changes, I'm afraid I have spoiled them by having an extra bowl, marbles, and plant, and I get the new bowl all ready and just scoop him right into the new bowl with a cup and there is no waiting period in the cup while I wash out the bowl. This method has really helped my nervous boys get through their water changes. Then I wash out their used bowl and it is ready for the next week. BTW, I discard the plastic cups after each use and everyone gets a new one every time. Each betta has his own net, but I rarely use them since I got used to using the cups. I buy big packages of cheap plastic drinking straws and they make great stir sticks for when I add the conditioning drops and Melafix.
Hope this helps a little. Sounds like you are off to a good start! Good luck!
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Post by palepinkvase on Dec 18, 2003 17:30:44 GMT -5
Denise - It never occurred to me to use glass marbles/beads. What a great idea! Thanks! ;D
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Post by palepinkvase on Dec 18, 2003 17:32:43 GMT -5
ps - From now on I will keep metal spoons out of my guys water!  |
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Post by Denise on Dec 19, 2003 18:41:33 GMT -5
Palepink -- The glass marbles are really pretty and easy to clean. They come in so many beautiful colors and I like to coordinate the colors with the colors of my bettas. You can get round ones or flattened ones, large, or small. You can find them at Wal-Mart or craft stores like Michaels or JoAnn's. Most pet stores don't have a good selection and they are way more expensive for a tiny bag than the craft stores. Even if you buy them in a craft store instead of a pet store, they are okay and safe to use for the fish. Just be careful with them because eventually some of them will crack or chip and have sharp edges. As I am rinsing them I run my fingers through them and toss out any that have a chip or crack. I think it's fun to decorate the fish bowls and the marbles are really pretty. Good luck, and I hope your babies like them!
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