Changing water in Betta Tanks

[Myron Tay]

How often do you change the water in your betta tanks on average?

[kennho]

I just about to get this question asked. Now this poll should get something.

Anyway, I saw Kevin's method of changing water written at Arofanatic. Anyway, I think not right to cut and paste here without his permission.

Kevin, what about those keeping in barrack since your method mentioned that no water transer from 1 tank to another and not getting hands wet.

[Samuel Phan]

2 TO 3 times per week.

[Kelvin Tan]

aiya ken thanks for mentioning my post. anyway anything that can share with ppl here just do it lo.... no need my permission.....

Here's my humble opionion which many members are probably doing the same:
Just to prevent more betta deaths due to incorrect changing betta water method.

A better way to change water is to pour out the water while the fish is inside. fish may be stressed ubt at least it will not get contaminated with fishwater from other fishes.

just take tank in one hand and pour water out, if swim head same direction as water flow and flowing out, on the tap slightly and the pressure of water will cause betta to head in the other direction. so when little water left, on tap again to dilute the waste water and pour out again. like that water is clean inside. Then pour in yr aged water.

all my betta are trained in this way from one month old so they know how to behave during water change. and i dun think i got any betta with torn fins or broken fins because of water change

with experience and some of the poor fellow falling into the basin you can suceed. i only once pour one down the drain when the lid was not there. heart pain.

sounds cruel and troublesome and cumbersome, but hey my hands remain dry after changin 50 or more tanks. and they dun share any container which can spread disease.

net is not good.

method is optimised thru changing water over a thousand times for few hundred bettas. I even try to change water for fries which has 50 or more fries in a big plastic tank, a bit hard and dangerous though

[kennho]

For courtesy sake mah Kelvin. I hate to do cut and paste as there might be some legal copyright things from sites to sites practice.

you mentioned "when the lid was not there", do you mean that all your betta tank has cover ?

[Myron Tay]

There were 16 people who viewed this poll and only 8 voted. Come on people. I am sure all of us do this.

[Foo Hong]

Kelvin method is practical I do the same also...kekeke except i never age the water these days bcos my wife complains why so many containers! I also change the fries water up to 100% from day 3 or 5 onwards.

Bettas are tuff !

[Brandon Chia]

but won't i damage the fins?? i last time also never age water.. just use water conditioner.. then dunno y all my CTs one by one start to have fin curl... now no more lioaz... now my toilet always got pails of aged water.. :)

[Tan Xiao YI]

[cnf]i cant vote leh...but i change whenever i see the water is dirty...[bh][bh][bh][bh][bh]ai yo juz got complaint again today...
my post like SMS !!! LOL ok i try to change [bt][bt]
[sr][sr][sr]

[heemeng]

Hi,

I think another big back breaking part of water changing is carrying the jars to your water/dumping point? These days, I have even lesser adults so now they are all in those 3 litre
guppy tanks each with a corner filter. Got the idea from Ing Ming and the result is very good. Can dun change for 2 weeks and water still remains clear. I also no longer carry the tanks; just siphon the water using a tube that leads to the toilet water hole. My growing up jarred fries are all in betta barrack so water changing is very minimal. Just wash wool and siphon using big tubing.

Rgds

[Ong Ginyew]

ya lor...carrying d tanks into d toilet...veri tiring..
but i do it once every 3 days...

[Myron Tay]

Thanks to Phil's good advice, I have now changed my routine to changing about 25%-33% of the water in my individual tanks. This combined with the placing of filters and plants into each of the tanks have produced very favourable results, with some of the fin curl undoing themselves. Highly recommended.

[ernest seow]

Every 3 days for jarred fishes. Once every 4 days for larger tanks and once a week for very large tanks. Still have every once in a while fishes under quarantine and they have better attention from my nurse(wife).

[imported_n/a]

quote:Originally posted by Myron Tay

Thanks to Phil's good advice, I have now changed my routine to changing about 25%-33% of the water in my individual tanks. This combined with the placing of filters and plants into each of the tanks have produced very favourable results, with some of the fin curl undoing themselves. Highly recommended.


You mean placing those mini sponge filters would be good enough?

[imported_n/a]

quote:Originally posted by Myron Tay

Thanks to Phil's good advice, I have now changed my routine to changing about 25%-33% of the water in my individual tanks. This combined with the placing of filters and plants into each of the tanks have produced very favourable results, with some of the fin curl undoing themselves. Highly recommended.


You mean placing those mini sponge filters would be good enough?

[Myron Tay]

Yup, but of course if you can do better than that, you should. You can find the reason why on this thread:

http://www.bettaclub.org.sg/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1531

quote:Originally posted by Xavier Tan
You mean placing those mini sponge filters would be good enough?

[Myron Tay]

Yup, but of course if you can do better than that, you should. You can find the reason why on this thread:

http://www.bettaclub.org.sg/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1531

quote:Originally posted by Xavier Tan
You mean placing those mini sponge filters would be good enough?

[Myron Tay]

Could I urge all who have not participated to contribute to this poll please? This is valuable information to share to all. Thanks.

[Nicholas Lock]

I quite 'newbie'.

From my brief experience, I usually change my water once a week, and clear the tank waste twice a week. Tanks are 1-gallon type, all housing 1 betta each.

How often to change water for baby bettas? Every day?

=====
currently have changed my H2O habits to:
- weekly, 75% water change.
- once every 2-3 days, siphoning waste and 25% water change.

[added on 16/01/2004]
=====

[Myron Tay]

Nicholas

For my thoughts on the maintenance of halfmoons, you can refer to this thread:
http://www.bettaclub.org.sg/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1531

Personally, I think there should be no difference between the maintenance requirements of young and old bettas, other than the fact that really young bettas can be kept together with no fear that they would tear each other apart.

[Myron Tay]

Interesting results for all to note. For those of us new to the forum, please share with us your practices!

[VictoriaParnell]

What I used to do was remove all the lids and vaccuum the bottom of each container with a siphon tube, removing all of the detritus and about 50% of the old water, moving from tank to tank, and then top each container off with clean, treated tap water. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a good way of spreading disease, and now I do 100% water changes every other day, at the most three days. They are kept in 1/2 gallon boxes.

I have a large bucket that I use for this purpose, and a small plastic cup. I pour the water slowly into the bucket and gently catch the betta in the cup as he falls out, so he is never out of the water and his stress level is reduced. Then I rinse and wipe the container, fill it with clean water, and pour the betta with his tiny amount of old water back into his container. If the betta is being treated for illness, then I catch him in a net before putting him back in his jar, so that there is no trace of his old water. Cups are shared only between fish I know for a fact are healthy, and are cleaned thoroughly after. Nets are soaked in a strong salt solution between uses.

I prepare the tap water with dechlorinator then filter it three times through a net packed with filter floss and activated carbon, to get rid of most of the harmful metals and chloramine. It takes a long time - I have 200-500 fish in jars at any given time, and many spawning and rearing tanks, but it keeps sickness and death at a minimum. I spend over 5 hours every day working with the fish.

[terence tan]

my tank is 10" x 6" x 8" length x breadth x height. i change 100% of the water once a week or sometimes once a fortnight. i do not have any filtration but i do siphon dirt from the tank bottom everyday.

[Myron Tay]

quote:Originally posted by VictoriaParnell


It takes a long time - I have 200-500 fish in jars at any given time, and many spawning and rearing tanks, but it keeps sickness and death at a minimum. I spend over 5 hours every day working with the fish.
[dr] [dr] [dr]

[vinceyeo]

whao Victoria, do you actually breed bettas and earn it as a livehood?

[VictoriaParnell]

quote:Originally posted by vinceyeo

whao Victoria, do you actually breed bettas and earn it as a livehood?


Nah, I have a "real job"...not that I'll turn down supplementary income! [col]

I get about 4-6 spawns per month and jar every fish starting at 4 weeks old.

[VictoriaParnell]

quote:Originally posted by vinceyeo

whao Victoria, do you actually breed bettas and earn it as a livehood?


Nah, I have a "real job"...not that I'll turn down supplementary income! [col]

I get about 4-6 spawns per month and jar every fish starting at 4 weeks old.

[Myron Tay]

100% water changes daily - good or bad?

For those of us aliens :D who do 100% water changes daily, do you face problems caused by stress or other factors?

[Myron Tay]

100% water changes daily - good or bad?

For those of us aliens :D who do 100% water changes daily, do you face problems caused by stress or other factors?

[Alex Lim]

Myron,

are you referring to "daily" changes or each time we change (extended over several days)?

if it's the latter, i do not face any problems. includes the potential stress exerted due to chemical (medication). normally, they'll only stress up for a few min. afterall, it's back to normal. of course ,water conditions are similar.

[Alex Lim]

Myron,

are you referring to "daily" changes or each time we change (extended over several days)?

if it's the latter, i do not face any problems. includes the potential stress exerted due to chemical (medication). normally, they'll only stress up for a few min. afterall, it's back to normal. of course ,water conditions are similar.

[Myron Tay]

quote:Originally posted by Alex Lim

Myron,

are you referring to "daily" changes or each time we change (extended over several days)?

if it's the latter, i do not face any problems. includes the potential stress exerted due to chemical (medication). normally, they'll only stress up for a few min. afterall, it's back to normal. of course ,water conditions are similar.
Alex

I am trying to find out the effects of 100% daily water changes on fish. I know of at least one person who used to do that with no problems. He was able to feed live food daily and did not have to add anything to condition his water.

[Myron Tay]

quote:Originally posted by Alex Lim

Myron,

are you referring to "daily" changes or each time we change (extended over several days)?

if it's the latter, i do not face any problems. includes the potential stress exerted due to chemical (medication). normally, they'll only stress up for a few min. afterall, it's back to normal. of course ,water conditions are similar.
Alex

I am trying to find out the effects of 100% daily water changes on fish. I know of at least one person who used to do that with no problems. He was able to feed live food daily and did not have to add anything to condition his water.

[Alex Lim]

Myron,

i think the main problem of daily changes would be the hassle involved in doing that. and it would also be many times the same hassle for those who keep a lot of bettas.

but i must admit your friend must have done a fantastic job. actually, i also feed live foods daily and the waste accumulated is tremendous depending on the amount i feed. in the not-so-distant past, i did not really bother so much. but i noted the behaviour of my fellas tuning to a more positive note if the water was kept cleaner. hence, began the habit of waste siphoning everyday. in this sense, because the water is usually kept spotless, i am (if i wanted to) able to extend water changes for an extra day. i think Terence practised this as well, clarify? :D

of course, this method is a poorer alternative compared to 100% daily changes but i thought it would suffice for those who cannot afford to / too lazy to change water everday. anyway, just to share, Straits practised similar regimes for their fellas. they do 50% water changes for the fishes on display with siphoning of waste simultaneously everyday. top it up with aged water and put in aqua-salt. perhaps this served to explain why their fishes seemed to be in top-form most of the time.

[Alex Lim]

Myron,

i think the main problem of daily changes would be the hassle involved in doing that. and it would also be many times the same hassle for those who keep a lot of bettas.

but i must admit your friend must have done a fantastic job. actually, i also feed live foods daily and the waste accumulated is tremendous depending on the amount i feed. in the not-so-distant past, i did not really bother so much. but i noted the behaviour of my fellas tuning to a more positive note if the water was kept cleaner. hence, began the habit of waste siphoning everyday. in this sense, because the water is usually kept spotless, i am (if i wanted to) able to extend water changes for an extra day. i think Terence practised this as well, clarify? :D

of course, this method is a poorer alternative compared to 100% daily changes but i thought it would suffice for those who cannot afford to / too lazy to change water everday. anyway, just to share, Straits practised similar regimes for their fellas. they do 50% water changes for the fishes on display with siphoning of waste simultaneously everyday. top it up with aged water and put in aqua-salt. perhaps this served to explain why their fishes seemed to be in top-form most of the time.

[Eugene]

Hi Myron,

You mentioned something that Phil advised which was good.
What does Phil do?

I change water once a week....less stress....more healthy.
Replace with aged water with Catappa leaves.

Feed the Bettas less...only once a day on frozen or live food, max 2 small feedings.
They still grow plenty and are very active.

I believe it is not how much a betta eats but how much his body absorbs. Unabsorbed food is naturally purged as waste....which adds to the stress.

:)

Cheerio
Eugene

[Myron Tay]

Thanks Alex and Eugene.

You see the problem is not so much the visible waste that is excreted but the "invisible" wastes as well. You see, fishes introduce ammonia as part of their waste discharge. Ammonia is of course invisible to the naked eye. In nature, there is enough bacteria (Nitrosomonas bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrites and Nitrobacter bacteria to break down nitrites into nitrates. Unfortunately, as most of us do not use plants or use big enough tanks, there is not enough of these useful bacteria to perform the necessary work. This build-up of ammonia / nitrates, added to any harmful bacteria that is introduced if commercially produced live food, is extremely detrimental to the health of your betta.

Not sure how Ketapang helps in this process, but I do not like seeing my betta through brown water. Just a personal preference.

Eugene

I believe Phil changes 33% of the water in his tanks every day. Phil, do correct me if I am wrong.

[Junaidi]

me do 100% change every 3 days, siphon waste everydae.
btw, as a newbie i neglected using aged water as well as anti chlorine etc
until recently when join this forum as well as abc. really helps and apreciates
to all contribution....

luv me bettas

[Alex Lim]

I thought i would like to add in that the waste comes not just from the hard waste but also from their urine which is discharged into the water in liquid form (they can be seen) but which dilute into the water. these urinal waste are what cannot be siphoned out. and therefore, siphoning out hardened waste only removes at the most half of total discharged waste. that's why it's good practice (though not always practical) to change 1/3 water everyday like U. Phil did.

[SteveHewlett]

I have a four month old red plakat in a 15 gallon planted tank by himself and an approx. one year old red pet store betta in a 5 gallon planted tank by himself (am putting together a 10 gallon tank for him). Both tanks are filtered with AquaClear Mini power filters w/ sponge in them and have a couple of pond snails. I siphon the gravel once a month and replace the water with tap water treated with Amquel and NovAqua and let it stand for a day at least. This amounts to about a 10% water change for the 15 gallon tank and a 25% water change for the 5 gallon tank. I am very concientious about netting out uneaten food, dead plant material, and poop on a daily basis. Between these water changes I top off the tanks to replace evaporation using bottled spring water. I test tank water for pH, GH, KH, and ammonia prior to doing water changes (siphoning) and sometimes more often.

[Liang Heng]

I change the water whenever it is dirty with overnight water + antichorine + salt sometimes 2 week don have to change. But i do siphon out the visible waste every 2 days with pipete only ,so very little water was siphon , as my tank is 6 by 8 by 7 inches L*b*h respectively.Usually when i do my 100% water change, those dirty water i used them to water my plants lol.

Saving water is important in singapore,as it cost money also. hehehe!

[Gerry Antonio]

I have various water changing methods depending on the age of the Bettas.
For 0-4 weeks old, every other day 50% water change in a 50 gallon aquarium.
1-3 months, they are individually placed in a customized Betta Barracks with fast dripping system or what I call the pulse irrigation method (adapted from TRIZ). Daily water change for those placed in this system.
3months-onwards, they are placed in individual jars with daily 100% water change.

[Liang Heng]

Gerry Antonio,

The pulse irrigation method do they have a sump tank or something like tat??( it use the water over and over like filter)

Or just drip and the unwanted water goes into drain ??

[Gerry Antonio]

I call it pulsed irrigation because instead of the steady dripping, a gallon of water is poured through the individual compartments. The Betta compartments are made of inverted plastic PET bottles - creating a funnel effect when you pour water. This will force debris that has collected at the bottom of each "funnel" to go out of an outlet drain.

Used drip system before, but this 'pulse' method has a better flushing capability.

It looks something below, but instead of the faucet, a 5-inch 1/2 PVC for the outlet drain. The height of this PVC determines the height of the Betta barracks.

Attachment: icon_paperclip.gif BettaBar.jpg (http://www.bettaclub.org.sg/forum/uploaded/Gerry Antonio/20061618442_BettaBar.jpg)
40.54KB

[Phil]

No further need for all those, now. I am now doing 100% water change through my newly acquired Ozone machine. I noticed that even fish with thinning rays benefit from the ozone water. Here is a simple explanation I extracted on how it does its work:

AIDS, CANCER CURED BY HYPER-OXYGENATION
by Waves Forest

"OXYGEN WATER"

A much simpler type of Oxygen Therapy uses hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) which is what ozone (O3) forms on contact with water. It can be taken orally if diluted with water to 1/200 or less, absorbed through the skin by bathing in it (anywhere from 1-8 pints of 3% H2O2 in a standard size bathtub half full), or in severe cases it can be injected (250 cc of .075% to .15% or roughly 1/1300 to 1/650). Injections obviously require a physicians assistance, but self treatment is possible with oral and skin applications.

The principle is the same as with ozone blood treatment. All hostile micro-organisms prefer lower oxygen levels than the bodies cells require to remain healthy. Boosting the oxygen level revitalizes normal cells while killing virus and other pathogens. O3 activated water contains the strongest and most natural algaecide, bactericide, disinfectant, fungicide, germicide, sanitizer, and virus agent known to humanity. Activated oxygen, not only destroys all pathogenic and organic microbe, it also destroys fungal pathogens, cysts, parasites, protozoa and some yeast as well.

[Gerry Antonio]

Heard about the ozonator. It is extensively used for sanitation of bottled water. Some designs uses the UV ray to create the ozone (O3).

Won't this create an unnatural environment for the Bettas that may prove to be risky in the long run?

I've always suspected that the herpes disease of KOIs which proved to be fatal is somehow caused by UV filtration systems.

[Phil]

The product that I am using does not use UV. It uses activated Oxygen to clean us the bacteria. You should try using O3 for your Kois to prevent Herpes. Anyway I am now saving on the Anti Clorine/chloramine and even salt, that I previously used, as i don't require these product anymore.

quote:Originally posted by Gerry Antonio

Heard about the ozonator. It is extensively used for sanitation of bottled water. Some designs uses the UV ray to create the ozone (O3).

Won't this create an unnatural environment for the Bettas that may prove to be risky in the long run?

I've always suspected that the herpes disease of KOIs which proved to be fatal is somehow caused by UV filtration systems.

[Gerry Antonio]

Noted. Now I'm wondering if activated oxygen is the equivalent of "ionized" oxygen.

Is it possible if you could kindly post a picture of the machine.

Thanks.

[Phil]

quote:Originally posted by Gerry Antonio

Noted. Now I'm wondering if activated oxygen is the equivalent of "ionized" oxygen.

Is it possible if you could kindly post a picture of the machine.

Thanks.



You can follow up on this topic under disease and medication. It is different from ionized its ozonised.