Betta Fish Water: High nitrate and ammonia levels brought by waste materials are not evident to the naked eye. But, they may cause serious stress in your betta.
To keep the water in your tank clean and healthy, the most crucial thing you have to provide is long-term happiness and health.
If you keep the aquarium of your betta fish unfiltered, then you may change up to 50 percent of the water each week. You need to keep in mind that the smaller the tank is, the more water you have to replace.
If your betta has a filtered bowl, then you can change only around 20 percent of the water every week.
Are you still unsure about how often you have to replace the water in the tank of your betta fish? Do you want to replace it, but you don’t know how to do it? Read on to know the exact steps on how to change betta fish water.
Changing the Water of Your Betta Fish Tank
The most efficient way you can take care of your betta fish water tank is to fill it with clean water. One of the biggest mistakes a lot of people do is to keep their fishes in a smaller bowl.
Then, they rarely replace or never chance the water in the aquarium. You have to change the water regularly to make sure that your betta remains healthy and happy at all times.
But, you should be a victim of the thought that your betta fish can survive in a tiny container without changing the water. A few years ago, putting rocks, decors, and aquarium plants have become a significant trend on the market.
A lot of marketing strategies insisted that bettas live better when you have these items. But, these claims were not true. And unfortunately, most of these people lost their fishes.
3 Easy Steps to Change the Betta Fish Water
Here are some ways to replace the Betta Fish water in your tank:
Set Up the Tank for Water Replacement
You need to fill a bucket or a container of clean water. Plus, you need to find a bowl that can contain up to the right amount of water you’ll need to change the water in the tank.
You can use the same container for this reason. That way, you won’t be confused if the bowl contains toxic chemicals for household cleaning.
Then, you have to put some water conditioner. Your tap water has chemicals that are harmful to your fish, including chlorine and fluoride. Your water conditioner will get rid of those substances quickly.
You need to wait until it can adapt to the room temperature or the same as the temperature of the aquarium. Take note that sudden alterations in the temperature will stress out your fish. You want your tank water to be at 78 to 82 degrees.
Moreover, you need some extra buckets to filter put the water from the fish tank. The bucket does not need to be clean or sterile because you still have to dump it. You may also obtain a hose to draw off the water from the tank.
Pet shops may have specialized tubes that have a wide and firm plastic at the tip to help you in the cleaning process. All you have to do is to tie the other end of the tube that you have to connect in the bowl. If the filter is also dirty, you may need to replace it too.
Get Rid of the Old Water
Before starting with these steps, you need to take note that you have to do them without removing the betta fish in the tank. You also have to be gentle not to disturb the environment of the fish.
The only time you have to take the fish out is when you have to change the water completely.
Firstly, you have to take away the cover of your tank. Ensure that the lights, filters, and heaters are no longer plugged. That way, your primary concern is safety.
Then, you have to obtain the bucket and place it close to the aquarium. You also have to remove the decors such as rocks, plants, and fish houses from the tank.
Next, place the suction hose or tube into the tank. Other suctions have a method of getting the water out of the tank.
Then, it also fills the water slowly. But, if you do not have one, you may find it challenging to get rid of the water into the tank. So, you need to ensure that you pull the hose away.
You also have to draw the suction tube across the tank gravel. That way, you are bobbing the tube up and down across the gravel in your tank. You have to follow a 45-degree angle.
The reason you have to do this step is for you to suck the water up and get rid of the rotten fish food. By doing so, you can help in making the tank clean and healthy.
However, you also have to make sure that you do not take away too much water. Experts recommend that you only get rid 50 percent of unfiltered water and 20 percent of filtered water.
The remaining water will contain essential bacteria for healthy tank environment. After removing the water, you can flush it down the toilet.
Add the New Water in the Tank
You have to put the decorations and rocks back into the aquarium. Then, you have to use the hose to fill the tank with water. Also, you have to change the filter if it is dirty. Place the lid the back of the aquarium. Plug back your heater, filter, and lights.
Betta Fish Water FOR AQUARIUM!
If you are preparing to buy a betta fish, you have probably asked yourself several times that what kind of water you have to use for the betta fish tank? Choosing the wrong type of water for your betta can also lead to disaster. Without the right water, your betta can die a lot sooner than you’d like. Not all types of water are equal when it comes to the betta fish, so you have to choose wisely which kind of water will suit them.
To help you get the right water for your betta this article represents three sources that you can use for your betta aquarium. The sources are: –
Water to Use
Tap Water
Tap is one of the most common resources to get water, not only for betta but for all kinds of fish. However, if you are planning to put your betta in tap water, you have to make it initially safe first. And the only way to do that is by making it clean & hospitable for any living being. Often, there are many chemicals & metals present in the tap water that are destructive for bettas. If you can remove those chemicals & metals, you can put your bettas inside it without any hesitation & worries.
Bottled Water
Bottled water, also known as mineral & spring water is another type of water people ask to put their bettas inside. The biggest problem about the bottled water is its pH level, so it’s beneficial if you check the pH level before putting your bettas inside bottled water. If the pH level is at the proper level, you can avoid further treatment of that water. All you need to do is to let water flow inside the filter of an aquarium before putting your bettas inside the tank. One other benefit of using bottled water for your betta fish is, it contains minerals that benefit fish.
Aquatic Store Water
One of the easiest & effective sources of water for your betta fish is from the pet store. Many aquatic stores sell pre-worked water for the betta fish. If you are in real urgency to get water for your fish, it’s the best option for you as well as, if your aquarium is smaller in size, the wisest choice you can make regarding water for your betta fish is by purchasing it from the pet store.
Water to Avoid
Distilled Water
Distilled water is a type of purest water used for human drinking. Often, this purest term makes people think how amazing this water is to use in the betta fish tank. But its effects on the fish are completely opposite. Purification takes out various dangerous chemicals from the water, which is really great for every living being. But on the other hand, it also takes out several nutrition & minerals from the water needed by fish for survival. So you must avoid using distilled water for your betta fish tank.
Things to Remember Before Adding Bettas Inside Aquarium
Even if you are an expert on these things, you should not add bettas directly inside the aquarium. You should at least wait 24 hours before adding a betta into their new home. To know more about the reason why you should not add bettas quickly. These are the two points: –
- It allows chlorine to evaporate from the water. After the removal of these chemicals as well as metals, water becomes more favorable for the survival of betta fish.
- When tap water is filled inside an aquarium, it not only fills with the liquid substance (H2O). But it also gets filled with different gases like Nitrogen. So, it’s necessary to wait for some time before adding Bettas inside the tank.
Conclusion & Main Points
So, the replacement of your betta fish water still depends on how large or small your tank is and how often do you feed the fish. But you have to change the water at least once a week.
By following the easy steps on how to change the betta fish water, you assure yourself that your pet becomes healthy and happy.
- The best water to add in bettas tank is tap water as long as it is in favorable conditions.
- You should always avoid distressed & purified water for the betta fish aquarium.
- To make tap water suitable for betta fish, you need to add a water conditioner beforehand.
- As a rough guide, you should always change 25% of the water in the tank once a week.
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