# 1 gallon tank: change how much and when. betta in cycle. =(



## Mauii143 (May 10, 2010)

ok. here it goes. i know nothing about raising fish. i went to petco and i bought a betta. no one told me about cycling the tank. i bought a 1 gallon aqeuon tank with filter. i got the conditioner, stress coat, stress zyme, ammonia remover, pH test kit, ammonia and nitrite test kits. the ph is stable and the ammonia keeps spiking but it has been at 1.0 the last couple days, before that it was off the charts!! i have had Mauii for 1 week, i got him on my birthday which was may 6. so on may 8 i did a 20% water change cuz the ammonia was at the very end like 7.2? im sorry im not near my stuff right this moment.

my problem is, mauii is cycling with the tank. the ammonia is staying at 1.0 now, when do i do a complete change? ive heard, 10-25% a week then complete once a month. but then i heard complete once a week. i have a 10 gallon waiting for him. all the levels are low...how do i speed up the process if the process starts. i added stress zyme and water conditioner and a nutrifin cycle... im worried. if i knew about cycling i would have waited. im an avid animal lover. now a fish lover









help!!!!!! its been 1 week and do i partial or complete change?


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## Welsh (Apr 13, 2010)

I only cycled my tank for a week. I took the water to be tested at my LFS and they said the water was fine, I believed them and completely overstocked my tank with 4 fighter females, 6 corydoras, 6 tetras, 5 guppies and 1 snail. When I heard this was WRONG to do I did a 50% water change weekly, its been a month and my water prams are Ammonia 0, Nitrates 0, Nitrites 0.25 and I still have all my fish alive except the guppies which which I have returned to my LFS. 

I wouldnt panic too much just keep doing a 50% water change, betta's are quite hardy fish so he should be just fine if you keep up with your changes =) Some people may suggest different though


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

In a 1g tank with a filter I would not worry too much about the cycling process due to the number of regular water changes that need to be done for a healthy thriving fish.

On 1g tank with and without filters IMO/E they need at the very least every other day 50% water changes depending on how much you feed and if you remove any uneaten food after feeding (recommended)

On your filter media only give it a swish in old tank water with a water change 1-2 times a month or when the water flow slows.

Less chemical additives the better, a good dechlorinator is all you need IMO/E

What about the water temp and a heater?
Bettas are tropical fish and thrive best in water temps at 78-80F

Once you get the 10g set-up and ready to cycle look for fishless cycling information, IMO the products sold to cycle tank are useless and a waste of money.

You know your tank is cycled when your water pram numbers read:
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 5-10ppm
pH varies and changing with chemicals should not be attempted as most fish will adapt to pH without issues, sudden changes can be deadly.


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## soleilvie (Mar 20, 2010)

Wait, your ammonia level was 7.2 with your fish in the tank?? The ammonia level shouldn't go above 0.25 without a water change...

Also, why are you worried about cycling a 1 gal when you are soon putting him in a 10 gal?

:-?


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## BettaxFishxCrazy (Sep 5, 2009)

Cycling a 1G is a waste of time IMO. You should be doing 100% water changes every other day IMO so cycling would be worthless. Ammonia builds up VERY quickly in smaller tanks/bowls.


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