# Dirty Betas?



## Asha (Apr 23, 2009)

I have a question about betas and their tanks. I currently have two of them and they are in the same size tank( 1 galon) and I have cleaned out their tanks on the same days so I don't forget when I last cleaned them. It's been about a week now and one tank still looks very clean and has clear water. My second tank however, looks cloudy and the water has kinda a yellow look. I don't want to clean out the tanks too often and stress my beta out ( he is building a bubble nest so I know he's happy) but I'm worried about his health. Is it possible for one fish to be dirtier then another? What should I do?


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

One gallon tanks should be changed at least once a week, preferably twice a week. I write the date down every time I do a change so I don't forget.


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## onekatietwo (Apr 12, 2009)

I would recommend changing their water a little more often. You don't have to do a full clean out, but just replace about half of the water or maybe a little more. You can even leave the fish in for this process if you're really gentle about taking the water out and putting new water in.
The added health from frequent water changes will be more of a benefit that sparing your fish from a little bit a stress during a water change. Anyway, unless you have particularly skittish fish, they shoudl get used to it pretty quickly. Mine seems more curious than anything and I don't think it stresses him out.

As far as one being cloudy and not the other, the cloudy one could have had some kind of bacteria bloom. It also could be taht you fed that fish more with out realizing it or maybe that fish doesn't eat as much as the other fish so there was more food to rot at the bottom. I would reccomend just watching the fish to see if anything odd starts developing and maybe doing an additional cleaning or water replacement.


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## whitedevil (Apr 24, 2009)

change the water every 2-3 days, use CYCLE and a water conditioner( not a chain brand get a reputable name brand its worth it in the long run)CYCLE will help the water last longer and stay alot cleaner. its strictly good bacteria to combat the issue you are having. Id put em into a 10g personally, they will need their own tank but they would have heat,filter and swimming area.


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## JingleAllTheWay (Mar 21, 2009)

I'd just clean them out more often. I guess a betta could be dirtier than another maybe if he poops more?
Whitedevil, I wouldn't suggest using cycle. Especially since it is only one gallon.
You really just need to make sure and use water conditioner, Asha. I don't use cycle and my fish are great.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Cycle is used only if you are cycling your tank and I've heard people on the forum say it doesn't help your tank to cycle.


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## Chicklet (Feb 9, 2009)

Cycle is a waste of money, Just a feel good product that can actually cause more problems then good,
You tend to think your fish are safer, when if fact they are not, So you tend to let it ride abit longer, Bad mistake,
Don't waste your money on Cycle.

As Drama queen already stated, Once a week absolutely, Twice is better still. every other day perfecto.
Don't matter how clear the water looks it's still dirty,
Remember their living in a small amount of water 24/7 they pee and poop in there, any access food creates more troubles, 
Save yourself from a problem that will happen down the road by cleaning his tank much more frequently
would you like to live and breath ammonia every day of your life, It's bad no matter how you look at it,
In small tanks ammonia builds up rather quickly.
,
Don't worry about stressing the fish, Betta's quickly learn to love the attention it gives them by having mummy or daddy mess with them


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I think being in clean water makes them feel good too.


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## Campbell (Apr 12, 2009)

I change one gallon every two days in my 5 gallon and do a thorough cleaning (vacuum, 75% water change, and algae clean up) every two weeks. In my 2.5 gallon its a 25% change every two days and a 75% change once a week. In a one gallon I would personally change the water every other day.


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## whitedevil (Apr 24, 2009)

Cycle worked for me, parameters proved it.

My angel has been in there for a while, the kuhli's since day one. It works just fine.


Its not jsut used for cycling, read a bottle some time.

Unless there are more bad then good reviews of the product, I wont touch it, I am normally an additive free person especially with my tank, however on several recommendations from many breeders who I get my angels from gave me some to try when i brought him a water sample, a week later the results proved it worked.

Dont knock something till you try it.


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## Chicklet (Feb 9, 2009)

> Dont knock something till you try it.


I have many many mant times, and proved over and over it don't do nothing, Waste of money.

If you think it works, Great then, Go for it,


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## whitedevil (Apr 24, 2009)

Im jsut stating my water parameters proved it works, I didnt buy it till I tried it and tested it.

Its a 1gallon tank though that this person is working with. It would work if administered right however you cant overdose since its all biological and not chemicals.


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## froglady (Apr 12, 2009)

I would change the water twice a week in the small tank. otherwise ammonia levels will spike as well as other nitrates. I had to do an emergency water change in my 5 gallon. the levels were bad . and the betta feels allot better now. I have a filter in there. but water changes are needed in a filtered tank also.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Thats what this forum is for, to share ideas and what has worked for us and what hasn't. We all don't get the same results with stuff. Some people have great success with products and others don't.


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## whitedevil (Apr 24, 2009)

^^^ very true, I think it depends on what is in the water to begin with, lime and algae are in mine and cycle thrives off that stuff.

I may sound mean but I put angels and gourami's thru the cycle( long story, renovation took longer then expected) not because I wanted to but kinda had to in the situation.


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## Asha (Apr 23, 2009)

Thank you!


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Cloudy water almost always means ammonia which is BAD. I'd personally be doing a full water change every other day in a 1 gallon. If you only ever do partials ammonia will still build up - trust me I had it happen in a few 4 gallon QT tanks and I couldn't believe it because I was doing partials and it had only been a week and a few days. It took around 4 90% water changes to get the levels down to 0. Generally once it's cloudy ammonia levels are quite high. Bacterial blooms are more rare, and in this situation I wouldn't think that is the case. They can make the water smell quite bad.

Luckily the quick and easy fix is to do more frequent water changes. I'd do a 100% water change every other day. As long as the temperature matches, the water is from the same source, and it is conditioned this will not bother your betta and in fact will make him much healthier and happier. If you could upgrade the tank size your betta would love it and you would have to do less frequent water changes.

I have Cycle and am kind of on the fence about it. It's definitely not a cure all, but it does "seem" to help cycle a tank faster and also "seemed" to help when my 29 gallon when through a mini-cycle. There's no way to tell for sure thought if the same effect would have happened if I had not added it.


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## LaniBaby (Apr 14, 2009)

i sort of had the same question. Bluey's tank looks really clean and Crumb's was really cloudy. That's why I switched to sand. I can now see everytime he poops (fun!) and i can get out the trusty turkey baster. I feel confident he is much better off this way.  And i feel like i'm interacting more with my fish. Sometimes i wonder what they're thinking when they just wiggle and stare... wiggle and stare....


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