# how often and proper method to change water



## kaykay1295 (Jul 21, 2011)

Ok, I have a 1 gallon bowl, yes I know this is small!! But I can't afford and don't have enough experience yet to be comfortable with buying a bigger habbitat! I am using tap water right now with water conditioner to make it easier on my crowntail beta( I just bought it today, I should be getting distilled water very soon) theres two other 1/2 -1 cm guppies of an unknown breed in there, their were my sisters long story short she has them in horrible conditions dity bowl 20 of those guppy things rarley fed its 1/2 gallon and a goldfish in there too. so I've temporarily taken a few into my bowl for a few days. How often should I clean the bowl, intirely and partially. And how should I do it so I don't stress Kaeden(my beta) I was considering temporarily putting him in a temporary bowl while I was cleaning it then putting him in when I was done. What do you guys think?


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## hmboyz (Jun 1, 2011)

100% water change every 2-3 days is what I recommend. make sure the water is dechlorinated.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

In a 1gal unfiltered container with a single Betta-twice weekly water changes...1-50% and 1-100% should maintain water quality-provided that you don't overfeed and uneaten food is removed within a reasonable time....

Don't use distilled water-its not healthy for fish...dechlorinated tap water is best and it generally contains all the needed mineral the fish needs for good health

With the added guppies in the 1gal with the Betta....thats a problem.....you need to get another container to place them in or hopefully they are small enough and the Betta will eat them....kinda like going from fire to the frying pan......with the added guppies...water changes of 3-50% and 1-100% a week and hope for the best.....

Make sure the water temp is within a couple of degrees between new and old water with water changes so not to temp shock the Betta 
Always use dechlorinator with any water added to the tank....
Dose the dechlorinator for the full volume of the tank even with partial changes as a general rule.....

Re-home the goldfish...its cruel keeping it and guppies in a half gallon container...if its a common goldfish...it needs a pond and fancy type at least 20gal...sooner rather than later......until then provide clean dechlorinated water with lots of water changes and limit food intake...

Good luck.....


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## kaykay1295 (Jul 21, 2011)

I personally cannot rehome them. my sister will not allow me, the best i can do is clean her tank and feed them, she sees nothign wrong with putting them all in tht little bowl no matter what i tell her.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Thats too bad.......you can only do so much......at least they are getting water changes......


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## kaykay1295 (Jul 21, 2011)

yea, i just cant make her understand that that many fish cannot fit in that small of a bowl! shes like yes they can its not crowded! look ones pregnant! are you getting a new bowl? no y would i do tht?!
then i walk into her room and it smells like death and a sewer! the water was so dirty and clouded i could see the bottom of the bowl it was brown! she wouldnt let me clean it either! so i waited until she left and cleaned it. im soooooooooooooo tempted to wait until the next big storm when our sewers drain into the local river and dump her whole bowl into the sewers, then they at least have a chance! but i cant so im just going to continue cleanign the tiny bowl, i may give her my one gallon so tht theres only 7 in each bowl.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Oh Noooooo.......please don't dump any fish.... dead or alive..... in the sewer or flush......this is bad for our ecosystem/environment........properly euthanize and depose of the body by bury, burn or toss in the trash.....


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## kaykay1295 (Jul 21, 2011)

how do you euthenise a fish?


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## AuntyM (Jul 25, 2011)

kaykay1295 said:


> how do you euthenise a fish?


If you can stomach it, chop off its head. If you can't, put it in a cup of water and put it in the freezer. Hypothermia is relatively painless.


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## BetterBetta (Jun 13, 2011)

kaykay1295 said:


> how do you euthenise a fish?


"If you have access to clove oil, you can put the fish to sleep *seemingly painlessly*. Mix it with water about 3 drops oil per 1 liter of water. This is sufficient to put the fish to sleep, and once it is unconscious add 3 more drops to kill it."- http://www.bettysplendens.com/articles/page.imp?articleid=1047


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

You said your not comfortable with a bigger setup, but a betta needs a bigger setup, 2.5g, at least and with guppies? A tank. 

But considering your situation, that bowl of yours needs 100% changes every other day. You sisters bowl should have 100% changes 2x daily to keep ammonia down. Distilled water doesn't have the minerals fish need to be healthy, so keep using tap with dechlorinator. Guppies and bettas need heat. A bowl is really not safe to heat. Try getting a 10g as soon as possible for the guppies, rehome the goldfish, and buy a 2.5g bowl for your betta. Each of those needs a heater. Seems like you really care for your fish, so I wish you the best! :-D


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## freeflow246 (Jul 24, 2011)

Just the idea of euthanizing a betta makes me shudder. :-( But I understand that it can be necessary. 

I had to 'euthanize' one of my mice once. It was the runt of the litter, and although it survived until it was almost an adult, it would periodically slip into these bouts of sickness. He'd lose fur, stop eating, lose his balance, and get these odd rings on his tail. After a day or two he'd come out of it, but the last time he got sick he was in a rut for over a week. He got worse than ever before, and his buddies even started to nibble on his tail and ears. One morning I looked at him and realized, "_He's not going to make it_." This odd strength came over me, and I knew I had to make sure that his suffering was ended as soon as possible. I couldn't bear the idea of cutting his head off or drowning him, so I screwed my eyes up and quickly broke his neck. It's not a very fond memory, but I am certain that I did the right thing. He was starving and being eaten alive by his siblings. Not much of an existence.

EDIT: A necessary read for anyone who thinks they need to euthanize their fish. Even if you don't need to, it's good stuff to know: http://nippyfish.net/2007/02/12/euthanizing-aquarium-fish/


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## kaykay1295 (Jul 21, 2011)

o.k. so my sister thinks her fish are pregnant...and that they lay eggs. they've been "pregnant" for about 2 months. i tried explaining to her that if they lay eggs they fertalize in the water.and pretty sure fish dont stay pregnant that long


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

Guppies are livebearers, they give live birth.


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## kaykay1295 (Jul 21, 2011)

see now what i want to know is, how i get her to understand if its gonna "lay eggs" IT WILL NOT BE PREGNANT!! and if it is pregnant it will give live birth. also i really dont think a fish can be pregnant for 2=3 months..... their kids are like dots. it doesnt even take rabbits that long and their huge compaired to them....... and i wouldnt euthenize my betta, just my mystery fish


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## kaykay1295 (Jul 21, 2011)

i now have a 10 g tank fyi. with two fake plants and two rocks. i stole 4 of my sisters fish. i also have four ghost shrimp
popcorn
cocktail
grill
and fry
and my betta, kaeden


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

Ok. It's time to chose the lesser of the two evils. *sigh* take the betta out, and put the guppies in. Keep the betta in the bowl, guppies need the room/oxygen. The goldfish NEEDS a new home, 50-80g tank or preferably POND. Make sure there is a heater for the tank.


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## freeflow246 (Jul 24, 2011)

Yea, what Neil said. If there's a pond near you, that's where I'd put my goldfish.


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## kaykay1295 (Jul 21, 2011)

not my goldfish. honestly i dont give a crap about her fish at this point. because apparently shes a better fish caregiver than me. because she can put 13 mystery fish and a gold fish in a gallon bowl with brown untreated water and over feed them. while i have a betta one mystery fish and 3 shrimp in a ten g tank with filter and heater and never over feed clean it regularily. but because her goldfish hasnt died and she can keep tht many in a tiny space shes better than me. i really hope they all die! i got into the fish because it was somethign for me, something she couldnt do, that she couldnt ruin and show me up in. i wanted this to be my thing alone and she is ruining it, so yes, i hope her fish die. maybe then she'll shut up and relize i am right


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

While I think its bad karma to wish bad things on others...you need to remember that there is a big difference between surviving and thriving....and it sounds like you have won already by keeping your fish in a thriving environment......its just a matter of time before things will go wrong in your sisters setup and when it does and she ask you for help....I am sure you will do the right thing and help the fish regardless of how you feel toward your sister.....good luck......


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

it must be really annoying to be shown up everywhere. Good luck!! O.O


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## kaykay1295 (Jul 21, 2011)

thank you. and i dont want the fish to suffer, i jsut want to show my sister shes not the princess. the world doesnt revolve around her. i was frustrated and hurt when i posted that because she was mocking my fish. i shouldnt have said it but sometimes we say tihngs when we're upset


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

Yeah we do...


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## bettaloverforever16 (Jan 14, 2011)

I learned that the hard way ^^


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## kaykay1295 (Jul 21, 2011)

ok so i want to start a community tank full of colorful freshwater fish, what types should i consider?
oh and i may want to get a few female bettas and try my hand at breeding.


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

I think you should take care of all the guppies first. Including your sisters.


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

I agree wholeheartedly with Neil. Breeding is about 100x more responsibility than keeping a community tank. A lot of people here are long-term betta owners and are still not knowledgeable enough to breed.

It will also cost a lot more money as you need a breeding tank.

I heard spawns are somewhere between 30-100 young fish, where on earth are you going to keep them?

Concentrate on providing a great home for your betta and your mystery fish FIRST.


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

And rehome your sisters goldfish.


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## coet (Jun 26, 2011)

Concentrate on this fish you have before you start thinking about the fish you want.

I deal with customers like your sister on a daily basis. Someone came in and fought with me one day over how they could keep an Oscar, a Blood Parrot, a Black Moor (Goldfish), a couple of Bala Sharks and six guppies in their 90 gallon. I told them, basically, "Yes, it's all fine and dandy now. But that Oscar is going to go crazy and kill everything." The customer stared at me in disbelief, and then proceeded to tell me about how "docile" and "sweet" their Oscar was. Yea, okay.

I have people fight with me over how big comets get. They are feeder fish, so we sell that for $0.13 and $0.27, and people want to tell me that they DO NOT get a foot long, so therefore they can live in a 1/4g bowl for their entire lives, or 3 of them can be crammed into a 5g. I've learned the best thing to do is to give them what they want as soon as they start fighting with you. They're not worth my job, and they're not worth my time, and, unfortunately, my manager won't let us refuse sales. I've got tons of stories like this, including one about a male betta and two females apparently living in harmony in an undivided 10g for a year. Ask me about my thoughts on that, because I wanted to snatch the female betta they were buying away and send them out of the store.

The best thing to do with your sister is let her do what she wants, as sad as it is to say. She isn't going to listen to you. The goldfish is going to be the culprit at taking everyone else out. 
One) Goldfish are dirty, dirty fish and create a lot of ammonia. Ideally, goldfish in a bowl need their water changed one to two times A DAY. The ammonia is going to build up, so the combination of all of the ammonia the goldfish is letting off the ammonia from the other fish is going to result in ammonia poisoning.
Two) Depending on the type of goldfish, it's going to get between 6 and 24 inches. The most common goldfish, and the cheapest, is a comet. They get 12 inches and will need 24g of water all to themselves when they are fully grown. Most of the time people can get away with 20g of water, but it requires a lot of maintenance.
Three) Goldfish are greedy and will basically eat anything that will fit in their mouth. Any other fish in the bowl with that goldfish will become a snack eventually.

Just let her have her bliss in her ignorance and refusal to learn. Eventually, she won't have any fish.


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