# 2.5 gallon tank with one beta want more friends in tan



## nothanksfish (Dec 25, 2017)

So I have a 2.5 gallon tank (just got it today!) and my beta poops a lot and i don't want to have to constantly lug around this huge tank to clean it every week
so i would like to get him some friends! like some that will eat his poop and be fine with the water the way it is
(i have had his water just plain for about a year and he is fine no special temps or changes in water) so i would like one that is cool with the water without having to add certain drops to keep it alive and preferably found at petco (i have a gift card and not too small for him to eat (i am not sure if he will or not) 
so biggest points:
will eat poop
cheap
doesn't need fancy water
and is fine in a 2.5 gallon tank :smile2: 
i do have 2 plants and a decoration in this tank (they are alive plants and I planning on getting more also would love recommendations on plants to get for him and possibly how to clean his tank easily?)


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

Nobody eats poops. I have shrimp and snails in my non betta tank. Nobody eats fish poop. It's our chore to clean fish waste. You can get a turkey baster to pick up fish waste. A 2.5 gallon is too small to add another critter.


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## Rainbo (Nov 23, 2015)

You need another requirement. In addition to eating poop, you need something that doesn't produce any, and that critter simply does not exist.

Plants will use some of the fish waste, and will allow you to do water changes once a week, BUT you still need to do water changes. 

I have 2 2.5 gal tanks, one has one small live plant and a bunch of silk ones that tank has a betta and a small horned nerite snail, it's a cycled, filtered, tank and I still have to stay on top of water changes.

The other tank has 3 adult ramshorn snails, 4 juvenile ones, I don't know how many hatchlings, and a betta. It's heated, filtered, cycled, and I do water changes once a week. The ONLY reason I get away with having so many livestock in that tank is because it's jammed with very fast growing anacharis, and I started out with the snails which are very hardy. If the anacharis should die the whole tank is going to collapse, and I'll have to do water changes daily. 

Skip adding more critters to your tank and get some fast growing plants. You should still do weekly water changes but if you are a bit late it won't be so much of a worry.


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## nothanksfish (Dec 25, 2017)

so i have never had this big of a tank before and am not sure how to do water changes...


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## Rainbo (Nov 23, 2015)

neocatlove said:


> so i have never had this big of a tank before and am not sure how to do water changes...



Do you have any substrate in the tank, and if so is it gravel, sand, or something else?

I have gravel in both of mine and generally change half the water once a week. What I do is prepare the water that I'm going to use to replace the old water, I put the water conditioner in it and match the temperature to the tanks water. I use a gravel vac to clean some of the gravel, and an air hose to vacuum off the decorations. I'll clean the gravel in one side of the tank, then switch over to the air hose and vacuum off the plants and cave, then I add the new water. The whole thing usually takes 10 minutes, or so. If you have a heater and or filter turn them off before doing the water change. If you use a gravel vac to clean the gravel be careful you don't accidentally vacuum your fish, I once got mine with the air hose and he was NOT happy about it, would have been worse if it was the gravel vacuum.

This is the gravel vacuum I use, it's very small and does not empty the tank too fast like my larger one did... https://www.chewy.com/python-pro-clean-gravel-washer-siphon/dp/133623


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

What do you mean by "fancy water?"


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## moodynarwhal (Mar 24, 2016)

Do you mean you don't condition the water? That could kill a fish. If he's lived for a year like that, I'm assuming you have a well, and aren't connected to the main water line. Is that right? Even if you don't have city water, you should still condition the water you use. It's both easy and cheap, it literally takes 3 seconds.


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## nothanksfish (Dec 25, 2017)

I have never conditioned the water I never knew I needed to and he has been fine this whole time
probably because where I live the water is super clean naturally


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## nothanksfish (Dec 25, 2017)

I mean by 'fancy water' like water that has stuff done to it.


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## moodynarwhal (Mar 24, 2016)

Most people on here recommend Seachem Prime. It's super easy to use, you just have to add 2 drops per gallon to the water before you put it in the tank. It'll also help if you want to cycle the tank, making it easier to keep up with WC.


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## nothanksfish (Dec 25, 2017)

WC?


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

It stands for water change.

To do a water change, you can buy a Gravel Vaccum. Simply start the Vac and remove 25-50% of the water into a bucket. Go dump that bucket and fill it back up with water. Put water conditioner in that new water, and dump it in the tank. Most people worry about matching the temps, but I'm guessing you don't have a heater anyway, so it's not on your priority list. I've never matched temps and I have never lost a fish after a water change.


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

ThatFishThough said:


> It stands for water change.
> 
> To do a water change, you can buy a Gravel Vaccum. Simply start the Vac and remove 25-50% of the water into a bucket. Go dump that bucket and fill it back up with water. Put water conditioner in that new water, and dump it in the tank. Most people worry about matching the temps, but I'm guessing you don't have a heater anyway, so it's not on your priority list. I've never matched temps and I have never lost a fish after a water change.


Do you use "cold" water from tap? Isn't it too cold for tropical fish??

Even if you don't have a heater, I would still recommend to leave new water in a bucket in the room for at least a half day in case where you live is not warm. I did water change today. My betta tank water temperature was 78F while the cold water straight from tap was 62F.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I agree with ryry2012: "Room" temperature in my empty, unheated 2.5 tank is 68; cold water out of the tap is around 50 so it's not a habit I would recommend. I don't exact temperature match but have the tap water a tad warmer than the tank because somewhere in my brain I decided the process of pouring cools it down a bit. I could be wrong but can't convince my brain of that.


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## moodynarwhal (Mar 24, 2016)

Russel I do the same thing! If I didn't have heaters my tanks would be around 50 degrees or colder right now, since my radiator is malfunctioning. I have a large heater in one tank, two smaller ones in the other, _and_ a space heater just to keep them at the right temp. I don't even live anywhere considered really freezing most of the time!


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

Had a whole reply written out and then it got deleted, ugh.
@ryry2012; no. I should have mentioned that. I at least attempt to make the water out of the tap similar to the tank.


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## nothanksfish (Dec 25, 2017)

I do just do tap water but i touch it to make sure it ins't too far off in temps but my fingers are also hardened to the heat after years of scalding water on them
and i found out i do have a water conditioner i just have no idea how to use it (it was a lost christmas present) i look at the back and it said to dump the whole bottle into a 50 gallon tank nothing for a 2.5 gallon


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## moodynarwhal (Mar 24, 2016)

What brand is it?


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## nothanksfish (Dec 25, 2017)

it is tetra safe start


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

Tetra SafeStart is not a water conditioner. It's a product contains live bacteria to help hasten the tank cycle. If you are going to use it, make sure the expiration date. 

You'll still need a water conditioner like Seachem Prime.


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## nothanksfish (Dec 25, 2017)

yeah i didn't buy it my mom did so i have no clue what it does


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## moodynarwhal (Mar 24, 2016)

You can get seachem prime at most petstores, I think, and you can buy it on amazon. If you can't find it, what you look for in a good water conditioner is that it removes chlorine and detoxifies ammonia and nitrite.


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## LeviTheFish (Dec 19, 2017)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I agree with ryry2012: "Room" temperature in my empty, unheated 2.5 tank is 68; cold water out of the tap is around 50 so it's not a habit I would recommend. I don't exact temperature match but have the tap water a tad warmer than the tank because somewhere in my brain I decided the process of pouring cools it down a bit. I could be wrong but can't convince my brain of that.


Actually Russell you're right about the pouring! At my job before this one, I was a barista and if I made a hot chocolate for a little a bit two hot I would pour it back and fourth between two cups a few times and it would cool it down right away. 

I also do very very slightly warmer water than my tank for my water changes. My brain says it better for the heater to say its warm enough and automatic sleep VS bring the temp down and wait for the heater bring it back up again. If you don't have a heater tho I'm glad you try to match the room temp water. It's faster for warmer water to cool down than for cooler water to heat up.


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## KendraPM (Feb 13, 2018)

I don't do a temp match either for water changes. I go by feel, if it feels a little warmer, I figure it's good. But I also do more frequent smaller changes because I fear doing too big of a temp change.


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## Cooleen1962 (May 3, 2020)

neocatlove said:


> So I have a 2.5 gallon tank (just got it today!) and my beta poops a lot and i don't want to have to constantly lug around this huge tank to clean it every week
> so i would like to get him some friends! like some that will eat his poop and be fine with the water the way it is
> (i have had his water just plain for about a year and he is fine no special temps or changes in water) so i would like one that is cool with the water without having to add certain drops to keep it alive and preferably found at petco (i have a gift card and not too small for him to eat (i am not sure if he will or not)
> so biggest points:
> ...


I have a fish story also. Oh joy.Thank you for sharing the turkey baester idea for siphoning beta poop. I was also considering a catfish for the poop waste but ultimately opted not to since a catfish or Mystery snail would also create waste. plus I heard a beta is happy solo.? I brought home Vale 3 months ago. I felt sorry for it at the pet store. I turned my terrarium into an aquarium for Vale’s new home. I don know why another reader luggs the 2.5 gallon bowl around to change water. No I also don’t want work fir upkeep either. Someone labeled Upkeep as “fancy water”. Water temp and Cleanliness is what is as important as food. I can share what I have learned. Now it’s easy. I use a 2 cup scoop to scoop half the tanks water in To a wastebasket to discard about Once every week or so. It takes 5 minutes. I keep a 1.5 gallon jug ready. I would rather boil it to remove the chlorine because I was struggling using water conditioners. The fish seems healthy , but, he was sluggish. I wondered if I actually need a heater because I noticed how his swim behaviors were different after I placed my heating pad next to the glass. He stayed by the glass nearby the heating pad. This was becoming more of a chore than I anticipated. So, i bought a small heater. Moreover, I decided a clean fish bowl is pretty and won’t smell funny and I don’t want the work messing with beta every other day, so I bought an aqueous internal filter. I rest it on an angle under the water and the spout resembles a small waterfall that I hope contributes to oxygenation. I lightly plugged up the filter with aquarium foam to help slow the current. My first beta . I never realized the personality a fish may have and how friendly a beta is. I opted to buy a small heater because I noticed beta was sluggish with room temperature water. I found a thermometer for 2 bucks that floats. He is nosy checking out everything that moves in the bowl. Initially, I placed my heating pad under the bowl to observe any real differences. He seemed more active being warmer. Therefore, I found a 20 watt heater that is perfect for his 2.5 gallon bowl. I started out assuming a beta could survive in a vase. That is wrong. Give him clean water, a heater, a light and somewhere to hide and your beta may be making bubble nests and eating pellets out of your hand also. Good luck not having much work when your tank has live plants. I tried a small bamboo extending out of the water with the roots underneath the water. I didn’t know how to regulate things properly. Maybe At a different time I will do that again. I use a nightlight for nighttime and my desk lamp perfectly stretches over the top of the bowl shining a brighter bulb for daytime hours. I learned a beta needs care and is not a good starter fish. It seems very sensitive to water quality and temperature variations . I notice that it can be trained developing more personality. I like simple stuff. Inlearned I also like betas. 
check this out. Once it was necessary to place Vale back into his traveling cup while I made adjustments on the tank. He Began swimming crazy flipping out. It appeared he was trying to jump out by continually swimming full speed from the cups bottom to the cups lid. I thought omg it’s gonna hurt itself. Was my fish pulling a Houdini attempting to escape or Is jumping natural for a beta? Well, sooner I returned him to the tank. I have never noticed him behaving that way in his home. I guess There are pretty small beta tanks with the heater, filter, and light altogether for less than 30.00. I Never expected 1 beta is so needy. But he really is cool now that I finally have him all set up in his new home. Wow, as I said. A beta isn’t a starter fish it’s tropical unlike a goldfish. I have another fish story from when we were down near the Susquehanna river.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Closed per Betta Fish Rule #12.


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