Posted by kelly on March 17, 2003 at 08:25:44:
In Reply to: concerned about hiding Betta posted by aj1276 on March 16, 2003 at 00:22:53:
I don't think cycling is really possible in such a small tank- regular water changes of 50% or so (at least weekly) should be adequate, though you should probably buy a test kit to check your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates periodically
Bettas are, however, from an environment with still water- some current is good, but in such a small tank, the current from the filter may be too much for him.
Is this an external power filter (hangs on the tank, sucks water in, then spits it out?)? If so, in such a small tank, it's very likely too much current and he's hiding from it. You can insert a piece of filter media (sponge or filter floss) into the intake tube of the filter, which will slow the current down a lot. You can also use a different kind of filter- like a PennPlax corner filter or a sponge filter. These are small filters that go inside the tank- you run an airline to them from an air pump, which creates a small current that draws water through the filter. If you go this route, you can also get an airline valve to control the airflow and turn it down until your betta appears comfortable.
If he's ONLY hiding and doesn't seem to have any other symptoms of sickness, then I would suspect he just prefers stiller water. Your temp sounds fine, though it would be good if it didn't fluctuate at all, it's in the correct range.
