Betta care tips

[jeremyh81]

So what's the deal with Betta-specific water conditioners and should I use one instead of regular dechlorinators?

[angel]

A gimmick to sell more stuff as far as I can see. I use the same stuff as for other water changes. You can add a little salt to the water to keep him comfortable if you like. Not much.

[jeremyh81]

Cool. I alternate between API's Stress Coat and Tetra's Start Right (I think that's the name). The former has aloe and the latter adds bacteria. Of course both remove chlorine, chloramine, and other heavy metals. I may dose the tank with 1/4 the recommended amount of salt or less.

[jeremyh81]

One more question:

I have an AquaClear 20 on the 10g for the Betta, but can't tell how much flow is too much. Should I let it run wide open or half-way?

Going to do a water test soon to see what's going on. It ran with no fish, but 3 wisterias for the week I was on vacation. Wondering if any ammonia will show up after 3 days w/ Buddy (that's the first name that came to mind) in it.

[angel]

Run the AquaClear as slow as it will go. Bettas prefer that their water doesn't have a lot of turbulence. Remember, too, he breathes air so although you don't want him steeped in ammonia he'll fare better than other fish in less than pristine conditions. So don't panic if there's some. Really shouldn't be though, I'd think.

[jeremyh81]

I'm not afraid of a little amonia or nitrites - there are ways of dealing with them. The water test did show trace amounts of nitrites, though. I'm thinking it's from the plant fertilizers I've put in, but plants love ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.