Starting up a bowl again...

[Fishy_Friend11]

I am going to start up my old bowl i had when I purchased my first betta. It's about ten gallons but when I first purhcased it I didnt know much about bettas so I didnt have a heater for it and temperatures werent proper. Now I am going to purchase a heater for it and possibly a snail to go with the betta. If I were to get a snail would i have to put some sort bubbler to put oxygen in the bowl for the snail or will the snail be fine like the betta would. Another possibilty would be putting some live plants in there. Which would you recomend? Also what else would I have to do to get the bowl ready for the betta?

[BettaLu&Meg]

Well you do want a filter and a heater, these are a must like i said in your other thread. Now the plants for a set up just for your betta, you can get java fern, moss. or anytype of floating plants will do fine. Once you have a filter put in, a air stone isn't really neccasary. i have a couple of snails in each of my tanks and no airstone and there fine.

[Fishy_Friend11]

Do they make filters for bowls? Sorry that is kinda a dumb question but I have never seen one.

[FishMomma]

Congrats on trying the Betta keeping thing again! If you have any questions that can make it a good experience, please let me know!

Definitely gete a heater. Bettas like their water temp around 78-82 degrees F. Bettas like tropical water and do much better with heated water. They also like water that tends to be still and not have a lot of movement or current. Neither snails or Bettas need the air stone unless you are treating with strong meds that tend to reduce oxygen levels in tanks. I also have snails (Golden Apple Snail) without air stones and they do fine. One thing to remember about the snails is that in the winter, they do tend to slow down on their eating. Even in a tank, their bodies seem to sense the season changes and I've noticed this in mine. Here is a good website on the apple snails: [Registered users only can see links. ]. It has some great info on them! Be careful to not pay more than $5 per snail. (I paid $2 for mine and they are about 1 inch to 1.5 inches round.) I saw one post were a pet shop wanted $40 for a snail that was larger! You don't need or want a big snail . . . they put out a lot of extra poo!!

For plants, live are always better. Some good and easy plants that require very little care are Java Moss, Water Wisteria, Moneywort, and Hornwort. If you're having problems with algae try the Water Wisteria and Hornwort. The Wisteria will deplete the water of many algae loving nutirents and the Hornwort excretes toxins against algae. The Java Moss acts like a natural filter of sorts since it lives off of your fish's pee and poo thus helping to keep ammonia and nitrIte levels low.

Hope this helps! Good luck and let us know what other questions you have!

[Fishy_Friend11]

If I were to get some java moss would a filter still be a must even with weekly water changes?

[Oscar Betta]

Originally Posted by Fishy_Friend11

If I were to get some java moss would a filter still be a must even with weekly water changes?

well i would reccomand it, because it will just keep better care of the water.

[BettaLu&Meg]

I would still get a filter for the sake of making sure your water is clean in your tank. there will be times when either your tired or just simply forget to suck out stuff in your tank every night. A filter will help in your cleaning process and make it less work for you at the end of the week, if you want to see it like too. I would recommend a filter even a sponge filter would be ok for just your betta

[FishMomma]

Yes, still get a filter even with the Java Moss. It doesn't do nearly as good of a job as a true filter does. Having a real filter will help keep your water cleaner and give you a healthier Betta!