New tank for Male Betta fish!

Question
QUESTION: So i just bought a new much larger tank for my fish Carl. I felt bad that he is in a small bowl all the time without any heat and it is cold where I am currently living. I had a male betta fish for 2 years and i just got a new one (Carl) recently. I set up everything in the new 5 gallon tank because I was getting sick of the bowl getting very dirty. I figured the new tank would be spacious and nice to live in. With advice from my friend who i thought had a good amount of knowledge with fish we set everything up. We cleaned the new tank and the rocks that i added as well as some plastic plants for decor. I added the water conditioner and let it cycle for 20 minutes. I then added Carl in hopes that he would enjoy the new tank. To my dismay he immediately was smacked around by the current of the filter. He spent about 1 minute checking out the place and the next 30 minutes fighting either his reflection against the black filter box and flared up for most of his stay or the current which i think is way too strong. After all this happened i turned the filter off and decided i should research more about fish because i am clearly wrong. After reading that betta fish hate currents i looked to reduce the current, i have no good idea about what to do with this. Without a good enough knowledge of fish i feel that talking to an expert is best. I added Carl to his previous home (the 1ish gallon bowl)after i filled it with distilled water (better than tap water from my college i believe?, i filled his 5 gallon with tap but tried to treat it with the conditioner, does that work?). The 5 gallon tank is currently on the filter cycle because i believe that i need to have it do this at least until i know everything. I am wondering how i can reduce the current and what i need to do to make him happy in his larger home. Could you please tell me how to make this all work as well as what is best with my filter situation? I am looking to not spend much more money on him. Also i am somewhat unsure about whether or not i need a heater. As for the light in the tank i believe that is ok as long as it is in cycles (12-14 hours of night / day) using my schedule would work.

ANSWER: Keith,

Glad you got him the bigger tank. Unfortunately you found out the hard way that Betta's do not like filters. I would just remove it and not use it at all. The long flowing fins and tails make the male Betta a terrible swimmer. Distilled water is not good for fish. That water has all minerals removed and the fish need them. I would just fill the tank with regular tap water and use a good conditioner. Make sure you condition the new water before you add it the the tank with the fish. As for the heater, he needs it. Betta's are tropical fish and need the water temp to be 82 degrees at all times. Also, with Betta's, it is not necessary to cycle the tank. They have a labyrinth organ which means they breath air like we do. They have to come to the top of the water to get air. Since he does not have a filter it is very important that you test his water weekly and preform weekly water changes of 25%. If you do all this including the heater he will be happy and healthy. You will know when you got everything right when he presents to you a bubble nest. Good luck with Carl.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I used a cut up old soda bottle to redirect the current of the filter, I've looked up some videos in the mean time of waiting for responses. Most of the reason i got the tank was so i wouldn't have to clean him as much and his water would stay clearer. Is there something i can do so i can use a filter, with the filter on he can swim around just he tends to stray away from the back of the tank. I turned it off and currently he is just trying to prove how tough he is and checking out the now off filter. Maybe he'd get use to it, seemed to be better after a few hours (maybe 4 hours ago he seemed like he was stuck at the top of the water and couldn't swim down)? He seems to be better in that aspect now. I am going to be getting a heater in the next week so I'll take care of that soon.

Also i am not 100% sure what: "Since he does not have a filter it is very important that you test his water weekly and preform weekly water changes of 25%." means.

Answer
Keith,

Ok, let me start over. As I stated Betta's do not require a filter. I did not say they can't have one. If you want to put one in that is up to you. I have filters in all my Betta tanks, but they are sponge filter therefore they do not produce a current of any kind. With or without a filter, you will still need to do weekly water testing and weekly water changes of 25%. That is WITH or WITHOUT a filter. Here is why. The filter filters the water NOT the gravel, the plants, the heater, the filter itself or any decorations you put in with him. That is why you HAVE to do the weekly water changes. That is what I meant by "Since he does not have a filter it is very important that you test his water weekly and preform weekly water changes of 25%." That statement just says that if there is no filter there needs to be cleaning. If there is a filter, you will still have to change the water. There is a lot of work for us fish keepers. They cannot feed themselves, change their water or even tell you ahead of time that the water needs to be changed. That is our job. To make sure they are healthy and happy. You are more than welcome to check up on the water changes. You will see that EVERYONE will tell you the same thing about water changes with or without a filter. I hope this has cleared up any misunderstandings.