swtiching beta to a 5 gallon tank with filter-help!

Question
Hi Chris,
We have a male beta who is in a 1.5 gallon tank.  Its too cold in our house so I just bought a 5 gallon tank with a 25V heater set to 75, ( he's used to 71 degrees for the 6 weeks we have had him) and the new tank has a whisper filter.  The pet store said to wait 24 hours before putting him in, is this true?  I just noticed through web searches that he may have fin rot, I change his water and clean his gravel ( no soap of course)1 time a week.   I have the new tank all set up, but I am worried how he will adjust, especially with the filter.  Some sites say they need a filter, some say they dont like it.  He is not used to having one.   I dont plan on having any other fish with him, I dont know if he would like it.  He is making bubble nests, so that is good.  What do you think about the shock of the new tank?  I want to avoid any wrong doings to ensure his happiness.  Also, I think I am over feeding him, he gets 3 pellets and one small dired blood worm breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  He always eats it all.  Everytime I walk into the kitchen, he wants to be fed it seems.  Also, do I really have to wait a full 24 hours before putting him in the tank?  If you will be suggesting to not have a filter, the tank already has had the carbon filter in it for 3 hours, is that bad?  The water is treated according to measurement guidelines, and the heater is set to 74 degrees.  Its a good heater that regulates the temp you set it to.  I am so tempted to switch him into it now, since we are leaving Thursday night for two days on vacation.  I have someone coming in to feed him one a day, will this shock him since he is used to 3 times a day?  Wish you were in the Bay area!!
Thanks!
Karen

Answer
Hi Karen;

I'm glad he's happy in his new little home. His finrot will probably go away with all that new clean water. Two things that might help are a dose of aquarium salt (1/2 teaspoon per gallon) and some "BettaFix". They should be available at a local store there.

To maintain his tank, just change 25% of his water once a week every week. It is going to go through the break-in period for the next 6 weeks or so too so the water might get cloudy. It is perfectly normal though and can be helped by an extra 25% change. Some tanks need a 25% change every couple of days while in the break-in but with so much room and one little fish, it probably won't need that. Keep in touch with the fish sitter to be sure all goes okay. I think it will. Have fun!

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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Hi Karen;

Your filter is just fine. He may get blown around at first but he will get used to it. What would help is to get some live plants to break up the flow of water a bit. Anacharis (elodea) is a good one. Put a couple of bunches of that in there.

It is good to let the tank run for a few hours to be sure the heater is going to work properly and that the filter runs as well as being sure there are no leaks. You don't have to wait exactly 24 hours but at least 12 would be good. The temperature really should be at least 76f though. You will be acclimating him slowly so it's okay if the temperature is far different that what he was used to. Tell your fish sitter to check it every day to be sure it is staying the right temperature.

When you are ready to move him to his new home, get a plastic bag that holds about a quart of water. Fill the bag halfway with his old water and net him into it. Let the sealed bag float in the new tank, being sure to leave a big air bubble for him to breathe before you seal it. Let him float there for about 20 minutes. Then, net him from the bag and release him into the tank. Throw away the bagged water.

The number of feedings isn't as important as how much food he gets every day. He only needs 3 or 4 pellets and a couple of dried blood worms in one day. He's getting more than double that right now. Yikes! If he continues to be fed that much he will get fat and develop constipation that is deadly in fish. Your fish will beg for food every time he sees you because it works, doesn't it? **grin** It's a survival tactic that has gone overboard. Animals repeat behavior that gets them food as often as it works. He really isn't hungry. My son's kitten (Norma Jean) does the same thing. There are 5 people that live in this house and we all feed her dry food when we go out the door if her bowl is empty. The result is that she begs for food every time we pass by her bowl, even if there is already food in it. Animals repeat the same behavior that aid their survival. So, just feed him once a day and ignore his begging. He isn't really hungry. It's for his own good. ;-)

I used to live in the SF Bay area, born in Redwood City actually. We moved here to the Sierra foothills when I was four years old. While my heart is in SF, (pun intended!) I'm actually glad to have been raised, and glad to have raised my kids here in a rural area instead of the city. I LOVE to visit down there though but it's been a long time. My dad was born in San Mateo and used to go fishing in his little wooden boat in the bay all by himself as a little boy. He was an only child so he was used to fending for himself and it was much safer then than it is now. Those were the days, huh?

Enjoy your vacation!

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins