filtered betta tank vs. filter-less betta bowl

Question
Dear Michael,

Hi! I'm writing you from Saudi Arabia. I hope you can shed light on my dilemma. I've always been a big fan of the heated, filtered 5-gallon-minimum tank for the betta fish. What confuses me is that everytime i come across the subject in the net, the usual advice is to cycle the newly set up tank first for several weeks (to get zero readings of the harmful elements - ammonia, nitrate, nitrite) before it will be safe to house the betta in it, and thereafter be religious with carrying out regular partial water changes for the optimum health of the betta.

BUT then, how come i get the impression that in the absence of such an ideal tank, it is okay to put the betta instantly in a small, unheated, filter-less bowl and just do 100% water change every week. I mean, there's NO NEED to cycle such a small bowl while a several-gallon filtered tank has to wait for several weeks to be inhabited? Filtered or not, i believe the same toxic elements will be present in the water. So why wait for several weeks with a filtered, newly set up tank when it is in fact filtered (meaning the water will be cleaned by the filtering action of the device)when it is alright to put a betta immediately in a small unfiltered bowl? I find it illogical.

So, since i don't understand the rationale behind cycling a tank and i can't wait for weeks before putting my betta, what i do is a set up a heated, filtered tank, wait for two days, put my betta in, then do weekly 25% partial water changes. Is that sufficient to get rid of the toxic elements and nurture the good nitrifying bacteria? Please enlighten me. Thanks so much.

Alessandrew  

Answer
Alessandrew,
The short answer here is that Betas in the wild live in such O2 deprived situations that the extact O2 directly from the atmosphere.
They are in the group of fishes known as Anabatoids, they have a chamber which they fill with O2.
As a result they can tolerate conditions that would kill other fish, very high temps, dirty polluted water and just about anything else.
That being said, it is procedure to cycle tanks, and it is just good sense to do the maintence.
Betas and a few others are the exceptions to the general rule.
If you have further questions, feel free to ask.