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I just got a betta fish. He is in a fishbowl with some aquarium gravel at the bottom. He's only about 2 days old. I feed him pellet type food for bettas about once, maybe twice, a day. He doesn't seem to want to eat much and a lot of them sink to the bottom of the bowl. Now the water is starting to get a little cloudy and there are a lot of foamy bubbles on the top of the bowl at the corners. Is this normal? How often do I have to change the water? I also have those special tablets to make the water safe for him and neutralize the chlorine.
But what about the foam at the top? Is that normal or a sign of something bad?
Depends on the clarity and cleanliness.
Can be weekly, biweekly or even every other day.
Don't let food gather at the bottom of the bowl, remove uneaten food right away. Get a high quality floating pellets, few bettas will eat anything on the bottom.
In a bowl please change the bettas water every 3-4 days 100%. Go buy a liquid water conditioner, the tablets are made for larger aquariums.
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Depends on the clarity and cleanliness.
Can be weekly, biweekly or even every other day.
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If you get a bigger tank, it would take longer for it to get really cloudy. If he is kept in a bowl, but a second bowl and then put him in the other bowl and then swicthc everyday,
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water changes are a must every week. sometimes 4 day rotations are used.
I use stress coat, which will eliminate chlorine in the water. this makes tap water safe for fishes and bettas.
it is normal for the fish not to eat for a few days. like afteryou get them. it is stressful. Also the day of the water changes, you can skip the feeding as the stress causes them not to eat.
so you can skip a feeding or two.
so water changes every week are a must.
For more on bettas, please see my betta site where i go though topics for beginner and advanced betta keepers. http://www.bcaquatics.com
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my advice is for OPTIMAL health, it's true they can survive for a while in bowls that are rarely changed and such, they are strong, but it is not healthy. I say this because I'm sure I'll get lots of thumbs down from other answers who say they change their bowl water once a month or so…
it's normal for them not to eat the first few days up to a week. do not let the pellets sink from now on, remove them if he does not eat them. they fowl p the water really fast. do a water change asap.
now, to know exactly how often you should change the water I really need to know the size of the bowl. here's how it generally goes smaller than two gallons twice a week. larger than 2 gallons once a week.
I must suggest you ditch the bowl and get him a better home. you probably don't know this but bettas are tropical fish and prefer temps around 80*F. for this you really need a heater. the smallest heater is for 2.5gallons. if your bowl is 2.5gallons I suggest you get a 7.5watt heater (it's only about $7) and a thermometer and continue to do the water changes as listed above. however, if it is not 2.5gallons I suggest getting a tank that is 2.5gallon and a 7.5watt heater and also a small power filter (whisper 3i or 10i are good). this means no more water changes at all (well a 25% water change once a week using a gravel vacuum or turkey baster).
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forgot the foam! oops.
anyway, this is most likely a bubble nest. most fish do it when well cared for, but some poor things make them even when dying of a disease, like one I rescued. I'd say he's probably quite happy to be out of the cup and is showing you appreciation. the better you care for him the more he'll make and bigger they'll be. not to mention he'll be brighter and more active.
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you should change the water at least once a week it will be better if you can move him to a small fish tank at least 5 gallons this way you wont have to change the water as often and your fish will be a lot happier
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He might not eat for a little while as he recovers from the stress of being moved from the pet store to your home. It would be better to feed him only once a day. As far as changing the water in a bowl with no filter you should do it at least once if not twice a week. Make sure to wash all the rocks and the bowl in luke-warm water and let them sit out to dry and return to room temp. DO NOT USE SOAP! When you go to put water back in the bowl after washing it put the gravel in and fill it with water. Tap water will be fine. Drop one of the tablets in to condition the water and let it dissolve. Then it is safe for you to replace your betta.When I had a betta in a 2 gallon bowl I kept a 2 gallon water bottle that i would put water and a condtioning tablet in so it would be ready the next time i changed the water. The foamy bubbles at the top are nothing to worry about. They are a bubble nest that male bettas make for eggs, but since you don't have a female they will eventually just pop and be gone. He'll rebuild one every once in a while.
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I've have owned a betta for many many months.
the foam means he's getting fed to much so does the cloudy water and if he's not eating it then feed him once a day and that's it and clean the whole bowl even the rocks to get all the old food out of them! good luck!!
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I change out my Betta bowls 3 times a week. Without a filter this is a must for such a small amount of water. Just because the water looks clean and clear doesn't mean that the ammonia levels are down. Since there is no filter and such little amount of water the bowl will not cycle so emptying the whole bowl isn't a problem. I would invest in getting the water conditioner drops instead of the tablets. The tablets are for 10 gallons per tablet. If you placed the whole tablet that might be the reason for the foam at the top of the bowl. If the foam looks like tiny bubbles then it is likely to be a bubble nest. Which occurs when you have a happy, healthy Betta.
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Betta Breeder
LL