How to maintain water quality in a Betta tank

[sundog]

I've been struggling with keeping my tank's water clean. It's a 5-gallon with a sponge filter, and I do 25% changes weekly. But the ammonia keeps creeping up. What am I missing?

[Rivera1]

Yo, sounds like your cycle's sketchy. You gotta test the water params more often, like every couple days. Also, how much you feeding? Overfeeding's a classic ammonia spike culprit.

[amero]

I have the same issue. My tank is 3 gallons, and I change 20% every week. The ammonia is always high. Should I change more water?

[pearly]

nah, more changes ain't the fix. you gotta let the bacteria catch up. maybe cut it back to feeding once a day, tiny amounts. and def check your tap water for ammonia, some places got it in there already.

[sundog]

Yo, sounds like your cycle's sketchy. You gotta test the water params more often, like every couple days. Also, how much you feeding? Overfeeding's a classic ammonia spike culprit.

I'm feeding twice a day, about 3 pellets each time. Maybe that's too much?

[finchly]

I use a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. It's more accurate than strips. Also, adding live plants like anubias can help absorb some of the waste.

[Rivera1]

Yo, sounds like your cycle's sketchy. You gotta test the water params more often, like every couple days. Also, how much you feeding? Overfeeding's a classic ammonia spike culprit.

I'm feeding twice a day, about 3 pellets each time. Maybe that's too much?

yep, that's prolly it. bettas don't need much. try once a day, 2 pellets max. and skip a day here and there. they're chill with it.

[pearly]

also, what kinda substrate you using? some of that fancy colored gravel can mess with the water. plain sand or small gravel's better.

[amero]

I have colored gravel. Could that be the problem?

[sundog]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'll try cutting back on food and testing more often. I'll also look into live plants.