My betta fish

[Watermelons]

Thats fine, its your fish that are dying, not mine. Enjoy your goldfish.

 

[tamsin]

I would guess most Discus breeders are using RO so it's easier to match parameters exactly than tap water. With tap water, the values won't necessarily be constant so you'd need the kit to test each time if you are changing 100%.

100% daily probably would be less likely cause a problem as there is little time for the water to change. If you wait a week/10 days between water changes the original water can have changed a lot and may not match new water even from the same source. Particularly if you've got no filter (the ph is likely to have dropped from the waste), the TDS has probably risen and some gravel/orniments can also gradually leach into the water changing ph and hardness over time.

If you know what you're doing, I'm sure you can avoid the issues but you definately need to be more cautious.

What sort of fish do you keep?

 

[Happi Bun]

Per the caresheet I posted regarding water changes and Betta's:

Betta tanks, no matter their size, require regular cleaning. In an uncycled betta tank, one must do 100% water changes. This means emptying all of the water in the tank, washing the tank and all decor with hot water, and replacing it with fresh, clean, dechlorinated water. In a properly cleaned betta tank, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate should all be 0 parts per million (ppm). Test your water often.

Cleaning Schedule by Tank Size
1 gallon -- 100% water change every 3 days
2.5 gallon -- every 4 to 5 days
5 gallon -- once per week

(In a large, cycled tank [established, not currently cycling] you should change roughly 20% of the water weekly using a gravel vacuum, and test your water parameters often; ammonia and nitrite should be 0 ppm, while nitrate should be kept at less than 10 ppm.)

It's extremely common for Betta owners to do 100% water changes and recommended when the fish is being housed in an non cycled environment to keep water quality good. Of course precautions must be taken. You must remove the Betta fish. The water needs to be the same temperature, as in it registers on the thermometer as the same. I dechlorinate my water using Prime - I absolutely love that stuff. Let that sit for a few minutes. Then you are good to go.

 

[Sweetie]

Happi Bun: that was very helpful, thank you very much!

Tamsin: the fish I keep are 3 clown loaches, 4 goldfish, 2 plecos, 1 tinfoil barb, and 1 blackskirt fish in a 55 gallon fishtank. They are all very happy together and have lived together for 4 years or so. I keep the tank very clean.

I plan on setting up my 10 gallon fish tank and dividing it so I can have my two bettas happier and healthier. Where can I get a divider really cheap?