Betta's Lighting   7/12/07
Dear WWM,
<<Tom with you, Jeannie.>>
We keep our Betta, Bartholomew, in a 5.5 gallon tank with one of the short sides against a wall. The wall blocks any direct light coming from the windows which are several feet away. The only light the tank receives during the day is indirect light and it is minimal. The tank is not in the dark but nor does it receive much light.
<<Okay.>>
In the morning the room lights (recessed spot lights) are on as well as his tank light from about 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM. In the evening, the same lights are on again from about 6:00 PM to about 11:30 PM. The only light on during the night sleeping hours is a night light located about 8-10 feet from the tank. Is my Betta receiving enough light? Do we have him in the dark or with insufficient light for too much of the day? Please advise.
<<I would say that Bartholomew is getting adequate light, Jeannie. Keep in mind that, in the wild, Bettas live in an assortment of water conditions, many of which are dim/murky. I’ve got mine in a “lighted” tank but keep the lights diffused to provide a more natural level of light for him. No need to be concerned about the amount of light your Betta receives. He’s fine with what you’re providing.>>
Thank you for your help.
Jeannie
<<You’re quite welcome. Best regards. Tom>>

Better Betta  5/11/06
Hi Bob,
No questions, nothing pressing, just thought I'd let you know about the (good!) changes in the tank.
I changed out my 15-watt incandescent bulb for a 10-watt fluorescent.  Not only does it look great (Betta Terrence looks neon blue now!),
<I'll bet!>
the Elodea is looking greener (maybe it's just the better light making it look that way but I'd like to think it's healthier), and best of all the temperature never varies more than a degree up or down from 79, whether the light is on or off.  I don't have a heater, so I'm surprised at how warm it stays, but I've gotten the same temperature from two different thermometers.  The room IS rather warm now that I think about it.  (I talked two friends who have the same tank kit into getting the same fluorescent "bulb" and they're just as pleased so far.)
I gave the gravel a good vacuuming.  I didn't make a clean sweep of the whole thing but I was surprised at how much junk I got out.  I also changed the filter carbon.  And ta-da, nitrates are now below 20.  (Ammonia and nitrites still 0.)  I think a snail harvest is in the near future... I'm trying to bring the nitrates down as far as I can.
I scraped a good deal of algae off the tank walls and it doesn't seem to be growing back as fast.  And I found a Ramshorn snacking on what was left.
Thanks for all your help!!
Rachel (Terrence's mom)
<Yay! Thanks for the update. BobF, out in HI>

Betta light 24/7? (12/29/03)
Hello
<Hi! Ananda here tonight...>
I have recently bought a male Betta, and I have him in a 4 litre tank 8.5 inches tall by 6.5 inches wide.  The tank has a two piece lid, one which sits right on the tank, which has 2 air holes, and another hood which is attached at back of the tank, which can be left open ( I have it open almost all the way.  There is an incandescent bulb in the hood.  As he is a tropical fish I have been leaving the light on to make sure the water is warm enough ( I live in Ontario Canada).  Will leaving the light on 24 hr/day cause him any problems?
<Bettas and other fish don't have eyelids, so keeping them in tanks that are always lit is going to make it difficult for them to get any sleep. I would suggest getting a small (25 watt) heater for the tank. I've seen some that are small enough for even tanks this small.>
I found lots of information on your site, just not this particular subject.
Thanks,
Maryann  
<You're welcome. --Ananda>

Bright Bettas
Hi, I just transferred my three Bettas from separate 2.5 gallon tanks to a eclipse system 12 tank with homemade lexicon dividers. The Bettas had a heater but no filtration or special lighting in their old tanks. My question involves the lighting. It seems awful bright and I was wondering since the fish are at the top a lot and do their eating up there is the lighting a concern for their eyesight? Plus, I turn off the filter for a few hours (especially to feed them) so they can relax without the current buffing them around. If I clean the tank every 10 days I don't think this is a problem, do you?
Thank you,
Linda
<Don't worry about the light. I'm sure it is no where near as bright as sunlight. As long as it's not heating the water, you're OK. The filtration does concern me a little. Bettas do not need or want a lot of current. Is there anyway you could deflect the flow enough to leave it running? If not, then your plan of turning it off for a few hours is a sound second choice. Adding a sponge filter would be a good idea. Don>  

Black Light
Would it be okay if I kept a black light on by my Betta at night?  It's not
going to hurt him is it?
<<Go right ahead. As long as he doesn't start craving alcohol, things should go just fine :)
-Gwen>>

Betta lighting inquiry
Hi there -
<Well hello...this is Jorie>
I got a Betta a couple days ago to keep me company at work.  He appears happy, very active and relatively well adjusted in his five gallon tank with a heater (it had been cycling for a few days prior to his arrival, treated, etc. - temperature between 75-80), some pretty rocks, his little cave and a couple of fake plants, though after reading your site I'll be replacing his
hanging filter with a sponge filter (it kind of looked like he enjoyed playing in the moving water from the hanging filter).
<Sounds like a great setup for your Betta! Only comment I have it with regards to the temp. range...hopefully you aren't letting it fluctuate between 75 and 80 degrees, as that's a pretty big difference for the little guy.  Keep it as close to 80 as you can, and even more importantly, keep it as constant as possible. With regards to the hanging filter, I think you are referring to a small power filter of sorts - I have that setup on both of my 3 gal. Betta tanks and have never had a problem.  As long as the water output flow isn't too strong, the Betta will be just fine, and as you've noticed, may even enjoy it.  No need to switch to a sponge, in my opinion.>
Anyway, I'm usually here only eight... okay, some days nine or ten... hours a day.  Should I leave the light on for him when I go home?  Or perhaps every other day?  As they have no eyelids, I don't want him to deal with sleep deprivation, but simultaneously, that means he has about 14-16 hours of relative darkness during the winter months and I don't want him to become sick or depressed.
<I wouldn't recommend leaving the light on all the time, as that may interfere with his sleep.  He should be just fine with between 8-10 hours of direct light per day.>
Additionally, largely because I like pretty colors, I've been thinking about getting him a Miracle Beam Treasure Chest System or maybe the Tri-Light (cycles through different colored light) to entertain me, and possibly him.
<Each Betta truly does have a unique personality, so I can't predict with 100% certainty what his reaction to this will be, but I think either choice should be just fine.  Sounds like he's living in style!!>   
You  might not want to include this on your posting - I don't want to get in trouble for directing business to them or away from them - it's just for your convenience:
<No worries, you're just providing info. - I do it when responding to people's posts here all the time, and I don't believe it's a problem!>
Link to treasure chest system:
http://store.worldpetstore.com/lastreasches.html
<http://store.worldpetstore.com/lastreasches.html>
Link to tri-light:  http://store.worldpetstore.com/mibetr.html
<http://store.worldpetstore.com/mibetr.htm>  >
I read on your site that the Miracle Beam claim that it improves overall fish well being is merely capitalism at its best/worst, but if it doesn't bother him, it would certainly entertain me.  
<I'm not sure I buy the claim that this will "improve" the fish's well-being, but again, I'm fairly confident it won't hurt it.>
However, I am now concerned that perhaps the multi-colored light will bother him - or worse, harm him.
Obviously I can't believe the capitalist pigs claims of safety... Should I be concerned?
<I don't think so, but just pay careful attention to the Betta's actions both before and after installing the setup.  If he appears freaked out, then obviously remove it, but I think it should be just fine.>
Finally, how important is it to provide him with live plants?  A large number of Betta owners appear to provide a live plant for their fish.   I'll do that if it will truly improve his overall quality of life - and if it will, perhaps you can make a recommendation.
<There are many reasons that live plants are beneficial to a freshwater aquarium, but they are by no means essential.  Both my Betta tanks have fake plants and decorations, and I have two very happy, healthy Bettas! With regards to the plants, many Betta owners are mis-informed that the Betta *needs* the peace-lily for food, and even worse, as per the instructions of certain stores, will not feed the Betta after getting the plant.  This is absolutely NOT in the fish's best interest, and will ultimately cause malnutrition and worse, starvation.  If you're up for the challenge of live plants, by all means, feel free, but you are totally OK just leaving fake, aquarium-safe decorations and plants in the tank.  Purely a matter of preference!>
Much thanks,
Jennifer Nottingham
<You are welcome.  Sounds like a little Betta paradise you've created...wonderful! I'm sure your guy is quite happy...keep up the good work! Jorie>