Can beneficial bacteria grow without gravel?

and when i do partial water change, do i add cold water and let the heater heat it up or do i add warm water? if i add cold water, wouldnt it shock my betta?

Can beneficial bacteria grow without gravel?
Beneficial bacteria resides in the substrate (gravel or sand) or the filter.





If your tank provides neither, you need to add one or the other. You absolutely need some sort of filter in any tank that will house living creatures. Without a filter, the water quality will not be adequate to provide a healthy environment.





Although anabantids such as bettas and gouramis breathe air from the surface, they still live in the water. Without proper filtration, the water is prone to a build-up of harmful bacteria, virii and/or parasites that can afflict the fish.





Bettas don't like water movement, but they do not live in stagnant water, either. A small sponge filter is inexpensive and will go a long way toward keeping your fish healthy.





When you do your partial changes, use tap water treated with conditioner that will neutralize chlorine and chloramine. You can adjust the temp to closely match the tank temperature. Do NOT use bottled drinking, distilled or reverse osmosis water for bettas. Trace minerals are found in tap water, but not the bottled waters mentioned.





The proper temperature range for bettas is 75F - 85F. Room temperature water is NOT appropriate for bettas unless it is consistently in the range I just gave.





Gravel is fairly inexpensive. By new gravel, rinse very well and put it in your tank. If you want to risk using the old gravel, boil it in tap water for about 10 minutes, drain it, let it cool to room temp, then add it to your tank. Do NOT use bleach... it will be absorbed into the pores of the gravel and you won't know if you've rinsed all of it away until your fish dies.... or not.





Good Luck
Reply:It can, but gravel will provide a secondary base for good bacteria (second to the filter) which can never be a bad thing!





When changing water, add it at the same or similar temperature to the temperature in the bowl. Remember to add dechlorinator. :)
Reply:Most of the bacteria live in the filter for a start but it grows on any surface. Make sure your betta tank has a filter








Secondly, congratulations on having a heater for your betta. Most people just like to ignore the fact that they are tropical fish








The best thing to do is try and add water that is roughly the same temperature as your tank, so i just do it roughly with a mix of hot and cold water





Adding water that is too cold or too hot would shock your betta, or indeed any other fish :)





ADD





The most important thing for your betta is a filter and a heater





Add the gravel back in, it will be fine. If you are worried then boil it first to kill off any nastys.





P.s , betta with finrot is easy to keep under control and i have done it a few times. Just add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt (dissolved) into your tank for every gallon of water it holds. Works a treat and the fins are usually fine within about 12 days for me
Reply:Yup, but make sure you have a filter.





When doing water changes, you should add water that feels the same as the old water. Just adjust the water temp from your sink and use your hand to test it until it feels right.





[edit] Your gravel didn't cause the finrot. You need to either clean it and put it back or buy a filter, because without either, his finrot will only get worse form the ammonia buildup. For now, keep his water very clean and warm, because finrot is often caused by dirty water.





[edit 2] Benefical bacteria DO grow everywhere in your tank, but there's not enough surface area on the bottom of your tank alone. Gravel and filters provide much more space for the bacteria to grow. Also, bacteria in filters get ammonia carried directly to them, and thus are more effective.
Reply:if you have biological filtration that you don't change out (like a bio-wheel as opposed to the sponge pads) you don't need gravel. they usually recommend a minimum amount of gravel with the little bio-wheel filters.





i usually try to get water up to room temperature before putting the betta in it. you don't want to use hot tap water because its full of deposits that make the water harder than it probably is already if you live in an urban area. the bottom of hot water heaters is full of muck -- they usually recommend you don't drink hot water yourself either.
Reply:I agree with Mrmoomin, do what he says.

yoga