I bought Orchard a red sea nano filter last week with hopes of getting his tank cycled. I put it in on the lowest setting and he was fine for the first couple days and then he started tearing his fins apart He is still active and seems happy like always, just with a short, raggedy tail. I guess I'll take it out. Sheesh he's a picky boy, he won't even tolerate the red sea filter! My original plan was to return it if he didn't like it (when you return an item to petco, you fill out a little form and one question is why are you returning it. One of the boxes says "pet did not like" so I don't think it would be a bad thing to disinfect and return it) but I think I'll hold on to it. I'm not short on money right now and I'm bound to have another betta later down the road...hopefully a more tolerant one

Just had to share my frustration with you guys. I guess its back to big water changes.

My Auntie had the same problemm with her Mick Jagger...she put an air pump and he seems to like it

My betta in the small tank has a 3i whisperer. He likes it just fine.

I already tried a sponge filter. I think he hated that even worse

It's strange that a filter could tear up his fins unless it was very strong.

Perhaps the tank had started to cycle? Did you test for ammonia?

Oops, I forgot to mention, his fins are torn up because he is a tailbiter. He does it periodically out of habit I think, but it is provoked by stress some times. He's had this going on for pretty much the whole time I've had him, almost a year. We're learning to live with it.

The water is fine and the current is actually very soft and gentle.

I wanted to test the filter for a week without cycling to see if it would be okay. I wouldn't cycle with a betta

Why wouldn't it cycle with a betta? betta's eat 'n poop like other fish. It's possible a small amount of ammonia could have accumulated after a few days.

Anyway, I'm sorry to hear that he bites his own tail.

Hi Kissy, its too bad the filter didn't work out this time, Bettas seem to be very sensitive indeed to changes in their tank conditions don't they?

Maybe you could try again another time, I think a cycled tank does have lots of benefits over relying on water changes only, avoiding the ammonia peaks etc., but some Bettas seem to be very picky about their surroundings

BTW Thankyou for all your help with Basil a little while back

im sorry he didnt like it kissy my betta samfire hates filters too the others are absolutely fine..

Hi annette, a betta could cycle a tank by all means, you are right. I just wouldn't want to because bettas are a bit more fragile than other fish, and I know my guy would hate me for putting him through that. If I were to cycle the betta filter I could do it fishlessly or grab some cycled media from other filters.

Oh you're welcome bee How's he doing now?

Isn't it so funny how different bettas react to different things? I have a 5-10 gallon whisper filter on my tank turned down low and it doesn't bother Cusack at all. He loved the bubble wand too untill the air pump died I should probably get him another one. Different strokes for different folks errm ...fish How's Orchard doing now? Has he calmed down without the filter? That is one picky, picky fish, I think he may need a therapist

Good idea (about grabbing filter media from other tanks).