I need help on cleaning a fish bowl.

[prole_for_peace]

I am feeding a co-workers beta while she is out recovering from back surgery. There is some nasty stuff growing on the bottom of his little tank. I would like to clean it but I have never had fish and don't want to do anything wrong. I was told he could go into shock if I didn't do it right.

Ps. The tank has rocks, a plant and an aerator in it. I don't know if this makes a difference.

[lukasahero]

1. It's a bit of a pain

in the butt - are you sure you really want to do this?

I think the "shock" thing comes in the form of moving the fish from the old water to the new. Beta's are pretty resilient little guys but you have to moderate the new water (i.e. - temperature and chlorine) before you put him back.

Easiest to take a plastic baggie, dump some of his existing water and him in it, tie it up and leave him be while you take care of the rest of the stuff. Drain the rest of the water, scrub the plants and aerator (I wouldn't use soap but you could use a toothbrush if the gunk is pretty heavy) and you'll have to scrub the stones (that's the bit that's a pain). Put everything back and let it all sit for about a day before putting the little guy back in.

There may be something to use to "treat" the water but I never used any. Check at a pet store if you want to be sure - an on-line one would probably be a quick way to start. I like Drs. Foster and Smith - they have a lot of info regarding care and maintenance of creatures of various type. :) http://www.drsfostersmith.com/

[americanwomanone]

2. It isn't that difficult

You can't leave the fish in a plastic bag for 24 hours. The rest of the suggestion as far as cleaning is good. You can pick up chlorine remover at a pet shop. For something that small it will probably take a couple of drops. Mix it into the water making sure that the temperature is close to what the fish is in. This actually shouldn't take long at all. Then just transfer the fish into his clean bowl. I have a lot of tanks and also some bettas in glass jars and this is the way that I do it. Do not use soap at all. As far as cleaning the stones put them in a container and just rinse it with running water place it back in the bowl and do the rest.

[bullimiami]

3. bettas are easier to keep in a plain bowl with no filters or anything

i just pour them into a cup with just enough water to cover them.

wash the bowl. fill it with aged water and pour the fish back in.

i worked at a fish farm as a kid and raised bettas for awhile so I had to do hundreds of them at a time. we used well water so no treatment necessary.

watch our for tap water it has chlorine, maybe ammonia etc. best to hit it with some drops from the pet shop and leave it for a few days or longer before using it.

oh and the water should be more or less the same temp.