Due to the massive popularity of keeping betta fish within the fish keeping hobby we constantly see a wide range of questions about caring for pet betta fish.
As the popularity of betta fish just keeps growing, we actually think that the number of questions that we see people asking each month is only going to increase so we have decided to publish articles for as many of the commonly asked questions as possible.
Due to the sensitivity of betta fish to tap water, a conditioning product is pretty much essential for anyone looking to keep betta fish.
It allows you to make tap water safe to initially fill your aquarium as well as make it safe to use during water changes too and betta water conditioner is easily the best option out there right now.
The problem is, there are a number of different sources giving very different treatment timeframes so we constantly see people asking about the betta water conditioner wait time for their own tanks.
What Is Betta Water Conditioner?
Betta water conditioner is a specialist water conditioning produce that has been specifically designed to be able to quickly treat tap water to make it safe for your betta fish while only using ingredients that are also betta fish friendly.
This is one of the most common problems that we see with water conditioners, many of the products out there remove potentially harmful chemicals from your tap water only to replace them with other chemicals that are harmful to your betta fish.
API then decided to produce betta water conditioner as a way to remove chlorine, chloramines, ammonia, and other chemicals from your tap water quickly while only using ingredients that are safe for your betta fish.
This is why betta water conditioner has such an excellent reputation within the betta fish keeping community as well as amongst fish keepers who keep other sensitive fish species.
Does Tank Size Matter With Betta Water Conditioner?
The tank size that your betta fish lives in definitely plays a role in both how much betta water conditioner you will need to add to the tank as well as how fast it will be able to treat the chlorine, chloramines, and ammonia in the water.
The general dosing instructions is that you should use eight drops for each pint of water, sixteen drops per quart of water, and half a tea spoon per US gallon of water in your tank.
This is a very beginner friendly dosing method that has proven to be easy to follow time and time again no matter your level of fish keeping experience.
We would never recommend that you exceed these dosing instructions as you may accidentally cause side effects in your tank and adding more betta water conditioner does not speed up the treatment timeframe for tap water.
Is Betta Water Conditioner Instant?
Betta water conditioner is not an instant treatment and it usually takes around 24 hours to fully render tap water safe.
Different areas also have different amounts of chlorine, chloramines, and ammonia in the water supply meaning that this will play a role in how quickly the water supply is safe for use in your tank too.
Another common problem that we see is people using multiple water conditioner products at the same time.
This is pointless and defeats the purpose of using betta water conditioner to use a betta friendly treatment and it will rarely speed up your treatment process either.
How Long Does It Take For Betta Water Conditioner To Work?
Most people can expect betta water conditioner to work in around 24 hours but it can be faster and in some cases it may be slower.
Larger tanks in areas that have higher chlorine, chloramines, and ammonia in their tank can take as long as 48 hours and we have seen a small number of reports from people saying that it takes even longer for extremely large tanks.
There is no way to speed up the treatment speed of betta water conditioner either!
We have seen a couple of people on social media offer their own advice on DIY methods to speed the process up but the chemicals that they suggest can cause gill inflammation in betta fish and are better off avoided.
How Can I Confirm Betta Water Conditioner Has Worked?
The best way to confirm that betta water conditioner has worked is too test your tank’s water parameters for ammonia, nitrites, and pH levels.
You can use a simple API Freshwater Test Kit for this which you can pick up from any good fish store or online retailer that sells aquarium supplies.
We recommend doing this twice, once 24 hours after you have added betta water conditioner to your tank and again 48 hours after adding it.
This will give you a good idea of how well the product has worked as well as letting you know if there might be something else going on in your tank.
Betta Water Conditioner Summary
We hope that this article has helped you to understand a little more about how betta water conditioner works as well as how to use it correctly.
As we have said before, using a betta water conditioner is vital for any fish keeper who is looking to keep their fish healthy and happy long term.
If you have any questions or comments about this article then please feel free to leave us a comment below.
