Who Gives A Fish Forums

I'm hoping someone can offer some advice on this. I recently got my first betta, about two weeks ago, and I'm worried the filter in the tank is too much for him. I've been trying to find ways to baffle it - it's just a basic internal sponge filter that came with the tank.

I've tried a few ...

I'm hoping someone can offer some advice on this. I recently got my first betta, about two weeks ago, and I'm worried the filter in the tank is too much for him. I've been trying to find ways to baffle it - it's just a basic internal sponge filter that came with the tank.

I've tried a few things ...

I don't have a before picture, unfortunately. From what I observed, my betta seemed to be getting pushed around a bit by the current, but not to the point where he couldn't reach the surface. I just wanted to create an environment where he could comfortably use every part of the tank without any ...

I'm worried an air stone would just make the current even stronger, which is the opposite of what I'm trying to achieve with baffling the filter.

I'm just using the filter for now. Would adding an air stone help with the oxygen levels in the tank?

Here's a picture of my filter with the sponge attached.

I'm hoping someone can offer some advice on this. I recently got my first betta, about two weeks ago, and I'm worried the filter in the tank is too much for him. I've been trying to find ways to baffle it - it's just a basic internal sponge filter that came with the tank.

I've tried a few things ...

Thanks so much, I really appreciate the advice. So I'm thinking of just running both the new and old filters together for 3-4 weeks to get the new one cycled, then I'll remove the old one - is that the best way to do it?

I'm thinking, what if the new filter doesn't work out for some reason - I'd have messed up the sponge that fits my original sponge filter. Is there another way to get a new sponge ready to go, without using the old one? Or am I overcomplicating things?

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it.