General Discussion

Any betta fish enthusiasts out there? I recently got one as a gift from my hubby, and like all my other "children" (animal parent here!) w are going to spoil him! We currently have him in a temporary 1 gallon plastic tank, with a cover as I have cats.

Slowly we will be getting other things, such as a bigger tank, hopefully glass again with a lid. Im looking for close to 5 gallons. We're going to get some more stones for the bottom (he currently has pretty blue ones), and live plants.

What kind of filter do you use if you use one? Ive seen ones that do 45 gal/hr but have read reviews where half of the people say its perfect for their betta, and the other half say the current is too strong.

If you dont use a filter, what do you do instead?

Of course, feel free to share any other info as well inclding pics of your lovlies!

EDIT: I am subscribed to this thread so no need to ping!

I love betta fish! I got my first one in highschool (he passed unfortunately,and it was...horrible circumstances, a story I sparingly tell cause I could have prevented it but if you're curiosity burns just PM me) and have been keeping them since.

When buying betta stuff,I find that you have to really gauge the personality,temperament and environment of your fish for yourself. Kinda like cats.

Bubbles (my first one) didn't like flakes,but ate pellets,he liked shrimp but not most other meaty things,and he hated his toy submarine and would glare at me every time I put it back in,but adored his rock. It was just a rock,not anything fancy just a literal rock I picked up and plopped in there. Go figure.

They need warm water (round 70F) and shouldn't be overfed because most will ignore food if they're not hungry and it will rot in their tank. Only do full cleans if something happens(dead waste, lottsa poop,etc) otherwise half pumps are fine,although a monthly full clean should be fine too if the fish isn't to anxious.

Also there really smart and can recognize their primary humans. After a few months,Bubbles would just sit where I was and kinda just look around,and if I moved he followed. I though he wanted food but I think he just liked the attention. On the other hand,I had one named Scarlet who would stare at me just for treats,so it's all about watching them.

In case you couldn't tell,I like Betta Fish :3 They're the only fish I find I actually like and can care for without getting bored.

With Norbit, my betta, he seems to prefer me over my hubby and we have only had him for 3 weeks! When I do half pumps as you say I have currently been using the bowl he came in to scoop out the water until we can get real things. He then proceeds to SWIM into the ow and "lay down". I feel bad kicking him out of it haha.

Also when I pour in the new water I make sure to do it far away from him as possible, but the little menace will swim right UNDER it and get pushed to the bottom if I dont pay attention. Even if I move to a different part, he does it again! Im not sure if he just enjoys it or if hes dumb haha

Actually, bettas need temperatures between 78-80 F. They are tropical fish and need warm temperatures!

If he's in a bowl, honestly he should be getting a full change at least every other day to keep ammonia down. A bowl isn't big enough to cycle. You will want to get the new tank cycled before you put him in there though- establishing a cycle is very hard on a fish living in the tank.

For explanations on what cycling is, why it's important, and how to do it, here you go:

http://aquariuminfo.org/cycling.html
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/the-almost-complete-guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

As for filters, there are a few options. A sponge filter can be a great option for bettas since they create no current. The down side is they take up space in the tank, which can be a challenge in smaller tanks. Alternatively, you can get a traditional filter that hangs over the back of the tank, and create a baffle for the output so the current isn't too strong for the betta's fins. :)

I have two male bettas in a divided 10 gallon tank! One is a turquoise butterfly rosetail I bought in october last year, and the second is a white halfmoon that i got in february this year. They were completely separate at first (one in a 5g and the other in a 3.5g), but I got tired of taking care of two tanks so I got the 10g to try it out. I was fortunate that they are both pretty mellow boys and only flare occasionally. The divider I'm using is just some black plastic craft mesh so they can definitely see each other. I usually have the light off as well so that helps keep aggression and stress to a minimum. Both fish have brightened up their colors and are more active in this divided tank so I think I made a good choice!

I have a filter with a spray bar on the side of the white betta who is the stronger swimmer. My turquoise boy bites his tail (hes done this since I got him last year so it doesn't have to do with the move to the divided tank) and I didn't want him to be pushed around by a filter. The filter creates enough surface movement on both sides of the tank that I dont get a protein film, and it puts more oxygen in the water which is nice, even though bettas don't need the extra oxygenation as they are labyrinth fish.

The tank is kept at 78 degrees with a self regulating heater (it's a tiny little one, like 50W I think). Since its a 10g tank I put the thermometer in the opposite corner instead of right next to the heater. The spray bar is also positioned to spray around the heater to help move the warm water around the tank. I also keep the tank away from any windows to keep the temp more constant and prevent algae growth in natural light. I do 10% water changes every 2-3 weeks using a siphon to clean the gravel.

Aaaaand I feed my boys omega one betta buffet pellets. They love them and I've had no bloat issues.

:D Yay congrats. Bettas are awesome fish. We don't have one at the moment since we had to get rid of our little tank to fit the big one in but we used to have giant male and a female before him. Current will depend on your betta, plakats or ones with shorter fins will be stronger swimmers than ones with massive fins. If the current is too much you could always create a baffle or go with a sponge filter. He'll enjoy his live plants too :D Bettas love lots of places to hide. [quote name="SavageDestiny" date=2017-07-25 10:08:50] You will want to get the new tank cycled before you put him in there though- establishing a cycle is very hard on a fish living in the tank. [/quote] We'd disagree with this bit. Fish is better off in an uncycled 5 gallon than an uncycled 1 gallon :D Move the fish as soon as you get the new tank. And get the new tank first/as soon as possible.

@Lonin
oh yeah cant WAIT to get him real plants. The problem is that apparently only the major pet shops near me seem to sell the live plants and thats just frustrating since it means I have to travel an hour one way

[quote name="Lonin" date=2017-07-25 13:42:04] [quote name="SavageDestiny" date=2017-07-25 10:08:50] You will want to get the new tank cycled before you put him in there though- establishing a cycle is very hard on a fish living in the tank. [/quote] We'd disagree with this bit. Fish is better off in an uncycled 5 gallon than an uncycled 1 gallon :D Move the fish as soon as you get the new tank. And get the new tank first/as soon as possible. [/quote] Yeah I agree with Lonin on this. You already have the little guy, so it's better to get him into a bigger tank as soon as you get it rather than wait for upwards of a month to cycle it. You can do a fish-in cycle, just gotta keep a close eye on water parameters! I only have an ammonia testing kit, but there are full freshwater kits available for testing ammonia, ph, and nitrates. These use water samples in test tubes and are more accurate than test strips.

[quote name="Clarinetosaurus" date=2017-07-25 15:09:13] [quote name="Lonin" date=2017-07-25 13:42:04] [quote name="SavageDestiny" date=2017-07-25 10:08:50] You will want to get the new tank cycled before you put him in there though- establishing a cycle is very hard on a fish living in the tank. [/quote] We'd disagree with this bit. Fish is better off in an uncycled 5 gallon than an uncycled 1 gallon :D Move the fish as soon as you get the new tank. And get the new tank first/as soon as possible. [/quote] Yeah I agree with Lonin on this. You already have the little guy, so it's better to get him into a bigger tank as soon as you get it rather than wait for upwards of a month to cycle it. You can do a fish-in cycle, just gotta keep a close eye on water parameters! I only have an ammonia testing kit, but there are full freshwater kits available for testing ammonia, ph, and nitrates. These use water samples in test tubes and are more accurate than test strips. [/quote] The fish will have better water quality in a bowl changed daily than suffering through ammonia and nitrite spikes during a cycle. :/ A bowl can be kept frequently changed to keep him comfortable while the tank cycles.