Creating A Home...but...

Hey everyone,
I am new to all of this, but definitely excited to go out and buy a betta fish. I just had a couple questions about this home I am trying to put together before I acutally go out and buy the fish:

This is a huge snifter glass that can hold 2 gallons


Is this going to be big enough?

How often should I change the water?

What's with the bubbles I keep seeing on the rocks at the bottom and on the sides of the glass?


Thanks.

2 gallons is a good size. But if you could, put in a small heater in to keep the temp regulated. An unfiltered setup like yours, I would to a water change every 3 days; for a filtered setup, I used to do a water change every 10 days. Also, I guess the rocks are porous or are very textured which is why they have bubbles --- just a guess.

Hey thanks for the reply. I am looking forward to going out and finding a fish today! I just want to make sure he'll have a nice home ready for him.

The bubbles may just be air bubbles, wipe them away, i bet they dont come back =)

Try get a plant, real or fake, Bettas luuuurve plants.

And yes a heater too. Even if you live somewhere hot, a heater will keep the temperature from rising and falling too much.

Good luck and i look forward to pictures!

Does it have a lid of any kind? I've heard people having problems with jumping bettas. Sometimes it's better to be safe than sorry...

I've seen people use gooseneck lamps as heating and lighting mechanisms. They heat the water to a constant temperature, since a gooseneck lamp uses non-fluctuating incandescent light. Just buy a bulb every 6 months or so and you'll be ok. And as I've noticed, my betta never jumps...ever! But you can get little screens for a bowl like that at walmart.

Thanks everyone for the pointers. This is definitely going to be a new hobby for me. I have a lot to learn! I went out and got a lot of stuff today. There are a lot of pet stores in Nashville, so I was surprised to find the best fish (in my opinion) at PetSmart. I went to PetCo, PetSmart, and 3 other "Mom and Pop" stores, but the little guy I decided on is really cool. The only thing now will be to find something to put on top so he doesn't jump out. Maybe if I keep the water level 4 inches or so from the top I'll be ok? Thanks again!

Pictures will be posted tonight!

Maybe if I keep the water level 4 inches or so from the top I'll be ok? Thanks again!

Click to expand...

Anything on top is better than nothing. They can jump high and far, if they get in the mood! I just recently lost a female betta to jumping out and it can be heartbreaking, so don't take the risk. I use plastic mesh canvas (sold in arts and crafts section) to cover all my fry jars. Keeps them in and still allows air in. I saw a really neat way to decorate these awhile back...I'll see if I can find where I saw that at.

I found it!! http/z7.invisionfree.com/Uniquebettas/in...p?showtopic=164

listless look falls upon my face. Poking holes in the lid isn't enough MOTHER!!!

As promised here are some pics. I hope my setup works.

This is "Red" the fish (even though he does look orange in these pics):


I had to shrink this one down. It was too big.

Did you remember to get some dechlorinator? You always need to dechlorinate the water when you do water changes.
I would actually do 50% water changes every other day.
As for the suggestion of using a light to heat a tank. Sure it sounds ok, but people aren't going to leave a light on all night when the temp is going to drop the most and when a heater is going to be needed the most.
So getting a small heater for the bowl if needed would be your best bet.

Or if you don't want to for whatever reason, just try to keep his bowl in the warmest part of your home. Remember that the temp of the water your changing should be about the same as the water you put back in.
You should get yourself a thermometer to put into the tank so you can monitor just how cold his water gets to determine if you should get a heater or not.


Anywho! Looks great and he's so cute I bet he loves all of the room he has now You could probably use like a paper plate as a temp cover for the top until you can find something permanent.

Red is doing well on his second day. 2 quick questions. This bottle of dechlorinator is what they sold me at the pet store. I used some Spring water at first and will slowly transition to tap water, but how much do you use per Gallon? I guess my question is how many drops per gallon, since instructions say 5 mL per 10 US Gallons? I don't have anything to measure mL. I've got 3 one gallon water bottles that I'll store my dechlorinated tap water in (and let sit to become room temperature). Would that work? Also, when he eats Red spits everything out a couple times, I imagine he is just tasting it, but he has done it every time so far. He eats it, but his head wiggles like he is choking or something?

Thanks for the input guys.

If I'm not mistaken, they don't use chlorine on spring water. Do they? Oh and you know those little things, you can buy them new at walmart for almost nothing. My mother told me that they're called cough syrup spouts, and they can measure down to 1mL. Oh and the eating thing. My betta does the same thing. They do that if the food is just a little too big. Then they'll eat the broken up peices of food seperately.

Depending on the dropper it is 10 to 12 drops for .5 ml. I checked it against an 1/2 teaspoon and it almost filled it to the top. Your handsome fishes new home is very nice I am sure he is one happy little man now!! Doing partial water changes on a bowl like that is easy with a turkey baster you can suck up the poop easy and it only takes about 10 minutes each time if you have only one bowl. I have 12 now that is full and 2 more just incase. Another thing is if you want a quick top use a cd case, plexi is easy to cut also with a jigsaw for circles or a circular saw for squares.

Red is gorgeous!! Congratulations! And your bowl is very nice. 2 gallons + is a good size for bettas, IMO.

I would also suggest you invest in some water testing kits. Especially ammonia and pH - these two would be the most important in a non-filtered tank. Get the tester kits that use drops (2 bottles for the ammonia and 1 bottle for the pH) instead of the dipsticks, which often is not as accurate.

Anyway... testing daily for ammonia in the water (which comes from fish poop, pee and uneaten food) will determine how often you should change your water. As soon as the ammonia rises to even .25ppm (you get a chart with the tester kits to determine this) - change the water... and keep note of how many days inbetween. It's best to not even let it get to 0.25 so changing the day before you noticed the increase is best. When your betta is exposed to ammonia and other byproducts (like nitrite and high nitrates) - it can start to cause all sorts of problems and diseases - especially if he was predisposed to anything prior to your taking him home.

pH is important as sometimes water sources pH fluctuates. City tap water does change - especially in warmer weather. If you use bottled water - that can sometimes change too... esp if different brands are used. It's just good to know... high swings can cause irritation in the fish.

The air bubbles you see when you first add water is called nitrogenous (I think that's what it's called) supersaturation... or air bubbles. It's good to let the water sit for a few hours to let them dissipate. Stirring the water or using a never-used/never seen soap turkey baster to "blast" them is good before adding the fish. When these bubbles pop - it creates gas pressure in the water... can often lead to bloating in the fish, pop-eye or even dropsy or swim bladder. I've had this in my tanks - but it never caused problems in my fish (knock on wood) - but I think if they're constantly exposed to these bubbles with every water change... you may find a problem.

I'm not familiar with the Stress Coat - but an excellent dechlorinator is Prime by Seachem. It removes the chlorines, chloramines and protects their slime coat.

A thermometer was mentioned to have on your tank - to monitor the water temp - very important. Bettas optimum temp range is 75-80F. If you find that your room temp is too low - like was suggested - try moving your betta's tank to a warmer part of your home - but keep away from direct sunlight and drafts. A heater would work - but in a smaller bowl - it might be hard to not overheat... so please get a thermometer (there's ones that stick on the outside - they work well). Many have used the 7.5watt heater "pads" in their smaller bowls.... I'm not sure how good they are though.

You will need a lid - even if you keep the water level down a bit - many have found their bettas can jump quite high and end up on the floor. Fine/breathable netting - you can get by the yard/meter at a fabric store and is very inexpensive. A paper plate with small holes is also a good temp fix till you find something more suitable - but I know it won't look so nice on your bowl.

Sorry for the long read... I'm still pretty new to the world of bettas and fish keeping - this is all stuff I've learned in the last couple of months... and thought it was worth passing on! Good luck with your little guy! He's adorable!!!!!