New Betta

Hello my fellow betta keepers after being out of this betta keeper game for a long time i am back with this small set-up don’t worry this is just temporary set-up i am planning to get a Fluval Edge after a couple of months.
Let me know what you guys think

Grim Reaper said:

Hello my fellow betta keepers after being out of this betta keeper game for a long time i am back with this small set-up don’t worry this is just temporary set-up i am planning to get a Fluval Edge after a couple of months.
Let me know what you guys think


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I think erm........small, where's the heater and where's the filter.

If you know it isn't right then why do it!?

That will work fine as a temporary measure. If you're getting the Fluval Edge soon then good. I know quite a few people who keep Bettas in Fluval Edge tanks; they'll be fine.

Also, about the temporary tank; do what Honeythorn said. ^^;

I looked at pictures of the of the Fluval Edge, is there a place for bettas to breathe? Maybe if you lower the water line a little? I think the size if fine for one betta as long as the betta can breathe.

There's a space at the back where Bettas can breathe.

If you don't fill it all the way, then that works, too.

Big Al's has one on display -- really stylish tank. The only problem is that it's on a tiny bit of a slant so there's a gigantic air bubble at the top; but that just makes it better for the fishehs.

If you lower the water level it does indeed work as you create an airspace for the fish to both take in air, and also for oxygen to mix with the water. But if you fill the tank to the glass roof as you're supposed to do as per the design, the surface area is restricted to a very very small space indeed( by comparison of the potential surface area if that glass roof didn't exist) A major design flaw IMO. I've seen a fair few with gasping fish They make good ( but expensive ) shrimp tanks if nothing else.

if that is a temp. "tank", make sure it stays warm enough. bettas are tropical fish. no filter means a strict waterchange schedual.
id suggest feeding him every OTHER day (less food=less waste) only a few pellets at a time. flakes would be no good as are much messier than pellets and the inevitable uneaten ones will pollute the water very quickly. change 30-40% of the water every other day. id also suggest you buy more plants. youve got a nice depth of substrate for planting. try to find taller plants than the ones youve got. some good suggestions that are easy to care for are anacharis (aka elodea), camboba, water wisteria and hornwort.
i personally think a betta would be just fine in an edge with the filter setting on its lowest setting. the real downfall of the tank design is the maintenance. they might look cool aesthetically, but seem really hard to keep tidy and free of debris, especially if you are considering a betta who can not cope with the strong filter flow. and if it has a betta it should be nicely planted. those tanks just seem a nightmare to keep clean.
cheers

to the OP-
there are certain things to keep in mind if you are going to keep him in a smaller tank until you get your bigger one. dont feel put off by this forum where folks just rant and rave that the tanks too small, you are killing your fish,NEEDS to be a 5 gal or you are a cruel torturous person(not saying this as a quote folks-taking it as intent), etc. bigger tanks are almost always better for anyfish.

to the OP-
most important thing that you can do RIGHT NOW is to change his water frequently. half everyday would be best, but everyother day would be fine if you feed him every other day. reed less than you normally would (less food in=less waste out) be sure to clean up any uneaten food and poo any time you see it(use a turkey baster to suck things off the bottom).
definitely get more plants! some taller ones would be best as the tank is tall. it will give him something to rest on and help a bit with water quality. look for easy to care for plants like elodea (also called anacharis) camboba, water wisteria.
if you have an airpump and an old,.small fishfood container (or similar container) you can quickly,easily and cheaply make your own small filter that works VERY well. ammo-lock is also another good suggestion (As mentioned above. it does bind the ammonia, and needs to be replaced everyso often. you can "recharge" ammo chips if you buy aquarium salt (recharging instructions are on the box of ammolock). then you can rotate the bags. by binding the ammonia, it takes it out of the water column where it is "stuck" to the chips (sort of like meds do when running black carbon). if you change your water every/other day and use ammo-lock, i would worry very little about the "poisons" getting him.
a good liquid test kit is also essential!! personally, i feel it is the second thing a fishkeeper should buy second only to the tank itself. will help you figure out when to replace the ammo-lock and do water changes (or cycle your filter if you get one). but do NOT use ammo-lock if you get a filter. will not allow it to cycle.
a heater is also very important. they are tropical fish. if the room temp is very warm (75F or higher, which unless you live in a warm place or keep your home ridiculously warm is unlikely). you can move him on top of the fridge until you get a heater. the kitchen is usually the warmest room in the house, and hot air rises.
basically, right now you will need- test kit, heater, and either airpumpand container OR some ammo lock. plants would be good too. if buying ammolock, it would be best to get some aquarium salt at the same time (not marine salt) as you will want to "recharge" the chips.

i know nearly all the "regular" poster opinions about this here, so im not looking to get into a big "thing". i just think that all too often new folks come here, from all sorts of backgrounds (could be a kid spending weeks of saved up allowance on a betta who has no CLUE what they need, and lets face it most likely didnt get very good advice at the lfs. then they are curious about their new fish, find us and are proud of their new fish! to say that basically, its dead already unless you go spend probably on the order of 10X plus what they spent on the fish is ludicris! they see this, add up their "allowance" and how many weeks it will take to save the $ for it, etc and either say, nope not worth it and neglect the fish thinking its dead anyway, or certain people might go into a panic thinking there is no way to help their fish stay healthy as the simply cannot afford it. do we see many of these people come back. in a word no. they probably dont feel welcomed and feel belittled. this case is a bit different in that they stated they will be getting a bigger home soon (and should pinch every single fishy-penny until then to get the best possible set up they can at that time). but it is the same attitude that is getting really old. i know it has also driven some very knowldgeable folks away from replying to be constructive and help with the current situation, as they dont want to deal with the backlash that may ensue. (not to say very knowlegable folks ARENT replying but still., this entire website is meant ot be a community of fish lovers and supportive community. a lot of times it doesnt seem very supportive to me

too often there are no solutions happening, only criticizm and sometimes personal attack (on the OP or other). that tank isnt the worst ive seen. not by a longshot, and there are certain things the OP can do in the meantime (until they get the larger tank as stated) to keep that lovely boy perfectly healthy.
*braces for the inevitable*

good luck with your fish. hes lovely
cheers

While everyone is entitled to their opinion, please refrain from name calling.

This subject has been heavily edited to remove inappropriate posts by many members who have not been given personal restrictions only because it is hard to say who started things. We do not tolerate unfriendly posts that have no purpose but to incite poor responses. This is a family forum and I will do what I need to do to keep it that way. Sorry if I have somehow stepped on a good response but posts that answered other posts often included quotes that were not appropriate. In those cases, I have erred on the side of civil conversation and removed the response along with the original quoted unfriendly post. can only hope that I have the backing of the rest of the MOD team, but this must stop.

okay... you mentioned in a couple months you will be upgrading the tank, in the mean time seems he has a pretty good home. Have you considered testing water and such. This housing will require more frequent water changes and maybe looking at a product called Ammo-Lock or Ammo-Chips would be a good area to look at for helping control Ammo in the water until you get the fluval and get it cycled. Another more natural way would be to Look into IAL(Indian Almond Leaf), this is a more natural way to nuetralize harmful toxins in the water and would lead to less water changes in this setup. You would also benefit from the natural medicine it gives off to help fight off infections and fungus. (The main issue would be controlling the waste like someone already stated about feedings although every other day seems a bit overkill I would follow regular feeding schedule and just more frequent water change 1 every day)

What are you doing to heat the water?

Just for clarity, API Ammo-Lock cannot be re-charged; it is a liquid ammonia-detoxifying additive, mixed with the water. It is API Ammo-Chips that are re-charged by salt.

Hello Grim Reaper, you have a lovely looking boy there, how long have you had him? Is he new or have you had him a while, he is gorgeous colouration. There have been many questions above (only read part of it ) but the main concerns probably are:

1. How often are you doing water changes, just keep the ammonia down till you get the shiny new tank and filter

2. Is he being kept in a warm room with no fluctuation, as these are classed as tropical fish that like warmer temperatures.

3. The Fluval Edge is a gorgeous tank and have seen some make it work for bettas, there are plenty of other gorgoeus cheaper tanks though that would probably work easier with oxygen exchange and betta breathing, but if your heart is set on that tank certainly do able.

Im sure that as you have been out of the game for a while, it means you hopefully know all the good things on keeping a betta properly. it is hard on these forums to know what experience level people are on and how much they know..

Most importantly, does your fellow have a name?

Anna Robinson said:

Just for clarity, API Ammo-Lock cannot be re-charged; it is a liquid ammonia-detoxifying additive, mixed with the water. It is API Ammo-Chips that are re-charged by salt.

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thank you for the clarification.
cheers

I will not comment about the tank because I think you have gotten enough about that. Anyway, the fish is beutiful.