A Complete Noob

[Owen_R6]

Ok, i'll use this as a kind of introduction as well! Hows it goin everyone, my name is Matt (most people just call me Owen). I'm 21 and am going to be a senior, Marketing major at Iowa State My main hobby is motorsports and I currently ride a Yamaha R6. Anyway, originally I wanted to get a fish to set at my desk at work to keep me sane since i work in the IT department at the Iowa State University Foundation. I write sql code and need somethin to keep me from snappin my keyboard over my knee haha....Anyway, I've read about how badly walmart keeps their fish and bought a Betta last night. Hes gorgeous and i already love him haha. At first i was just going to put him in a half gallon vase so i could keep him there but the more i've been hangin with him the more money i want to spend on him! Hes EXTREMELY energetic and loves swimming around. For the bottom i put the colored glass accents in but i think he can see a reflection in them cause every once in awhile he'll dart at them...as well as the side of the vase! So now that i've fallen for him im going to go over tnite and buy a new tank, maybe a gallon or so and im also getting a small heater to keep him at a nice temp since my apartment is usually kept at 70. I'm also going to pick up something different for the bottom (open to any suggestions) and also some kind of plant, either live or silk...Hes a great fish so i might as well not be an asshole because hes just so good lookin! He flares a TON but im thinkin thats cause he sees his own reflection somehow! Hopefully i can get a pic of him soon! Hopefully tnite! Oh, and the food i've given him tday is BettaMin "tropical medley" so if that will work out nice let me know otherwise let me know what to get! Thanks everyone!

I'm lookin forward to the stay and makin sure my Betta stays healthy as can be!

 

[JenCliBee]

firstly hi & welcome 2 TFF

rite congrats on taking up fish keeping its a great hobby with many hours of fun lol


u will need somethink bigger than a 1gallon tank really id say 10 gallon but min 5 gallon with very little water moment from filters as betta's dont like it heater is must and as for substrate gravel /sand it really completely ur choice but if gravel IMO a natural colour goes best and less stressful for fish than having a bright illunious kind lol


well hope that helps and welcome again


jen

 

[ReMz]

Welcome bro. Good to catch another motorsports fan on here. I'm a car guy but i'm envious of your R6. I drive a modified Subaru STi. You sound a lot like me . I'm a network administrator for a school district and a junior in investment finance at CSU.


If i can recommend anything, i would urge you to get a larger, filtered tank. Just cuz bettas are hardy doesnt change the fact that they are just like any other fish and need good filtration and water conditions.

A 2.5g tank with a whisper filter (adjustable/low current) would be great for a BARE MINIMUM. A 5 gallon is even better. 10 gallon is just super overkill (but fine of course) The thing to consider with this is you do not need to carry out water changes very often compared to an unfiltered tank. Plus the fish has a much more natural environment and more room too swim... this = more fun for you and the fish.

Sounds like you might have him on a desktop though.

So, if you MUST keep him unfiltered in a 1 gallon, you CAN. You must make sure the water gets changed weekly. It just is not ideal and you are making more work for yourself. Best to make a bit of room for him and give him the best home possible. Heating a 1 gallon tank can be difficult as well.

Sounds like a great fish! Can't wait to see pics!

btw, i really like Hikari Betta Bio Gold for food. it floats well and seems to be the choice of all the bettas i've had. and a gravel substrate that you can buy at your lsf works great and hides debris better than sand. just make sure you wash it thoroughly under warm water before putting it in the tank.

 

[Owen_R6]

Thanks for the posts guys...Now that ive spent a day with him i'm not gonna take him to work with me. I'm gonna keep him at home in my room instead so i can get a bigger place for him. Ames doesnt have the largest of all pet supplies so pretty much my only choice is earl may or walmart to get an actual tank for him. Should i get things seperate or find it as a kit? Somethin like this is basically like foreign language to me and the only way i passed 2 years of spanish was that i cheated by doin a remote desktop my teachers comp and changin my grades! Would like a 2.5 gallon or 5 or whatever gallon tank i get, from walmart be sufficient or should i wait til i can get over to early may tmorrow? I'm startin at square one here guys haha! Thanks for the help so far!

As for cars man, i'm with you there too. I basically look at cars every day of my life...The car doesnt have to be the fastest thing ever either, just some rare that you dont see often or somethin that looks nice and fun to drive. Cause hell, my last car was a Ford Contour SVT, only reason i got it was cause they only made about 10,000 ever so i modded it to look nice. I'll post a couple pics of my car and bike til i can get a pic of my Betta up!!

Heres the bike, its a 2003 R6. I bought it about 2 years ago from MN for 7 grand cash...Bought it with 300 miles on it so pretty much had it since new! Theres 12K on it now

And heres that SVT Tour i had...It was a 1998, had all bolt ons and a 75 wet shot. Ran a 13.762 which wasnt bad for a front wheel drive 4-door lol...Hood was carbon fiber as well but just sanded the clear off it and painted it body color...

I know this is a fish forum lol, but i havnt been able to snap pics yet! Let me know about the tank and i'll run out tnite lol!

 

[keithp]

I have a female betta in a 1.5 gallon, basically you must change the water once a week, waste buildup is the main reason.
Always have pre-treated water ready at least 2 days before the water change. They have a product to remove chlorine and chloramine from the water. I also check the PH after each water change. 7.0 is perfect, 6.8 and 7.2 are acceptable. but they sell PH kits with PH UP & DOWN included incase you need to fix it. The instructions say how to raise or lower PH without shocking the fish.
I add a small amount of aquarium salt each water change, to prevent parasites. I also add 2 drops of Aquarisol for the same reason.

9 times out of 10 a store bought betta has some type of illness, especially Walmart. this is a great site to check and see if your betta is sick. Usually any illness is minor. <a href="http/www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm" target="_blank">http/www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm</a>

I feed my betta once a day, except Friday (to let her digestive system clean out) Bettas will overeat. Another guide on eating. <a href="http/www.bettatalk.com/food.htm" target="_blank">http/www.bettatalk.com/food.htm</a>
My betta gets hikari betta pellets, frozen bloodworms, freeze dried bloodworms, live brine shrimp, and sometimes as a treat a mashed up pea. Variety is good!

Bettas (especially males) easily tear a fin on sharp decorations, plastic or sharp glass is bad. I keep live plants in, for hiding and resting on. Fast current filters are also bad.

Temp should be 75 F to 82 F.

And always have the tank covered, bettas can jump out of water!

Oh yeah, and have a net and a place to put him when you clean out his tank (a seperate container)

 

[Ficious]

Owen buddy, nice to meet you. My names Mike and I live in Des Moines. I know nothing about Bettas but its nice to know someone whos close to Iowa, not the UK(lol). Are you from the Quad Cities or what?? I see a river boat there

 

[Owen_R6]

Wow, thanks for the links Keith! At first i was just wanting to do the minimum but again now that ive spent the day with him swimmin around i'm more than willing to get a better living space. Again thanks for all the posts...I'll definitely be readin up more and more now.

As for the quad cities haha, yeah actually! My parents live in Davenport so i took that pic in Leclaire by the riverboat!

 

[afireinside]

I keep most of my bettas in 1 gallons. They are all healthy and happy.

 

[ReMz]

I keep most of my bettas in 1 gallons. They are all healthy and happy.

see... can be done.... i just don't recommend it. a large filtered tank is easier, cleaner, and more fun.

If you want some general information on bettas that is accurate, rip apart this website for information. It seems to be the most reliable info about bettas that is all in one place:
<a href="http/bettatalk.com/" target="_blank">http/bettatalk.com/</a>

Word to the wise.... You will get a lot of differing information on this forum, and a lot of it is unreliable or skewed. ppl tend to have their own agenda without proper proof or research (Not referring to the quoted response btw). Don't just listen to what any joe-shmoe has to say... do some research and gather a lot of opinions/facts.

I currently have a couple 5gal Topfin tanks (it's a full setup with filter, light, hood, and tank). The filter works GREAT for a betta... ie no strong current. You then need to buy the substrate (gravel/sand) and the decorations. you can get real plants if you want, but for simplicity of setting up your first tank just get silk plants or even plastic plants without sharp points or sharp edges (i've kept bettas with all kinds of plastic plants succesfully).

Best of luck. Glad you are looking into getting a proper home for the guy.

I would be buggin you for pics of the fish, but the bike and the SVT will do . I've always thought the Contour SVT was a pretty decent car (u dont see them everyday like you said). I'm drooling over the R6

My STi (Custom COBB Stage2 and some other goodies):

Previous car (All bolt-ons about 13.5, but FWD ...... you know how that is):

 

[bronzecat]

Hi and welcome

I have juveniles in UK gallon containers. The ammonia will start to show a damn site quicker than a week, so weekly water changes will mean its being exposed to amm. I have tested the water in my containers, and ammonia is showing after 14-16 hours.

I'm guessing that your office is pretty warm if its an IT dept? When you set it up, and before the betta moves in, keep a check of the temps. Particularly first thing in the morning. If they are holding steady around 77/78 he should be fine.

If you could though, 3 gallons would be better because the temps will be more stable and the ammonia/nitrites will be more diluted.

I would suggest that water changes in either 1 gal or 3 gal are made every other day.

 

[ibbledibble]

While i would agree with the majority of what keithp said, i have a bit of a problem with the statements below

Always have pre-treated water ready at least 2 days before the water change. They have a product to remove chlorine and chloramine from the water. I also check the PH after each water change. 7.0 is perfect, 6.8 and 7.2 are acceptable. but they sell PH kits with PH UP & DOWN included incase you need to fix it. The instructions say how to raise or lower PH without shocking the fish.

water conditioner/water safe etc has been proven to remove chlorine and chloramine INSTANTLY! there is no need to prepare water 2 days in advance (unless you like having buckets of water constantly around?) especially as i agree with bronzecat, that in a small unfiltered tank, you should be doing water changes several times a week.
before the water boards started using chloramine it was possible to remove the chlorine from water simply by letting it sit for a couple of days (or slightly faster with good aeration) but the chloramine bond will NEVER break down on its own, so needs the water conditioner to break it down into its composite parts of chlorine and ammonia, and then remove the chlorine, (many water conditioners also neutralise the ammonia)
so although aged water used to be a viable option, nowadays its just too risky, as even if your local water board don't use chloramine now, they could start at any time, and are under no obligation to even tell you before doing so!

Secondly, although in the wild, bettas live in low PH water, many have been bred in water with a higher PH, they are able to cope with fairly wide ranges of PH so long as they are stable. my bettas are all kept at a PH of about 8.0 and are all happy and healthy. with the exception of some wild caught specimens, most fish are better off being kept at a stable PH rather than a specific one. and the PH adjusters are a VERY bad idea, as they only adjust the PH not the KH and so they quickly return to normal. there has been lots of mentions on these boards about how bad they are, (try doing a search, sure you will find much more specific information from others.) if you really want to lower the PH, a better (more stable) way of doing it, is with black water, Indian Almond Leaves (IAL) or peat.

 

[newfishy]

I have 2- 2 gallon tanks with male bettas in them, one betta the ammonia shows up in 2 days, the other it takes a week, some bettas are just bigger waste producers then others.

in my honest experence the larger the tank the easier it is to care for fish, its more of a pain to change the water daily or every other day with my males upstairs then do a weekly change with my male downstairs.

and this is a rather vain thing but I think that it is easier and more fun to decorate and lay out the bigger tanks...my 5,10, and 29 are better looking then my 2's.

oh and to add to what iddble said, where I live has hard water, 8 or higher at least, and between me and my sister who lives down the road we have raised 3 spawns dealing with it, the only problem we have had with the hard water is bubblenests not being as long lasting, some IAL fixed it easily. so bettas can easily adapt to the different conditions, as long as they are stable.

 

[ReMz]

While i would agree with the majority of what keithp said, i have a bit of a problem with the statements below

Always have pre-treated water ready at least 2 days before the water change. They have a product to remove chlorine and chloramine from the water. I also check the PH after each water change. 7.0 is perfect, 6.8 and 7.2 are acceptable. but they sell PH kits with PH UP & DOWN included incase you need to fix it. The instructions say how to raise or lower PH without shocking the fish.

water conditioner/water safe etc has been proven to remove chlorine and chloramine INSTANTLY! there is no need to prepare water 2 days in advance (unless you like having buckets of water constantly around?) especially as i agree with bronzecat, that in a small unfiltered tank, you should be doing water changes several times a week.
before the water boards started using chloramine it was possible to remove the chlorine from water simply by letting it sit for a couple of days (or slightly faster with good aeration) but the chloramine bond will NEVER break down on its own, so needs the water conditioner to break it down into its composite parts of chlorine and ammonia, and then remove the chlorine, (many water conditioners also neutralise the ammonia)
so although aged water used to be a viable option, nowadays its just too risky, as even if your local water board don't use chloramine now, they could start at any time, and are under no obligation to even tell you before doing so!

Secondly, although in the wild, bettas live in low PH water, many have been bred in water with a higher PH, they are able to cope with fairly wide ranges of PH so long as they are stable. my bettas are all kept at a PH of about 8.0 and are all happy and healthy. with the exception of some wild caught specimens, most fish are better off being kept at a stable PH rather than a specific one. and the PH adjusters are a VERY bad idea, as they only adjust the PH not the KH and so they quickly return to normal. there has been lots of mentions on these boards about how bad they are, (try doing a search, sure you will find much more specific information from others.) if you really want to lower the PH, a better (more stable) way of doing it, is with black water, Indian Almond Leaves (IAL) or peat.

agreed entirely. i just chose to ignore that part of the post cuz it wasnt ill-advised information, just inaccurate.

 

[bronzecat]

and this is a rather vain thing but I think that it is easier and more fun to decorate and lay out the bigger tanks...my 5,10, and 29 are better looking then my 2's.

Nothing wrong with having a nicely decorated tank, thats have the fun

 

[Owen_R6]

Ok, so i just got back from pickin up a new tank! I think ive said this but at first when i got my Betta i just wanted to keep him in a smaller vase of some sort, which hes in now, but then spendin the day with him hes pretty much a beast. So i just got back from pickin up a new 10 gallon tank that im going to put him in. I have conditioner now and a bit later tnite im going to go and pick up some new rounded gravel for the bottom, a whisper filter, a 50w heater, and one or two plants for the bottom. I'll be settin the tank up tnite and i'm going to let the water get up to temp and i'm going to switch him into the new tank!

Right now hes in the vase which isnt heated, and my apartment is about 70 degrees so im thinkin the water is about that as well so i feel bad for him, which is why i got all the new stuff. Anyway, when i switch him over to the new tank how do you think i should do it? Should i put him into a bag with the old water and let him float so he gets acclimated to it? I've never been into fish so be gentle on me haha...I've been searching but im doing updates on my comp at the moment and its takin forever to load pages...Thanks everyone!