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Ehh.. I can't put him in with the guppy or molly fry... he will attack them.. He's aggressive.. I don;t think the tank is the problem I probably just stressed the poor shrimp out.. I'll do another water change and test the water. I bought the betta from a family owned pet shop, so I have no idea if I bought him sick or not..372xp said:
The temperature is usually always at 84Fbetta fish said:
He has a big hut he hangs out in a lot, I was thinking of getting him a plant but I'm going to buy a water testing kit or get the number readings from the petstore free testing, to see if I can add a plant at this time. It's from a thermometer strip, but the water feels warm.betta fish said:Is that the reading off a thermometer or just the dial on the heater as they can be off, also what is the flow like in the tank? high flows will also stress bettas, they prefer little to no flow, do you have a full tank shot? it looks quite bare, getting lots of plants in there and little caves will help the betta feel more secure
I'm going to switch my thermometer with my other one because it seems more reliable. Anways, he's in a 2.5 gallon. I would love to get him a 5 Gal but I just can't do that right now... I removed the dead shrimp, but I think he ate some of it. Anyway my mother agreed to take me to the petstore tomorrow. What do you suggest I get him that is cheap but he will love? I was going to buy a water testing kit to keep an eye on Ammonia and nitrite.RCA said:
YamiHime said:
Yes I really want to get him a java fern because they are hardy and don't need much care. I also heard they are good plants for bettas... I Don't want to put anything in the tank thats living until Toby (my betta) is better.RCA said:
Hi, the tank looks great with some things for him to explore, if you can get any floating (real) plants they like those and a silk or real plant with broad leaves as they like to chill out on them. Bogwood is also good for Bettas, or if you can get them (usually on-line) Indian Almond Leaves, as these help provide him with the water he is used too. I put my Almond Leaves on a food clip stuck to the back of the tank and I find my boys like to sit in the food clip and chill
Be careful with shells they are not always good to have in an aquarium, I don't use them but have read mixed things about them - maybe someone else knows more and can advise?
Re: Water testing kit, they can be expensive but are worth it in my opinion. If they are too much too start with a good store will test your water either for free or for a small charge. The best one appears to be the API Water Test Kit, look on-line to get an idea of costs before going to the store. Make sure the test kit is well in date. I have found with mine the NitrAte test not very good and therefore need to contact API to advise i.e. the store has tested my water with two other test kits and get different readings to me. Overall though it appears most people prefer this kit to any other. Do not get the test strips as they are not as reliable, and false economy in the long run.
I have again seen mixed reviews about giving peas to Bettas, I do not do this as I read that their digestive system is not designed to handle them, but again someone else may have a different opinion.
I would thaw out a shrimp, then cut it up for him and give him a little of it. If you have some tweezers you can tempt him by moving it a little in the water then keeping it still for him to grab at. Bettas do not have the ability to break food up as easily like some other fish hence giving it in smaller portions help him. That being said I sometimes put a muscle in the tank and open it up and my bettas attack it like there is no tommorrow.
The other thing you may wish to consider is worming him. It depends where he has been sourced from as a good breeder/store would have already done this. Ask where you got him from if they know if this is the case? Read up on worming though as it is not advisable to medicate unecessarily and can also add to your costs. I use the KUSURI wormer plus, which is made for Discus but apparently is very good. At this stage though I would not worry too much about this, I just started using it when I was loosing my girls with no clear reason why - apparently a well known betta girl problem! It seems to have stabilised them again, but have as yet to use it on any of the boys.
By the way, what sort of filter do you have in the tank? How long has it been running? Do you use a water conditioner? Do you add any bacterial agent when doing water changes? How often are you doing a water change and how much? How do you clean the filter media (if you have one)?
Also, do not get anything like Danios to put in with him, they need more space and although I have done so in the past I have seen them nip occassionally. Plus they are very fast to the food, and the betta may struggle to compete.
Keep us posted on how you get on, and if you are able to answer the questions it can help with advising you further.
Oh that makes a lot of sense! thank you! and I do have a heater ehe. It's the black thing that is in the middle of the tank at the back right beside the betta bed I made.betta fish said:It is fine to clean the filter pad in used old tank water and then throw the water away, fresh tap water contains chlorine and will kill the filters bacterial colony but old tank water will not have anyso next time you do a water change save that water to wash the filter in if need be, I only ever clean mine if I see a reduction in flow. You are right not to get any other fish, just focus on the bettathe tank is too small for anything else. I cannot see the heater looking at the pic? what type do you have?
Unfortunately I don't think the store will do that372xp said:
also... I really don't trust them with him haha... if they were the ones to make him sick in the first place, it makes me wonder if they really know how to take care of a betta.. I will check my tank to see if it's alright. Since he has been living in there for a month I think he will be okay still (my logic is probably terrible).
The heater is a Betta fish heater? httpbetta fish said:Strange looking heater lol! what kind is it? do you have a link to it? I guess it is different because of the size of the tank, did it come with it? I think you should keep him too, I don't think the pet shop will care for him as well as you are doing for him they have other things and fish etc on their mind, at least you can give him one to one and you have come to the right place to ask advice
/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12315584&f=PAD%2FpsNotAvailInCA%2FNo 
Ammonia and Nitrite should read 0 ppm always, and Nitrate should be between 10-20ppm or so (though higher readings aren't uncommon). That reading and the fact that you don't have a nitrate reading makes me think that perhaps your tank isn't cycled. Try doing daily water changes for a week or so, keep checking the results daily and hopefully you'll start to see an improvement in him. I also think it would be worth you de-worming him too, it won't hurt Just trimmed the roots and put the plant in, Toby seems to be out investigating. I'll do a water change right now. What should I do with the medicine? they are tablets. Should I take the plant out and put it in my other tank for now or will the medicine not harm it?Flute said:Yup do a water change to lower your Nitrite readingAmmonia and Nitrite should read 0 ppm always, and Nitrate should be between 10-20ppm or so (though higher readings aren't uncommon). That reading and the fact that you don't have a nitrate reading makes me think that perhaps your tank isn't cycled. Try doing daily water changes for a week or so, keep checking the results daily and hopefully you'll start to see an improvement in him. I also think it would be worth you de-worming him too, it won't hurt
With the plant, trim the roots a little and then place it in the substrate. Trimming the roots will encourage new growth and it should root in well after a couple of weeks
