Bettas And Fighting

[K.J.]

Do something like this? It's about 30 - 40 dollars, depending on where you live.

Bubbler and the light serves as a heater... an overpowered heater. But I live in Washington too, so yeah. RAINY. D:

And excuse the brown leaves, I just bought it a couple days ago... ferts are coming in on Monday.

 

[Bettarat0r]

I'll be getting a new tank tomorrow. A 5 Gallon tank.

Also, what kind of water should I specifically buy?

Right now it's swimming in Nestle Pure Life [purified water] "enhanced with minerals for taste"

- Purified water, calcium chloride, sodium, bicarbonate, magnesium sulfate?

Here's a picture of my betta right now.

 

[Kyrielle]

I'll be getting a new tank tomorrow. A 5 Gallon tank.

Also, what kind of water should I specifically buy?

Right now it's swimming in Nestle Pure Life [purified water] "enhanced with minerals for taste"

- Purified water, calcium chloride, sodium, bicarbonate, magnesium sulfate?

Here's a picture of my betta right now.

Buy water? Why not use water from the tap and dechlorify it.

 

[Bettarat0r]

Okay, I got a thermometer and it seems the tank is at a nice 75 degrees.

I like to buy water for the fish. It's less of a hassle; I mean ~$1 for a gallon of water? There's distilled, purified, spring water etc.?

Should I get some spring water?

I'm planning to get this--> Link

"Marineland Eclipse Hex 5 Fully Integrated Aquarium Kit

Innovative design, silent operation, and optimum performance in a fun hex-shaped Marineland aquarium. Kit includes a five gallon hex-shaped acrylic aquarium, three-stage filtration, and lighted hood with feeding port. "

How is cycling done; I've read about it but it seems like the stuff I've read is for larger tanks [taking like 50 days to cycle?]

 

[SuperColey1]

I can't imagine putting a Betta in a little Tank like that on its own. Mine loves being in his 29G tank with the Mollies and Plecs and plants and is very rarely aggressive (sometimes is when the female black mollie is sexually active)

In fact as I've stated before when the male black mollie was sick with saddle back and then what looked like Dropsy, the male tried to seduce her, following her everwher for 2 weeks, wuite the gentleman he was.

As for them being used purely for a display ornament, surely yould prefer to see him in a more natural setting with some other fish and plants?

 

[starrynightxxi]

better to use water out of the tap in the long run. distilled water lacks minerals that the fish will need. Just buy dechlorinator, it's like, five dollars, and you arne't even paying for the water in a college dorm anyhow. all your utilities are included in board.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Okay, I got a thermometer and it seems the tank is at a nice 75 degrees.

I like to buy water for the fish. It's less of a hassle; I mean ~$1 for a gallon of water? There's distilled, purified, spring water etc.?

Should I get some spring water?

I'm planning to get this--> Link

"Marineland Eclipse Hex 5 Fully Integrated Aquarium Kit

Innovative design, silent operation, and optimum performance in a fun hex-shaped Marineland aquarium. Kit includes a five gallon hex-shaped acrylic aquarium, three-stage filtration, and lighted hood with feeding port. "

How is cycling done; I've read about it but it seems like the stuff I've read is for larger tanks [taking like 50 days to cycle?]

i agree with starrynight that it really is cheaper in the long run to dechlorinate water, but if you're going to buy it, avoid "distilled water" and get "spring water". the mineral content of the spring water is more natural and better for the fish.

that tank set sounds like the one my father had for a while. lovely little tank but the filter motor quit working after a while. of course, with a betta, a little mishap like that won't matter just be sure to fill out the warranty info my dad's tank really was amazingly quiet, which is a big plus for fish-keeping. the incandescent bulb tended to burn out pretty quickly, so go on ahead and pick up a small fluorescent tube while you're at it. there should be a small display of them at your local fish store (LFS).

as for cycling, my opinion would be to change out 1g of water every day for the first 2-3 weeks. if you just have a single betta in there, it should cycle pretty quickly. also, see if you can't get some filter media or about a half-cup of old gravel from someone else with a fishtank. the beneficial bacteria that's responsible for cycling lives on every surface of your aquarium, so getting something solid out of someone else's tank is a good way to jump-start your own colony.

 

[RandomWiktor]

I would not use purified water with added minerals for taste, as bettas naturally yield from soft water conditions. If you wish to use bottled, be sure that it is spring water and not distilled or R/O water since these waters lack vital trace minerals (the important part is "trace," not listed as ingredients, which suggests they are of fairly high concentration). But tap with dechlor is cheaper overall.

As for keeping a betta "in a little tank all alone," I agree about little tanks being crummy, but I disagree with "all alone" being a bad thing, seeing as they are an entirely solitary and territorial species by nature, and thus have no need for tank companions, which generally just heighten territorial patrolling behaviors that can be harmful when overdone depending on how aggressive the fish is.

 

[BlueCrown]

I would not use purified water with added minerals for taste, as bettas naturally yield from soft water conditions. If you wish to use bottled, be sure that it is spring water and not distilled or R/O water since these waters lack vital trace minerals (the important part is "trace," not listed as ingredients, which suggests they are of fairly high concentration). But tap with dechlor is cheaper overall.

As for keeping a betta "in a little tank all alone," I agree about little tanks being crummy, but I disagree with "all alone" being a bad thing, seeing as they are an entirely solitary and territorial species by nature, and thus have no need for tank companions, which generally just heighten territorial patrolling behaviors that can be harmful when overdone depending on how aggressive the fish is.

I couldnt agree more, atleast with tap water you always know what you are getting and with the great variety of dechlors out there you can set youre water to what ever you need it at for optimal water conditions. You may want to try Seachem's Betta Basic DeChlorinater, really good stuff for bettas in my humble opinion,It removes chlorine,chloramine,ammonia.and detoxifies nitrate ,nitrite. also hashas a ability to set ph at 7.4 GOOD STUFF

 

[andyw823]

I was just kidding, just needed to get some attention for a few newbie questions .

Anyways, I got a tank and a betta. The lady at the pet store said it was fine for my beta to be in mildly cold weather [live in Washington]. I'm not sure what my room temperature is, but it gets cold like in the upper 50s to mid 60's in my room at night and in the mid 70s during the day.

I still need to get a few things before I put him in a tank: Heater [night time?], Thermometer. My tank is a bit small, so not sure what to do about the heat? Maybe wrap my tank at night or something?

This is the tank I have and I'm only going to have one beta. I'm going to buy a real small tiny plant for it tomorrow and some other things.

I bought one of these just so i could buy the Yellow Betta from the store (quite rare in england) and then convert my 25 litre hex for 2 males, he was in that little tank for 3 days and i felt sorry for the litte fella. They both are now happy in here!

 

[White Whale]

Get a 2.5g. They fit right on the desktop.

My 2.5g tank two years ago. Just use a little imagination.

 

[Bettarat0r]

That's a nice tank! I think I might get one setup like that; I was curious on cleaning though? With all the rocks. Doesn't it become a hassle cleaning all the rocks every week or how do you clean it?

I don't want a huge bright lights though. Just a water filter & heater will be fine? Not sure what to do or really how to set one up. As it is my first time doing this. I read a few things but really haven't found anything that tells step by step clearly for say a 2.5 - 5 gallon tank.

Question about feeding Betta's.

I have: Aqua Culture Betta Pellet Food [color-enhancing fish food]. It says, on the back:

"Feed sparingly twice a day. Place 6-8 pellets per serving gently on the surface of the water to allow pellets to float. Remove any uneaten pieces. If used properly, this food will not cloud water."

The lady told me, "I just need to feed it about 2-3 pellets a day." Not sure what to do?

 

[dogfood]

That's a glass 2.5 gallon tank with glass lid that you can get from Petsmart for $10. It doesn't come with a light, though you could get a light for it for another $10-$15. If you want to go that route you can get a tiny $7 AZOO HOB filter to go with it. In the end you'll end up paying the same as the complete acrylic kits that were mentioned earlier.

As far as feeding, you should feed a betta everyday about 3-5 pellets depending on the size of the fish.

 

[jollysue]

I wouldn't recommend the Hex 5 for a VT Betta. It is deep with a strong current. The light is flourescent with enough watts to grow plants. It is a good kit for a fish that has less fins. It will sustain a good planted tank. They can find a spot for the bubble nest in a back corner, but it's not really a good one for the longer, heavier finned boys. I have two. One is in storage and one has some plants and some apple snails.

You folks that heat your tank with the light: What do you do, keep the light on 24/7? The small tank will not hold the heat at night, so the fish will experience large temperature fluctuations, which are not good. No heater? Heat the room or get a waterproof heating pad to put under it. 50-60 degrees is way too cold for Betta. The fish needs his sleep too, so don't keep the light on all the time. He can't close his eyes--let alone the algae growth.

If you must buy your water, buy RO water from the lfs. Otherwise I would think it would be better to use water from the same source, like the tap, so the fish doesn't experience changes in the water composition + all the other warnings given.

I have never worried about cycling a Betta tank. I just make frequent water changes. Eventually it cycles if it has a filter. The smaller tanks need more frequent changes anyway.

We really must stop anthropomorphizing our fish. What a person likes may not be what is best for Betta. And by the by, humans are not known for making the best personal choices.

 

[White Whale]

It's not rocks, it's actually a plastic decorative cave formation.