Finally Bought My New Betta!

[vear]

thats good news
do you have a airpump? if so, you can MAKE your own sponge filter for practically nothing. all you need is some media and an old (small)fishfood container. if youd like instructions, let me know. ive made about a dozen of these and they work GREAT!!!
cheers
*edit to add:
dont worry if he wont accept pellets. i have a guy that only eats flakes and frozen bloodworms. ive hd him for over a year and have tried and tried to get him to eat pellets. he just wont. so flakes are fine as a staple if thats what he likes.

I do have a small airpump that I don't use, I'd love to know how to make a sponge filter!

To Zenandra: I'm going to try and keep offering him pellets, hopefully he'll get an appetite for them. I'll post pictures as soon as I take some good ones

 

[rebrn]

That's great news. I have been weaning my guy from flakes to pellets for just under 2 weeks now and he is completely weened off the flakes and is on straight pellets (it took exactly 11 days, well really 9 as I didn't start with the flakes until 2 days after I got him). If he simply won't eat the pellets, just stick with the flakes, just maybe get higher quality ones if you are worried about the nutrition content. I mean flakes may not be the best for Bettas but it is better than nothing

 

[loraxchick]

That's great news. I have been weaning my guy from flakes to pellets for just under 2 weeks now and he is completely weened off the flakes and is on straight pellets (it took exactly 11 days, well really 9 as I didn't start with the flakes until 2 days after I got him). If he simply won't eat the pellets, just stick with the flakes, just maybe get higher quality ones if you are worried about the nutrition content. I mean flakes may not be the best for Bettas but it is better than nothing

agreed. and vary is diet with different forozen treats (bloodworms, glassworms, brine shrimp) and dont forget to feed peas every so often. if you have to stick with flakes, would be worth considering getting some snails to clean up the mess. you wont have a population explosion of snails unless you OVERfeed the tank. ive got MTS and they are great!
ill PM you the filter instructions so very easy!!! should take about 15 minutes for your first build.
cheers

 

[natalie265]

I followed Loraxchick's directions for a homemade sponge filter for my first betta tank and it worked great! It's very easy to do!

 

[Amberleaf]

I feed all my Bettas flakes -- I used pellets for my girls for a while then gave them flakes (they'll eat flakes more readily than pellets IME ) and then they were all like, "OMG YUMMY," and ate them right up! I believe around here they feed pellets at the stores. I used to give Mr. Wimpy Fish pellets but I had to crush them and then I had to buy a different brand since my Mom didn't want to go to Big Al's to buy Hikari Bio-Gold, so I got the Nutrafin ones (I think) and he shunned them completely. D Then I fed him flakes!

What you can do if you're worried that flakes are not nutritious enough is to buy a container of the food. Pour half into a bag or an empty container or something and go out and buy some pellets (you don't have to; the only reason I used them is because I have a whole package that I'm not using), fish food for other kinds of fish, and freeze-dried treats. Pour some of each food into the container you're using and keep the rest in its respective container. Stick all the foods you're not using right now in a drawer or bucket or something, closed tightly and kept dry of course. Mix all the foods in the other container together and voilà, you've got a whole variety of food to feed your fish, all in one container! ^^; It's what I use, and it works absolutely great. Mine has Nutrafin MAX Betta flakes, the Nutrafin MAX flakes with the picture of a harlequin rasbora on the front, Nutrafin Betta pellets, and freeze-dried bloodworms and plankton. Something for everyone! ^^;

 

[loraxchick]

I followed Loraxchick's directions for a homemade sponge filter for my first betta tank and it worked great! It's very easy to do!

thanks for the plug i push sponge filter hard. they are so perfect for a betta and to DIY is so terribly easy. anyone could do it. and they work much better than any comparable-sized commercial filters for small betta tanks. they hold much more media/volume. im happy to give ANYONE directions., anytime. even if you are just curious. (can you tell i love them??

I feed all my Bettas flakes -- I used pellets for my girls for a while then gave them flakes (they'll eat flakes more readily than pellets IME ) and then they were all like, "OMG YUMMY," and ate them right up! I believe around here they feed pellets at the stores. I used to give Mr. Wimpy Fish pellets but I had to crush them and then I had to buy a different brand since my Mom didn't want to go to Big Al's to buy Hikari Bio-Gold, so I got the Nutrafin ones (I think) and he shunned them completely. D Then I fed him flakes!

What you can do if you're worried that flakes are not nutritious enough is to buy a container of the food. Pour half into a bag or an empty container or something and go out and buy some pellets (you don't have to; the only reason I used them is because I have a whole package that I'm not using), fish food for other kinds of fish, and freeze-dried treats. Pour some of each food into the container you're using and keep the rest in its respective container. Stick all the foods you're not using right now in a drawer or bucket or something, closed tightly and kept dry of course. Mix all the foods in the other container together and voilà, you've got a whole variety of food to feed your fish, all in one container! ^^; It's what I use, and it works absolutely great. Mine has Nutrafin MAX Betta flakes, the Nutrafin MAX flakes with the picture of a harlequin rasbora on the front, Nutrafin Betta pellets, and freeze-dried bloodworms and plankton. Something for everyone! ^^;

this is an EXCELLENT idea. they do it with frozen, why NOT dry? i alternate days i feed the boys flakes and pellets as theier staple diet (except my one who doesnt eat pellets gets flake as staple). why not make it easy on myself? and their frozen treats and veggies of course (mine like peas like crazy loons, and the little green tips of broccoli cooked as well (for folks who might not have peas but have broccoli, ive found they like it just as much as peas)
thanks for the idea to mix their dry food (duh ).
happy new year!
CHEERS

 

[Amberleaf]

Are you serious? Anytime anybody talks like that in posts they tend to be sarcastic. Might be just me, though.... XD Happy New Year's!

 

[loraxchick]

nope..dead serious. i havent thought to do that yet, and have been keeping fish for a very long time. (and im not an unintellegent person..just never really thought about it).
so THANKS
and load of post can come across as sarcastic. its hard to recognize tone or innuendo when you are reading text..i think thats why lots of forum "debates" occur.

HNY
CHEERS

 

[Amberleaf]

LOL! It's true, tho. And I know you're a very intelligent person. Oh btw not to hijack this topic or anything but have you seen Midnight Moon yet? And what do you think of the tank?