first time betta owner

[sairie]

hi. i've been thinking about getting a betta for a little bit now and i went out and bought one tonight with a 2.5 gallon tank. i read in the pinned betta info thread about doing the 1/4 of the cup water changes until it's all new water... but my betta's cup won't float in the new tank to get the temp the same. does this matter that much?

also, a glass lid came with the tank. there's no holes in it... should i get a mesh one instead? if i push the lid all the way to one side it actually creates 2 very small holes, each a little smaller than a quarter of an inch. will that allow enough oxygen? and how much room between the water and the glass lid does the betta need?

thanks!

 

[wuvmybetta]

Hiya Sairie

The glass lid should be fine, I actually prefer them, just leave about an inch or two of space between the lid and the water surface for breathing air

As long as the temperature is relatively close it should be ok to release him, poor out half of his cup water and fill it with his tank water, let him sit for about 5 minutes then do it again, he should be ready to release after that. The main reason for acclimation is to adjust him to your water, if the shop you got him from isn't too far away he probably has water that is the same PH already,so no worries The further away you buy the betta, the longer you should acclimate.

 

[StanTheBetta]

My gf has one of those 2.5 gallon rectangular tanks with the glass lid. She slides the glass down a little bit to create about a 1/2" gap for air but I've seen people with the same tank that keep the lid on tight and the bettas do fine. /me shrugs I don't get how they get air through the glass that way but it seems to work.

 

[endparenthesis]

Letting the air in through a small space is actually better... keeping the humidity in makes for a more natural environment for them.

 

[Nes]

Yes, aclimating your betta is very important. If you don't do it the shock will kill them (though sometimes you get lucky - I wouldn't risk it). Just find another cup around the house that will fit.

Also I'm sure that you will have to move the lid off to feed your betta so everytime you do that you will be introducing fresh-air, that should be enough.

Enjoy your new fish!

Nes.