Getting first Betta today!

[Raechal]

Okay so I set my tank up yesterday and added the gravel from my 29 gallon and also a piece of the filter sponge. Everything seems to be fine and I think I am ready to add the betta today. I will be doing 50% water changes everyday or every other day. With 90% water changes on the weekend since I don't have a filter for it. Oh yea, and I will gravel vac every weekend as well.

I have a betta in a 10 gallon in the living room, but it isn't mine. It is my little sister's. I just do the water changes, gravel vacs, and feed it.

So now it is my turn to get my FIRST betta! I am so excited. I will probably end up getting a divider for my 10 gallon and get two. One for me and one for my boyfriend. But just one today to see how he likes his new home.

Any betta expert advice? I need all I can get. What is the IDEAL temp. for a betta? I've heard from 72-86.

 

[D Chia]

72-86 F (24-30 C) is okay.

 

[BettaMomma]

Here's what I can offer you for advice:

Go to WalMart and rescue a sick one.
JUST kidding - you'll actually be MUCH better off getting a nice healthy one. Things to look for are:

1) when you pick up the tiny cup they're in, make sure they swim around and don't just lay there
2) make sure there is NO cottony stuff on them whatsoever - that means they're HORRIBLY sick, also make sure they don't have any lesions, bumps or marks on them
3) don't get one with a swollen belly - that also means they're sick (swim bladder, constipation OR dropsy)
4) try to get one that doesn't have any rips, tears, curling, anything wrong with its fins (good luck finding one like this, but you never know, you might get lucky)
5) ideally, you should get one that is flaring in his cup at the guy in the cup next to him (99.999% of the time you won't ever find one like that, cuz they're so used to seeing another betta next to them they just don't even care anymore, or they're too bored and/or depressed to flare)
6) make sure their mouth and eyes look healthy - the mouth isn't swollen and the eyes aren't cloudy and/or protruding
7) make sure they don't look "puffy" or swollen in general - that can be a sign of dropsy (along with the swollen belly)
8) DO NOT buy one if it's scales are sticking out like a pinecone, either (if you see ANY of the signs above, you go tell someone in the store they need to take better care of their bettas, and be assertive about it) Okay, well you don't have to do that part, but I highly recommend it!

As far as things IN your tank, here's what to get/look for/do (for toys & stuff):
1) get them some silk (or real, your choice) plants - they love to lay in/on/under them
2) Get them some sort of hidey place/tunnel - they love to swim through things. BUT... make sure it passes the nylons test (or would). Run your hands all over the whole thing and make sure there's NOTHING that can scratch them - they're not real graceful creatures - they scratch themselves easily on things, and their fins get ripped. Also make sure whatever they swim through isn't very long, if they get confused they can get stuck and drown in there. They do need to come up for air, you know. Small hunks of PVC pipe work really well.

Ideal temp for them is about 78 degrees.
They don't necessarily deal very well with currents - if the tank they're going into has current, do what you can to slow it down. I'm finding that out the hard way with Amos.

Additional things to pick up:
1) Aquarium salt - don't use it unless there's an ailment or it needs a dip
2) Maracyn & Maracyn Two (I have these on hand just cuz I have 4 betta boys and somebody is ALWAYS ill)
3) BettaMax, if you can find it - every store in our area has discontinued it. Not sure why, but I've heard it works wonders.

DO NOT USE A NET WITH THEM. You'll rip and shred their fins. I always use a big ol' plastic solo cup to catch them in - just dip it into the water and the slight current that creates sucks them right into the cup, and viola! they're in. Make sure you cover that cup up, or you'll have a fish out of water.

ALSO... MAKE SURE if you're cleaning your tank near a garbage disposal, place a washcloth over the disposal opening, EVERY time, just in case. I've heard so many horror stores!! eek.

UNLESS you're a complete glutton for punishment like I am, then get a sick one an dtry to nurse it back to health. BUT be prepared for trying times and heartaches.

Congrats on your betta buying venture!!!
I can't wait to see what you get!
(sorry this is so looooooooooong)

 

[Raechal]

Thanks for the tips! I wanted to go to walmart and rescue a sick one but I doubt I can get a betta today because my mom had to take the car in to get new breaks on it so I won't have a car all day until later and the pet shop might be closed then. Oh well, looks like I will have to put it off until tomorrow. Oh well, more time for the good bacteria to colonize I suppose.

Actually it is even pretty hard to pick up a cup and see the betta move IME. When I worked at incredible pets and changed the betta's water bowls everyday they barely moved when I picked them up. Although I fell in love with this little guy that was tan to about his dorsal fins, then black and blue with bits of purple and pink in his fins. He was absolutely gorgeous, but by the time I figured out I had a spare tank for him, he was gone so I never bothered to set it up.

Now you have inspired me to set it up.

Here is what I have in the tank right now:

A smooth rainbow cave (only think I have right now) I have two of them but I thought one was enough. It has like 3 or 4 different escape holes so I doubt the betta will drown in it.

1 real java fern plant

1 fake plastic plant but it has rounded edges. Still thinking if I should take it out or not. I will probably pick up some more java fern and replace the plastic one with the real plant just to be safe. Plus real plants give more oxygen in the water and suck up some nitrates.

I have no current in the tank because I don't have a filter on it. I will be doing 50% water changes everyday. I just get a large bucket and use the gravel vac to suck the water out, then when the bucket it full I stop the gravel vac, check the bucket and make sure the fish isn't in there and dump it into the bathtub with the plug closed. Then I check the water again to make sure there is no fish in the water. Then unplug the drain and drain the water.

I have melafix and Maracyn & Maracyn Two because my sister's betta had a problem with finrot when we first got him.

I'll try to pick up some aquarium salt as well.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Just as a comment on "rescuing." If you choose a buy a sick fish, please only do so if you have a lot of experience with sick fish. Keep your receipt and know the refund date. Because, if you buy a sick fish but don't know exactly what they have, how to treat it, what the chances of survival are, etc. it will likely die, and then you've not only supported Wallmart, which is notorious for poor fish husbandry, but you've paid them to sell you a sick animal. If they know people will buy them, have them die, and get more, they won't improve conditions. This is why I have a fish hospice rather than a fish rescue; I give the dying a chance, give them a better environment to die in... but I always refund so I'm not supporting them, I always complain so they have pressue to better conditions, and I buy all of my supplies elsewhere.

However, if you're well experienced in sick fish, know the refund date, etc. then disregard that whole statement.

As for tips? I would reccomend a varied diet of pelleted, frozen, and live (if you're willing to risk bacteria) food. Try to get the brand of pellets the store uses so they aren't stressed by a change in diet, and gradually introduce new foods. You have a betta, so you probably know this, but I still think its worth mentioning - if not for you, than for others who read the thread.

Get VERY smooth gravel. I will sometimes use the type of gravel you get for crafts at AC Moore as they are very polished and have no rough edges. You must be careful with those, though, because if they have a paint or something that can dissolve in the water and make it toxic, your fish will be in trouble! I would say, find the most smooth aquarium gravel possible. I know people whose bettas have ripped fins on a coarser substrate.

I think you said you don't have a filter, and thats all good. It makes the water changes more frequent which is a bother, but you don't need to worry about current. However, should you eventually buy a filter, try to get one that has an adjustable current so that you can start it out very mild and let the fish build its strength. Many Whisper filters are adjustable.

When buying silk plants, feel the plastic stalks of them over for manufacturer's glitches that may leave sharp, hanging plastic edges.

Avoid the use of backgrounds. If they aren't flush snug to the glass, your betta might see his reflection inbetween the background and the glass, and will either fight with the glass, or end up biting himself because he's mistaking his fins for the "other" betta. However, if you want to give him some entertainment, it wouldn't hurt to put a mirror in there on occasion to get him feeling all built-up and masculine.

Make sure that even if your heater adjusts by degrees, to still keep a thermometer in the tank. I had a heater set to 78, but because my HOUSE was so hot, it skyrocketed to the upper 80's and the fish was in trouble! I had to turn of the light and heater, remove water, add cool water, and moniter it until things were stable again.

I agree with betta momma; if you remove the betta while cleaning, wiggle your finger on the water's surface so they come up to see if food is coming, then scoop them in a cup. Just cover the cup very well while cleaning. Though, unless you're removing 100% of the water, I wouldn't suggest removing them anyways. Also, keep a cup just for the betta; the plastic thing he came in might be best. You can't have any detergent residue, food remenants, etc. in the cup as it can make the betta ill, so the best way to prevent it is to only have one cup set aside that you never wash with soap or use for anything but fish.

On that note, if you remove the betta and do a large water change, float the cup in the water for a while in case the temperature has changed so you aren't shocking his system with every water change.

Ok, well you probably know a lot of this having other fish, but I just thought they were worth mentioning. Good luck with the new betta ^^

 

[BettaMomma]

You are READY, girl.
YAY, your new betta will be super duper happy!
Congrats

Oh, and I know just exactly which rainbow cave you're talking about too - it's flourescent pink/yellow/green, etc., right? I used to have one for Harvey like that but he's become such a big fat pig with it that he couldn't fit through one of the holes anymore so I was afraid he'd get stuck!

 

[Raechal]

You are READY, girl.
YAY, your new betta will be super duper happy!
Congrats

Oh, and I know just exactly which rainbow cave you're talking about too - it's flourescent pink/yellow/green, etc., right? I used to have one for Harvey like that but he's become such a big fat pig with it that he couldn't fit through one of the holes anymore so I was afraid he'd get stuck!

Yea, I have two of them. The one I chose for my new betta's tank was the one with the larger holes. It has a large hole in the front so I hope he can make his way in and out. I will monitor it though just to see how he reacts to it. If he doesn't like it, I'll go out and buy him something different until he finds something he likes. I can always use the other decorations for something else. I have a whole bunch of old tank decorations in a bowl under the sink that I bought but my fish "rejected" like a fake sea anenome that glows in the dark and a few plastic plants along with a shark decoration and another rainbow cave.

The gravel is fairly smooth, more like rounded pebbles than sharp rocks. It is purple. With a little bit of brown and black gravel from the other tank but mostly purple.

Thank you RandomWiktor for the advice, I appreciate it. I only have one thermometer and three tanks so I will have to go out to the store and get a few more. Like 5 since there will be two more tanks set up in a few weeks. May as well buy them all at once rather than going back out. I usually check the temps of each tank in the morning, afternoon, and at night. I turned the heater up in the betta's tank this morning because it got a little cold lastnight and the temp dropped to 72 in the tank where it usually stays at 75-80 but it is a fairly cheap heater and doesn't have a setting it just says higher or lower. I guess I got a little twist-happy and twisted the knob too much. the temp was somewhere around 85 a little to hot for my taste so I did a 50% water change and added some cooler water to bring it down to around 79-80 It will get cooler as the day goes by though.

I will probably end up getting my betta at petsmart. Their bettas looks fairly healthy...but they always have the same color bettas nothing really unusual. Oh well, every betta is pretty IMO.