Going to get a betta

[Freshyfishy]

Hello!
I have a spare 25 gallon that I am going to use for a betta. I have some questions on what to get and how to make sure my betta isn't just happy and living, but Thriving and joyful.

Food :
What are the best flake options?
What are the best pellet options?
What are the best live/frozen food options?
(note : please state brand if possible on live/frozen food options)

Water care/ illness care : Note: Pls include brand!
Best options for treating ich?
Best options for treating fin rot?
what other diseases do I need to be informed about, and how to treat them?

Betta hides/ enrichment : Note: if possible links?
what hides/enrichment items does your betta particularity like/use most?
Should a betta mirror be used or introduced?
Anything else you want to share?

Live Plants/substrate : Disclaimer : I AM NOT going to use marbles... don't recommend it
What plants can I use?
what substrate should I use?
Is sand safe for Bettas?


How do I make the tank as aesthetically pleasing as possible without interfering with making the best life possible for the betta?

Lastly, is there anything else i am missing/anything you want me to know?

 

[Essjay]

Food :
What are the best flake options?
What are the best pellet options?
What are the best live/frozen food options?
(note : please state brand if possible on live/frozen food options)

Floating pellets are usually recommended for bettas, and a pellet designed for bettas. I can't recommend a brand as I'm in a different country, but avoid food with wheat or some other cereal in the first three listed ingredient, and avoid products made with fish meal.

Water care/ illness care : Note: Pls include brand!
Best options for treating ich?
Best options for treating fin rot?
what other diseases do I need to be informed about, and how to treat them?

The same as for other fish, except don't use Melafix/Bettafix (same stuff just different concentration) or Pimafix. They are herbal 'remedies' which contain aromatic oils which can affect the labyrinth organ of bettas and gouramis.

Should a betta mirror be used or introduced?

A mirror can be used but only for a few minutes outside the tank. There should not be a mirror inside the tank and the tank should not have a mirrored back. With one betta I had I couldn't use a backing on the tank, not even matt black card, as they turned the tank wall into a mirror.

Live Plants/substrate : Disclaimer : I AM NOT going to use marbles... don't recommend it
What plants can I use?
what substrate should I use?
Is sand safe for Bettas?

Sand is safe, I've had several bettas with sand with no problem.
Any plant is OK. Some bettas like plants with large leaves so they can rest on them (eg some species of anubias) but not all bettas do this. Floating plants are a good idea for a betta.

 

[Fishmanic]

for dry food, I recommend Northfin Betta Bits...all good ingredients..... Available on Amazon

I had the following ornament... I found it to be colorfast. My Betta would sleep in it every night and come out as soon as I came near the tank. It is nice to look at and as a bonus, it keeps away the evil spirits.
CLICK HERE

Plants, I had Anubias in my Betta tank. I also used an inverted wine glass and glued on a small anubias plant to the flat part. He would often rest on the base of the glass near the top of the tank.

 

[BleuTheBetta]

I can only answer a few of these but here they are.

Betta hides/ enrichment

My betta is in a tank that has a wood piece (fake) with tons of holes in it. He swims through them, and weaves through the leaves on the outsides of the holes. He keeps himself busy with that.

Should a betta mirror be used or introduced

I don’t think the stress is worth it… if you want to excersize your betta, I believe you can do that in other ways (follow your finger, swim through rings, etc) without introducing a territorial mood swing from your betta.

Live Plants/substrate

I have large leaf anubias that Bleu loves to sit on. Another thing that i don’t have but I’m looking for is floaters.
I’ve always had success with sand!

I hope my tiny bit of info helped

 

[Essjay]

I forgot to mention - bettas have a reputation for trying to squeeze though gaps slightly too small for them. If a piece of decor has such holes, fill them in with a blob of aquarium safe silicone.

 

[sharkweek178]

Floating plants are a good idea for a betta.

Just make sure they don't take over the surface so that the betta has access to breath some air.

 

[Freshyfishy]

The water will be airated, and filtering

 

[sharkweek178]

The water will be airated, and filtering

Essjay referred to their labyrinth organ. Bettas come from water that can be low in oxygen. They've evolved to develop the labyrinth organ which allows them to breathe air. They need access to the surface to do that.