Gonna Have My First Betta :d

[Honeythorn]

He'll get used to it.

 

[BettasFanG]

oh so i just the beginer so im gonna use 3G first but what if i have a plan to breed them?

how big should i have ?

 

[Jenste]

to be honest you should NOT be thinking about breeding yet - it takes a LOT of work, money, dedication, and knowledge - each baby male betta will need his own tank after just a few weeks - since you seemed be be considering a 5 gallon bigger than what you needed for the moment - think about where you would stock 100-200 tiny filtered/heated tanks for all of your babies!!!

Bettas are not like mollies/guppies/platies etc where they will eat a few and the rest can grow to adulthood in the same tank providing you have decent planting -

male and female bettas can only be together for the breeding - and this is only after a while of "conditioning" them for breeding - so right off the bat you need another tank for the female and one for the father and eggs - then you need one for the mother, one for the father, and one for the fry - then you will need one for the mother, one for the father, one for the female offspring, and 50-150 for each male offspring



I think this may be a bit too much work to put on yourself in the very near future - not an improbability, but enjoy your first betta, maybe get a couple more in their own tanks, have them live long healthy lives....then if you are up to the challenge and have the money, time, resources, knowledge, experience, and dedication....try your hand at breeding!





(edited for some smilies showing up as code/text rather than graphic)

 

[BettasFanG]

to be honest you should NOT be thinking about breeding yet - it takes a LOT of work, money, dedication, and knowledge - each baby male betta will need his own tank after just a few weeks - since you seemed be be considering a 5 gallon bigger than what you needed for the moment - think about where you would stock 100-200 tiny filtered/heated tanks for all of your babies!!!

Bettas are not like mollies/guppies/platies etc where they will eat a few and the rest can grow to adulthood in the same tank providing you have decent planting -

male and female bettas can only be together for the breeding - and this is only after a while of "conditioning" them for breeding - so right off the bat you need another tank for the female and one for the father and eggs - then you need one for the mother, one for the father, and one for the fry - then you will need one for the mother, one for the father, one for the female offspring, and 50-150 for each male offspring



I think this may be a bit too much work to put on yourself in the very near future - not an improbability, but enjoy your first betta, maybe get a couple more in their own tanks, have them live long healthy lives....then if you are up to the challenge and have the money, time, resources, knowledge, experience, and dedication....try your hand at breeding!





(edited for some smilies showing up as code/text rather than graphic)

ahh thnk you im not gonna do it yet and i have to learn more about them too

 

[Jenste]

i think you will do very well indeed - considering you have put lots of time into research BEFORE getting your betta - most people take the plunge, THEN ask questions (myself included when I was in my teens - I now know the difference! plus have a good 7 years of fish keeping under my belt now which helps!) - it shows you care for the little guys . . . . can't wait to see a picture in the future!!!

 

[Honeythorn]

oh so i just the beginer so im gonna use 3G first but what if i have a plan to breed them?

how big should i have ?

In which case if you re a beginner you've chosen a terrible size to start with. It's too small for the fish full stop, and the water will be a LOT harder to keep stable than a 5 gallon or bigger. Thus making more work for yourself than is remotely nessescary ( you will have to do a lot more water changes ) and risking the health of the fish (stress from doing so many water changes and the build up of waste ) .

Even filtered, waste in a 3 gallon will build up faster than a larger tank since the volume of water is smaller.

 

[loraxchick]

with a filter and heater 3 gal is just fine. weekly 30-40% waterchange and vacuum of the substrate to remove the poo is all you need-filter converts the other "wastes" (ie ammonia/nitrite). nitrates do not build up to ridiculous levels (even 40 ppm isnt harmful-some folks have this in their tap water) in this time-if they do, you are overfeeding your fish.
some folks prefer larger tanks to give more swimming room-realistically that is all that is different. i have found absolutely no difference in health or activity level between my bettas that are housed in my tanks which vary from 2.5 gals to 8 gals.
dont be tempted to add any tankmates in a small tank (under 5 gal). that is where you may run into problems-and that is mostly due to crowding which causes stress and can trigger disease outbreaks).
of course, all of the above only holds true if the filter is properly cycled and can convert ammonia/nitrites. and if not, THAT is where a larger tank comes in handy to dilute the "waste" between waterchanges (so you dont have to do so many) until the filter can handle the load. doesnt hold up if using a mature filter tho.
cheers!

 

[Haych]

with a filter and heater 3 gal is just fine. weekly 30-40% waterchange and vacuum of the substrate to remove the poo is all you need-filter converts the other "wastes" (ie ammonia/nitrite). nitrates do not build up to ridiculous levels (even 40 ppm isnt harmful-some folks have this in their tap water) in this time-if they do, you are overfeeding your fish.
some folks prefer larger tanks to give more swimming room-realistically that is all that is different. i have found absolutely no difference in health or activity level between my bettas that are housed in my tanks which vary from 2.5 gals to 8 gals.
dont be tempted to add any tankmates in a small tank (under 5 gal). that is where you may run into problems-and that is mostly due to crowding which causes stress and can trigger disease outbreaks).
of course, all of the above only holds true if the filter is properly cycled and can convert ammonia/nitrites. and if not, THAT is where a larger tank comes in handy to dilute the "waste" between waterchanges (so you dont have to do so many) until the filter can handle the load. doesnt hold up if using a mature filter tho.
cheers!

100% agree - as long as you're fully cycled you're ok.

I have as much issue cleaning my 125l sorority tank as I do my 21l tank - its all the plants lol

but, I dont think it's hard to clean - I have to admit the 21l (5gal) is easier on the water side though - I only need one bucket to fill it back up whereas I need a hose for the 125l

oh - and one more thing - you'll do fine with your little betta - and show us pics

 

[fry_forever!]

I have a girl in her own 10 gallon, a boy in his own 4.5 gallon, and another boy in my friend's 29 gallon. The last one I mentioned is in the tank with tons of guppies, a couple small plecos, (Except for one that is about 12 inches long - he will be moved to a 57 gallon soon.....) and he doesn't bother them or get bothered at all. He has been living there for at least a year now.

So in other words, if your tank IS big enough, you can put some gentle, short finned tank mates with them. (Such as platys, feeder guppies, etc.)

As for food, I feed my guys pellets, peas, cucumber, shrimp pellets, flakes and algae discs. I am allergic to frozen foods, so I don't use those. (Though bettas love those.) Bloodworms are great too.... I used to use them, until I developed a severe allergy to them.

Also, you'll need a gentle filter. Don't go without a filter, however - All fish need filters, including bettas.

A heater will be needed as well. I keep my bettas at a toasty 78-79F.

Good luck!