New Betta Fish From Wal-mart

[Rufuss]

Hello everyone, I purchased a betta fish today from Wal-Mart. Ugh, the employee of the fish section just told me to take the cup to the counter. Its really sad they care nothing for the betta fish. As I held it safely and put it down on the counter for purchased the lady was so rough with the cup as if it was just a can of soup that needed scanning for the price.

Anyways, my betta fish hasn't really been active. Is it because he is just adapting to the new environment?

Also, I was wondering how many pellets I should feed my betta per day. I know that every betta is different but I would like to you know how much you guys feed YOUR betta.

Thanks

- Brian =)

 

[5teady_2012]

Hello everyone, I just got a betta today from Wal-Mart and I noticed something in the tank.

The tank is plastic and its only of those tanks for small pets. The tanks seem to have a small reflection... Therefore the betta can see himself. Is that bad for him or will he just get used to it? He doesn't flare at it but he does look at it a lot and sometimes taps the side with his mouth.

Could you not maybe try and put something on the back of the tank, like black it out or something to see if that takes the reflection away.

 

[Amunet]

I feed my bettas about 4-6 pellets a day. Well, the older ones. They get 2-4 when I wake, and 2-4 before lights out. I'd start your little guy out on a smaller amount though. Maybe 4 pellets per day.

 

[Jaded12]

Congrats on the new bettas! My guys get about 6 pellets a day. Any chance of pictures? or at least a color description!!

 

[Rufuss]

Here is a picture that I took of my betta from WalMart.

 

[Jaded12]

Awww hes lovely! Looks like my old boy Dallas!

 

[hollyp0p]

Awww hes lovely! Looks like my old boy Dallas!

looks a little like my odin too, but more blue....odin's more purpley

 

[Snooks1!]

If I were you...I would change out the substrate for something a little darker and more natural. My fish have never seemed to care for substrate like that. But, aside from the fish's point of view.... My own personal opinion is that it looks tacky as ever

Very nice looking fish though mate! He's a handsome little bugger.

 

[tidytourniquet]

Congrats on the fish

He most likely is just getting used to his new surroundings like you said but just keep an eye on him since he may be sick, hopefully not though but you can never tell when buying a walmart fish. Do you know what temp the water is in the tank? I'm sure you know it is a tropical fish which means they like warmer water and if it is too cool they can become lethargic. How often are you changing his water? Since his tank is small you need to make sure to do a partial water change at least every other day or so. I feed mine (a female) no more then 6 pellets a day, 3 in the morning and 3 at night but I have her in a community tank and sometimes I just let her eat the food I feed the other fish and won't feed her her own betta food for that feeding. As far as him seeing his own reflection you don't have to worry about that, we can see his reflection because we are outside of the tank where the water sort of plays tricks with angles.

 

[Amunet]

Well he looks great! Nice and plump, pretty fins.
He's probably just getting used to his new home. Or as someone else mentioned, maybe the water is too cold so it's making him lethargic.
Do you have any kind of cave or something for him in his tank? Or anything in the tank with him other than the gravel? Bettas are very curious fish and love exploring and looking at everything in their little worlds. Maybe some silk fake plants, a small little cave thing he can hide in sometimes, etc etc.

 

[littlest]

I think I recognise the tank you have. If it's the one I am thinking of, they come in different sizes, but the small ones are very small. 1.84 litres to be exact, which is far too small in my opinion. I can't tell from your picture which one you have (or even if it is the one I am thinking of). How many litres of water does it take to fill your tank?
Do you have a heater for it? Was the water declhorinated?
It may just be that he is settling in. That is entirely normal, but you need to make sure that his tank is suitable to avoid any problems in the future.

 

[Rufuss]

I think I recognise the tank you have. If it's the one I am thinking of, they come in different sizes, but the small ones are very small. 1.84 litres to be exact, which is far too small in my opinion. I can't tell from your picture which one you have (or even if it is the one I am thinking of). How many litres of water does it take to fill your tank?
Do you have a heater for it? Was the water declhorinated?
It may just be that he is settling in. That is entirely normal, but you need to make sure that his tank is suitable to avoid any problems in the future.

I actually changed the tank today. I would say the tank is about 0.8 gallons but according to the aquarium calculator it amount to one US gallon. Of course I am unsure if this is fully accurate.

I have no heater. And yes the water is Declhorinated through two methods. Leaving the water over night and two, using that Aqua Plus products.

 

[FishySarah]

Hey Rufuss.

I can tell you really care about your fish, and I'd like to offer a suggestion that I think will make him a lot happier.

Consider getting a bigger home for him. Less than a gallon really isn't enough for a betta. There are many advantages to having a bigger container- for one thing, the water doesn't have to be changed as often, (in those tiny tanks the waste, ammonia builds up and burns the bettas gills. I bet if you get an ammonia test kit and test the water every few days the readings will be off the charts- its really bad for a fish) the bigger the tank, the more stable the temperature is (and though bettas are pretty hardy compared to other tropical fish rapid changes in temperature aren't good for them) and finally, any fish likes a little room to swim in.

My suggestion isn't expensive- here's what I did - go to the local pet store or even the local wallmart and get a critter keeper with a lid. Mine was two and a half gallons. It only cost nine dollars, and it looked great with gravel and a fake plant. I did a 75% water change once a week and my betta lived in it happily for a little over two years.

It's really worth doing, your fish will thank you.

 

[Fish_Stix]

Congrats on the fish

He most likely is just getting used to his new surroundings

Agreed. My betta, which looks very similar to yours, didn't eat the first day or two after introducing him into his new environment (10 gal.). It seriously disappoints me to walk through a Wal-Mart or Petsmart and see all the bettas trapped in their tiny little plastic prisons. I would not keep any fish in a cup of water, it is just not an adequate enough environment, in my opinion. Get him a bigger tank if you are able to, you will notice a big change in the vibrance of your betta! Because my betta has several tankmates, it is difficult to get an exact number in the amount of granules he eats, but I would guesstimate between 5-8 a day dependent upon how quick he is.

A water heater to maintain his water temp. would not be a bad idea either.

 

[Amunet]

My suggestion isn't expensive- here's what I did - go to the local pet store or even the local wallmart and get a critter keeper with a lid. Mine was two and a half gallons. It only cost nine dollars, and it looked great with gravel and a fake plant. I did a 75% water change once a week and my betta lived in it happily for a little over two years.

It's really worth doing, your fish will thank you.

Tupperware containers. Cheaper and sturdier and come in a variety of different sizes. Of course it might be lidless or have one of those thick plastic ones that you might not be able to cut easily (if you wanted to that is), but if money is the problem... tupperware is totally a great option. I know alot of the betta addicts here and other forums that I've gone to in the past have used them to help keep their addiction heh.
I have a tupperware container (not used for a tank), clear plastic, comes with a lid w/ a handle on it holds about 4-5 gallons, and I think I saw that the price was only 5 or 6 dollars at walmart for it. Of course they have smaller ones too for cheaper.

And if you want to splurge a little on your guy, you can get him a bubble filter from walmart as well. In my 3 gallon I'm using one. It's a whisper internal bubble filter for a 1-3 gallon size tank. Creates minimal current, comes with an air pump and one filter cartridge and costs 10dollars.