New surprise

[brown metal-head]

Alright. Today while I was sleeping a few minutes ago. My mom and my sister went to a craft fair in the park and got me a betta. Now the betta is in a glass bowl and has a bromiliad. Now before my mom and sis bought it they asked the guy about it. He said that the plant and the betta are ecologicaly balanced so that I don't have to feed the plant or the betta. The plant uses the bettas poops for food and in return the betta eats the roots. And when the fish poops by absorbing it the bromiliad keeps the water clean so i don't have to feed or change the water. Now I thought that the betta need one inch of fish per gallon and That i would do frequent water changes if it was to be kept in anything smaller, and Part of the fun of owning a fish was watching it eat? Has this totally changed? My mom even asked what the life span of the fish was and the guy said 5-7 years and he has done this very same thing before. My opinion would be that the fish doesn't get a balanced diet because he is only eating the roots. and that the plant would remove most but not all wastes and something would build up to a toxic level over time. And that the water would eventually evaporate. Please tell me if I have gotten correct information or if I need keep doing what I have been trained to do!
Thank you for your help.

 

[Grim Reaper]

i would take the betta out of that hell ASAP

 

[FishEnthusiast]

You absolutely need to feed the fish. Bettas eat mostly bugs and bug larvae in the wild and need that protein. You should remove the plant as the fish breath air and need the surface area to breath from. You should probably get a 1g bowl for the betta and change the water at least once a week, 100%. Bettas usually live 2-3 years, so the guy had absolutely no clue what he was talking about. What you are thinking is right, do what you have been trained to do, and thanks so much for asking here before taking this guys word for it.

 

[black angel]

ooh, thats really bad advice. the poor betta will starve to death in a week or two and the vase sounds way too small. do you know how much water it holds? Really you should buy it a 2 gallon minimum and give it some betta bites or something for bettas.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Nope. Bettas are caniverous. The roots will die and pollute the water, there are no bacteria to break down the ammonia etc. The roots will grow, the fish won't have any room. You can keep the plant in the vase, but get the betta out.

 

[MegTheFish]

I wonder how he has kept bettas like this (if he has, I'm just assuming) and have had them live for 5-7 years...when a betta can only go a month or two without food? Sounds strange to me. And I thought some lfs employees were bad!
You'll need to feed him a staple of betta pellets (doesn't really matter which kind) and give him frozen/live foods and peas (not canned peas) as treats (a few times a week) as they help with digestion and an all pellet diet is unhealthy for them (it would be like a person eating one type of food and nothing else for their whole life).
I'm guessing that the glass bowl is too small, a 1 or 2 gallon would be better for him. In a 1 gallon you need to change the water once or twice a week and with a 2 gallon you should change it once every week or two.

 

[FishEnthusiast]

I wonder how he has kept bettas like this and have had them live for 5-7 years...when a betta can only go a month or two without food? Sounds strange to me.

[snapback]863818[/snapback]​

I highly doubt he has kept bettas like this for 5-7 years. He is making stuff up to make a sale most likely.

 

[MegTheFish]

I wonder how he has kept bettas like this and have had them live for 5-7 years...when a betta can only go a month or two without food? Sounds strange to me.

[snapback]863818[/snapback]​

I highly doubt he has kept bettas like this for 5-7 years. He is making stuff up to make a sale most likely.

[snapback]863821[/snapback]​

My point exactly! Thats why I used the " " sign.

 

[clover]

i think he is trying to make a profit selling bettas to people who dotn realy know anything about them and then when they die people go back to him to buy another and it keep on going like that
EVIL PPL

one has been saved tho and im sure u will do the best for him

 

[LifeBear]

The only way he could have given you worse advice is to advise you to take the fish out of the water to walk it around the block twice a day and make sure you take a pooper scooper or you could get a ticket from a cop...

Don't listen to anything you were told. We have nothing to gain by telling you "our" way to keep bettas, but this guy did by giving your family the wrong advice...he made a sale.

 

[brown metal-head]

THank you for your responses. I had a feeling from the begining that something was wrong. I have a 2 gallon hex tank would that work? Otherwise I wouldn't have another tank for a couple of months.

 

[MegTheFish]

A 2 gallon tank would be great.

 

[Grim Reaper]

THank you for your responses. I had a feeling from the begining that something was wrong. I have a 2 gallon hex tank would that work? Otherwise I wouldn't have another tank for a couple of months.

[snapback]864261[/snapback]​

he will be more then happy with a 2 gallon then that little vase that he is/was in