New To Bettas

[Leitch]

Hey guys.

Any advice on the following questions is GREATLY appreciated.

BTW, i have read pretty much all the betta FAQ topics.


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Situation (Question 1)


I have a 5 gallon tank that i was saving as a hospital tank, however the tank is too good to

leave empty.

I was just wondering would it be okay to put a betta in it?
And more imporatantly, would it be okay to temprarily re-home said betta to a 10L white bucket

if the hospital tank was ever needed by a sick fish in my community tank?

And if so, would it be safe for the betta to go back into the hospital tank again after the

sick fish has been cured/died?

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The tank (Question 2)

I would like some opinions on wether or not my tank is suitable for a betta.
I have seen bettas put in containers smaller than those which i drink out of, and that just

kind of makes me sick. I mean, i dont have a deeply passionate love for fish, but i can kind

of relate to it because i love birds, and when i see a bird in a cage... well its just like a

betta in a jam jar, isnt it?

Anyway here are pictures of MY tank. Can you see anything unsuitable?

Any advice on a cheap method of reducing the filter flow would be appreciated. Oh, and on a

side note, the filter going into the tank is a small one which i have been keeping in my

larger community tank, so the betta should have a fully cycled tank right away.

Also what tempreture to bettas like?

Ive heard that plastic plants can tear the fins, are there soft plastic plants you can use instead? cause i really dont want the trouble of living plants.

Is my tank big enough for a male + a female? I dont really want to breed them but i dont want them to be alone either, if possible

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The fish (Question 3)

Are there any betta species which are difficult to newcomers? i.e- ones i should avoid.
How do i tell if it is male or female? How do i tell if it is healthy?

Do bettas like lots of light or minimal?

Are there any medications i should buy when i purchase the fish?


Also what do i feed it? Is flake food okay or should i opt for the live food/ fresh food

options?

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To make a long story short, im close to clueless on the betta topic. So please take the time

to answer at least one of my qustions, because if you dont, ill eat you all!


Thankyou ^^

Kyle.

 

[Leedsboi86]

Hi Kyle!

I may not answer all ur questions but heres some advice I have picked up.

The tank in the pics look perfect for a Betta lots of room! And as for the filter flow I put some filter floss on the outlet of my filter to slow the flow down hehe and its cheap ^^

Meds you should keep on hand are, Swimbladder treatment, Melafix and Anti Internal Bacteria aswell as others that Im sure other ppl will list.

I also say Black water extract bettas seem to really like this!

As for the light I keep mine on afew hours a day but off at night so they can rest.

The bucket you show should be fine as a temp home but ONLY temp.

Once a sick fish has been in the tank I would scold wash it with a mixture of HOT water and Aqua Salt and even mabe add abit of melafix to the wash.

Ya can use Bleach but MAKE SURE YOU CLEAN THE TANK SPOTLESS when washing it out!

As for a newcomer you could always start with a nice Veil Tail Male easy to find and pretty cheap for a start.

A good condition Betta will have nice bright colours, His fins won't be ripped or torn and he will be active not at the bottom of the tank all the time.

Ya wanna look for signs of fin rot and other major diseases like dropsey cause these will be a set back if you get a fishie with it....

Hope this helps and Im sure somone else will post more info

 

[Leitch]

Great!

Thanks leedsboi.

Would it be a bad idea to put a male and a female in the tank?

 

[Leedsboi86]

Yep sadly they will fight.
Only time they can stay together is for breeding.
Also forgot to say temp should be around 26-28C

Males should be kept on there own. But there very pretty so makes up for it

 

[Leitch]

Thanks again.

What about plants?

Ive heard that plastic plants can tear the fins, are there soft plastic plants you can use instead? cause i really dont want the trouble of living plants.

 

[Leedsboi86]

Simple hehe get some silk plants or them dried ferns ya can buy in pretty much and pet store.
Also Java Moss is good.
I'm bad with live plants so I just have Java moss and some plastic ones but my Bettas are fine with the plastic ones.

But Silk and dried fern are good just make sure ya wash them

 

[Leitch]

Thankyou ;D

What about food?

 

[MermaidMel]

Thankyou ;D

What about food?

Hiya! Welcome to Bettaland, it's like a giant underwater mental asylum
Feed your betta on specialist betta pellets, a little bit of frozen and a little bit of live, flake is a bit beneath them lol

 

[Leitch]

xD

Thankyoooo!

 

[Bubblenester]

That tank is like a betta mansion! He will love it.

You can get silk plants, or try live java ferns or java moss. They're very hardy and don't need much light... or much of anything for that matter.

For food, dry betta pellets are fine- they usually won't eat flakes. If you want to spoil him a bit, they love dried or frozen bloodworms as a treat, and will go crazy for live blackworms, but these foods aren't necessary.

Here's an article about reducing filter current: http/www.petfish.net/kb/entry/347/

 

[Leitch]

Thanks bubbles.

I heard something about freezedried foods causeing internal damage, is this true?

 

[Bubblenester]

Thanks bubbles.

I heard something about freezedried foods causeing internal damage, is this true?

Hm... I hadn't heard that and haven't had any problems but it makes sense that maybe the freeze-dried foods could scratch and cause some damage. I guess you could soak the dried worms for a few minutes to soften them, or just skip them altogether and stick with frozen.

 

[Leedsboi86]

Thankyou ;D

What about food?

Best best is a mix!

Flakes, Frozen Bloodworm, Shelled frozen pea(Once a week and only a small amount)
Also ya could try live food although mine won't eat it....

 

[Leitch]

You heat the frozen pea up right?

 

[Leitch]

Well just got my little red baby betta home today.

Rdecorated the tank and after 1 hour+ of introducing him to the tank, im about to net him and put him in. I will upload picks soon