Newbie And Harri The Betta

[masta_2009]

Hi folks,

I'm new to fish keeping and have recently aquired a male betta (after waiting what seemed an eternity for my tank to cycle) I have done lots of research into setting up and maintaining a tropical aquarium both on the internet and from books from my local library so hopefully things will run pretty smoothly, but i am always open o goos advice.


I have named him Harri ( dervied from hari-Kari ritual suicide by self-disembowelment on a sword; practiced by warriors in the traditional Japanese society) as he twice tried to committ suicide by jumping out of the net at the LFS- he is the most amazing betta i have seen (but then again i am biast)

I have a 10gallon planted tank (with 3 platies and a male Betta) I know it was quite risky to put them together but i cycled my tank with the platies MFF (my 1st ever fish) and have grown very fond of them. (I am prepered, grudgingly, to rehome the platies if i se any signs of bullying)

So far after a week and 1/2 they are all getting along swimmingly (groan) probably aided by the fact one of the platies had a batch of fry the day after he Harri was introduced and he seems to love them for it.

Harri has also started to build a bubble nest which has brought me no end of delight! (i will try and post a picture of is soon.) as I believe this is a sign of him being happy.

I feed them fish flakes on a daily basis ( and occasionally greens to supplement their diet and keep them regular) Every Saturday i plan to feed them live bloodworm (which Harri lurves) and let them all fast on Sunday. ( which incidentally is the day i do a 25% water change)


Harri doesn't seem interested in greens so i was wondering what i could try to entice him-

I have tried peas (mushed up without shells) and cucumber. Rita Sue and Bob2 (my platies) love them but Harri's not interested at all. ( i think he's been spoiled by the platy fry and blood worm)

The temperature of the tank is set to 25 degrees celcius (is this ok?)

If anyone has any advice/tips/ or comments i'd be very interested to know them.
(i'm hoping to upgrade the tank after xmas to a much larger Jewell tank now i have a new found passion for fish!!!)

SORRY ABOUT THE LONG POST BUT I'm SOOOOOOOOOO excited by the whole thing-

cheers

 

[thelastbetta]

Fish don't try to commit suicide. They do it if they're sick, or very unhappy, or sometimes because the water is bad. And he doesn't need peas unless he's constipated, it acts as a laxative. The perfect heat is around 75-86 F (24-30 C). Fish flakes aren't the best, most don't offer enough nutrition, you should try Hikari Betta Pellets, mine love it. He looks pretty old, but hopefully he'll do good for you he's pretty, for a common vt.

edit: how big is the tank? it's reccomended that a betta doesn't go in anything larger than a 10 gallon because it stresses them out.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Gorgeous fish, and nice to see that you've taken the time to cycle the tank.

Regarding nutrition: Tropical flakes are not suitable for bettas. They are usually made for omnivores, and the betta is primarily carnivorous. Furthermore, it can cause constipation and swimbladder disease in bettas. I would suggest a quality pellet like BioBlend or Hikari, supplimented with live foods as you have been doing.
Bettas have no real dietary need for veggies. You can feed him a mashed pea if he gets constipated, but other than that, his disinterest in veggies is perfectly normal.

 

[Synirr]

Hi, welcome to fishkeeping and to the forums! I agree with the others, you should give pellets a try. They make pellets for omnivores as well that your platies would probably appreciate.

Just for the record, hari-kari is an English variant (bastardization is more like it) of the original term for Japanese ritual suicide. Hara-kiri is the more correct term, and means something like "stomach cutting" in Japanese; the Chinese term is seppuku

 

[masta_2009]

can i get Hikari Betta Pellets in the uk? and if so where abouts?
(will they sell them or something similar at pets at home?)

thanx for the advice )

the tank is 10 gallons

 

[Joby]

I love Harri's colour

Well of course he loves the bloodworms and the platy fry but it would be good if he could have a little more variety. I have found it a struggle to find the Hikari pellets in the UK but not impossible. I actually use granules now for my guys and they love it! plus if you have a smaller betta you can crush them up a bit between your fingers when feeding as I sometimes find the pellets too big for little mouths. I think the last ones I bought were discus granules and very cheap £1.69 for a very big tub which does all my hungry crew and the nutritional info compares with the hikari pellets

 

[nino]

Just for the record, hari-kari is an English variant (bastardization is more like it) of the original term for Japanese ritual suicide. Hara-kiri is the more correct term, and means something like "stomach cutting" in Japanese; the Chinese term is seppuku

Synirr, sometimes I feel like you know everything- both fish related and not.

 

[Synirr]

Synirr, sometimes I feel like you know everything- both fish related and not.

If only