Rescued Betta

[Be4st]

I had to rescue a Betta yesterday. He was used as a table centre piece at a wedding and a buddy bought him home to stick in his Goldfish tank. I managed to scream NO at him before it was subjected to freezing temperatures and died. He gave it to me as he has no heater or spare tank to home him and probably woulda flushed him down the loo if I had said no. The only working tank I have is my semi-cycled 50L.(I know, I'm an evil person doing a fish-in cycle. That's what happens when you impulse buy before you have any knowledge of fish).
 
Its inhabitants include 1x Sunset Platy, 1x Platy and 3x pregnant or obese Guppies. He has been OK with them. They all move out of each others way. I noticed yesterday that the Betta, who I now call Midnight, made the little fake hollow log his home. When it came to sleep time last night, Midnight moved out of the way and let all the other fish sleep there. I was under the impression that Betta's were defensive when it came to their home. I watched him try and find a place to rest last night but he took so Darn long I ended up falling asleep before he did. Today, I grabbed my old internal filter and used its detached media housing as a hiding place for the little guy. I know its not the sort of thing to do but its Sunday and I live in the middle of nowhere and have no car. I do have a spare tank I can put him in but have no heater for it. I plan on getting one on Tuesday from my local pet store if they have one, along with some substrate etc.
 
Now... If he seems OK in the tank with the Guppies, I don't need to stick him in his own tank do I? 2 feeding times have gone past and he hasn't eaten a thing. I dropped a few flakes in for the other fish and he didn't care. I then thought maybe he was a fussy eater and got the frozen bloodworms out but he still didn't eat. Is this normal for a Betta? Could it just be all the moving about has stressed him out a bit? I'll attach a photo of him posing so you can have a look. He loves to watch me or my girlfriend. To me, he looks healthy. But I have only kept fish for about a month now and don't have the extensive knowledge you guys have.
 

 

[Wildbetta]

First off....it is a good thing of you to take the betta in and give him a good life.  At the moment he looks good to me as far as health wise from the picture.  As far as him not eating...some bettas take a while before they begin eating once they have been moved so I wouldn't worry too much unless it goes past the 2 week mark and he is still not eating.  I suggest you get him some pellets specifically for bettas as the flakes are not the best food for bettas.  As far as him living with your other fish...it might work and it might not.  He is probably ok with them right this moment but be aware that situation could change at any time especially as he starts feeling more comfortable in his new surroundings.  I suggest getting what you need for him to be able to go into a tank by himself if needed just in case.  

 

[BerryAttack]

for feeding i would advise to only feed 3-4 times a week, every other day. it'll limit waste in the tank, and IMO i find that fish do not need to be fed every day.. also by doing this it'll help with the overall maintenance of the tank.
get him beta pellets, better nutrition... and if you do plan on moving him later on in a separate tank because of aggression etc.. then start cycling the tank now.. but IMO of beta, is that if you have a large enough tank to support schooling fish without major current that stops the beta from swimming etc, then there will be hardly any aggression. he will not be able to catch of hurt the fish and he'll tired and learn quickly, then do his own thing. but this'll vary from fish to fish.. but in my experience my betas are find in a schooling tank and never had any issues.

 

[Be4st]

Thanks for replying. I will get him some pellets. I'm not sure if the local pet store would have them but I'll look. If pellets are not available, what else can I get him? My local pet store doesn't have the widest range of stuff and the nearest Pets@Home to me is about 40 miles. It would be quicker for me to order stuff off the internet than organise travel arrangements to my nearest Pets@home.

 

[Shelster]

Congrats on your new betta, he is a handsome chap.

What an unusual table centrepiece? I wonder what the fate of the other bettas was?

Good luck with his feeding and settling in, keep us posted

 

[rpgmomma8404]

Congrats on your new betta, he is a handsome chap.

What an unusual table centrepiece? I wonder what the fate of the other bettas was?

Good luck with his feeding and settling in, keep us posted

I know I thought that was kind of strange too. Each their own though but I would hope if someone did something like that in the future they would make sure they had homes set up for the fish after the wedding. 
 
Beautiful betta Be4st, he looks great. I think he would be happier in his own home though. 

 

[guppy2002]

my betta eats flakes with the other fish. it took him a few days to get used to tho.
nice job rescuing  the little guy!