Betta Question

[BettaGal]

This is my first post so if it's already been answered or sounds really out of left field, I apologize. I have a young betta that I bought spontaneously as a "baby betta" and he's doing pretty well. I've had him a couple months now with no problems. He's happy, healthy, and a little brat. Today, I discovered the little brat was not eating as much food as normal, but instead strategically storing it on top of the thermometer, which is on the inside held on the wall by a suction cup, and was also storing his food all over the filter. I had a lovely mess of soggy freeze-dried bloodworms to clean up with the net which was the only way I could think of to get it out. Of course, Buddy, my betta, wouldn't quit exploring the net. I was wondering if there was something I could put in with him, perhaps a breed of small snail, that would help clean up his mess? He hasn't shown me any aggression like my last one who tragically died a nasty death last year. Buddy does show A LOT of curiosity. If I put my finger against the wall, he stares at it like a science experiment, and if I move my finger, he backs up fairly quickly. Are there any suggestions?

 

[Somykidswantedanaquarium]

Hi how big is your tank?

 

[Somykidswantedanaquarium]

Also keep in mind snails even small ones produce a lot of waste if your tank is at least 5g with a good filter system and proper WC maybe try an apple snail or nerite snail but I know those little boogers can poop a lot haha maybe a ghost shrimp they could help clean the tank and are normally good tank mates for your beta

 

[azmodan]

I'd say if he's hiding food you should definitely cut back on feeding. Bettas have pretty tiny stomachs so they don't need much. Larger sized snails are big waste producers but most of the smaller ones hardly produce anything, although it depends on the size of your tank too.

 

[BettaGal]

My tank is a 3-gal semi-circle. Honestly, he was eating all of it until recently, and I have been seeing him eat. He seems to think the bloodworms are alive and attacks them. He's very funny to watch. The water's a little too warm for ghost shrimp, and I'm sure if he figured out a way, he would find them and probably accidentally eat one trying to figure out what to do with it, only to discover how tasty it is and go after the others. Would a small snail do it? I know I can't get a brightly colored snail, since he literally jumped at and tried to attack my desk lamp, but that's the only time he was ever aggressive, and he didn't even flare at it. He's a little . . . odd.

 

[BettaGal]

In case you're curious, my avatar image is Buddy the day I got him from the store. He was labeled as a baby betta and was really cute. He's in a much larger tank now. That one was a 3/4 gal tank with one cave and rainbow gravel. It took him a couple days to get used to it (my guess is he had been in the store container about all his life, and the "large" tank had him amazed). After a couple days, he started expressing his hatred of the desk lamp, and after I turned it off, he sat there a little bit and was fine. He waves at people (he learned that himself as I noticed one day - so cute), and he's a little bit on the shy side. He gladly waves at my grandparents when they come up, but he's not very showy like my last one was. His favorite toy is the airstone, which he playfully attacks the bubble stream and shows off in the color-changing light and lately keeps putting his tail in the stream and lets his backside float. I wouldn't think he would attack a snail as long as it wasn't gold or anything real bright. He's made it clear he is to be the brightest thing near him. I just would like to know what would be the best thing to clean his mess, which he's been storing near the top of the tank.

 

[vance1013]

You could try feeding every other day or so maybe twice a week that way when in between feedings he will search for food resulting in a cleaner tank

 

[BettaGal]

Everything I've read said not to skip days feeding. He's too young to skip feedings, as far as I've researched. I just need a cleaner friend to clean out his storage areas.

 

[vance1013]

Everything I've read said not to skip days feeding. He's too young to skip feedings, as far as I've researched. I just need a cleaner friend to clean out his storage areas.

Hmm makes sense with the young part how much do give him each time

 

[Calypso77]

Everything I've read said not to skip days feeding. He's too young to skip feedings, as far as I've researched. I just need a cleaner friend to clean out his storage areas.

That's fine but how much are you feeding him and how many times?

 

[BettaGal]

Not a whole lot. Sometimes more falls out of the jar thing than I intend to, but usually it's not too many. Until recently, he was eating them all as if he'd been starved his whole life. I feed him once at around 8 or 9 AM and again at around 3 or 4 PM, occasionally 5, but by then, he's doing his hungry dance at the front of the tank and won't stop until I feed him. He knows when it's food time.

 

[vance1013]

Not a whole lot. Sometimes more falls out of the jar thing than I intend to, but usually it's not too many. Until recently, he was eating them all as if he'd been starved his whole life. I feed him once at around 8 or 9 AM and again at around 3 or 4 PM, occasionally 5, but by then, he's doing his hungry dance at the front of the tank and won't stop until I feed him. He knows when it's food time.

Lol mine comes to the corner anytime im nearby the tank the corner is where i put the food in lol what are you feeding h

 

[BettaGal]

Freeze-dried bloodworms. I tried pellets at first, but the poor little guy's mouth was too small to eat them, so I went to the bloodworms, which I've never had a problem with. Until he spontaneously started storing them and made a lovely soggy mess. The little brat.

 

[vance1013]

Freeze-dried bloodworms. I tried pellets at first, but the poor little guy's mouth was too small to eat them, so I went to the bloodworms, which I've never had a problem with. Until he spontaneously started storing them and made a lovely soggy mess. The little brat.

Lol try taking a small portion by cutting a small chunk just enough to fill him up i mix it up with frozen blood worms a small piece once a week i also have neon tetras with him so i put enough in for them too flakes every other day and and blanched deshelled peas once a week i also do a green bean for my snail too

 

[BettaGal]

Would it be okay to put in a snail, and would it clean up after him? He stores them between the actual thermometer and the suction cup, on that little rubbery thing that attaches them together, and then they were ALL OVER the filter. I would lay money that he's got some still behind it that I can't get to without tearing half the tank apart, and that's honestly too much of a hassle to fight with every week or whenever I discover another hiding place. Maybe it would help me explain where he stored them if I took a picture and showed it. If that helps, I'll try to do that. If it was a snail, what kind would you recommend?

 

[vance1013]

You could try a black mystery snail thats what ive got he cruises around the tank except for when i have a green bean in there he wraps up on that for a couple hours lol try researching snails maybe an apple snail but they get huge

 

[BettaGal]

I tried researching snails and bettas together, and I went to I don't know how many websites before I just gave up and joined this to ask. I got about a 50/50 show of "It's perfectly fine, they won't bother each other" and the not quite as dramatic "Don't you dare put them together! The betta will torment the snail till it dies!"
I don't know which to go by. That's why I asked. To make it more annoying, the ones that said it's okay couldn't agree on what type of snail, so I'm good and confused.

 

[Calypso77]

Bettas would have you believe you never feed them, they would do that dance and beg and eat all day if you let them, that's how problems happen with them when people give in and keep feeding...

What kinds of pellets have you tried?

Most people feed their Bettas 5-6 pellets a day and then fast them one day a week. Do you have a better picture of your Betta you could post? It's hard to see your avatar and if that is at all an older picture and he has grown a recent pic is best.

 

[BettaGal]

I tried the ones at the store that were betta pellets, and they looked small when I opened them and fed him and all that. He was just too little to eat them. He hasn't grown really all that much, unless you count growing laid back and more dorky. The main difference is the tank size. It's only been a few weeks since I put him in the bigger tank, so I guess it might take a while for him to grow much to be noticed. I promise you all, he is not overfed. I followed everything I researched when I got him and put him in the little tank, and honestly, they were saying he needed fed more often than I am. I do the water changes, I feed him regularly, I've got two caves in there with him (I haven't had any good experiences with the artificial plants, so there's none), there's plenty of rocks, there's a filter, there's an airstone that's turned down to a steady stream of bubbles after he had a minor panic when he was first put in (guess he's not used to any current whatsoever), everything I researched I have done.

 

[BettaGal]

I just took this one a minute ago. I hope it shows up okay.