I bought a betta!

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emerald76

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PLEASE REPLY QUICKLY!!!!

I know, I know. I impulse bought!
but I bought an adorable blue and black female betta 3/4 inch long at petco
Few questions-
I have these foods-
Omega one flake
Shrimp pellets
Freeze dried bloodworms
What should I feed?
Until I get her tank set up(5.5 planted) she will be in my ten in a breeder trap to see how she reacts to my fry and guppies. Is it ok I I put a lid on the trap so she can't get out and maul anyone until I know her temperament? The lid makes the trap sink down a little so there is no place to gulp air- is that bad? I could make a plastic wrap lid with airholes instead. Also, should I place the trap under the flow of my filter or no?
Thanks!!
 
emerald76 said:
PLEASE REPLY QUICKLY!!!!

I know, I know. I impulse bought!
but I bought an adorable blue and black female betta 3/4 inch long at petco
Few questions-
I have these foods-
Omega one flake
Shrimp pellets
Freeze dried bloodworms
What should I feed?
Until I get her tank set up(5.5 planted) she will be in my ten in a breeder trap to see how she reacts to my fry and guppies. Is it ok I I put a lid on the trap so she can't get out and maul anyone until I know her temperament? The lid makes the trap sink down a little so there is no place to gulp air- is that bad? I could make a plastic wrap lid with airholes instead. Also, should I place the trap under the flow of my filter or no?
Thanks!!

The omega one flakes will be great. Do the freeze dried food once in a while as a treat. She'll definitely need to be able to reach the surface for air, and no, don't put her under the flow of your filter. Most people say they don't care for fast moving water.... However when I do my water changes mine always swim in under where I'm pouring the water... Haha go figure! Good luck, and lets see a pic! :)
 
Billbug68 said:
The omega one flakes will be great. Do the freeze dried food once in a while as a treat. She'll definitely need to be able to reach the surface for air, and no, don't put her under the flow of your filter. Most people say they don't care for fast moving water.... However when I do my water changes mine always swim in under where I'm pouring the water... Haha go figure! Good luck, and lets see a pic! :)

Thanks! I gave her a small shrimp pellet since that is what they were being fed at the store and she is slowly eating it. Her stress bars from the store and ride home are nearly gone- she looked like a zebra Danio! She has a little airspace and I'll be sure to replenish the air by moving the trap up and down. I don't want to turn on my lights to get a pic, sorry, but here we go-


image-1353571557.jpg

She is actually dark blue- she's only red under the lights
Hmm
Oh no! She has a small white spot on her underside resembling ich... Should I get meds? I don't want my fish getting sick... It isn't a little spot, rather large near the anal area
 
I wouldn't leave her in a breeder, those things do not get enough oxygen at all or water circulation going through them. And she needs to be able to get air from the top and that is how they breath. The food is fine as long as the flakes are for Bettas. I wouldn't do flakes too often try more to stick with pellets as flakes will up the ammonia fast.
 
The white spot is supposed to be there, it's where she lays her eggs from. I forgot what it's called though. She should be fine in the breeder for a few days, but don't make it too long. My female gets on fine with other fish. Omega one flakes are good, they also make a betta pellet, which is what I give my male. My female is in a community tank so she gets what everyone else does.
 
Billbug68 said:
The white spot is supposed to be there, it's where she lays her eggs from. I forgot what it's called though. She should be fine in the breeder for a few days, but don't make it too long. My female gets on fine with other fish. Omega one flakes are good, they also make a betta pellet, which is what I give my male. My female is in a community tank so she gets what everyone else does.

I'll be hanging water in the breeder daily and there is plenty of airspace and circulation. Ill have to see how she responds to my fish, especially the fry, first. Shes tiny but I don't want her nipping babies. She has shown no response towards my large male guppy with huge fins, so adult guppies look good
 
Ya I'd be careful when it comes to putting a Betta in with fry.
 
Calypso77 said:
Ya I'd be careful when it comes to putting a Betta in with fry.

I don't think shell actually be able to do much to them as she is minuscule but I want to be sure
The fry live with my two inch guppy females so there is no danger of being eaten- Sparkle the betta is less than an inch- but still
 
I had a bad experience with dried blood worms and bloat which became dropsy and killed my first betta(other factors played a part tbh)..

Just feed sparingly an pre soak freeze dried worms in tank water, and if possible get new spectrum Betta pellets, my research led me to choose those plus frozen foods for variety!
 
marsh said:
I had a bad experience with dried blood worms and bloat which became dropsy and killed my first betta(other factors played a part tbh)..

Just feed sparingly an pre soak freeze dried worms in tank water, and if possible get new spectrum Betta pellets, my research led me to choose those plus frozen foods for variety!


I presoak for 15-20 minutes an only feed occasionally... I'll grab some pellets next time I'm at petco or petsmart or my LFS but will omega one and shrimp pellets suffice until then?
 
That'll be fine to feed to her. I also have mine in a 5.5 gallon planted tank. It's a perfect size for a single betta.
 
I also agree a breeder is very small for a betta. As long as you are getting her her own tank in the next few days she'll be fine but after a week it'll become a problem. I feed my bettas hikari betta pellets and Omega freeze-dried bloodworms. I try to feed them frozen food but they're only used to food that's floating and most of the time miss the sinking frozen food.
 
emerald76 said:
I presoak for 15-20 minutes an only feed occasionally... I'll grab some pellets next time I'm at petco or petsmart or my LFS but will omega one and shrimp pellets suffice until then?

Most likely! I think we over fed my young fish and let him gorge way more than he could handle, plus I didn't know to soak the freeze dried worms so they bloated once inside his belly.

They start out so teeny! I learned that they have huge appetites like dogs, so don't give in to begging. My current Betta eats 6-9 pellets per day but started with only 2 per meal once daily.
 
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