New Baby Betta - what kind is he/she?

[thursyanna]

I bought a new baby betta for my 5 gal yesterday. All it said on the bowl was Baby Betta. It looks like he's going to be red but I can't tell if he's a boy or girl or what type he'll grow up to be. right now he's about an inch long. Any clues?

 

[delfisherman]

looks like a female betta to me.

 

[thursyanna]

looks like a female betta to me.

Well, that will help me decide what to name her anyway! Thanks! I might have to wait until she's bigger to decide what kind of betta she is I imagine.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Usually the baby bettas are females, because they can sell the males for so much more. Could be a plakat hybrid maybe, but we will have to see!

 

[thursyanna]

I'll be excited to see what "she" turns out to be. You're probably right. She'll probably be a plakat, but that's OK, she'll still be beautiful!

 

[bobbyj206]

The few babies I have gotten have all been plakat females. One had longers fins tho, so I'm thinking a veiltail maybe.
Where did you get yours? Petco?

 

[thursyanna]

Yep, she was a Petco special $1.99. I wasn't even looking for a betta, just plants for my 55 gal. But, I can't resist baby anything!

 

[Scottyhorse]

What kind of tank do you have her in?

 

[thursyanna]

OK, I put my baby in my 5 gal (alone) and she hasn't left the bottom of the tank all evening. Do you think she's OK? I tested the tank levels last night and PH +7.8, Ammonia = .25, Nitrite = 0, Nitrate = 20. I did a 50% water change after that and added Prime. Filter-wise I'm running just an Aqua Tech rated for 5-15 gal.

 

[emerald76]

I vote female because of her horizontal "stress stripes".

 

[thursyanna]

I'm worried about her. I wonder if moving from her little cup I bought her in to a 5 gal was too much. Or maybe the filter is putting out too much water flow?

 

[Scottyhorse]

Try turning the filter down. I water change was a great idea.

She's probably really stressed, and she needs to get used to her new home.

 

[thursyanna]

I don't think there's a way to turn down the filter. If there is, I don't know it. I did another 20% water change just a little while ago. I guess she is stressed. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to put her in the 55 gal with my zebra danios would it? I have 2 regular zebras, 6 glofish, and one baby rafael catfish in there and plants and that's all.

 

[owen0992]

I'd let her chill in the 5g for a while. I remember seeing the baby bettas at petco and recall them being pretty tiny. A tiny fish surrounded by some energetic danios might stress her. Give her some time. My fish always take a day or two to get comfortable in a new tank.

 

[marsh]

i used a piece of cloth around my intake to slow down my filter. on another tank I put a clear piece of plastic under the outflow across to the other edge of the tank so the "waterfall" was spread horizontally over the remaining surface and didn't create a downward "draft"

my betta was always stressed with filters in tanks 10 gallons and under, i did half day shifts so he had sleeping time with no current. With a 5.5 you may not have that long and you are doing a fish-in cycle, which I did not have to contend with.

The good news is plakats have less finnage which if I ever get more bettas I will prefer. Many long finned bettas bite their tails in high current, like mine!@

Good luck with the baby! so little! dont over feed her, what are you using, pellets?

my suggestion: soak all the foods in her water and smush up big pieces

do you have a heater? keep it warm-- my man is sensitive to cold also, he was a sickly cup-bound fish and I barely kept him through many trials the first 3 months. Now he is super fat and happy in a big tank with neons and red cherry shrimp and ramshorn snails, and I spoil him

 

[thursyanna]

Thanks for all the advise! Owen, I'll take your advise and keep her in the little tank for awhile so the danios don't stress her out. Marsh, I like the cloth around the intake idea. When I get home today I'm going to rig something up. I bet that waterfall is spooking her. It would me if I was her size. I might need to get a bigger heater. Her water temp is around 72 degrees right now. And yes, I'm feeding her pellets. I might have to smush them up for her. I noticed when I brought her home and was feeding her she could barely fit one in her mouth after it swelled up.
I so much appreciate all the advise. It's helping me feel less stressful about putting her in the 5 gal tank. I've been pretty worried about that. You guys are great!!!

 

[marsh]

Want pics of my two rigged low-flow filters?


My Betta is at 79-80 at all times, some would say on the high side. I have a 29 gallon so the evaporation doesn't matter so so much. The nano tank with our pea puffer(my husbands) is near 78-82 due to a very small tank in a sunny room. His evap is like, 5-10% daily, and the nitrates get sky high in 48 hours as is!

My 29 also has 6 neon tetras, 2 snails and 3 adult/5 baby red cherry shrimp. About 45 plants so heavily planted more or less

 

[thursyanna]

Yes, please, that would help me see how to do it.

 

[marsh]

Okay lemme get a few. By the way- if you get a heater, never bump the temperature up suddenly, only a few degrees per day is plenty! That's why heaters with thermometers are better than pancake style heaters that simply bumps the ambient temp by 2 degrees

I invested in way too many crap heaters-- which now work great in my QT and for loaners/acclimation or salt mixing. Still, expensive mistakes. Get the simplest adjustable heater that fits your tank, all of my new ones are 100w but longer, look for a 35-50w

Also move the tank to a warmer spot, not by windows or doors or drafts

 

[thursyanna]

I do need to look for a better heater. The one I have is a flat rectangle one that doesn't adjust. I think it came with my aquarium kit even. I'll get a better heater. I do have the tank next to an inside wall in the living room. I tried to keep it away from windows. Thanks.