Hello! I have recently become a fish mom and have never owned fish ( well I did but they were goldfish my mother purchased when I was very young and we kept them in a cup and they obviously died)
I have a betta , that I'd like to actually care for and enable her to thrive and be happy. Heres the backstory:
Three days ago I've purchased a female Glo betta. Unfortunately on Pinterest I have seen many betta fish in vases on their desk with miniature plants. I thought that was appropriate way of caring for this fish. However it was absolutely wrong. So then I did A LOT OF RESEARCH and went to the store and bought products for the fish.
These products where: a 3.5 gallon tank.( top fin- enchanted) which came with a filter. I purchased a 20 W heater by top fin and it self presets to 78 and my thermostat reads 80. I've decorated the entire tank added some Morimo moss balls and other structures. While setting the tank up I did add conditioner and bacteria starter to the water ( every water change etc), however I did not cycle the tank for a month. I only did it for 24 hours.
(p.s today I bought a golden mystery snail)
Anyway,
I've tested the water daily with the results of:
0 ammonia
and all other specs as per
nitrate @ 0 or negative.
nitrite @ 0
I live in Florida so the total hardness is @ 75.
0 chlorine.
The alkaline is at 120 and PH at 7.8.
I did buy the Glo betta flakes and pallets however I noticed she would eat it and spit it out often so I decided to buy her a better quality food.
I feed her "Sallys" blood worms as a treat and Omega one fish flakes for her staple diet because it doesn't have any "meal" in the ingredients.
With that said,
I thought she was fine However,
I've noticed that she has been coming up for air often. I understand that she can breathe both in the water and the air. but it is occurring way too often and I'm wondering if I need a bubbler or an air pump. I also know that betas are not fond of heavy water flow, so I am afraid to buy one or don't know which one to buy.
Finally, when I feed her, her stomach gets enlarged immediately right after. is this normal?
Also,
Im concerned with her gills they look a bit red (the pictures are from the beginning when I purchased -present)
I have a betta , that I'd like to actually care for and enable her to thrive and be happy. Heres the backstory:
Three days ago I've purchased a female Glo betta. Unfortunately on Pinterest I have seen many betta fish in vases on their desk with miniature plants. I thought that was appropriate way of caring for this fish. However it was absolutely wrong. So then I did A LOT OF RESEARCH and went to the store and bought products for the fish.
These products where: a 3.5 gallon tank.( top fin- enchanted) which came with a filter. I purchased a 20 W heater by top fin and it self presets to 78 and my thermostat reads 80. I've decorated the entire tank added some Morimo moss balls and other structures. While setting the tank up I did add conditioner and bacteria starter to the water ( every water change etc), however I did not cycle the tank for a month. I only did it for 24 hours.
(p.s today I bought a golden mystery snail)
Anyway,
I've tested the water daily with the results of:
0 ammonia
and all other specs as per
nitrate @ 0 or negative.
nitrite @ 0
I live in Florida so the total hardness is @ 75.
0 chlorine.
The alkaline is at 120 and PH at 7.8.
I did buy the Glo betta flakes and pallets however I noticed she would eat it and spit it out often so I decided to buy her a better quality food.
I feed her "Sallys" blood worms as a treat and Omega one fish flakes for her staple diet because it doesn't have any "meal" in the ingredients.
With that said,
I thought she was fine However,
I've noticed that she has been coming up for air often. I understand that she can breathe both in the water and the air. but it is occurring way too often and I'm wondering if I need a bubbler or an air pump. I also know that betas are not fond of heavy water flow, so I am afraid to buy one or don't know which one to buy.
Finally, when I feed her, her stomach gets enlarged immediately right after. is this normal?
Also,
Im concerned with her gills they look a bit red (the pictures are from the beginning when I purchased -present)