bad betta

[scalesojustice]

well, my girlfriend added a betta and a dwarf frog to her newly cycled 10 gal today. however, she immediate wanted the betta out after it came face to face with the frog and tried to bite its face off.

i have the betta in a fish bowl for the time being, as the store is closed and i don't have another tank to put him in. i'm thinking of throwing together a 5 gal for him this week, but until then he will be in the bowl.

what is bowl ettiquette? should i change the water every day? what about feeding?

TIA

 

[Esra]

I kept mine in a bowl for a couple of months.
I changed 50% every week and he was always fine.

I fed once a day.

 

[JulieB]

I have 2 bettas in 2.5 gallon vases (don't worry, they are in seperate vases ). I change the water every week or so and they are fine. I also feed them once a day, either some betta pellets, or blood worms.

 

[physicsdude]

When I was a boy, I kept a betta in a bowl for 4 years. My mom reminded me each week to clean the tank and gravel, which I dutifully did. He had a plastic plant and a ceramic whale, which he kinda called home, as he retired there when I was about to fall asleep.

 

[Esra]

You had a Betta live for 4 years?

I thought they only lived for like 2.

 

[physicsdude]

Yes I did. Great fish, and he was never sick or diseased. He just finally kicked the bucket one day. Guess I had a rare one.

I fed him once day with flake food. I tried very hard not to overfeed, as when I saw the waste ont he gravel during cleaning time, I saw my money there too.

 

[scalesojustice]

does the betta need a heater?

i rarely turn me yeat up and at night it can get down to 59/60 degrees in here.

 

[Puriti]

You should but I used to keep bettas when I was younger in those "betta bowls" that I have learned to hate so much lol and I had one live for a long time..until he accidentally took a swim down the drain T__T poor Hercules... but I've had some live in small bowls for a while without a heater...I think as long as the water temp doesn't get too far down there in temperature he should be fine

 

[hc8719]

i forget what the temp is for goldfish, that they cant digest food when the water is like 50 of something.

ideally you should keep fish in their ideal climate, it reduces stress on the body, and who wants to be cold and stressed constantly?

 

[An t-iasg]

If your room temperature can get down to 59 or 60 degrees, you definitely need a heater.

 

[joannde]

When I first set up my 2.5G betta tanks I did a 50% water change every other day - if you test ammonia and nitrites you'll see that they can actually get to the 0.5ppm level quite faster than you'd expect. I have java moss in the tanks with them (which I took from another established tank) and the unfiltered unheated tank cycled in about 3 wks. Now I do once weekly water changes. I think they can survive a week in a new tank w/out a water change, but with the ammonia and nitrites I'm sure their gills are getting damaged.
In a smaller bowl the ammonia and nitrite levels will be more pronounced.

So, if I were you I'd do 50% changes daily - it should only take a minute, and the betta will be healthier.

As for the bad betta - I can't believe he went after the frogs FACE ! BAD betta ! Now if it were the back feet I'd understand - that webbing could be mistaken for food.

 

[JulieB]

You had a Betta live for 4 years?

I thought they only lived for like 2.

My betta, Patrick, lived to be about 5 1/2 years old. I've read of one that lived to be nine, but that was pretty unusual.

 

[scalesojustice]

yeah, he did the feet first. and then about an hour later, the frog was cornered and the betta flared up, got down in the frog's face and then bit it. really weird.

Thanks for the info. i have a blanket wrapped around the bowl (as if it does anything, but i feel better about it). i think i'm running out tonight to pick him up a tank and a heater.

EDIT:

Thanks for the info everyone, forutnately (and unfortunately) the problem has resolved itself. my yellow female molly, who had been sick for a while, died today while i was at work. but that made room for the betta who is now enjoying the nice warm temp. of the 10 gal.