bettas

[papi]

I know some info. on bettas, but not enough. My daughter might get a betta from her sister and wants to get a bowl to put in and set on dresser. I know it needs more from research, but any added advice?

 

[Nils]

No to the bowl. Unless it is a bowl over 2 gallons and is heated and filtered I wouldn't. Unlike most pet stores and common knowledge says they need more than just a little container of water.

If I were you, I'd get a small 2.5 or 5.5 gallon tank from your LFS. They really aren't too expensive. In addition tot hat you'd need heater and a filter. These shouldn't be too crazy expensive, depending on what you get.

It's just better to have a tank than a small bowl, better for you and the fish. Bettas do get 2-3 inches, which is pretty big for a 5.5 gallon tank. Water quality is also easier to maintain in larger tanks. Hope this helped.

 

[papi]

That helped a lot...now to convince 13yr. old...lol

 

[CowMoo]

Do you know how to cycle a tank and stuff?

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[papi]

A little. What would be a good way to start the cycle if I start it off in a brand new tank? I would end up getting a hob filter, and how do i get the beneficial bacteria started?

 

[bigsea]

If youre getting a 5.5 gallon tank id recommend a sponge filter. My beta seems to dislike heavy flow.

You have to start with an ammonia source (a hardy fish, concentrated ammonia, or fish food). Keep a stable ph probably 7-7.5. Keep your ammonia under .5 ppm with water changes. Test your water every couple of days. Youll start to see nitrite appear, then nitrate. Once you get a test with 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and a little bit of nitrates then youre cycled. Water change then stock.


- St Charles Almendras Geraldizo

 

[papi]

Just drop some fish food in and let it run for awhile? And what type of fish would you consider hearty?

 

[bigsea]

If youre doing it without fish id drop a good amount in there. If youre doing it with fish then not so much. Just feed normally.

Danios are a hardy affordable fish. I cycled mine with a pleco. You can probably get away with doing it with the betta. They are surprisingly resilient id assume since theyre always sold in those little cups. Although you do see a lot of them dead on the shelf at walmart, i can almost guarantee every single one of those cups are loaded with contaminants.


- St Charles Almendras Geraldizo

 

[papi]

Thanx, for all the advice.

 

[ImACoolguy]

Should also note cycling from scratch will take 5-8 weeks.


Caleb

 

[bigsea]

And you might be able to score some seeded media from a LFS if youre charismatic
Will speed up the process ten fold

- St Charles Almendras Geraldizo

 

[Fishloverxoxo]

Get a tank that is at least 10 litres for the betta to live a happy life. These aren't too expensive. Then get some gravel to go on the bottom of this and maybe some decor. And make sure you get a hiding place for the betta as all the bettas I have had have liked to hide quite a bit. Make sure you get a heater that is on a temperature of about 25 degrees c and make sure you get a filter. These both need to be powerful enough for the 10 litre tank But not too powerful. Make sure you leave this tank up and running for about a week before adding the betta. Make sure you choose a pretty and healthy betta. Two male bettas don't mix because they fight so never try that. If you feel that the tank is pretty empty maybe just try a small school of neon tetra but only add these after your betta has settled (after about a week). If you find that the betta is bulling the little ones then don't get any other fish at all. In fact with a 10 litre tank a betta and a school of tetra is more than enough.
Once I gave my friend a 7litre betta tank because I was upgrading mine to a betta duo and I said never put any more than a betta and a few neons in there. This was her first time with fish for a while to admit. She took it home set it up and then completely out did it. She started off with a betta and 5 tetra which was good but then got mollies, platies, 1plec and endlers guppies. The betta soon died due to not having enough room to be happy and many other fish died along with it. I told her not to but she kept replacing her fish. Eventually she realised that it was right to stop and now only keeps a betta and a few tetra in there. She now has a big 32litre tank that she is going to fill with angelfish and guppies and all sorts. I think really it's too small of a tank for Angels and lots of other fish so she is just starting this all again! If she wants Angels I think she should just get about 3-5 and stop there but no she is getting about 3 Angels and community fish that mite get eaten! If she is going to do this I think she should start of with a few Angels and a few other fish to see what happens ?. Anyway I hoped this helped with your situation. ? Fishloverxoxo


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[Glene20]

Your getting.some really bad advice here off people. Yes you need to cycle your tank. But not with a load of other fish.
A. This is cruel to the fish, as they could eventually die from ammonia poisoning.
B. The fish that your using to cycle your tank will have a great chance of becoming diseased. This will stay in your tanks water. Its gravel, decorations and filter. Your betta will then come in contact with that disease. Its a bad idea.

Do a fishless cycle. Theres a number of ways to do this. Research it.

Minimum 5.5 gal tank. Only one betta in it. Do not put neon tetras in with the betta. The tank is too small and neo tetras and bettas are not compatible fish. The neons are too colourful. The betta will attack them and become stressed.

Make sure you use dechlorinator and test your water with an api water test kit.

If your going to get a betta do it right. Most people have this great idea to have a betta and within a week or 2 the tank is dirty and smelly and u have dead fish.

Research is your best friend

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[Goof]

The bigger the tank the better for the betta, and easier for the owner. But a 3g filtered aquarium will suit it fine.

Most small tank heaters, like the ones for bettas, don't turn on/off, they stay on and may have a safety feature if it goes to hot it breaks. The 15-Watt Aquatop Nano Aquarium Heater doesn't. I have use it in a 3.5 and a 5g.

But anyways. If I where you I'd get something about like this tank, some decor like a cave like thing and get some low light live plants like a "crypt" will do well. I highly suggest having low light plants, it wont rip the betas long soft fins, and helps prevent algae, giving you a healthier prettier tank. I'd also get some tank media or purchase active live bacteria like Tetra safe start or Seachem Stability to get your tank going.

Random dump of info:
+Betta's can jump, you want a lid.
+Betta's don't like each other, and don't always play nice with others. Solo is easiest(snail is ok)
+Please dechlorinate the water before adding to tank.
+Betta's don't like current, you may need to play with the filter/adjust flow.
+When tank light is on but the room is dark, the Beta may get aggressive with it's reflection. If thats the case be sure to turn the light off when things get dark.
+Bettas don't each much, 1-2 pellets per feeding 1-2 times a day!(I've seen many kids kill bettas with over feeding) Maybe be in charge of the food, having your kid what to feed it.(hold old is kid?)
+You may have problems with blue-green algae with a small tank and low current(this type of algae comes of much easier than real algae) nothing will eat it, will just have to do clean the tank and look to remedy the situation.
+You will also need a way to clean the tank, syphon, scrubbers, doing partial water change once a month(again, using a dechlorinator or let it sit for 24hrs) This isn't just about making it look clean, or keeping it topped off.
+Aquarium test kits are nice. but if I where you. with a single Betta in a 5+ gallon tank I'd skip it.
+If you want an algae eater of some kind, like a snail, wait a few months when you have algae growing(not blue-green algae) and even then you may need special food to keep them alive.

I linked to amazon as examples. I suggest buying all this at your local stores, even walmart has most of this. The hardest thing would be the live plant "crypt" you may have to goto an actual fish store.