Getting a betta

[nervousdog]

Hello everyone,

My wife and I have decided to get a betta. We wanted to start with a small tank but wanted a colorful, fun fish. We got our Eclipse 6 gallon tank and stand this week and set everything up. I bought a test kit, heater, and some decorations yesterday. Water is dechlorinated. I've read up on acclimatizing fish and cycling.

Anything else I should know?

Also, we thought about getting an oto to go with the betta. Would 1 oto be ok with a betta or should we get 2? Can we keep 2 otos and 1 betta in a 6 gallon?

Thanks for all the help and advice.

Rob

 

[Keeper]

How are you going to cycle the tank? 1 betta and 2 otos would be no prob in a 6gal. Just a note on the decorations - make sure they don't have any sharp parts as they tend the snag and tear the bettas fins! Good luck with the betta...absolutley great fish.

 

[swanandmokashi]

Good luck with the betta...absolutley great fish.

can't agree more !

Do fishless cycling if possible. your fish will love you for that.

 

[Menagerie]

Go with silk plants for the betta. Betta are great fish, but keep in mind some will not tolerate tank mates, YMMV
Personally, I like the females and just bought one yesterday. Make sure you know the signs of fin rot before selecting your betta. And as for all fish, select the healthiest one!!

Have fun with it!

 

[oscarbreeder]

Bettas are great fish.
I personally have four of them.
Not all in the same tank of course.
I have one male in the 55gal community tank, one male in a ten gal. tank and one male and one female in a ten gal tank.

 

[nervousdog]

Thanks for the advice everyone. We are going to cycle with the betta and I'll be keeping a close eye on the water params. We picked him up tonight and he looks good, no torn fins or anything.

Thanks again!

Rob

 

[krap101]

hey menagerie. what does ymmv mean?

oh and try to keep a quit side of the tank so the betta can "breath"

 

[William]

Mouse over the red text will tell you.

Your Mileage may verry.


It means every one is different.

 

[Bearfan]

Your Mileage may verry.

Webster's defines verry as: Not a freakin' word.

Nice...vary. This is your first warning, next time, it's a ticket.

 

[William]

Hey, give me a break.

I'm half-typing, half making sure my cat dosn't hurt itself.


He just came home 20 minutes ago from being declawed and is still high from the pain medication.

 

[Keeper]

Your Mileage may verry.

Webster's defines verry as: Not a freakin' word.

Nice...vary. This is your first warning, next time, it's a ticket.

:rofl: ....I was warned about you!!!

 

[Menagerie]

William, I hope your kitty is feeling better soon. Declaws are painful!

ND--how is your betta is morning??

 

[Bearfan]

He just came home 20 minutes ago from being declawed and is still high from the pain medication.

You or the cat?

 

[William]

He just came home 20 minutes ago from being declawed and is still high from the pain medication.

You or the cat?

A little from column A, a little from column B


But this thread isn't about this, its about something else. So, lets keep to that

 

[youronlysin]

LOL!!!

Your Mileage may verry.

Webster's defines verry as: Not a freakin' word.

Nice...vary. This is your first warning, next time, it's a ticket.

 

[youronlysin]

I love the Bettas again! I got so used to seeing them at every little store in town that I didnt want any for my own tank, but when the time came to stock my small ten gallon, the wife and I decided to look into the Bettas. Off subject, someone mentioned in another post how liveaquaria over does the recommended tank size for all fish....Do they state that 3 ounces is sufficient for a Betta? It makes me sick to see 30 little cups of them sitting on a shelf at Walmart, half of them already dead and the rest not looking well. Im working on having a Betta in every room in the house now. I go through them at the Walmart and bring home the nice ones, QT them for a while and hope they do ok before I put them in their respective homes. The lfs takes better care of theirs, so I guess Im saving the Walmart fish, hehe. I've gotten to be quite obsessive about checking my water parameters so I'm pretty sure my Bettas are doing much better than they were at the store. (<<<Hopes so!) The little 1 gallon acrylic tanks at Walmart make great homes for them...the filtration isnt the best, but it least there is some! Ive found that you have to keep the bare minimum amount of gravel in the bottom for the undergravel filter to work right, but once you get it going, it stays real nice and my Bettas seem to love them. Plus, at only one gallon, I can fill them with good water from my big tank and dont have to worry about cycling anything.

Good luck with your Bettas! Youll get to like them quite a bit.

 

[nervousdog]

Menagerie - Harry is doing just fine. He's been eating and exploring and seems quite happy. Thanks for asking.

 

[Menagerie]

Wonderful news!