A Little Help for a First Time Betta Owner :)

[Settar]

So I got my new guy Gilbert this cushy 10 gallon tank, some real plants, places to hide in... he's living the good life. But I have a couple questions.

1) Does he not like his food? I only give him 1-2 pellets at meal time to avoid overfeeding but even if he hadn't eaten for the whole weekend (had to go out of town) he still just spits it out having it in his mouth a few seconds, then swims away. He doesn't seem as vibrant as when I bought him (could just be the light) but he does seem to be very active as far as exploring the tank and moving around.

2) I got a filter a few days into having the tank set up (had him only 6 days now) and although the cloudiness of the water cleared up within a day, I don't think he likes it. When i first put the filter in he goes and explores and floats down under the current for a while then it seems he just sticks to one side of the tank and doesnt move as much. I just turned the filter off and he's swimming around that side like crazy... my main question is, can i put the filter on say only at night or someting so that he has time to be active without it, or will it not do it's job like this? I want him to be happy, but healthy as well


Thanks in advance

 

[Settar]

unfortunately he now seems to just be swimming up and down one side flaring at his reflection... lol.

 

[Sicklid]

Shutting down the filter overnight is not a good idea, you will kill off the bacteria by starving it of oxygen... A better idea would be to diffuse the flow from the output with a sponge or deflector of some kind...

 

[Leeny]

On some filters you can adjust the rate that the water comes out of it at, so you may want to see if you can do that on yours.

 

[rubyfire]

ive heard that pellets arent a good diet for bettas. I only give my bettas flake food and freez dried bloodworms. They seem to like it better than pellets anyway. Ive also heard that bettas have taste buds and will not eat some foods because of how the food tastes. Try some flake food instead.

i usually leave my filter on all the time unless im trying to breed.(still havent gotten it right though.) It hasnt botherd my bettas wen there in there and its on. They seem the same to me wether i have it on or off,but it may be different for your fish. If you think it bothers him id sujest try wat Sicklid said.(I have 4 bettas by the way just in case your wonderin)

hope i helped

 

[fishmonkey]

give him some freeze-dried blood worms.

betas dont really like currents because of their long fins, but he should get used to it in a little while.

 

[joy13]

Try a small piece of frozen pea unthawed. I had a betta that refused to eat for anything but pea for several weeks. He was probably constipated looking back on it and the pea helped get things moving. I stay away from freeze dried food because it can cause constipation. Some pellet food is incased with plastics so I am picky about the pellet food I feed.

The reason he might be lighter in color is because of stress. Look and see if there is something that is stressing him out at the side where he is flaring, it could be something as silly as a ared ink pen to close to his tank. I bought what I thought was a nice peach colored betta but actually after it got in a bigger bowl it started to turn to a dark chocolate color. I put my bettas in a bowl for a few weeks so I can keep a close eye on them and can treat them easier after that they go in a cycled planted tank.

 

[An t-iasg]

What kind of filter do you have? Sponge filters, run through a gang valve, are a good choice for a betta tank. Gang valves can divert excess air coming from the airpump so that the air going into the sponge filter is reduced, and therefore making minimal to no current for the betta.

Pellet foods are good - soak them in tank water for about 2 minutes before feeding. If bettas spit out food, it may mean that it's too big. Some pellet brands are bigger than others. Bettas are picky eaters too. I had a new betta once that didn't eat for a week.

I would not suggest an unthawed pea. Boil frozen peas in the microwave, in tap water, for 4-5 minutes. Peel and discard the skin. Cut the remainder of the pea into pieces that are the same size as his pellet food or food he is used to. My bettas like the peas better than bloodworms. I feed the peas once a week as a prevention for constipation.

 

[Animal_fanatic]

1) My female betta is a picky eater, she only eats flakes some days and blood worms the next. Give him frozen bloodworms if he's being picky.

2)I honestly have no idea about the filter. My betta always plays in the current.

As for the reflection thing, yea my female one does that too. But of course I swear she's an a.d.d. fish.

 

[fisherman876]

Live tubifex is the best option for ur gilbert........and yes bettas like to be in still water

 

[woofer00]

Bettas aren't the strongest of swimmers. I had one that would spend an hour at a time swimming into my HOBs strong output, and another that would stay as far as possible from any current whatsoever. It really varies, and even the same betta will have a different attitude to current depending on its mood. If you need to keep the tank cycled, try breaking up the output so that it doesn't land in one place, either with tall decor or piece of plastic attached to the filter's output.

As for feeding the betta, you might have to experiment a bit. Coloration is probably because he's not eating. Bettas can go for a week or so without eating, but coloration will definitely suffer as a result. Just about any small fish will go nuts for freeze-dried bloodworms, but they really aren't much of a staple diet. They'll expand in the betta's stomach and cause constipation, and they're said to lack nutrients. Pellets are hit-and-miss. Softened pellets are a bit friendlier, but can still be hit-or-miss. My first betta would eat nothing but pellets regardless of brand, but my current betta will just stare at them, then stare at me as if to say "you expect me to eat THIS? Come on, bring on the real food," then proceed to eat whatever else I throw in the tank. I feed my betta (and the rest of the community tank) mostly flake food, with freeze-dried bloodworms as a treat every few days. The bottom-feeders get their own variety, and everyone's happy. My crowntail will actually scarf up the gel-encased bloodworms I treat the bottom feeders with on occasion before anyone else gets to them.

*edit*
oh, and as for peas, I don't really include them on a regular basis, but it is sometimes necessary, mostly because bloodworms expand like crazy AFTER they've been eaten. You'll definitely notice the bulge if you need to go with the pea method, but usually the bloating will resolve itself. Peas really aren't ideal regular food for carnivores like bettas though.