New fish here :)

[betta_]

I was encouraged to join by my cousin who suggested this forum in particular.

I'd just like to say Hello! And be kind to me please? (joke)

I don't have anything set up currently, but I do plan to raise a Betta fish in the not too distant distant future. I would like to hear stories, words of wisdom/caution, etc, as well as the necessary steps to get the tank Betta-ready.

Hello New World!



New fish.

 

[sinibotia]

Hello and welcome!

Everyone on this forum is very kind in general. And as long as you're kind and willing to learn then you'll find yourself in great company. There are many users who I would say are specialists in betta fish so I'm positive you'll find what you're looking for!

 

[betta_]

Thanks!


New fish.

 

[ImACoolguy]

Welcome!

So glad you have joined us here!

Here's my favorite Betta, Luis!


The best thing you can do for your fish is give them a proper home.

Things often told about bettas that are not true:

1. Bettas are fine in a bowl- it can be done but the Betta is very unhappy and it's hard to maintain water quality. I'm a personal believer that 5g per Betta will make a healthy home they will love.

2. Bettas don't need a heater- goes with the bowl myth. Bettas actually prefer temperatures upwards of 80 degrees. You will see the difference in their happiness and activity.

3. Most need species only tanks or with specific tank mates. Males are very territorial. It's best to keep them with species just as snails. Some people have success with certain fish. Females have a higher success rate but it's not always successful. It all comes down to their personality and Bettas definitely have a bunch of it!

4. You need to properly cycle the tank. Being very new to the hobby you might not have heard of it. Do your research on the nitrogen cycle in aquariums. It's one of the most important things in the hobby and REQUIRED to keep your fish healthy and happy.

If you have any questions feel free to post threads and ask! We will love to help you with anything.


Caleb

Sent via TARDIS

 

[betta_]

Thanks for the reply Caleb! Say hello to Luis for me!

Since I'm almost always on mobile, I have screenshot your advice. I hope you don't mind!

General question(s) to anyone:
-what sort of filter ecosystem is recommended for my "soon to be" Betta?

-what heater do you recommend? (slim, tube, etc) brand?

-water conditioner is a must (right?). What brand is the best?




New fish.

 

[sinibotia]

Thanks for the reply Caleb! Say hello to Luis for me!

Since I'm almost always on mobile, I have screenshot your advice. I hope you don't mind!

General question(s) to anyone:
-what sort of filter ecosystem is recommended for my "soon to be" Betta?

-what heater do you recommend? (slim, tube, etc) brand?

-water conditioner is a must (right?). What brand is the best?



New fish.

Betta fish can do well with just about any kind of filter, but the flow shouldn't be too strong as their long fins can make it hard to keep up and can also get caught in filters (think about the capes in "The Incredibles").

I agree with Caleb that a 5 gallon is probably the ideal minimum for bettas, and you want a filter with a flow rate of about 5 times the size of your tank per hour- so around 25 gallons per hour. Some solid, cheap options for small tanks are HOB filters, sponge filters, and internal box filters.

Like with filters, any heater will do as long as it has a few basic features. The most important of these is a thermostat of some kind. As idiotic as it seems to me, some heaters for small tanks are sold completely devoid of any temperature control and can completely cook your fish.

A few heaters have a preset, unchangeable thermostat while most have a dial that allows you to set a specific temperature. Either one is fine, although being able to set the temperature is preferable. Fully submersible heaters are also a better option just for being harder to break and less to worry about.

Prettymuch every fishkeeper swears by Prime as a water conditioner. It's more expensive per unit volume but is also incredibly concentrated so in the end it's more economical. It also has the ability to neutralize toxic ammonia, which can be literally a life saver in an emergency.

 

[ImACoolguy]

Betta fish can do well with just about any kind of filter, but the flow shouldn't be too strong as their long fins can make it hard to keep up and can also get caught in filters (think about the capes in "The Incredibles").

I agree with Caleb that a 5 gallon is probably the ideal minimum for bettas, and you want a filter with a flow rate of about 5 times the size of your tank per hour- so around 25 gallons per hour. Some solid, cheap options for small tanks are HOB filters, sponge filters, and internal box filters.

Like with filters, any heater will do as long as it has a few basic features. The most important of these is a thermostat of some kind. As idiotic as it seems to me, some heaters for small tanks are sold completely devoid of any temperature control and can completely cook your fish.

A few heaters have a preset, unchangeable thermostat while most have a dial that allows you to set a specific temperature. Either one is fine, although being able to set the temperature is preferable. Fully submersible heaters are also a better option just for being harder to break and less to worry about.

Prettymuch every fishkeeper swears by Prime as a water conditioner. It's more expensive per unit volume but is also incredibly concentrated so in the end it's more economical. It also has the ability to neutralize toxic ammonia, which can be literally a life saver in an emergency.

This pretty much covers what I would have said.


Caleb

Sent via TARDIS

 

[sinibotia]

This pretty much covers what I would have said.


Caleb

Sent via TARDIS

I think we need to start delegating threads

 

[dragon14]

Hello and welcome!

I am no expert on Bettas, but, we have kept 3, currently we have two, a feisty female and a shy male. Our first fish, a male betta (my avatar picture is of him), sadly died from Dropsy It was awful.

We are partial to Aqueon Pro heaters! Always use a thermometor as well, temps set on an adjustable heater are not always spot on to the temp they're set on, but, as long as you keep an eye on what the temp is with an in-aquarium thermometer, it's fine. Basically what I am saying is, don't rely on the temp set on the heater to be the temp the tank will be at, it is not always the case.

We use Stress Coat+ by Api for our water conditioner, but I know a LOT of people on here use Prime, as mentioned above.

I agree, 5g or more for a betta is the ideal situation, with a heater & filter too, but I would say at least 3g minimum, with some kind of a filtration! We buffer our filter with a prefilter fluval sponge in the male bettas tank, and the female bettas tank has an in-water filter that doesn't bother her.

Happy fishkeeping and we are all here to help!

 

[Finntastic]

Hello, glad you could join us. I have kept multiple betta's with various fish specious and most have worked out so far. Here is what I have kept mine with without any aggresion: Neon Tetras, Otos, loaches, cherry barbs, and a few other peaceful species. I sadly have no betta's now due to a severe bacterial/fungal infection (we have an idea what it might be but we aren't positive). I do second most if now everything Caleb has said. Good luck and keep on swimming.

 

[vance1013]

Welcome to AA. Looks like your already getting a book load of info. Told you tbere was some great people one here lol.

Sent from my SCH-S968C using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[vance1013]

May want to give this a read

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/the-almost-complete-guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling/

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/fishin-cycling-step-dark-side/

Sent from my SCH-S968C using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[ImACoolguy]

Oh and let's not forget everyone's favorite stocking generator

Www.aqadvisor.com


Caleb

Sent via TARDIS

 

[sinibotia]

Also get an API freshwater master test kit! Everybody needs one of those.

 

[betta_]

Thanks for all the responses to my questions! This has helped me tremendously in setting a concrete foundation for keeping my future Betta!

A few more questions guys!

-Disease. With a cycled tank, regular water changes, and ideal temperature how worried do I have to be?


New fish.

 

[dragon14]

You're most welcome!

Clean water, from my understanding of being on this forum, keeps most things at bay/very low risk of happening.

Likely you won't have much to worry about, but, things do happen sometimes

We keep our bettas around 78 degrees F. In my opinion after doing lots of research, that is the ideal temperature for them.

 

[dragon14]

Welcome!

Here's my favorite Betta, Luis!
View attachment 271130

Caleb

Sent via TARDIS

Luis is very cute!

 

[ImACoolguy]

In my time of fish keeping the fish that I have ever had die on me died for 2 reasons.

1. They were already sick when I got them- this is where a quarantine tank comes in handy especially if you have a community tank so it doesn't make the rest of your fish sick.

2. Human error/equipment failure- I've had filters go out on me, some have heaters short circuit and fry their tank(I've never had this problem). Where I killed quite a few fish was in the beginning I had no knowledge whatsoever of cycling a tank. I could have saved a lot of lives if I had known this. That's why it's crucial to read up on cycling and make sure you do it properly so your fish is stress free in their environment.

One thing I forgot to mention and didn't see it mentioned. Test strips are junk! Get yourself an API Liquid Test Kit. It's x1000000000 times more accurate than strips, is a life saver during cycling so you know how far along you are, can give you an idea on your water change schedule, and if you do happen to run into problems you can test your water to make sure nothing is out of whack in the tank *deep breaths* any other questions feel free to ask

Luis is very cute!

Thank you! He is full of personality. If you have an insta I post daily photos of my fish on there


Caleb

Sent via TARDIS

 

[dragon14]

Thank you! He is full of personality. If you have an insta I post daily photos of my fish on there


Caleb

Sent via TARDIS

You're welcome! I love bettas! They all have their own personality.

I don't.

 

[sinibotia]

Thanks for all the responses to my questions! This has helped me tremendously in setting a concrete foundation for keeping my future Betta!

A few more questions guys!

-Disease. With a cycled tank, regular water changes, and ideal temperature how worried do I have to be?


New fish.

Not worried at all. As Caleb said, 95% of disease happens within a month or so of getting a new fish- usually something they succumbed to while under poor conditions during shipping and display. Once they become healthy and established in their new habitat, with proper care disease becomes almost nonexistent. In fact I can think of just 3 times in 11 years of fishkeeping that disease set in outside of the first month of having a fish. And 2 of those were Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus which is its own ridiculous thing (and not a threat to betta fish)