A Betta in a Bowl at Work

[roundar]

So my wife works in a small store and apparently they've decided to get a betta. I think my wife suggested it and is now heading up this little project. Of course someone has already gotten the betta and they are bringing it to work tomorrow... They gave my wife a quart sized bowl to put it in.

I've never had a betta in a bowl so I did some research and the cliff notes for my wife are as follows:
Here use this bigger bowl, [~1g] and fill to here.
Use room temperature bottled water. Not distilled or tap!
Feed Betta Food twice a day, only as much as the betta eats quickly.
We need to bring it home once a week. (So I can do the water changes and make sure it gets fed on Sunday. )


So, I was thinking about what I'll add when she gets home tomorrow. I'm going to instruct occasional Freeze dried blood worms. My question is, to decorate the bowl, could I put some substrate and a java fern? Any suggestions would be great!

 

[jetajockey]

feed it once a day, and keep the food hidden so other ppl don't get the idea.

Tap water is fine, just use water conditioner.

It'll be fine over the weekend without food, I wouldn't bring it home, just do the water changes at the office. Having to lug around a container every weekend would be annoying also.

A java fern would work out great.

 

[becrac16]

^^agree. the fish should be fine over the weekend, but may need to be monitored in the winter when the heat is turned off in the office.

You shouldn't have to bring it home for water changes though, if you're only keeping it in a 1 gallon tank it shouldn't be a problem for your wife to take out a couple cups a week.

 

[roundar]

feed it once a day, and keep the food hidden so other ppl don't get the idea.

Tap water is fine, just use water conditioner.

It'll be fine over the weekend without food, I wouldn't bring it home, just do the water changes at the office. Having to lug around a container every weekend would be annoying also.

A java fern would work out great.

I thought tap water was fine, but the first three articles on google specify it's a no go for the betta's, I wonder why... I'm going to stick w/ the bottled only because if I don't, someone won't use any conditioner. That's cool though, my wife could easily take out a bottles worth of water and replace it once a week. Thanks!

 

[jetajockey]

you really should establish some kind of designation over what happens with the fish tank, only one person designated to deal with it, feed, maintain it. That needs to be established otherwise there will be lots of issues, like overfeeding, mishaps with unconditioned water, people adding some other fish on a whim, all kinds of stuff.

 

[becrac16]

I also think tap water is fine (with the conditioner) and I'm not sure that bottled water is perfectly safe for fish either. Believe it or not, there is a lot of extra stuff in bottled water as well.

You can get a really small bottle of water conditioner for pretty cheap, should only take a few drops to get the water totally ready.

 

[roundar]

you really should establish some kind of designation over what happens with the fish tank, only one person designated to deal with it, feed, maintain it. That needs to be established otherwise there will be lots of issues, like overfeeding, mishaps with unconditioned water, people adding some other fish on a whim, all kinds of stuff.

It's not my work, it's my wifes. There's little chance in my mind that this will happen unfortunately, but I'll relay the message. Seriously though here's the first three articles google pulled up. Every one seems very clear about the water issue... :/
Betta Fish Vase - Also called Beta Fish Vase - Information and Advice.
betta in a vase
BETTA FISH VASE INSTRUCTIONS

 

[jetajockey]

I read the links. The only thing it says is to not use tap water unless you condition it first. Bottled water will probably work though but it probably depends on how it was filtered. If it's lacking trace minerals then it will be an issue.
Bettas are not any different than other fish as far as care goes. They can breathe air, a few other fish have this ability also, but they don't require a special type of betta food, or a special kind of betta specific water.

 

[becrac16]

Well, I'm only giving advice. Take it or leave it, but be aware, those "BETTA IN A VASE" schemes are not in the interest of the betta.

1) they give approximately 1/3 to 1/2 a gallon for swimming room, that should be the first indication they are not a good environment. Bettas (for an enjoyable live) should be in a 5 gallon tank at least. Granted, they can survive in much less, but the quality of life is completely diminished.
2) Bettas need access to air, and access to surface. By putting them in a vase with flowers, their access to the surface is blocked. It would be much more difficult for bettas to get to the top for air.

These websites are trying to sell you a package deal. They are not in the interest of the fish themselves. But, then again, this is my advice, take it or leave it.

 

[roundar]

Well, I'm only giving advice. Take it or leave it, but be aware, those "BETTA IN A VASE" schemes are not in the interest of the betta.

1) they give approximately 1/3 to 1/2 a gallon for swimming room, that should be the first indication they are not a good environment. Bettas (for an enjoyable live) should be in a 5 gallon tank at least. Granted, they can survive in much less, but the quality of life is completely diminished.
2) Bettas need access to air, and access to surface. By putting them in a vase with flowers, their access to the surface is blocked. It would be much more difficult for bettas to get to the top for air.

These websites are trying to sell you a package deal. They are not in the interest of the fish themselves. But, then again, this is my advice, take it or leave it.

If you follow the links you'll see they aren't trying to sell the vase/flower combo deal... They're pretty much against it. (Except the last one) I agree though that it should be 5+ gallons. I tried to convince my wife to get one of these kinda things:
Fluval Edge 23l Aquarium - Black
but she insisted that's not what the people at her work want...

 

[becrac16]

my point is is that those are not the most reputable sources. . . in the advice about the bottled water.

 

[becrac16]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/found-the-most-outragous-thing-at-petco-today-143784.html

conditioned tap water is fine. bottled water also messes with pH. Bottled water also has a lot of extras in it to make it taste good.

That's all. Im not posting anymore. Best of luck.

 

[roundar]

my point is is that those are not the most reputable sources. . . in the advice about the bottled water.

I hear you. I'm pretty familiar with the google so I know 2 of those articles could just be based of of the first. I'll do the bottled water just long enough to give my wife small bottle of prime.(remember the fish is coming tomorrow.

 

[BlackMagic]

go get urself a 2.5 or 5 gallon tank ... $13 buck .. nothing to lost ...

Add some PFS ... a couple of java fern, one golf ball size java moss or even moss ball ... BAM u got urself a nice looking tank use a house lamp for lighting(plant).

water change, take half the water out .. add new one .. im sure there a restroom where ur wife work at. get urself a **** water bottle, 1 gallon for water change .. buy a 250ML bottle of prime.

leave the **** flower out of the tank.

 

[Sarasein]

I feed mine once a day. Rotating the Betta pellets and shrimp. I give 2 pellets or shrimp each morning. Fred knows when I come in and starts swimming around and showing off his crown tail.

I just use tap water for him and then adding water conditioner. I have a 2 g tank for him, so I take out 1 g and then put it back with fresh once a week. I do water change on Wed, so I have a set day and make sure to do it. (I also add the plant stuff to my other tanks.)

 

[Homedog98]

So you're not gonna be able to fishless cycle this tank I guess? poor fishy.

 

[roundar]

So you're not gonna be able to fishless cycle this tank I guess? poor fishy.

Are you kidding? Half the people she works with assume the fish will be dead in a week. I figure a cycle wouldn't even make much sense on a 1g vase. I'll put a J. Fern in it in a couple days and I know my wife will do a PWC weekly. Honestly, I tried to get here to do one of those fluval decorative deals, but she said there wasn't even a place to plug anything in where the fish has to go... I did the best I could by getting the fish away from a 1qt bowl and giving them prime.

 

[Homedog98]

Poor poor fishy