First Betta!

[corinne118s]

Hey! I ended up making a quick decision at my LFS to get a betta. Actually, one of the employees practically begged me to take one A lot of them had been in those little cups for MONTHS. I agreed because I have a fully cycled 2.5g which is currently unoccupied.

Anyways, I decided I like the orange/red ones so I picked one out that had a soft orange tint. Put him in the tank last night and he immediately ate 2 blackworms from my hand!! He was starving!! I'm going to feed him blackworms this week until I can ween him onto the pellets again (he didn't eat any at first).

Looked at him this morning.. he's not an orange tint anymore! He's got a beautiful deep red body and fins. I'm so happy, hes swimming around like the happiest betta in the world!

I do have one question.. My filter seems too strong for him. I put a sponge in the way and this has reduced the current by a lot but it still makes my betta look panicky. I only put it on for a few hrs last night and just turned it back on this morning. I think he just needs to get used to a current because he probably has never experienced one before. Anyone have experience with this? I will probably just keep it on for a few hrs every day until he gets uesd to it..

 

[Galligak]

Beautiful betta! When I've had bettas like that they have always gotten used to the current. Keep doing what you have been doing, he'll get used to it soon enough! Gorgeous betta and good job saving him

 

[corinne118s]

Thanks! He's the first all red one ive seen. Looks like he has blue eyes is that possible?

 

[Galligak]

Yeah it's possible. My female betta, RIP, had blue eyes. I think that it's pretty awesome!

 

[corinne118s]

Nice! I made a thread for this but no one responded. Do you think 2.5g is enough? I'm cycling a 10g now I was going to put a dwarf puffer or two but I'd feel guilty putting new fish if my Betta needs more room

 

[HooKooDooKu]

I've spent some time in a "betta" forum. Based on what I've learned there, 2.5g is enough for a betta. 1.5g is seen as a minimum, with 2.5 being better. Obviously the larger the better from the stand point of having room for tank mates, but you don't 'NEED' to go bigger than 2.5g unless you want to.

The change is color is due to the change in stress (or lack there-of). Now that he's no longer living in a cup that people handle each day, he's under a lot less stress, so the color change in this case is an indication he's relatively happy.

As for the filter, that can be a problem for bettas. Because of their large fins, they effectively act like sails on a boat. So what might be a minor current for the average fish becomes a major current for a betta because of all the fins. Based on what you've described, is sounds like you'll need to do something to reduce the current created by your current filter... or change to a different kind of filter.

When it comes to filters for betta tanks, I've liked filters that don't force the water back into the tank but gently flow back into the tank. Examples would include the hood style filters that Marineland makes as well as the 'Whisper' series of filters by Tetra. I only recently aquired a Small Aquarium Filter: Internal Filter Perfect for up to 3 gallon Tank. I don't know how well it will do long term, as there isn't much room for any sort of 'diy' filter pads in this small one. But for larger tanks, I love these Internal Aquarium Filter | Tetra Whisper: No Hassle No Noise because they are so easy to create your own custom filter system.

 

[corinne118s]

Yea the problem is the filter is built in.. But I was a little crafty and made something work better.. But it's like he intentionally tries to get sucked up. He had a bit of swim bladder but he's swimming fine now.. Do you think he's just weak or should I reduce the filtration more?

 

[corinne118s]

Oops forgot pics.

 

[HeatherW]

i bet he will be fine in a few days. those 2.5 gallon tanks are made for bettas! the filter will be fine. mine took several days to adjust every time I move him. they don't like change that much, but he is fine now. just give him a chance. mine took almost a week before he would eat. and then when i moved him from the 2.5 to the 5 gallon he took several days before he was back to normal. now he seems to be doing fine

 

[VioletEmber]

I've spent some time in a "betta" forum. Based on what I've learned there, 2.5g is enough for a betta. 1.5g is seen as a minimum, with 2.5 being better. Obviously the larger the better from the stand point of having room for tank mates, but you don't 'NEED' to go bigger than 2.5g unless you want to.

The change is color is due to the change in stress (or lack there-of). Now that he's no longer living in a cup that people handle each day, he's under a lot less stress, so the color change in this case is an indication he's relatively happy.

As for the filter, that can be a problem for bettas. Because of their large fins, they effectively act like sails on a boat. So what might be a minor current for the average fish becomes a major current for a betta because of all the fins. Based on what you've described, is sounds like you'll need to do something to reduce the current created by your current filter... or change to a different kind of filter.

When it comes to filters for betta tanks, I've liked filters that don't force the water back into the tank but gently flow back into the tank. Examples would include the hood style filters that Marineland makes as well as the 'Whisper' series of filters by Tetra. I only recently aquired a Small Aquarium Filter: Internal Filter Perfect for up to 3 gallon Tank. I don't know how well it will do long term, as there isn't much room for any sort of 'diy' filter pads in this small one. But for larger tanks, I love these Internal Aquarium Filter | Tetra Whisper: No Hassle No Noise because they are so easy to create your own custom filter system.

I have both of those filters actually- the smaller one I am not so sure of it as an actual filter so I just do water changes every few days just in case! The tetra whisper is great on my 10g Betta tank- it is so quiet that I have to keep checking that it is on. Both have that perfect level of flow for a fussy Betta. But I've also seen bettas just find the spots in the tank that are out of the flow and they become the resting zones...