First Time Owner

[sandrac8388]

My boyfriend and I bought two bettas about 3 months ago. One of them was a red male betta named Baloo. The other was a white male betta named Mufasa! Mufasa changed colors after we changed his diet. We bought 1-1.5 gal tank and 1-1 gallon tank (we didnt buy the bettas at the same time) And it seemed like they were both doing fine. Until yesterday, my boyfriend did the complete water change and Baloo died immediately within the hour. It was odd because my boyfriend did everything he had done before.

We are unaware of what caused his death and we are both very sad, especially Matthew (my boyfriend) because he feels extremely guilty.

Anywho, we will be buying another one today.

Mufasa is still here! Yay! But since the first month he was here he changed a lot. When we bought him he was white, skinny, and very lethargic. Within a month he looked beautiful because he changed to a blue purple color and gained some weight and looked healthy. He was always swimming around.

Now, Mufasa sits still. His color is the same, his tail is smaller in size, he doesn't react to the mirrior image of himself. We feed him dried worms everyday twice a day and try to do frequent water changes. We have a light and plants and little hiding areas for him.

We want to buy another betta but not if we are going to be clueless on how to care for them. I had owned bettas before so i thought i could care for them.

I am aware i should get a thermometer and a heater, but what is the best type of food? What about water changes and type of water? When I did a full water change I would either buy the betta water sold in the store or buy the pills the fizzle and dissolve and are meant to get rid of harming chemicals.

I really want my bettas to be happy and healthy. Any tips will do please. I will be going to petco or petsmart this afternoon. So if anyone has a list and please go into detail lol.

For the soon to be new betta I currently have

1 gal tank with light
gravel
plants
cave for hiding
pills for complete water changes
food (flakes and dried worms)
a fish net


Thank you guys! I really would appreciate all the help!

[MSG]

I have a feeling it was from improper acclimation or something to do with the water you changed for the tank.

Sounds like you shocked the fish by not conditioning it properly or cooked him.

That's just a guess.

I've never used those betta water pills before but I hope you didn't use HOT water to dissolve them quicker.

Photo of your tanks would be helpful.

[ZergyMonster]

Worms are not a staple diet. Those are used for treats. I would recommend getting a betta specific pellet (not flake) food for your betta. Betta pellets are easier to measure their intake by counting how much you feed them. If you can't find a betta specific food you should find a pellet with a high protein content; check the ingredients and look for the key word "whole" this means they're using the whole ingredient not just part of it.

Other than that I would like you to purchase a water CONDITIONER. This will make regular tap water safe for fish by removing chlorine and chloramine which make tap water safe for human consumption. Some conditioners, such as Prime, also detoxify ammonia and heavy metals which is an added plus but not needed. Always follow the directions on the back of the bottle as it changes from each conditioner.

Looks like you have everything else covered. Good luck.

[babystarz]

As far as food goes, do you want to feed a healthy diet or an optimal diet?

Healthy Diet:
- Feed 4-6 pellets per day. Best brands: New Life Spectrum and Omega One Betta Buffet
- Feed freeze dried bloodworms once per week, instead of the pellets, only as a treat
- Fast (no feeding) one day per week

Optimal Diet:
- Feed 4-6 pellets per day, with 2-3 fed in two different feedings
- A couple of times a week feed live or frozen (most pet stores have a freezer in the fish section) foods, including bloodworms, baby brine shrimp, and/or micro worms instead of pellets
- Fast (no feeding) one day per week

[registereduser]

Here's what I would do:**

Buy a 5 gallon set-up from walmart, comes with everything except thermometer and heater. About $27-30. Divide it in 2 so each fish has his own compartment. Excellent photo instructions here: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=113108

Buy an API water test kit, Essential! Paper strips not that great.

Cycle the tank. Personally** I find a fish-in cycle acceptable. The most important part of the "fish-in" cycle are the ammonia and nitrite tests and the water changes that are needed whenever these readings rear their ugly heads.
More info here: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=47838

for conditioning buy Seachem Prime, only 2 or 3 drops per gallon! Great stuff. Learned about it here on the forum. Bottled betta water is a rip off and this is actually the second time in a week I have read about betta death connected with its use.

Food: New Life Spectrum pellets, supposed to be the best. Mine love it. Only give them 8-10 a day, divide feedings morning and evening.

**Please remember that even though I had aquariums as a child/teen, that was over 30 years ago. I just started with bettas/aquariums again January 2012. I have learned a lot here but I am still learning. All things considered, I hope this helps!

[Perseusmom]

Pellets would be best as far as food goes and New Life Spectrum Betta Formula is the best out there if you can find them, 3 in the morning 3 at night. It would be nice if you could get at least a 2.5 gallon tank and would be easier to fin a heater for that size which you will need for their health they need a water temp of 76-82 degrees.

Water conditioner I would get Prime its only 2 drops per gallon and always use it for water changes and get the temp of the change water as close as you can to the water he is in to avoid shock. I find using 1 gallon jugs for water changes works best for me . If you get a heater be sure and keep and eye on it for awhile and check the temp of the water often to be sure its working as it should.

Also if you get a big enough tank and can leave your fish in there with enough water to cover him and not have to take him out each time you do a water change and be sure and check back here and let us know what size of tank you got so we can tell you the how many water changes per week you will need to do. Good luck!

[registereduser]

Originally Posted by babystarz

- Feed 4-6 pellets per day.

Originally Posted by Perseusmom

Pellets would be best as far as food goes and New Life Spectrum Betta Formula is the best out there if you can find them, 3 in the morning 3 at night.

uh-oh, i guess my fish are gluttons

[sandrac8388]

Thank you so much guys! I really appreciate. My boyfriend and I have decided to hold off on buying another betta. However, I did buy the pellets for my other betta Mufasa, but was unable to buy the New Life Spectrum brand. I bought the Omega One Betta Pellets. Are those any good? When I dropped them in his tank he just ignored and then would stare. Then I noticed that the pellet gets "stuck" in his mouth. I'm worried. He is just holding it in his mouth..or its stuck..I'm not sure. Am I supposed to soften them before I give them to him? I also bought the conditioner.

Now the only think I'm confused about is the water cycling. :( I have never done the water cycling. I do a full water change every week and a half to two. Am I horrible? I will try to post a pic soon so I can get more advice.

[registereduser]

Originally Posted by sandrac8388

Now the only think I'm confused about is the water cycling. :( I have never done the water cycling. I do a full water change every week and a half to two. Am I horrible? I will try to post a pic soon so I can get more advice.

Do your tanks have filters?

[Perseusmom]

Yes I have heard thats a good food I believe. Is the pellet still in his mouth can you see it ? I dont know how big these pellets are but might be to big for him, you could crush them up or split them in half maybe or some people do soak them in tank water first, just take abit of water from his tank and let it soak a min. or two till soft.

Cycling can be confusing it was for me and also for a lot people you are not horrible..lol How big is the tank ? I will find the sticky post for the cycle and post it for you okay. You can always ask questions when you start to cycle the tank and someone will help you along the way, thats how I did it.