Howdy Everyone c:

[RadioFace]

I'm just some doof who is currently living in Michigan for some reason. After about three years of not being able to have a pet, I finally ended up in a situation which allowed me to get a Betta~! Second one I've had (the first was when I was in sixth grade, so golly its been awhile!). I've quickly become enraptured by the little guy, and it feels so amazing to finally have something to care for again. I plan to give him as good a life as I possibly can. Especially now since I know more about what they need and how to care for them, unlike I did with my previous one (the trooper, Rage, lasted about two years before I accidentally ended up causing his death by overfeeding. He survived being dropped in the sink and on the floor during a tank cleaning, a car trip from Iowa to Texas, my cat tipping his tank over and biting off half of his tail when I was asleep and then leaving him on the carpet for the night, and yet it was food that killed him :c All because my silly younger self thought feeding him more would make him bigger like my friend's Betta was. Plus I never knew they needed heaters back then! Good thing we lived in Southern Texas where it was a lot warmer).

Anyways, this fella's name is Presto!, and right now he's in a little half gallon tank. I had to take the plant out, since he ended up tearing his tail fin on it after his last water change, so the little tank is awfully bare and he's mighty bored and unhappy, pacing back and forth a lot and with nowhere to hide :c I ordered him the 6.6 gallon bookshelf tank from Petco, which should hopefully be here tomorrow (along with his heater), so he'll have a great new spacious home to explore soon. Luckily my friend I am living with has a nice big fifty gallon corner tank that I can nab some water from, so I won't have to worry about cycling and he can enter his new home much sooner, and without the stress and such that cycling can cause. His new tank will be pretty bare for a while too, until I can get a job and can spoil him with some live plants and other decorations (since I just moved here last month, and spent the last of what I had on that new tank), but I'll see what my friend or her dad have lying around in terms of decoration, since they both have large tanks.

Well... long intro post that wasn't so much an actual intro? Butohwell. I look forward to being part of the community here and sharing my little journey with Presto!, so hello everyone c:

[Bettanewbie60]

HI there, and welcome to the forum! I'm so glad you "got back into bettas" lol. Just a quick comment...taking water from an established tank won't hold much Beneficial Bacteria...the water column holds very little, most of the BB are on the surfaces of the tank, decor, and in the filter media. I have cycled all of my tanks with my fish in. Just make sure you condition your tap water, and that it is at a proper temp. Let us know if we can help with any questions..and try to post them in the proper section for the fastest response...again, welcome!

[RadioFace]

Oh, thank you! I'll see about borrowing a decoration from her tank then. If not then I'll have to cycle with him in it. I never knew about cycling until recently, and none of the other fish I have ever had before seemed to troubled by this. I just want to be careful since I don't want to lose Presto! in the process. But this answered one of the questions I was just about to post asking about, so thank you c:

[Bettanewbie60]

Originally Posted by RadioFace

Oh, thank you! I'll see about borrowing a decoration from her tank then. If not then I'll have to cycle with him in it. I never knew about cycling until recently, and none of the other fish I have ever had before seemed to troubled by this. I just want to be careful since I don't want to lose Presto! in the process. But this answered one of the questions I was just about to post asking about, so thank you c:

I have always put all of my bettas in their tanks on day one. I know a lot of people do long fishless cycles, but I'm not that patient. There is a sticky written by OldFishLady on doing a Fish-In cycle. I just make sure that my water changes are done with as little stress to the fish as possible, keeping the temp about the same, and give them plenty of places to hide. Fake plants are fine, just try and get the softer ones so they won't rip his fins, and check decor carefully...some of the so called betta decor have really sharp edges. Message me if you have questions..if I can't help I can't point you to who can. As you are setting up your new tank you could also soak your filter cartridge in your friends established tank, this may give you a slight start on BBs..but again, I've never cycled a single tank. I just changed water like crazy lol.

[eaturbyfill]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

[Oldfishlady]

Welcome to the forum and to the wonderful world of Betta keeping...

Enjoy your stay.....

Be sure and post questions in the proper section for best response....

[dramaqueen]

Hello and welcome to the forum.