what do i do?

[nehemiahludden]

i just got a veil tail betta and he is extremely active when the water temo is at 79 degrees but not at 78 or 80 is this normal. and his name is whiskers, the reason i names him that is because i was asking him what he wanted his name to be and i had a list of 10 different names and when i said whiskers he came to the side of his bowl and flared all of his fins. i feed him the gold bio betta food and i use a stress calmer liquid drops and a freshwater salt to help him better breath. it seems to help. my only concern is the fin under him is splitting it seems to not bother him at this point but it does concern me. how do i fix this or is the splitting normal for a veil tail betta? it looks like 2 strings hanging down from his belly.

[Sixwolf]

Bettas are alright in the temperature range you have yours in. They're also supposed to have two thin pectoral fins just before their long anal fin underneath. If it's not the pectorals you're talking about, as long as you keep him healthy and in good water, he should begin to heal up. My elephant ear had a torn "ear" and it's only been a little over a week, and he's already halfway healed.

[nehemiahludden]

what are all the items i will need for him to be in a 10 gallon tank and the names of them so i can either order them or go to my local store and pick them up. along with the food they like to eat and can eat as well please

[nehemiahludden]

and any type of good stress stuff

[Sixwolf]

You'll need a filter, heater, and light suitable for a 10 gallon tank. I like fluorescent lights best, especially if you're going to have live plants in your tank. A decoration or plant that gives your fish a place to hide is appreciated by them. Bettas like a varied diet, so I alternate feeding mine brine shrimp, bloodworms, and floating pellets. I feed him small amounts twice a day, and starve him one day of the week. If he looks bloated, I skip a meal or feed him a tiny piece of blanched, peeled pea. Make sure you have water conditioner if you use tap water, and also have water testing supplies to check things like pH, ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, hardness, etc.

[Sixwolf]

Also, many pet stores sell what they call stress coat. I've never used these myself, but I've heard of others who use it with success.

[nehemiahludden]

ok cool what is the best filter to use for the 10 gallon tank and should it be adjustable or are they all the same and you cant adjust them? and also what is the best heater i can get? also what all do i need to test my water?

[Sixwolf]

A filter that doesn't churn the water too much would be great, since bettas prefer stiller water. I covered the output of my filter with an aquarium sponge just to lessen the current. My tank came with a the kind of filter that uses carbon-filled cartridges. I take out the carbon and just use the filter part, rinsing it in tank water every week. This allows good bacteria to build up on it. I've heard those sponge filters often used for ponds are good too, especially if you have small fish that you're worried might get sucked into the intake. Most filters just do their thing with no adjustment, but you can add things like I did to modify them. The heaters that go from top to bottom of the tank seem to heat the water more evenly. Make sure you have a tank thermometer to monitor the temperature daily. Sometimes heaters can overheat the water, but that's less likely to happen if you have one where you can actually set the temperature. API sells 5-in-1 test strips that test for the important things in freshwater.

[nehemiahludden]

how much is this going to cost so i have a good idea of what to pull out of my account tomorrow when i go to town and do i need to order some of this offline?

[Sixwolf]

Cost really depends on the quality of stuff you get, and how much of this you get at once. All my stuff I was able to get either at the pet store or at a local fish store. My total for all the new tank stuff ended up close to $250. @u@; Also, remember to run your new tank for at least a day to three days and watch its tendencies before acclimating your fish into it.