Hello! First time betta keeper!

[dc2die4]

Hi all!

Figure I would register on the forum since I'm always reading threads!

A few weeks ago I bought one of the baby bettas at petco, I heard that they were a challenge to raise, but went for it anyway.. I picked the one that seemed the most active, and I could have sworn that she was following me around in her little cup. I took her home and my girlfriend named her Bertha!

Anyway, her first home was a 1 gallon setup withsome marbles and a fake plastic plant. (It was my girlfriend's old setup, and she kept a mechanical fish in there lol!) I of course bought her one of those hydor heating pads.. but no filter because I didn't think I could fit one and keep the water calm.

But two weeks ago I ended up going to Petco and purchased myself a Fluval Spec V.. it's so nice! It fits perfectly on the cabinet in the living room.

I wanted some live plants so the first thing I bought was some Anubias Nana, and a Marimo, and two days ago I purchased some Anarcharis from Petsmart. The Petsmart near my work has those live plants underwater.. none of those tube plants! (even though my Anubias was a tube plant from another location)

In there I have 3 ghost shrimp, and two neon tetras.. I kind of regret the neon purchase because I now know they like to be in groups of at least 5.. and I'm afraid I'd overstock the tank with 3 more.. opinions?

And threads worthless w/o pics, so here's a one a few days after bringing her home! A veiltail female. She's mainly blue. with a little red.. I like her!!

I'm already planning on purchasing another betta setup and getting one from aquabid!

[Karebear13]

she looks cute and pretty color! welcome to the forum! post pics of your tank!

[Bombalurina]

She's a cutie!

If there is any way to return the neons, I would. They are active little fish that need 10 gallons to swim in, with schools of 6. With just an ordinary filter, 6 in a 5 gallon would definitely be too much, room issues aside.

[dc2die4]

Originally Posted by Karebear13

she looks cute and pretty color! welcome to the forum! post pics of your tank!

Thank you.. I know it's not much and I'm not that great with placement of things.. but here it is!! I also got a better shot of Bertha this morning!

Originally Posted by Bombalurina

She's a cutie!

If there is any way to return the neons, I would. They are active little fish that need 10 gallons to swim in, with schools of 6. With just an ordinary filter, 6 in a 5 gallon would definitely be too much, room issues aside.

Thanks.. I've lost the receipt so I'll probably give them to a family member w/ some neons.

My Anubias seems to be rooting onto the decor, and my anacharis looks to be green still.. except when I bought it the tips were brown from where they covered it with this foam material.. should I just trim those off? And my Marimo.. is just being a Marimo.

[Bombalurina]

Yep, go ahead and trim off the brown bits. :) Good plant choices! Anubias makes a great betta bed, and anacharis is an ammonia-sucker. It also grows fast and well, so you'll get heaps of plants out of it.

[jesssan2442]

i'm not one hundred percent sure but bertha looks like a young male to me...

[dc2die4]

Originally Posted by jesssan2442

i'm not one hundred percent sure but bertha looks like a young male to me...

Possibly! I guess we'll see the next few weeks. I did get him/her as a baby. It's okay, I can always name him Bernie.
I was always on the fence about the gender.. I wasn't quite sure when I got her.. I tried to look for the little white dot under (it) when it was in the cup, but maybe (it) was too young to see.

[Bombalurina]

The ovipostor is not always a reliable way to tell - males may display them too, and sometimes females won't. Likewise, females will sometimes blow bubblenests and be aggressive, and males won't. The most reliable way to tell is body shape and beard size.

[Agility4fun]

Welcome DC...your anacharis is such a pretty bright green.

[Oldfishlady]

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

Nice to meet you...