Betta fish bowl care

[gmakirk]

[COLOR="Teal"]I have a blue betta male that is about 3 1/2 years old. He is funny and has a great personality. If he starts turning and twisting that means he wants me to pet him! He loves this. He takes pellet food from my finger and blows bubbles in appreciation. A GREAT pet!! I have a 1 gallon bowl and use the marbles made for fish bowls, a plastic plant, and one real plant I grew from a bulb for fish bowls and aquariums. I discovered some swimming "critters" in the bowl, and on examination they are about the size and color of a grain of dirt. They collect on the sides of the bowl and on the plant. I don't know if they are on Blue or not. I took him out of the bowl and washed everything is mild soapy water, then rinsed thorougly before putting him back in the bow. I am not sure, but I think there are some of the critters in the bowl now. Has anyone else had this experience and if so, please tell me what they are and how to get rid of them. Could they be larvae from little flying plant flies? I don't have a clue as to what, where, when or how they got in the bowl. Thank you for any clues you may give me. gmakirk

[aunt kymmie]

I personally have no idea what these "critters" could be but the words "mild soapy water" stand out. From all I've learned here on the forum anything "soapy" is a no no. I'm sure you did rinse it well but I'd keep a close eye on your betta until someone with experience can chime in and help you.

[Kim]

Funny you should mention this because I just read an article about something like it. Do these little "critters" resemble worms? If so than they are planaria and establish themselves in aquariums with water quality problems, although yours may have come in with your plant bulb. The article just suggests to create better water quality and they will go away with time. They are harmless to fish. With a small bowl however, I would just catch and dispose of them when you see them, and do more frequent water changes. How often are you doing them now?

Do you have a heater and filter on there? Better yet, just set up a larger tank with heater and filter, and move him into there!

[gmakirk]

Thank you for your comments on my post, it is nice to have others to talk to about stuff!! My fish lives in a one gallon bowl that he has been in for almost 4 years. The plant is also about 3 years old. I change the water about every 4 to 6 weeks, and except for the bubbles he blows, there doesn't seem to be anything else there. I do try to keep the uneaten food and the fish poop cleaned out with the help of a straw that syphons the stuff out. The "critters" are just a small speck, smaller than the period in this post. I am not sure how I discovered them, they are so small. At any rate, I will keep a close eye on him and watch for any new developments. Have a great evening! gmakirk

[kritas]

FOUR TO SIX WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You should be doing it once a week...
Are the bubbles all together and form some sort of web? If so this is a bubble nest, meaning he is very happy, and ready for mating, should you wish to let him.
They might be Ramshorn snails, I had them in my shipment of plants, and damn they are tiny! They don't grow very quickly either so yes it would be hard to see them.
My advice to get rid of them... Put a piece of lettuce at the bottom of the tank one night, and in the morning remove it and see how many u are able to get rid of...

[dramaqueen]

Yeah, you definitely need to change the water at least once a week.

[gmakirk]

Thank you for your advice. His bubbles are definitely a bubble nest. He builds them often, so maybe I should let him mate. I never thought about it before, but I will need to get a bigger tank before I do that. And I will be changing the water once a week now. Appreciate your comments!! gmakirk

[Fire Cush]

if a bettas fishbowl is too cold will it die ?????????

[KukaaKatchou]

Bettas are tropical fish so I imagine that yes, cold water will kill your fish, either by temp alone or by making your fish sick

[Duskdog]

Originally Posted by Fire Cush

if a bettas fishbowl is too cold will it die ?????????

If anything gets too cold it will die.

At slightly below their preferred temperatures, they seem to get lethargic and unhappy. Any lower than that, and I'm sure it probably would make them sick or kill them, though I'm not sure what the threshold for that is.

Don't take chances. Get a heater when you can, especially if you're moving into the colder season of the year, as we are where I live.