Hi, i am fairly new to Betta fish, i have had one for six months now, and he lives in not even a Gallon of water, he is a very happy fish and is very energetic, i feed him once every 2 days (is this wrong?? I have had a betta fish before this and i fed him everyday but it died. once every 2 days seems to be working) anyways, Today i bought a new one, and i put him in the same conditions with the same amount of water, but in a different tank of course. I am not using a heater or a filter and i am not adding anything to the water. Is this fine?? I am thinking about getting a few more also. Please give me all of your imput on what i should do, what im doing wrong, what i should keep doing... ect...
First, you'll probably get some flak, but I'm not going to criticize your tank sizes as it's been made clear time and time again that any betta can strive in under a gallon of water as long as it's kept pristine and warm. That said, you really need to get some sort of heat source. Bettas are tropical fish and require a stable temperature between 78ºF and 83ºF. Problem is, I'm not sure how you'd heat an environment of that size; heaters are simply too large, both in size and wattage.
Second, you really should be treating your water with some sort of dechlorinator. Straight up tapwater is harmful to your fish unless you're letting it sit for 24 hours in a container of some sort before adding it to your tank. Aquarium salt is another good thing to have on hand for your water in case your fish comes down with something. Helps combat infection.
Lastly, feeding every other day is fine - everybody feeds their fish differently. As long as it's getting the proper nutrition it needs you're in the clear. Just keep a look out for bloating and constipation which are most commonly caused by overfeeding. Two to three pellets per serving seems to do the trick.
Thanks!!! se peHowever, i don't use pellets i use flakes. They'r called Nutrafin Max, is this fine?? Since i have had my fish for 6 months already should i still change the environment?? He is very active and swims freely, makes plenty of bubblenets, ect...
Any other advice is greatly appreciated!! KEEP EM COMING!!!
Welcome to the forums! I hope th ebest for your betta friend =)
I don't have to much advice other then what kittles already said; but beside that I just don't have alot of experience yet. Although, don't you think a 2 gallon would look much more appealing?? ^_~ Would also allow you to watch your little guy swim through more obstacles! *Shrugs* lol
I got a lot of grief about having my fish in a tiny tank, and personally when I saw how cramped he looked, I felt bad.
I went and got Zombie a 1.5gallon tank w/ a filter. At first I used distilled water, but then I read that that doesn't have any of the good stuff, so I switched to tap water w/ a conditioner. Zombie didn't have a heater for like half a month. Now I was able to buy him a heater
My suggestions is to buy at least a 1.5 gallon, or buy a 5g w/ a divider, that comes w/ a filter and buy a heater. Get them as soon as you can, but do what you can afford. Buy one thing at a time, or a couple things if you have extra money. If your fish are fine, they will be fine for a couple of days/weeks or maybe even a month until you can get the proper supplies.
When I bought my betta I thought you just needed a small fish bowl, like the pint sized ones, and some food, and that was it. After doing my research I realize that in order to give Zombie the best possible life, there are basic supplies.
Just don't let people bully you into buying everything today. Do what you can, but yes, you do need all these things.
I got a lot of crap about having my fish in a tiny tank, and personally when I saw how cramped he looked, I felt bad.
I went and got Zombie a 1.5gallon tank w/ a filter. At first I used distilled water, but then I read that that doesn't have any of the good stuff, so I switched to tap water w/ a conditioner. Zombie didn't have a heater for like half a month. Now I was able to buy him a heater
My suggestions is to buy at least a 1.5 gallon, or buy a 5g w/ a divider, that comes w/ a filter and buy a heater. Get them as soon as you can, but do what you can afford. Buy one thing at a time, or a couple things if you have extra money. If your fish are fine, they will be fine for a couple of days/weeks or maybe even a month until you can get the proper supplies.
When I bought my betta I thought you just needed a small fish bowl, like the pint sized ones, and some food, and that was it. After doing my research I realize that in order to give Zombie the best possible life, there are basic supplies.
Just don't let people bully you into buying everything today. Do what you can, but yes, you do need all these things.
Agreed. If you cant afford some things, take care of you fish as best as you can. Many people on this forum have their Bettas fast (not eat) on certain days of the week.
Oh yes. about the fasting. I fast Zombie on Sunday's. Except I didn't this past sunday because he had just gotten a new, way bigger home that week and I felt like he needed the extra nutrition. But he'll fast again this Sunday.
Agreed. If you cant afford some things, take care of you fish as best as you can. Many people on this forum have their Bettas fast (not eat) on certain days of the week.
Nutt I'm glad you agree. I mean, I felt so attacked when I got Zombie and asked for advice. I was a little resistant, but again, I felt attacked. If someone had given me the advice I just gave, the same way I did, I would've been a lot more receptive. I finally have Zombie a proper home w/ all the supplies, I did it when I could afford it, he lived through the terrible experience of having to live in a SMALL square VASE for about 2 weeks.
But first I bought the vase, which I thought was okay, then I bought some gravel, then Zombie. Then I got on this site and realized I needed more. So I bought water conditioner, so that even if he was living in a very small vase, his water was still safe. Then about 2 weeks later, I bought him his 1.5 gallon tank w/ a cave and plants, and it came w/ a filter. And then on Tuesday I bought him his heater, and a thermometer to measure the water.
Thanks guys!! I'm gonna go get each of my two betta's a 1.5g tank and a filter ASAP!!! perhaps i'll go buy another one also, then i'll have THREE!! YAY!
But thanks for all the advice guys! if u have any other info for me, then keep posting!!
One last question: When i get a filter, when i install it, will i need to keep the tank empty for a certain amount of time so that the water may be filterized??
Last edited by AaryonN; 08-05-2010 at 11:50 AM.
Reason: just cuz i need to put mpre info
If you're wanting to filter the tank, a 1.5 tank might be too small. At least a 2.5 is recommended because a 1.5 has too small of surface area to establish a beneficial bacteria colony. Other people can help you out with that, I'm no good at cycling yet. I just know that a 1.5g is too small for cycling. You don't have to get a filter with 1.5g tanks but you'll need to change the water twice a week, once 50% and once 100% to keep the ammonia levels down. Just heaters are 100% necessary. Make sure the heaters aren't too big of watt for your size of tank. I use a 25w heater in my 2.5g tank and it doesn't overheat it.
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