The Quick Question Thread

[strangegoose]

also if i wanted to give him some water fleas or mosqitoe larvae how many should he have ?

[bahamut285]

Originally Posted by strangegoose

Hi new to bettas, got my red vt 3 months ago. I am wary of over feeding him , dont want him to bloat. Should he still be hungry after 2 pellets in the morning and 2 in the afternoon ? Do i need to feed him a bit more ,or are they always hungry ?

Hello Goose, welcome to the forum! The majority of fish are what we call "opportunistic eaters" meaning they eat everything they can when available, so your fish would eat EVERYTHING you put in the tank. Most betta are different depending on how good their digestive system is, and also how large they are.

A good rule of thumb is that their stomach is about the size of their eye :)...my smaller guy only gets one pellet in the morning and one at night, while my larger female gets 2 in the morning and 2 at night.

[strangegoose]

i think Jim is a pig, and would try and eat anything i put in the tank with him.

I think i will feed him a bit less. I dont know how old he is, fish shop didnt know. He seems fairly mature.

Is there away of telling how old they are by their size ? Or does that just depend on genetics ?

I am very happy i found this forum :) I can see me ending up with a lot of tanks !!!!

I used to think bettas just sort of moped around not really swimming about , only ever having seen them in tiny tanks. I have always kept fancy goldfish.

Jim is so lively, i am so glad i bought him home.

[strangegoose]

I live in the UK and know if i saw the bettas in those little cups they sell them in usa here, i would want to save them all !

[Neil D]

Yeah, bettas can change when their in a good enviroment. Age will usually be 1 yr about at petstores, because thats when their fins are the best.

[Shimizoki]

I know its variable... but If I am using the fish in method of cycling the tank (12 neon tetras) how long should it take (on average)? Its a 45 Gal tank. I know without my differences it can take from a week to a month...

Things that should make a difference:
I have a fair amount of real plants in it (6ish elodea vines, sword, small java fern, some other plant that starts with a W)
I have moved over some rocks from an already established tank.

Next question, If I have 2 filters in this tank running... can I then move an established filter to a new tank and it already be cycled?

[Lion Mom]

"Next question, If I have 2 filters in this tank running... can I then move an established filter to a new tank and it already be cycled?"

IME, yes - that is how I do it when I set up a new tank. I have a 75 gal. cichlid tank with two large power filters on it. The filters are STUFFED with extra sponges/media so I just take from there when setting a new one up. :)

[bahamut285]

Queries: Are tannins used strictly for medicinal reasons? Or can I just dump a bag of decaf green tea in my tank for everyday living purposes?

I change my 5 Gal tanks once a week around 50-60%. Would it be ok if I put in a bag every other week? Or is it only for when they are sick and in QT?

Will the tea stain anything? (i.e. the sides of the glass, deco, gravel, etc.)

[Wyvern]

I keep my tanks lightly stained - my boys prefer it that way - less tailbiting actually.

I havent seen any staining so far and I have white gravel in the tank.

[Shimizoki]

Thanks Lion Mom:
My first question was missed, maybe I'll reword it.
I am using the fish in method of cycling the tank (12 neon tetras).

Would adding lots of plants speed up, slow down the cycling process in a 45gal tank? By how much? (a lot? a little?)