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Meet my new handsome baby!!!!

2K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  Indyfishy 
#1 ·
Hi Everyone!

So my first Betta, Elmo, passed away a couple of weeks ago and I didn't know if or when I would get another one. I went into Petco on Monday to get some dog toys and I wandered over to the betta section to check out what they had in stock. There were a lot of pretty ones but none that I felt I had to have. Then, this weekend I thought that I'd go back and get some more test strips and maybe cycle my tank for a few weeks and see if that might jar me into getting another fish. Well, I walked in yesterday evening with my best friend (bad influence) and she went right over to the betta section and began showing me all the fish. They had definitely gotten in some new ones because when I was there only a few days before I looked at EVERY fish. I really wanted a Crowntail but then I saw this adorable and completely beautiful Delta male. He was so tiny but extremely spunky and friendly and I knew I had to have him immediately. So, I left the store with my new little baby and a new bag of gravel (I threw out Elmo's gravel when I cleaned out the tank because he had been sick).

I have a 3 gallon Eclipse and my bio wheel is still good and has a lot of good bacteria on it. I set up the tank and added aquarium salt and stress coat and ran the tank for about four hours. Then I tested the water and the ammonia levels were "ideal" and the heater was at 80 degrees. It took me about a half an hour to transfer the little guy from his cup to the tank, but when he got in there he was so happy!!! It was past midnight and I watched him for like a half an hour swim ALL over the tank exploring all his hiding spots and the plants, etc. The only thing that worried me was that I think the filter is too strong for him so I turned it off. I just had horrible images of "Finding Nemo" in my head. Elmo handled the filter just fine but he was like 4 times the size of this little guy.

So here are my two questions:
1. I measured him and he is only a little over an inch long (from head to base of body, not including tail) and he hasn't been in the store for more than 5 days. I know its hard to estimate a betta's age but would you say that he is probably younger than the average 7 months. Also, do males always start to blow bubble nests from the time they are born or do they start at a certain age. He hasnt blown a nest yet so I was just wondering.
2. Regarding food, I have Hikari pellets and a large supply of frozen daphnia, bloodworms, and a few mixtures that came in a combo pack from San Francisco Bay Co. I waited until this morning to feed him and soaked one pellet and gave it to him. He ate most of it but it took him a really long time because he would "chew" and then spit it out like it was too big for him and then repeat the process about 6-7 times until there was only a little bit left which he finally let sink to the bottom. Is that normal?? I put a 2nd pellet in but he ignored it so I took it out. How should I go about feeding the little guy? He obviously likes the pellets but one is more than enough for him. How many should I feed a day and then when and how often should I give him some of the frozen mixtures?

Oh, and I haven't come up with a name for the little guy yet!!! Any suggestions would be great! I almost feel like female names fit him better because he is just too darn pretty for a tough guy name. Lol.

Thanks!!!! : )
 

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#2 ·
Congragulations on your new betta! I'm very sorry to hear about Elmo, but your new boy is very, very pretty. :D If his body is only 1" long, I'd say he is maybe 4 or 5 months. And I've heard that some boys at just 3 months old can build handsome bubblenests. :) It's okay if he doesn't build one right away, it can take a while to adjust. For food, some pellets can be pretty big. I use the hikari pellets for my boys and girl too, and they love it, but htey are all full grown. Try soaking the pellet in vinager, I've heard that helps, or try crushing it up a bit. If that doesn't work, try a different kind of food. My guys love freeze dried bloodworms. If they have a slow day, one of those perks them right up. :)
 
#4 ·
Ooooo he is handsome!!! What a stunner, congrats on him!!! If the pellets are too big you can try crushing them, or try feeding him flake foods. If he was mine I would name him Solaris, Nereus, or Joey but he's yours so you name him whatever you want =D
 
#7 ·
Thanks everyone. : ) So I crushed up a pellet and fed it to him tonight and the little brat spit it out! Lol. What is a good brand of flakes that I could try with him until he gets big enough to eat pellets?

Also, Bettaluvr (sp?) I noticed that your handsome boy has a two colored tail like my little boy. Yours is awesome. Is that just a fluke or is it called something when they have a different color at the ends of their fins?
 
#8 ·
Thanks everyone. : ) So I crushed up a pellet and fed it to him tonight and the little brat spit it out! Lol. What is a good brand of flakes that I could try with him until he gets big enough to eat pellets?

Also, Bettaluvr (sp?) I noticed that your handsome boy has a two colored tail like my little boy. Yours is awesome. Is that just a fluke or is it called something when they have a different color at the ends of their fins?
Thank you! I'm sorry, I don't know any good flake brands. ;/ And the two color band is called a Butterfly pattern. When it's white all around on the tips of every fin, it's a Salamander Butterfly, if I'm not mistaken. :) You're boy is a beautiful Butterfly, and if he's so small, I'm almost positive his fins will grow to be a halfmoon. :) Sadly, my boy is a vicious tailbiter. :( His tail hasn't looked like that in 5 months.
 
#9 ·
Omg! Why is he biting his tail??? That's so sad. How is he doing in the minibow with the filter? I have the 3 gallon and Elmo was fine with the filter but he was also a lot bigger than the new little guy. Do you think as he gets bigger that he'll be able to handle the filter better?

That's so neat that I have a butterfly! I knew when I saw him at Petco that he was special and that I had to have him. They say he's a delta though. Can deltas turn into HM's or could he just have possibly been mislabeled?
 
#11 ·
Omg! Why is he biting his tail??? That's so sad. How is he doing in the minibow with the filter? I have the 3 gallon and Elmo was fine with the filter but he was also a lot bigger than the new little guy. Do you think as he gets bigger that he'll be able to handle the filter better?

That's so neat that I have a butterfly! I knew when I saw him at Petco that he was special and that I had to have him. They say he's a delta though. Can deltas turn into HM's or could he just have possibly been mislabeled?
I really don't know why he's tailbiting. I've tried moving his tank, rearranging his decor, changing his food... nothing. ;/ The minibow filter is very nice though, quiet and very efficient. :) He might be able to handle it as he gets bigger, but his tail is very large and heavy for him so he might still have trouble with it. He really is gorgeous! And HM's just look like deltas until their fins fill out entirely. :)
 
#12 ·
For flake foods, I can heartily recommend Omega One Betta Buffet Flakes. They actually have more protein than most of the pellet foods I've seen o_O Just make sure you remove any of the uneaten flakes because they do cloud the water something awful x_x. Deltas can become halfmoons if they're already almost a halfmoon. Your guy looks like he could definitely become one as he grows up, and flaring helps stretch their fins out. Just don't let him flair to much, too much flairing can cause big tears in the tail.
 
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