Hey, y'all!
Brand new Betta owner here. Brought Bilbo Baggins the Betta home on Saturday. I originally put him in a large bowl shaped vase I already had (1- 1/2 gallon sized). Added decorative marbles and a life peace lily. Submerged the roots of the peace lily. Leaves are sticking up out of the top. Have a decorative dragon that my bf's 12 y.o. picked out (he named fish, too).
I'm trying to be a good fish mommy. I did a 100% water change on Monday and just did a 50% water change today. Because I currently have a live plant in there, I didn't do the full 100% change today. Didn't want to mess with whatever the balances are in there (I haven't done any testing yet).
In addition, when Bilbo did not seem to be enjoying the flakes, I picked through the food to give him the non-flaky bits for a day or two. Yesterday, I bought him pellets for primary food and bloodworms as his treat.
Bilbo seems to be a happy betta. I was greeted yesterday morning with a bubble nest. He watches me from inside the bowl and typically swims to whatever side of the bowl I am standing on (the bowl is resting on the raised countertop between the kitchen and living/dining areas.
Of course, I found this website and started reading the messages and so am now thinking about upgrading his living quarters to some kind of tank. My issue is that I ONLY want Bilbo, not other fish. 10 gal tanks seem rather large for just him, so I am thinking that I want a tank in the 2-5 gal range. Is that going to be good for him?
I haven't purchased additional items for the current bowl he is in, because if I manage to get a tank at a discount, it frequently comes with lots of accessories.
I am finding myself a little overwhelmed with the different options here- live plants vs. silk faux plants; sand vs. gravel; filtration; etc.
I'm not looking to invest several hundred dollars into this. I wanted something really simple and it's already getting more complicated than I originally expected. I'm okay with some added complications and expense, but I don't want to go crazy with it, either.
Thanks!
Bilbo's new mom.
Brand new Betta owner here. Brought Bilbo Baggins the Betta home on Saturday. I originally put him in a large bowl shaped vase I already had (1- 1/2 gallon sized). Added decorative marbles and a life peace lily. Submerged the roots of the peace lily. Leaves are sticking up out of the top. Have a decorative dragon that my bf's 12 y.o. picked out (he named fish, too).
I'm trying to be a good fish mommy. I did a 100% water change on Monday and just did a 50% water change today. Because I currently have a live plant in there, I didn't do the full 100% change today. Didn't want to mess with whatever the balances are in there (I haven't done any testing yet).
In addition, when Bilbo did not seem to be enjoying the flakes, I picked through the food to give him the non-flaky bits for a day or two. Yesterday, I bought him pellets for primary food and bloodworms as his treat.
Bilbo seems to be a happy betta. I was greeted yesterday morning with a bubble nest. He watches me from inside the bowl and typically swims to whatever side of the bowl I am standing on (the bowl is resting on the raised countertop between the kitchen and living/dining areas.
Of course, I found this website and started reading the messages and so am now thinking about upgrading his living quarters to some kind of tank. My issue is that I ONLY want Bilbo, not other fish. 10 gal tanks seem rather large for just him, so I am thinking that I want a tank in the 2-5 gal range. Is that going to be good for him?
I haven't purchased additional items for the current bowl he is in, because if I manage to get a tank at a discount, it frequently comes with lots of accessories.
I am finding myself a little overwhelmed with the different options here- live plants vs. silk faux plants; sand vs. gravel; filtration; etc.
I'm not looking to invest several hundred dollars into this. I wanted something really simple and it's already getting more complicated than I originally expected. I'm okay with some added complications and expense, but I don't want to go crazy with it, either.
Thanks!
Bilbo's new mom.