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Soon going to be a first time owner, have some questions

853 views 13 replies 3 participants last post by  SilverBubble98 
#1 ·
Came across this forum today and decided to join :-D I love my fish so I thought it would be a good place to come :)

I am planning to get a Betta in August and had some questions and products I wanted to check were ok :)

The tank I am thinking of is 18L (3.96 Gallons) Will this be big enough for a single male Betta??

I found this conditioner and I wanted to check this would be fine to use for the tank: Tap Water Conditioner 120ml by API | Pets at Home i chose this one as the tank will be filled with tap water as it is easiest and most convenient for me :)

I am struggling to find a food to feed the betta, any recommendations? (I need to be able to get it to the UK if it is from a website)

What should I put into the tank? (any recommendations on what your Bettas like)

For the 4 Gallon tank (well 3.96 but for .04 I think I can call it 4Gallons) will doing a 50% water change once a week be enough (there will be a filter) or should I do a different % or more often?

My bedroom is usually around 22C is that warm enough or should I buy a heater? or I could move them to another spot I have that is just under a meter away from the radiator.

As I will be most likely buying the tank (If I can afford to) and food before I go on holiday for 2 weeks so I can get the Betta when I get back, would it be ok to have it set up and filtering when I am away to get the filter cycling and used (it would be started a week before I leave just to check there is no faults that could damage my house while i'm away, should I just do that instead and not let it run when there is nobody in my house?)

Thanks In advance :)
 
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#2 ·
4 gallons is definitely enough room for a betta! The recommended minimum is 2.5 gallons. The API Tap Water Conditioner is great, I use that one normally but when someone gets ripped fins I switch out and use a Stress Coat beacuse it's a conditioner and also contains aloe to help heal their fins.

I'm not sure what's in the UK as far as food, but most recommended is Omega One Betta Pellets or New Life Spectrum Betta Pellets (I use both, I switch them around so my Betta's don't get bored with their food because they can!)

As far as putting things in the tank, make sure everything is aquarium safe. Also do not use plastic plants because they will rip their fins, however you can use silk plants. I use real plants in all my tanks and my betta's love them, I also use some floating plants like Water Sprite or I leave my Anacharis floating for them to sleep in. For low light tanks I also recommend Java Fern and Anubias as they hard pretty much hard to kill haha.

50% seems good to me, or you could always split it and do 25% gravel vacuuming at half the week and then siphon another 25% later in the week, but just water. But 50% once should be fine, if you can get a turkey baster or something similar you can suck out their poo each night so it doesn't contaminate the water as quickly.

You should definitely buy a heater as Bettas do live in tropical areas and like 76-80 degree water, which I believe is 26-28C? Sorry, I'm not great at switching systems haha.

And yes! It is definitely recommended to set up the tank first (make sure everything works and no leaks and such) however it is very difficult to maintain a balanced cycle with anything under a 5 gallon but it doesn't hurt to let it run a while before you put your betta in.

Well I believe that is most of it, always remember to condition your tap water before it's put it, try to keep it mostly around the same temperature, and never be afraid to ask questions here! We'll all help out to the best of our abilities and Welcome to the forum! :D
 
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#4 ·
Before you put it in the water. What I do is while I'm filling up the bucket of new water I add the conditioner in there which should only be a few drops, this is so that it mixes around and then you can add it straight to the aquarium :)

EDIT: And when I say put it in the water, I really mean before you put it in the tank lol
 
#7 ·
Lol bettafishfins, I used to spend HOURS researching my fish every second I could get! It actually got the point it was interfering with my college....opps! It was literally the most fun I had researching something though, and if I ever have to write an essay on fish, I could write an entire book! But that's a good thing! The more you know, the happier your fish is! And the happier you are as well, knowing you've done right by your fish.

And actually I'm still learning all about the little things, the more I read and post in this forum, the more I learn everyday! Glad to have joined here!
 
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#9 ·
Lol yeah...not sure my friends were very happy with me either XD And of course every time I talk with my dad now he's like "You know way too much about fish" and then we both laugh.
 
#11 ·
Oh yup! I have a whole list saved to a Word Document! Next is to compile all the information I know onto one Document so that I can reference it when I need :D
 
#12 ·
Thats a good idea :D

I love waiting to get a pet as i am in my local pet store almost every week ( i have 2 gerbils, 2 guinea pigs, a cat, 4 danios and a fantail goldfish) so i look at things i want to buy nearer the time :)

I keep thinking of names too, will make a list as i will most likely end up as addicted as i am to reasearching them ;)
 
#13 ·
Oh gosh yes, most of the places I go know me by name! Haha and the LFS I go to in my town has only been set up for about 2 months, I go in there every week and they give me discounts on betta's because they know I always come back. I even got a HUGE Water Sprite mother plant, it's literally two feet long! He gave it to me for 7.99, about 8.35 with the tax! That plant could have easily sold for 20 dollars! When I get more money I'll be going back more often haha. When they get busier I would even like to get a job there, I've talked to them about it but they're still in the setting up phase unfortunately.

(Sorry for taking over this thread >< I have a bad tendency to do this)
 
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