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New to Betta Keeping

1K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  horsyqueen 
#1 ·
I'm new to betta keeping, but I've tried to do as much research as possible to be sure that my new VT males are getting the proper treatment. They currently live in their own 10 gallon aquariums with heaters, filtration, and decorations. I do need to get more decorations for my second tank, but the male that lives in it seems to be happy so I don't think it needs to be rushed.

I bought them yesterday from Meijer. I know it's frowned upon to purchase from these chain stores, however, the bettas were fairly clean and active. The employee that was working in the department seemed very well educated about the fish. He asked me if I got a bowl and I said that I had two tanks instead and he said that it was great because bowls aren't a good home for them. I continued to tell him about my setup and he was very happy about it. The employee really wanted to make sure that I had a heater and such for the tanks as well. He made sure that I was aware that some of the bettas had a little fungus on them (he said he was working on treating them) and he even checked to make sure mine were alright. I guess I was just a sucker. I know, shame on me. Next time I'll resist.

Anyway, I would also like to apologize ahead of time for my low quality pictures. I don't have a camera at the moment so I'm trying to make an iPhone do the job. It isn't the best thing in the world when it comes to pictures. If the attachments aren't the right size, please forgive me. This is really the first time I've been on a forum and I have no idea how to re-size the pictures.
 

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#3 ·
Hello, and welcome to the forum and the world of betta-keeping. :)
As long as the cup has been kept clean, it's fine if you bought them. It would've been worse if you bought them from Walmart so it's okay. Kudos to the employee for actually caring. Your bettas are so pretty! I especially like your second one. What are their names?

Have you heard of cycling? The filters need to build up beneficial bacteria to eat ammonia and nitrite. Cycling would also decrease the number of water changes you have to do. ;-)
 
#4 ·
We used to shop at Walmart. My family hates Walmart with a passion now. We didn't have a very great experience there. In the past, Walmart was actually a pretty decent store, but they had a fire and everything went downhill from there.

Ah, I've heard of cycling. I'm not 100% sure what it is, though. I would love to understand it better. I hope it wasn't too harsh on my bettas seeing as I probably didn't do it since I don't quite understand it.

Names. Hm. Actually, I haven't thought about any names yet! I have no idea what to name my boys! I like names that have meanings to them. Any suggestions from my fellow betta keepers?
 
#5 ·
Yes, Walmart is a cruel cruel place. lol
There are 2 ways of cycling. Fish-in and fishless. In your case, it's fish-in. You can read about cycling here, here, and here. :D It really benefits you and the fish. There's a cycling master here called Hallyx, you can talk to him/]. But of course OFL is awesome on it, too. ;-) It's really up to you. I usually base the names on their personality and color design. ^.^
 
#6 ·
I'll definitely take a look at those links! Thanks for posting them! I see that Walmart is a very unpleasant place now even for humans. It's such a shame. There's more Meijer stores than Walmart around here, thank goodness. I think the favoritism shows since I see more business at Meijer than Walmart. We don't even look in the direction of their store anymore. The last time we went to Walmart, the fish section was a graveyard. I was so embarrassed at the way my mother yelled at the employees, but I knew she was right. That's exactly how we got the title "The Fish Family".

Haha, I'm not good at naming things, but we'll see what I can come up with as possible names. Maybe my boyfriend will have some ideas. Can you believe that he's never had a betta as a pet before!? I'm sure he'd love to help me name them and take care of them, he seemed really happy and excited when I told him that I finally got some bettas to put in my aquariums.
 
#7 ·
I'm happy there's only 1 Walmart in my area. There aren't any Meijers here, either. lol You're so lucky your family likes fish! My mom is one of those "It's just a fish" people. -.- But my dad likes them, he thinks I go overboard with them. lol
I can't believe your bf never had one, but it's great he's going to be an owner soon!
 
#8 · (Edited)
Betta Names Chosen

Alright, we've come to a decision on the names. The name of the betta in the first picture is Kaden and the name of the betta in the second picture is Seth. One name that I really like and one that my boyfriend really likes. This is actually quite exciting to me. It seems like Kaden and Seth know that I saved them from a horrible life with some little kid or a family that thinks that bettas are decorations.
 
#10 ·
It beggars belief with some of the larger stockists, ok the guy in the shop was honest, but why did they have fish on display (and for sale) with a fungal infection? these should be in a hospital tank being treated until they are completely clear of infection before being displayed for sale.
They will sell the fish that is in the infected tank, then replace these fish with others without doing a water change, next fish that go in is bound to get infected,,,hence in effect infecting your healthy aquarium.
But my rant over, they are nice specimens, you chose well and the tanks should keep them perfectly happy.
Enjoy your fish.
Ray
 
#11 ·
Heyand welcome to the site.
Nothing wrong with chain stores. I have got all except 2 males from chain stores. This is because its cheaper (I like cheap aquariums and equipment) and they generally have more of a range to buy from.
 
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