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male or female?

886 views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  resa 
#1 · (Edited)
i will try to attach a picture of him with this post...

please check my album and look at my beautiful betta and let me know if he's truly male or was i misguided.... i have another thread open asking other questions. i started this thread bc the other one isnt getting me any where. ive had my betta a week or less. this is the first fish i've ever had. hes in a 1 gallon bowl tank. which is a little over half full. the tank came with a multi color LED lighting system. it has fake rocks and a fake glow plant. no heater or thermometer.... the way my fish looks in my album photos is not his real color. for some reason the LED lights make him look a different color. he's primarily gray... unless they change colors and im unaware of it...... my biggest concerns are.... 1 is he a male. 2. why is he making a bubble nest. 3 why is he not eating the tetrabetta pellets 4 is he happy 5 can we tell about how old he is by looking at his pictures? 6. what should i be feeding him? like i said i'm currently giving him tetrabetta floating pellets sold at walmart......
i am sorry i made 2 threads but i want to educate myself the best i can with my baby and make sure i take care of him to the best of my ability. he was a christmas present..... when i get more money i will get a bigger tank and a heater and thermometer etc.
 
#8 ·
I agree he's definitely a male bubble nests are a natural thing males do & sometimes females will too. The bubble nests are what the males will take care of the eggs in if they were to breed, its nothing to worry about. As for not eating, sometimes it takes them some time to settle in & start eating plus if the water is too cold he may not eat. Also he may not like the pellets, try New Life Spectrum. He definitely needs heat, his water should be 76-80 at least. I would fill the bowl up more so he has more water volume. Is there a filter? Yes they do change colors when they're in a healthy environment they tend to darken when sick or stressed they can lighten up. In that small volume of water frequent water changes will be necessary.
 
#9 ·
thank you. i just changed his water 100% i used 2L of aqua culture betta pro water solution for betta fish..... i cleaned his glowing plant and rocks as well.... i do not have a filter and i dont have a heater..... i do believe the water is to cold tho. as far as his color when i got him from walmart he was gray.... when i was cleaning his tank and took him out i noticed he is actually becoming colored. my mother in law thinks we may have a heater around this house somewhere (her daughter has mississippi map turtles) however i dont believe we'll find the heater..... i dont have the means to get a heater or filter at this time. is there another way i can heat up the water? as far as checking the tanks temp all i have is a regular thermometer we would use.... as far as filling his tank bowl up more, can i use tap water? i do not have any more of the aqua betta pro water..... any other suggestions are greatly welcomed.. thank you :) i really hope i can do everything in my power to make my betta happy and healthy and kept alive :(
 
#11 ·
They are tropical fish and need a heater, unless your room temperature is in the upper 70's or lower 80's at all times. Get a thermometer to check his water temp. The ideal range it 76-82. You can get a good heater for $10 at most wal-marts or pet stores. If that is not a possibility, you'll need to put a lamp very close to his tank water during the day, and wrap his tank at night with warm towels to keep the warmth in the tank.

You can use tap water as long as you have a good water conditioner that removes the chlorine. Also, with that size of a tank, you're going to need to 100% water changes 5-6 times a week. A bigger tank is easier to maintain, clean and heat. The recommended minimum tank size is 2.5 gallons (The general rule for all fish being 1 gallon per inch of fish - and since Bettas are generally 2 1/2 inches long, 2.5 gallons is the absolute minimum). Remember, fish naturally produce ammonia in their waste, and ammonia is toxic to fish, so you should also get a water testing kit to make sure that the ammonia levels never rise above .25 (even that's pushing it), and if they are, you'll need to do a water change immediately, or risk killing your fish.
 
#12 ·
If you are going to use a heater that your Mother in Law is going to GIVE to you, I suggest testing it first. It might be too strong for a small tank and end up cooking your handsome boy.

Make sure to pick up a thermometer at the petstore...they're usually only around $3
 
#13 ·
You can use tap, which in the long run will save you money, just get a water conditioner such as Seachems Prime. You don't have to have a filter so no worries on that but a heater is a must. In the mean time, if you can put his bowl in the warmest room or the warmest spot in the room he's in that'll help. You can wrap the bowl with one of those microwavable heat packs, keep the bowl lid closed or put some kind of lid on it so itll hold the heat in. Room temp water is usually 3-4 degrees cooler than the room. On water changes you could probably do a 50% & then a 100% per week so 2 changes per week. You're doing right by asking questions, its a definite learning experience.
 
#14 ·
i have as of today purchased water conditioner so i can use tap water. i also got a thermometer and tropical flake fish food. the water temp without a heater is perfectly fine.... however he still isn't eating the food.....just thought i'd update this... and i got my products at petsmart.
 
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