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Newbie, my first Betta

4K views 72 replies 17 participants last post by  haveyouhadyourteayet 
#1 ·
Hey all! So I recently took this little guy in, previous "owner" was a 4 year old who has owned this Betta for 2-3 years. They were moving and the mother of the kid didn't want to bother with moving the fish and his little half-gallon bowl. (The water was all yellow, no plants/decor/gravel and pieces of human food floating around, apparently this was his home for those 2-3 years they had him)
I've been cycling a 10 gallon tank the past few weeks, and I just moved him in. So far so good, he loves his food (Aqueon Betta Food) and he's very curious/active! :-D
Few questions, I hope this is the right place to post.

How long do Bettas live? (Lol this fish seems/looks old to me)
Can I place Java Moss/Fern in there now?
The 10 gallon tank is pretty darn clean, I was thinking of buying 2 Mystery Snails and/or 5+ Ghost Shrimp, should I wait a couple weeks before doing so or can I put them in now? (I know they eat scraps/algae, etc and well it being a new set-up..)
Difference between Mystery Snails and Ghost Shrimp?
Lastly, is a heater necessary? It's almost summer, it gets pretty hot here (90+ Fahrenheit) and the aquarium is by a window.
 

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#3 ·
Well, as for the heater... Do you keep your house at 90?
I would get a thermometer, you might be surprised how cool the water is.

I would actually avoid both those tank mates... bettas (as I'm sure you know) are pretty aggressive, and can terrorize both mysteries and shrimp. Nerite snails are very well protected, and are VERY good algae cleaners, which might be a huge bonus if it's near a window.

I would definitely get the fern/moss in there, can't harm anything!

2 small concerns - I can't tell if all the plants are silk, plastic is notorious for ripping fins. I've never had an issue with it, but many people have. Also, I would consider switching to a higher quality food. If you look at the label, you might be shocked by how full of crud it is. Personally I use New Life Spectrum, many people here recommend Omega One pellets.
 
#4 ·
How long do Bettas live? Healthy fish can live 3 -5 years, yours, given his previous conditions, is probably close to the end.

Can I place Java Moss/Fern in there now? Yes, you can.

The 10 gallon tank is pretty darn clean, I was thinking of buying 2 Mystery Snails and/or 5+ Ghost Shrimp, should I wait a couple weeks before doing so or can I put them in now? (I know they eat scraps/algae, etc and well it being a new set-up..) You can put them in, but consider that the shrimp could become a good meal for your fish, you may want to see what his personality is like. If he's very aggressive, the shrimp may not be a good idea.

Difference between Mystery Snails and Ghost Shrimp? Mystery snails can get pretty large, ghost shrimp can be large, but they are sometimes vulnerable to attack from a Betta fish. Mystery snails will generally eat algae, but they aren't the best at cleaning it up. Ghost shrimp eat all sorts of things, but are also not the best for cleaning up the tank. You will still need to do probably 2 tank cleans a week.

Lastly, is a heater necessary? It's almost summer, it gets pretty hot here (90+ Fahrenheit) and the aquarium is by a window. Yes a heater is necessary to keep the temperature stable, imagine if the temperature at night drops very low one night, then it can be very stressful for your fish. Betta fish do best in stable warm temperatures (not hot), frequent temperature fluctuations can be extremely stressful for a Betta, and can bring on illness (a consistent temp of 65 is better than one that is constantly going up and down, even if it's only by a few degrees. Also, you may want to consider not having him close to the window. Direct sunlight is bad for Betta fish, and if it's very hot outside, it could get very hot inside the tank. 90 degrees is MUCH too hot for a Betta. They thrive best in stable temps between 76 and 82.
 
#5 · (Edited)
It's been a busy past few days for me! I read everything as soon as you guys posted, so I went ahead and placed orders for a couple live plants (java Moss, java fern and anubias) and a 100 watt adjustable heater.
I'm also looking into getting some higher quality food for the little guy. :)

Couple more questions, how can I tell of he's aggressive or not? I stuck my hand/arm to adjust a plant, he swam circles around my hand? Lol
When I buy the Ghost Shrimp (decided against snails) can I just put them in or should I put them in another cycled tank I have? (3gal where I had the Betta while the 10gal cycled)

Thanks for all the help!
 
#6 ·
It's generally considered good practice to quarantine ANY tank mates first, for several weeks.

It's hard to tell if they're aggressive with you... You're the food monster! Even my most aggressive boy will beg like a little puppy if I put my hands in the tank. If you have a mirror, you can always gauge his reaction to that. It's normal for them to flare, although it's not an issue if they don't. One of my boys (poor Merraxes) would just stare at me, he only flared ONCE. On the flip side, my most aggressive boy will jump out of the water to grab the edge of the mirror...
 
#7 · (Edited)
Oh my gosh, the little guy totally went after the mirror and he stayed 'flared' for a good 5 seconds after I took the mirror out! First time i've actually seen the little guy flare lol! (You know what, i'm just going to go ahead and name him Little Guy)
I stuck the tip of my finger in the tank after putting the mirror in, and he managed to nip at me, he's never done that, not sure if he was still feeling feisty or he was curious.

I don't mean to be so blunt, but this makes him aggressive, right? Would it be cruel to test out a couple shrimp with him? (after they've been quarantined and if they seem healthy)

On another topic, i've been browsing the forums (learned so much already lol) and I noticed my betta doesn't have long flowy fins that most other males do, is this normal? He's been like that since I got him.
 
#8 ·
I don't think it's cruel at all, but I'm pretty mother nature-ey about stuff like that. I'd live feed snakes if I had em, let my dog catch rabbits n stuff... It's your call on it.

He was prolly still a bit feisty after his 'fight' but my guys always nibble my fingers. They think it means food. I encourage it :3 so coot.

His fins do look a little messed up in that last picture, any change to get a few more?
 
#9 ·
I've always wanted shrimp so i'll go ahead it with it, maybe they'll make tasty treats? Or at least that's what i'm telling myself to not feel bad. :p I'll definitely make sure to add more caves/grass type plants for cover.
I really hope he's not near the end, I really like him. Compared to the tropical fish I used to have, Little Guy has quite a personality.

For some reason it is taking forever to try to upload the picture I just took, i'll try again later! I was able to get a really clear shot though. :)
 
#11 ·
Yikes yeah that is fin rot. Not surprising given the care he had before... Shame on that mother, it was solely up to her to care for the pet, and she COMPLETELY failed. *dismounts high horse*

To treat fin rot (and this is almost advanced to body rot on that bottom/anal fin) you will want to add aquarium salt, gradually increasing the salinity to 1tsp/gallon. I mix some up in some heated aq water, so I'd try to get 2 or 3 cups heated up, and add mix 10 tsp of aquarium salt into that. Then add maybe 1/4 of a cup at a time, giving 30 mins in between for him to get used to it.
That will purge the infection from his fins. If it continues to advance, you can increase to 2 tsp/gal, but do not leave the salt in for more than 10 days, it's pretty hard on their kidneys. I imagine with that and the clean/warm water, he'll heal up pretty quickly :)
 
#13 ·
I would leave him in the 10G, as long as it is properly cycled. The water is gonna be 'cleaner,' although you might want to up the partials. Usually it's recommended to clean about a third of the water, plus cleaning substrate. I'd up that to about half maybe.

You could treat him in 1G, I'd do daily changes :)
 
#14 ·
Well thank you for the help, I really appreciate it. I'll do some more research and get the aquarium salt ASAP.
If it's not too late, can his fins potentially grow back completely? I thought he was just old, I'm really kicking myself for not looking into it sooner.
 
#16 · (Edited)
You may want to take a more aggressive treatment and treat with actual meds if that is indeed fin rot, since its so close to the body - something like API's Furan 2 would work. Stress coat at 2X the dosage will help fins regrow once the rot is treated. However they might look a little funky once they do.
 
#17 ·
This. That's close to the body, and could cause some serious problems. I'd give him a 30 minute dip each day in a 1 gallon "hospital tank" with Furan 2 (yes, I know it's super hard to measure the amount for 1 gallon), and then put him back in his big tank again when the dip is all done. And make sure to acclimatize him! (float him in a cup or bag for a while before putting him in either tank so the temperature doesn't shock him) After that, stress coat at the higher dosage in his big tank will help essentially replace the lost slime coat and help him heal up, stay calm, etc.
 
#18 ·
I'm able to order Furan 2, but that'll probably take about a week+ to get here (if I can't find it locally, near me there is only PetSmart and Walmart).

Is there another treatment I can use that I may be able to find at those places? If not what can I do until the Furan 2 gets here, just treat with aquarium salt? I'm asking in advance because even PetSmart/Walmart is 40 minutes away I want to know what to keep an eye out for. :)
 
#19 ·
This thread is my go to guide for medication, I'm super clueless about it too:
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=73332

From that thread:
"Medication: If Conservative treatment is ineffective use API Tetracycline, API Fungus Cure, API Triple Sulfa, OR API Erythromycin. Also add Stress Coat to help regrowth. Continue until fins/tail stop receding and start showing some new growth."

Taking daily pictures is a huge aid in tracking progress/regrowth
 
#20 ·
you're little guy seems to either have severe fin rot or he bites his fins off. you might want to contact the previous owner if it had long fins at one point if it didn't it is probably a girl and then that would still make it fin rot or fin nipping but less severe. but they should grow back if it had long fins before because of how well your keeping him or her. keep it up.
 
#23 ·
I got API Tetracycline and Fungus Cure. If i'm not mistaken (or too hopeful) i'm almost 100% certain I see regrowth/improvement.
I took the best picture I could just now i'll go ahead and post that.

On another note, are betta's normally like very active? I think today marks a week that he's been in his 10 gallon, he is literally all over the place! It seems like every once in a while he purposely swims under the filter's waterfall flow thingy and it pretty much takes him down lol. He'll very slowly approach it with his little fins all perked up and then speed up and go right under. (i baffled it with a waterbottle but it's still pretty strong, looking for a sponge) In addition to that the Java Moss I ordered got here yesterday and I spread it along the log he has, he nipped at it several times and then he Literally rolled in it, and spread it/took it off the log. I even took short video of him doing it. :p
One last thing (sorry i'm totally babbling, it's just so exciting to watch him lol) he tries to nip at me through the glass (even without my hands anywhere in sight)? And if I stick my hand in it seems pretty aggressive the way he comes after me. As soon as my hand hovers over the water, even just to feed him, he jumps out of the water (not much if barely) to try to get me. Is this normal?

All in all he seems very happy. :)
 

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#26 ·
That does look a lot better!! Clean, warm water can work miracles!!
I'd mostly seen the nastiest looking rot on his anal (bottom) fin, and I'm still seeing a little nastyness, but it's a lot less dead looking. He's on the mend!!
Sounds like he's a very happy fishy!! He might actually slow down some one his fins come back, shorter tailed bettas tend to be a little zippier. And as his tail grows in, the flow of the filter may start bothering him, as his whole backside will be a giant sail.
It's very normal to try to get to the 'food monster', my fish will come beg at the edge of the glass, and follow my finger around the top, or if my hands are in there, they nibble at them. So cute.
The moss video is super cute!! Just keep an eye out if he's rubbing of 'flashing' against anything else, it can be a sign of parasites, they're itchy and make fish scratch on things. Looks like he's just playing here though :3
Cannot WAIT to see how he grows back!! He's very lucky to have you!
 
#27 · (Edited)
I'm glad you think he's lucky to have me! I thought I would fail miserably at treating him (knock on wood).
He doesn't appear to scratch against anything, the whole playing in it has only happened when I barely put the moss in, but i'll keep an eye out for any more scratching just in case.
Anal fin? Are they the two little pointy fins right under his face/head? I just went through the pictures i've posted and realized you can't see them soooo.. I took 1 more! Lol :D

By the way, does he look fat? I'm feeding him Omega One now, he likes it just as much as Aqueon Pellets thankfully.
 

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