Hello everyone! I got my first betta a few weeks ago and have been lurking for a while. This site has been so helpful I have a few questions though that I would like to ask...
I have a little female crowntail, I named her Rosie and am already about 50x more smitten over her than I thought was even possible (I've never had fish before and frankly never understood why people liked them so much) she's very inquisitive and eats like a little swimming pig! Which leads me to my first question...
I'm a little unsure about her body condition...whether or not she's at a healthy size. I cannot tell if she looks bloated or not, or too chubby or not.
Last week I fed her more heavily than I had been because I knew I was going to be gone for 4 days for the long weekend and I wanted to make sure she had enough meat on her bones before going 4 days without food. I think I might had overfed her too much though because she looking alot more round and bloaty than before... she fasted for 3 1/2 days since I was out of town and I came back and she is still looking rounded. I usually feed her 1-2 pellets per day, last week I fed her 2-3 pellets per days (in 2-3 meals, still 1 crushed pellet at a time). Since being back and her still being round I've been feeding her just 1 pellet a day and she still seems rounded. She's acting normally and she has pooped, so I guess its not constipation/bloat...right? I've been looking at tons of pictures of fish described as overweight and trying to compare them to her but I can't seem to draw any conclusions...does she look overweight or bloated to you guys?
These 2 pictures are from the day I got her, she's definitely more plump (and colorful)now...but I know know if she was thin then and healthy now, or healthy then and chubby now...
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My 2nd concern is about water quality. Her bowl is small, only 1 gal, so I know its important to keep clean because ammonia, etc can build up very quickly. I've been doing a 100% change every 4 days or so, and ~25% water change every other day. I use API stress coat as a water conditioner (1/8th tsp). I want to make sure that I'm not keeping it too clean though; I know some bacteria is beneficial. Am I changing her water too much?
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A 3rd question I have is about lighting. How important is natural light? I ask because I have heavy curtains over my bedroom windows to help insulate/keep out the heat of the sun. This also makes my room very dark. Is this bad for my beta? I have a lamp near her bowl, it has a regular tungsten bulb in it. I don't have it on all the time, but when I'm here (and awake) I turn it on. Is this ok? Or should I switch to a different type of light bulb?
That's all my questions for now!
Thanks!
I have a little female crowntail, I named her Rosie and am already about 50x more smitten over her than I thought was even possible (I've never had fish before and frankly never understood why people liked them so much) she's very inquisitive and eats like a little swimming pig! Which leads me to my first question...
I'm a little unsure about her body condition...whether or not she's at a healthy size. I cannot tell if she looks bloated or not, or too chubby or not.
Last week I fed her more heavily than I had been because I knew I was going to be gone for 4 days for the long weekend and I wanted to make sure she had enough meat on her bones before going 4 days without food. I think I might had overfed her too much though because she looking alot more round and bloaty than before... she fasted for 3 1/2 days since I was out of town and I came back and she is still looking rounded. I usually feed her 1-2 pellets per day, last week I fed her 2-3 pellets per days (in 2-3 meals, still 1 crushed pellet at a time). Since being back and her still being round I've been feeding her just 1 pellet a day and she still seems rounded. She's acting normally and she has pooped, so I guess its not constipation/bloat...right? I've been looking at tons of pictures of fish described as overweight and trying to compare them to her but I can't seem to draw any conclusions...does she look overweight or bloated to you guys?
These 2 pictures are from the day I got her, she's definitely more plump (and colorful)now...but I know know if she was thin then and healthy now, or healthy then and chubby now...
--
My 2nd concern is about water quality. Her bowl is small, only 1 gal, so I know its important to keep clean because ammonia, etc can build up very quickly. I've been doing a 100% change every 4 days or so, and ~25% water change every other day. I use API stress coat as a water conditioner (1/8th tsp). I want to make sure that I'm not keeping it too clean though; I know some bacteria is beneficial. Am I changing her water too much?
--
A 3rd question I have is about lighting. How important is natural light? I ask because I have heavy curtains over my bedroom windows to help insulate/keep out the heat of the sun. This also makes my room very dark. Is this bad for my beta? I have a lamp near her bowl, it has a regular tungsten bulb in it. I don't have it on all the time, but when I'm here (and awake) I turn it on. Is this ok? Or should I switch to a different type of light bulb?
That's all my questions for now!
Thanks!