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Fred thanks you

2K views 21 replies 15 participants last post by  Twilight Storm 
#1 ·
Hi, I'm a brand new -- and ignorant -- Betta owner. I was shopping in the fish department in Wal-Mart yesterday for our 37 gallon aquarium and came across Fred, a beautiful Betta that just looked so sad and depressed in his little cup.

So, in the spur of the moment, I purchased Fred. I looked over the collection of "Betta-specific" aquariums and bought the largest I found, the 1 gallon. No filter, no heater, nothing. I thought I was being generous.

Then, after the fact, I decided to do research and found just how wrong I was. So, today we went out and bought Fred a Mini Bow 5 gallon aquarium complete with filter, along with a heater, some live plants, and his very own cave.

I set up the tank using some gravel from our -- very healthy -- 37 gallon tank to help with the good bacteria growth. Once everything was ready I unleashed Fred from the little cup he had been not-so-patiently waiting in.

I had to laugh out loud, Fred is a very happy Betta. He almost seemed as if he couldn't believe it, he happily checked out every bit of the new aquarium. And he looks so much happier now than he did in the little 1 gallon.

I feel so much better knowing that now he is in the kind of environment he deserves. Thank you so much for providing such helpful information for those of us who are well-meaning but ignorant.

Here's the current setup -- it's by no means done, but it's a good start. (For one thing, I need more gravel and I need to put my background up). I'm also hoping to add a few ghost shrimp. Hopefully for decoration, but I realize they may become a snack for Fred.



That blur is Fred as he raced around exploring.



I'm beginning to think Fred needs a better name. Any suggestions?
 
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#3 ·
I'm not good with names. My bettas aren't even named yet.

I just wanted to warn you to be careful of that filter. I had the exact same aquarium for one of my old Crowntails. The filter ended up being way too strong for him and his tail got sucked up as he swam by (this was back when I was a beginner and I knew nothing about Bettas.) I eventually ended up having to get a sponge filter since there was no way to turn down the filter.

Fred is one gorgeous Betta. I love his colors.
 
#4 · (Edited)
What a sweet post! I LOVE this. Partly because a few months ago I got a betta on the spur of the moment, bought a crappy small bowl, and did just what you did- researched and realized what an @sshole I was. Cornelius luckily got an immediate upgrade and then another one, and he has tons of space and toys and caves now. He is such a little crackhead, swimming around and around like he has somewhere important to go!
when you said:

"I had to laugh out loud, Fred is a very happy Betta. He almost seemed as if he couldn't believe it, he happily checked out every bit of the new aquarium. And he looks so much happier now than he did in the little 1 gallon. "

I have to say that my very favorite moment is the moment you release a poor little depressed betta into its new home and it's like "Whaaaat? What, what is this? I do not know what to do .. holy crap I can MOVE and SWIM and EXPLORE! Wowzers!"

Maybe someone should make a short film of bettas getting out of their stupid cups into great new homes. :) Good luck with Fred!
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on the filter topic, my betta Limoncello got sucked up against an inside-filter from a 5 gallon aquarium kit too. I went to a planted aquarium store and they set me up with new filters called Azoo filters and no one has gotten sucked up into those. I also put biological filter stones in there and Fluval peat moss granules to lower the water ph and make the water softer, so there is some good potential for customizing with some filters. It has an adjustable flow too, but I read on here how to make baffles for filters and I did that too.

I don't think you need more gravel though - but I'm new so I wonder what others will say.

Ghost Shrimp- I got some at first and ended up hating them- they were kind of @ssholes, grabbing at my bettas, trying to steal food before the bettas got them, and also being jerks to my platies. I know it's mean but I was glad when they died, they were dicks. And SO hard to catch when doing water changes! I heard other shrimp are less aggressive, if you can find them, like the red or yellow ones.
 
#8 ·
on the filter topic, my betta Limoncello got sucked up against an inside-filter from a 5 gallon aquarium kit too. I went to a planted aquarium store and they set me up with new filters called Azoo filters and no one has gotten sucked up into those. I also put biological filter stones in there and Fluval peat moss granules to lower the water ph and make the water softer, so there is some good potential for customizing with some filters. It has an adjustable flow too, but I read on here how to make baffles for filters and I did that too.
Hey mursey, off topic here and totally hijacking. but what kind of aquarium did you find the azoos at? I've been looking for those for quite a while. especially the azoo 60
 
#10 ·
It is soo true..they love to explore, and swim like they are in a race..it is hysterical to watch..lol..and Yes, ur post made me lol..too, I did some gradual upgrading for our Sammy, (btw~the name Fred is cute) I did the first upgrade after doing much reading and research from the "basic" fish bowl..to a critter keeper, then to his current home a 3 gal, and he just loves it..we are next going to a 5 gal..he seems to be outgrowing the 3 gal..getting bigger by the day..and needs more swim room, but he loves his hiding cave (spongbob pineapple) which I see in a lot of tanks..lol, and some soft silk plants, and a real nice leaf Amazon Sword, that is a bed and breakfast, along with his hammock..so yea, they just love being spoiled in their mansions..as they should coming from such a lil cup..

also the attention, that they get from us..keep them soo happy, and I beleive that is why they thrive:) You will enjoy the bonding that u and your fishy will have for a long time to come!!
 
#11 ·
lol. My new fish did the same thing when I move him from his cup to his tank. He explored just about every inch of it. Unfortunately, that means he found the ghost shrimp I had added. I quickly discovered that the big meanie won't tolerate any friends when I found him staring at the dead shrimp like "if it moves again, I'll kill it".

Very pretty fish! I like the name Fred. Though, if he was mine he'd probably be named after a composer. xD The decorations are really cute, too. Good luck with Fred. I'm sure you've made him a very happy fish.
 
#16 ·
My big bully didn't want to eat the shrimp. He just wanted it dead. xD After he killed it he wasn't trying to eat it or anything. He was just hovering over it, like he was making sure it didn't move again and when I took the body out, he didn't care. He was just like "It's dead. I did my job".
 
#14 ·
Hey, Wink...if the filter intake is too strong, you should be able to tie or rubber band some sponge filter to the tube. It slows down the current and keeps the little guys from being sucked in.
Fred certainly does look happy in his new home!
 
#18 ·
People already said it, but the Fluval edge sponge pre filters fit well on that filter intake.

Some are looser then others, I had to put a ring of airline tube into the bottom of one sponge so it would snap to the bottom of the intake tube.



What it looks like in a tank. This is a 1 gallon version of your 5 gallon, spirit was in temp


I like those sponges because they aren't as ugly as my aquaclear coarse filter foam. All my fish love to slap themselves on the side of the sponge with all their fins spread out and let the sponge hold them gently to the filter as they sleep. The biggest Aqueon bow tank I have is 2.5 gallons though.

I did manage to cycle the 2.5 gallon with the aquaclear coarse foam, I am not sure if I can with the fluval. (I tend to abuse the sponges bacteria a bit during water maintenance.)

Love your 5 gallon. I will have to go look and see if your big tank is in your profile albums :D (You're making me want to go get one of those 5 gallon bows...... evil, bad.... I don't need it. I have plenty of other aquariums atm LOL)
 
#19 ·
I'm glad you found this site to be so helpful! I did the same as you, went out and bought a betta and "cool" but tiny tank for him, THEN came here and learned what he really needed. I now use my "cool" cube for a tiny baby betta, and when he grows up I will use it just for live plants.

I have a Marina Slim S10 filter on one of my 5 gal tanks, it comes with a sponge on the outside of the filter intake. You can see the black sponge cylinder on the right behind the green and white plant in this pic. This filter also has an adjustable flow.



The rest of my tanks are Aqueons, 2.5 gal, 5 gal and 26 gal. For all of them I have put filter sponge inside the intake cage. This prevents fins getting caught and also reduces the water flow. If flow is still a problem I add a baffle made from a water bottle to the water outlet.
 
#20 ·
If you really think Fred needs a better name just call him Fred Weasley. It's perfect for a happy fish. (I wonder if anyone will get the refrence....)
 
#21 ·
Thank you so much for all your help!

I'm definitely going to go out and find something to fit over the intake.

Fred continues to be a happy fish, swimming all around and still exploring. He seems to really like zooming all around, then beelining for his cave, then zooming all around some more.

I'm having so much fun watching him. He's shares my desk with me and I'm spending more time watching him then working. (I work from home). :)
 
#22 ·
:D You will find your little guy will spend a lot of time watching you too. They get to know you, and eventually will do the wiggle dance when they see you coming. :D

welcome to the forum again, glad your little guy is happy. :)

Cattitude thank you for posting a picture of what your slim filter looks like set up I was wondering about those the other day.
 
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