Hello, all!
Like so many people on this forum seem to be, I'm a newcomer to this whole betta thing, and got into it a few days ago only by accident. I was with a friend at Walmart (I try, oh so very hard, not to go there myself) and ended up in the fish section, where there were five female bettas, two in pretty bad shape, in their little cups with no more than two inches of water in any of them. I'm a sucker for any animal, so I ended up grabbing what I thought was the ugliest of the three healthy ones because I figured the two pretty ones had a better chance of getting purchased by someone else. I also bought the cheapest tank set I could (1/2 gallon) because, well, I'm a dead-broke grad student and I figured that anything was better than her dying in two inches of dirty water. Plus I've always been told, like most people, I guess, that bettas don't need much room. I expected that she would serve as a desk ornament next to my stuffed dragon.
However, as I've gotten to know this girl (as of yet unnamed), I've become kind of fascinated by her. Her colors have gotten darker and richer since I brought her home, and she really seems to be enjoying actually having room, however little it may be, to move around in. I'm currently planning on forgoing my traditional twice-weekly fast food splurge so that I can save up and buy a bigger tank, as per the general guide here (awesome thread without a ton of over-complicated stuff for beginners, btw), but I have some questions until then.
1. How long is it acceptable for her to stay in the smaller tank? I've know that you have to change out the water more frequently as tanks get smaller, so I've changed out half the water every other day. This is a relatively painless process for both me and her so far. The tank has a little plug on the bottom that I just let drain into the sink, and after that's done, I refill the tank with treated water that's back at room temperature. She also stays right behind my computer screen, which is acting as a very, very rudimentary sort of heater. I've noticed she likes to hang out on the side of the tank closest to the computer.
2. When I do get a bigger tank, is a 2 gallon really enough, or should I save up a little more and get a 5 gallon? I was thinking it might be nice to give her a few tank mates later on, maybe after I move home for the summer, so I'm assuming at least a 5 gallon would be a no-brainer.
3. I keep hearing/seeing talk about a "sorority tank"--if I wanted to do that, I would need at least a ten-gallon, right? I keep thinking about the moving I'm going to be doing over the course of the next several years thanks to school, so I'd rather start out small. I know that, ideally, that means one fish, but I'm really enjoying this girl's personality and would love to have a few more both to keep her company and for my own entertainment. But at the same time, I also don't want to move up in "steps" (2 gallon now, 5 gallon for her and some shrimp later, 10 gallon for her and some buddies after that) and end up with more tanks than I have time to tank care of.
4. Live worms -- are they necessary, strongly suggested, or just optional?
5. Based on the picture below, what would you say is wrong with her dorsal fin? Tail rot? Someone took a chunk out of it for an afternoon snack? This is from the night I got her; her color's more vibrant now, and all the air bubbles on the side of the tank are long gone. I don't know what causes that besides my city's water supply being weird, but I did treat the water and let it sit for a while before transferring her over.
I'm sorry for all the basic questions, and I know that my puny tank will elicit at least mild disapproval, but I still feel as though she's much better off here than in the Tiny Walmart Fish Cups of Certain Doom. She's not clamping down her fins at all any more--or at least I don't think she is--so I guess she's enjoying herself at least a little. I'm certainly enjoying having her.
Like so many people on this forum seem to be, I'm a newcomer to this whole betta thing, and got into it a few days ago only by accident. I was with a friend at Walmart (I try, oh so very hard, not to go there myself) and ended up in the fish section, where there were five female bettas, two in pretty bad shape, in their little cups with no more than two inches of water in any of them. I'm a sucker for any animal, so I ended up grabbing what I thought was the ugliest of the three healthy ones because I figured the two pretty ones had a better chance of getting purchased by someone else. I also bought the cheapest tank set I could (1/2 gallon) because, well, I'm a dead-broke grad student and I figured that anything was better than her dying in two inches of dirty water. Plus I've always been told, like most people, I guess, that bettas don't need much room. I expected that she would serve as a desk ornament next to my stuffed dragon.
However, as I've gotten to know this girl (as of yet unnamed), I've become kind of fascinated by her. Her colors have gotten darker and richer since I brought her home, and she really seems to be enjoying actually having room, however little it may be, to move around in. I'm currently planning on forgoing my traditional twice-weekly fast food splurge so that I can save up and buy a bigger tank, as per the general guide here (awesome thread without a ton of over-complicated stuff for beginners, btw), but I have some questions until then.
1. How long is it acceptable for her to stay in the smaller tank? I've know that you have to change out the water more frequently as tanks get smaller, so I've changed out half the water every other day. This is a relatively painless process for both me and her so far. The tank has a little plug on the bottom that I just let drain into the sink, and after that's done, I refill the tank with treated water that's back at room temperature. She also stays right behind my computer screen, which is acting as a very, very rudimentary sort of heater. I've noticed she likes to hang out on the side of the tank closest to the computer.
2. When I do get a bigger tank, is a 2 gallon really enough, or should I save up a little more and get a 5 gallon? I was thinking it might be nice to give her a few tank mates later on, maybe after I move home for the summer, so I'm assuming at least a 5 gallon would be a no-brainer.
3. I keep hearing/seeing talk about a "sorority tank"--if I wanted to do that, I would need at least a ten-gallon, right? I keep thinking about the moving I'm going to be doing over the course of the next several years thanks to school, so I'd rather start out small. I know that, ideally, that means one fish, but I'm really enjoying this girl's personality and would love to have a few more both to keep her company and for my own entertainment. But at the same time, I also don't want to move up in "steps" (2 gallon now, 5 gallon for her and some shrimp later, 10 gallon for her and some buddies after that) and end up with more tanks than I have time to tank care of.
4. Live worms -- are they necessary, strongly suggested, or just optional?
5. Based on the picture below, what would you say is wrong with her dorsal fin? Tail rot? Someone took a chunk out of it for an afternoon snack? This is from the night I got her; her color's more vibrant now, and all the air bubbles on the side of the tank are long gone. I don't know what causes that besides my city's water supply being weird, but I did treat the water and let it sit for a while before transferring her over.
I'm sorry for all the basic questions, and I know that my puny tank will elicit at least mild disapproval, but I still feel as though she's much better off here than in the Tiny Walmart Fish Cups of Certain Doom. She's not clamping down her fins at all any more--or at least I don't think she is--so I guess she's enjoying herself at least a little. I'm certainly enjoying having her.