Am i doing something wrong? D:

[myfavfish]

well, i keep reading all of the posts here and it seems like everyone has a big tank with heaters and tons of stuff. i dont know if im even doing anything right D:

-my tank is only 1 gallon
-it has one bamboo plan
-it has rocks at the bottom
-no heater or anything, just a bubble maker thingy
-i used to have a centerpiece for my tank, but it got so covered in algae, that i couldnt use it anymore, so its just an empty space
-i feed my fish 4 pellets of food a day in the late-ish morning
-im afraid that the water is too cold for him because its just room temperature but i dont think a heater will fit and he is use to this water and i dont know how we will react to heated water
-brown algae always appears but i rub it completly off each time i clean his tank
-i do a 100% water change every week and a half i would say
-when i do i water change i clean everything even the rocks and bubble maker because that is where the algae is
-he is fine and active so there is nothing wrong from what i can tell
-except maybe his fins because it looks like he is biting them off or something
-he is also a marble, so he was white at first but now he is blue

so what should i do? am i doing something wrong?

i will post pictures now.
(some more pictures here)

[Oldfishlady]

IMO/E-A 1gal is fine for long term keeping of the long fin male Betta-provided that the needed water changes are made.

Since your tank is filtered with what looks like an under gravel filter (UGF) is that correct....Your filter has plates that the gravel sits on??? If so, that is fine, however, I would remove some of the gravel so that you cover the plates with about half to less than 1 inch.

UGF are fine and work great as long as you keep the plates clean and free of debris with weekly vacuum.

Since you have a filter I would recommend that you make twice weekly water changes....1-50% water only and 1-50% that include deep vacuum

You may or may not need a heater, however, its a good idea to have one on hand....Your goal is to maintain a somewhat stable temp in the 76-80F range.

You will need a thermometer to monitor the water temp and the temp of the replacement water used for water changes.

The bamboo plant will slowly rot and die fouling the water when fully underwater-plus you don't want roots in the UGF plates. I would either remove the plant or raise it so that the leaves are out of the water.

Nutrition-good quality varied diet fed in small frequent meals....

Lovely Betta by the way and like your tank too....

[registereduser]

Here is what I think and what I would do, others will probably disagree but that's OK

1. I think 1 gallon is fine, he is a BEAUTIFUL long finned fish and they are not fast swimmers. Maybe some day you can get him a bigger tank but what you have is not a bad home for this fish in my opinion.

2. The bamboo is the wrong plant for that tank. It will probably rot and foul the water eventually. You could get a silk plant or maybe a few moss balls. Your moss balls should be quarantined in tap water (no conditioner) for 2 weeks before you put them in the tank.

3. I would get a heater like this: http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-Heater-B.../dp/B006JVQ67K
I bought one similar at Petco for $10. Also get one of those sticker thermometers for the outside of your tank. Some say they are not reliable but I have 2 and I think they are highly accurate!

What is your fish's name? He is really nice! Where did you buy him? How long have you had him?

[myfavfish]

Originally Posted by Oldfishlady

IMO/E-A 1gal is fine for long term keeping of the long fin male Betta-provided that the needed water changes are made.

Since your tank is filtered with what looks like an under gravel filter (UGF) is that correct....Your filter has plates that the gravel sits on??? If so, that is fine, however, I would remove some of the gravel so that you cover the plates with about half to less than 1 inch.

UGF are fine and work great as long as you keep the plates clean and free of debris with weekly vacuum.

Since you have a filter I would recommend that you make twice weekly water changes....1-50% water only and 1-50% that include deep vacuum

You may or may not need a heater, however, its a good idea to have one on hand....Your goal is to maintain a somewhat stable temp in the 76-80F range.

You will need a thermometer to monitor the water temp and the temp of the replacement water used for water changes.

The bamboo plant will slowly rot and die fouling the water when fully underwater-plus you don't want roots in the UGF plates. I would either remove the plant or raise it so that the leaves are out of the water.

Nutrition-good quality varied diet fed in small frequent meals....

Lovely Betta by the way and like your tank too....

well, it does have one plate sort of thing (this is it actually)
and ok next time i change his water (which should be monday) ill take some of the gravel out

and what do you mean by like a vaccum? i just scrub it down with my hands :/ (sorry this is only my second betta but he has lived about a year so thats good right?)

and i think i will get a thermometer next time i go to petco :)

and the roots arent very long and the plate doesnt go the whole length of the tank so there is about a half an inch space that i put it in and use the rocks so it doesnt float away. and if i try to put the leaves out, they wouldnt have any space because of the top of the tank.

and for the food i feed him 4 pellets of aqueon betta food a day and he loves them so i think thats ok right? i dont know what else i could feed him :(

and thank you <33

[Oldfishlady]

When you have the UGF it is important for the plates to be free of a build up of mulm/debris otherwise they can't function properly. You can get a small aquarium vacuum at the pet shop to use for your water changes.

[myfavfish]

Originally Posted by registereduser

Here is what I think and what I would do, others will probably disagree but that's OK

1. I think 1 gallon is fine, he is a BEAUTIFUL long finned fish and they are not fast swimmers. Maybe some day you can get him a bigger tank but what you have is not a bad home for this fish in my opinion.

2. The bamboo is the wrong plant for that tank. It will probably rot and foul the water eventually. You could get a silk plant or maybe a few moss balls. Your moss balls should be quarantined in tap water (no conditioner) for 2 weeks before you put them in the tank.

3. I would get a heater like this: http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-Heater-B.../dp/B006JVQ67K
I bought one similar at Petco for $10. Also get one of those sticker thermometers for the outside of your tank. Some say they are not reliable but I have 2 and I think they are highly accurate!

What is your fish's name? He is really nice! Where did you buy him? How long have you had him?

1. ok thanks :) yeah he always swims around and is fairly active so i guess thats good :)

2. and i think i will get a new silk plant or something (can you show me one because i dont really know what they are. can you buy them at petco?) when this bamboo starts to die because it still alive and in good shape but i will get a different plant once it starts rotting.

3. and ill go buy a thermometer for him at petco :) and for the heater im afraid to use it because he's been in this room temp. water for his whole life and idk how a warmer tank will make him feel :/

and aww thank you <33 his name is Moonlight (because he was white when i first got him, but now he is blue :3) and i got him from petco :) and i dont remeber the exact day i bought him but im pretty sure i bought him last late summer so hes about a year old :)

[myfavfish]

Originally Posted by Oldfishlady

When you have the UGF it is important for the plates to be free of a build up of mulm/debris otherwise they can't function properly. You can get a small aquarium vacuum at the pet shop to use for your water changes.

ok ill put the bamboo on top of the plate and just use the rocks to hold it down (because it floats to the top if its not held down) and next time i go ill get a thermometer and ill see if i can get a vacuum :)

[registereduser]

Originally Posted by myfavfish

1. ok thanks :) yeah he always swims around and is fairly active so i guess thats good :)

2. and i think i will get a new silk plant or something (can you show me one because i dont really know what they are. can you buy them at petco?) when this bamboo starts to die because it still alive and in good shape but i will get a different plant once it starts rotting.

I'm not sure if silk plants are actually made of silk, but any soft cloth type plant will do, you can get them anywhere. Lots to choose from. Stay away from plastic.

Originally Posted by myfavfish

3. and ill go buy a thermometer for him at petco :) and for the heater im afraid to use it because he's been in this room temp. water for his whole life and idk how a warmer tank will make him feel :/

That heater is not very strong and if you live in a cold climate and turn the heat down at night during the winter the small tank gets really cold. On the other hand you won't need to use it at all in the summer, I don't! My 5 gallon is at 80 right now but by tonight it will be 84, no heater.

[myfavfish]

Originally Posted by registereduser

I'm not sure if silk plants are actually made of silk, but any soft cloth type plant will do, you can get them anywhere. Lots to choose from. Stay away from plastic.

That heater is not very strong and if you live in a cold climate and turn the heat down at night during the winter the small tank gets really cold. On the other hand you won't need to use it at all in the summer, I don't! My 5 gallon is at 80 right now but by tonight it will be 84, no heater.

ok that sounds good :) and yeah i dont like plastic plants so ill get a new soft plant :)

well, we turn the heat up when its winter and night, so i dont know if i would need one or not. ill start with a thermometer so i can actually know how cold or warm it is and if its really cold, ill buy some sort of heater :)

[Perseusmom]

You could get him a Betta Hammock, he needs something to rest and sleep on. Or if you get a silk plant he could rest and sleep on the leaves of that. Also something for him to hide in if he needs some alone time or to feel more secure would be nice for him to have just be sure whatever you might get has very big holes in it so he cant get trapped inside. Some people use a teacup but you have to be sure there is no soap on it and rinse it over and over till you are sure there isnt. He is very pretty love his colors and his tail !!!