Inherited a Betta...

[kozmaniac22]

So, my landlord left a Betta fish behind when he moved out of the house that I am now renting. I move in and, suddenly, I am a fish owner. I've never owned a fish before. The first thing I noticed is that the bowl he was in was very small (probably less than 1/2 gallon of water) and the water was very dirty. I did some research and decided to move him to a larger tank (pictured below). I bought a gentle filter, a heater for the water, and some live plants. I used the nutra-fin stuff in the tap water and used some of the Betta's old water in the new tank. I let it sit (cycle?) for a while before adding the Betta. I also didn't turn on the heater until the Betta was in there so she moved from room temperature to room temperature water.

Overall, she seems to be doing well. The problem is that, being a brand new fish owner, I can't tell if there is anything wrong with her or not. I want to make sure she doesn't have any health issues that I'm not aware of due to my ignorance. I don't even know her exact breed (as I know there are multiple breeds of Betta). I would appreciate any help I can get. Does she look healthy? Is there anything else I should be doing for her?

She appears to be fairly active...as far as I know.

Thanks!

[homegrown terror]

she's a veiltail, and appears to be either bloated or EXTREMELY eggy.

[ChoclateBetta]

She seems a little fat. Remember a lid. I am glad you did research.

[asukabetta]

She's a little bloated, don't feed her for 3 days to see if the tummy goes down a little. That way you will know if it's eggs or just fatness from overfeeding.

Also her fins look a little tattered, I suggest extra clean water and some IAL or API stress coat to help healing.

[ChoclateBetta]

What brand are you feeding?

[asukabetta]

I forgot to mention, the water is pretty high, make sure there at at least 3 fingers from the water lvl to the top of the tank.

You should try to put a lid perhaps with acrylic transparent plastic or a cloth

If you don't like the lid idea, you can lower the water level to five fingers (your hand) so there will be less of a risk if it is a jumper.

I heard bettas jumping over 2,5 inches high so, take that to account when adjusting the level of the water.

[ChoclateBetta]

The water is not too high for the betta but barely like a cm lower for a lid.

[kozmaniac22]

Originally Posted by ChoclateBetta

What brand are you feeding?

The landlord left me Aqueon pellets. I've been using those for now. Any suggestions for improvement? I want to do the best I can for her and am really enjoying learning more about how to care for her.

[kozmaniac22]

I'll pick up some of that stress coat today, if I can.

You know, I thought she might be a little fat. I won't feed her for the next three days and see what happens. If she is eggy, is there something I should be doing for her?

Thanks for the responses. I'll lower the water level a bit and try
To fashion a cover as well.

[kozmaniac22]

One more question (sorry): Is the tank an appropriate size for her? It is a 5 gallon tank, I believe. I mean, I know it's better than the 3 cup of water bowl she came out of, but I would prefer it if she were as happy as possible.