New betta mom

[LuvMyBetta21]

Hi everyone! Well I'm new to this site and new to the betta world. I've had my betta, Leonard, for only a few days now. This is the setup I have him in now. what do you all think of it? Is it a good setup? Anything suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also I noticed he's not eating much. I bought pellet food for him but he doesn't grab it right away and the filter makes it all sink to the bottom. Does he not like the food or is he still getting used to his surroundings? Sorry for the rambling and all the questions I just want him to be happy

[whiskandbowl]

Welcome to the forum! I love the name you picked :) Your new guy sounds like he is just settling in.

The MiniBows are pretty popular I think. I have a 5 gallon one myself.
The only thing I would do is to add maybe another plant or 2 (silk ones are great and won't tear Leonards fins). I'm not sure if I'm seeing a heater or not, if you don't have one, I'd get one asap. Bettas are most comfortable in 76-82 and the weather has been quite chilly lately. I really like Hagen Elite 25w adjustable heaters.

[LuvMyBetta21]

Originally Posted by whiskandbowl

Welcome to the forum! I love the name you picked :) Your new guy sounds like he is just settling in.

The MiniBows are pretty popular I think. I have a 5 gallon one myself.
The only thing I would do is to add maybe another plant or 2 (silk ones are great and won't tear Leonards fins). I'm not sure if I'm seeing a heater or not, if you don't have one, I'd get one asap. Bettas are most comfortable in 76-82 and the weather has been quite chilly lately. I really like Hagen Elite 25w adjustable heaters.

Unfortunately, I listened to the people at the store who said the heaters were good but not necessary. So I didn't buy one. I found this forum and realized it is necessary so I will be purchasing one tomorrow. I'm snowed in today lol Should I upgrade the tank size? I read that the heaters don't work well in a 1 gal. I bought the 1 gal w/filter because I didn't know I needed the heater.

[LebronTheBetta]

Hello, and welcome to the forum. :)
The bigger the better, if you want a cheap yet big tank, Kritter Kreepers are good. The maximum size is 5 gallons for XL and it's $15 at the most. I recommend Hydor THEO, Ego Jagers, and Visi-Therm heaters. Betta fish are tropical fish after all. You don't need a filter for a tank below 5 gallons so it's really your choice. Your fish is really pretty.

[LuvMyBetta21]

Thank you both for the warm welcome! I already love my betta so much. I think I feel the betta fever coming on! Ppl here have such nice tank setups! I was thinking of eventually getting another betta and maybe adding some tetras, as I have read they are good tank mates for bettas. So I'm thinking of upgrading to a 10g so I can either divide it for another betta or just add tetras with my male betta. what is the proper wattage for a heater for a 10g?

Oh and I also had no idea about cycling or preparing the tank before adding the fish. I brought Leonard home added water conditioner and then put him in =/ He seems ok. He's even made a small bubble nest, so I guess he's happy :) but I want to properly prepare the new tank (when I purchase it, hopefully tomorrow) before moving Leonard and adding any other fish. I read the sticky for cycling but I'm still very confused. Can you simplify it for me? lol

[Romad]

Hello and welcome to the forum

In your new tank, please don't add all of the fish at once. You'll have an ammonia spike before you can build up your beneficial bacteria and get your cycle going.

Start off with one or two fish at the most. If you're going to live plant it, you really don't have to worry about cycling since the plants will use the ammonia but if you're not, Nutrafin Cycle is a pretty good product to help you out when starting your cycle.

Agree with the heater. It's hard to heat a one gallon tank. If you decide to keep your betta in his own tank, you can use a 25w submersible heater in a 2.5 gallon or a 50w heater in a 5-10 gallon.

As for your betta not eating, soak the pellets for 5 minutes or so in some tank water before you feed him. It's easier for them to swallow and chew and they won't sink right to the bottom.

Good luck and ask anything you need along the way. We're here to help :)

[LuvMyBetta21]

Thank you so much! I was becoming very confused. As far as buying a new tank is it better to buy a kit with everything in it or purchase everything separately? I was looking at this one online http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

[Oldfishlady]

Welcome to the forum...

Nice to meet you....

[DragonFyre14]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new fish!
It would most likely be much more cost efficient to purchase the kit. (unless of course there is some really good sale on everything.) I've compiled a list of the approximate cost if you were to buy everything separately
Tank itself: $10-13
Glass hood without a light: $14
Hood with a light (similar to whats included in the kit): $30
Heater: $20-30
Filter: $15

So the total cost would be around $90-100 not including decorations.

[LuvMyBetta21]

Originally Posted by DragonFyre14

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new fish!
It would most likely be much more cost efficient to purchase the kit. (unless of course there is some really good sale on everything.) I've compiled a list of the approximate cost if you were to buy everything separately
Tank itself: $10-13
Glass hood without a light: $14
Hood with a light (similar to whats included in the kit): $30
Heater: $20-30
Filter: $15

So the total cost would be around $90-100 not including decorations.

That's about what I spent. The kit, plus decorations and the heater ran me about $95. I didn't plan on spending that much but he's much happier in his new tank. Here it is: