first timer here with betta's

[nehemiahludden]

i do realizae betta's are addictive thats why i have my first of many and when i get the know how i am more then likely going to have more. and ok please let me know which thread you place this under so i can go there. and thank you for the link.

[Romad]

Did you buy the tank yet?

[Romad]

Originally Posted by nehemiahludden

i do realizae betta's are addictive thats why i have my first of many and when i get the know how i am more then likely going to have more. and ok please let me know which thread you place this under so i can go there. and thank you for the link.

I moved it to betta fish bowls, habitats and accesories. When you are reading a post, look up to the top of the page in your browser and you'll see where the thread is.

We're in it now :)

[nehemiahludden]

thank you for the link and please let me know which thread you are moving this to so i can go there and ask the questions i have

[nehemiahludden]

what type of filter should i use and what type of heater do i need? and also what food is best for them. i have heard something about peas. what does the pea do for a betta?

[DiiQue]

You're already in it. It should be in your list of threads that you started. Anyways, here's the link to this thread: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread....16#post1381316

What did you have in mind for your tank.. Did you want to go the natural look with real plants, fake plants or did you have a specific theme (i.e. little Nemo, etc)? We need you to narrow down what direction you want to go with your tank. We'll be able to better help once we have this info.

[Romad]

Do you have the tank already? I'm asking that because it might be cheaper for you to buy a kit if you haven't purchased it already. If you already have the tank, I can make suggestions for the filter.

In a 10 gallon, you'll need a 50w heater. Get one that is submersible and that you can set the temperature on. That way you won't have to worry about raising or lowering it with the weather changes. You can set it to 80F and forget it.

As for peas, they're not really a staple betta food. Some people use the inside of a pea crushed up to feed a betta if it's constipated.

A good staple diet for a betta is pellets. Hikari Bio-Gold & Omega One are good ones. I feed all of my bettas 3 pellets in the morning and three pellets at night. I soak them in a bit of tank water for 5 minutes or so before feeding them. It makes them a little softer for the fish but a lot of people don't do that. You can substitute frozed blood worms and brine shrimp once or twice a week.

[DiiQue]

Originally Posted by nehemiahludden

what type of filter should i use and what type of heater do i need? and also what food is best for them. i have heard something about peas. what does the pea do for a betta?

Hydors are good heaters. Whatever you do decide to get, make sure it is adjustable and you'll probably want a 50w unit for tour tank. 25w should still work but its better to be on the over powered end instead of under powered.

People highly recommend New Life Spectrum pellets. Omega One is also another good choice. You basically want to make sure the first ingredients listed are some sort of meat (fish meal, krill, etc). Feed two or three pellets in one feeding, with 2 feedings a day. Skip one day to allow the lil' guy to process all the stuff you give him. If you can get bloodworms (frozen or freezedried), you can offer this to him as a treat once a week, in place of the pellets.

No peas... These guys are meat eaters.. People use peas when they are bloated, though its 50/50 here, whether this is actually a good idea.

[nehemiahludden]

i am wanting it to have living plants and about 3 different hiding places. he is going to have lots of room so i am not quite sure how to assemble his home. i do how ever want him to be able to hide when he wants and swim around as he pleases. i would like to set it up with sand and a few rock caves and maybe 1 or 2 floating cave things as well. and should i use a florecent light or should i get something else for his light

[Romad]

You might want to take a look at some planted tanks here on the forum then. The possibilities are endless and it's up to you how you want the tank to look.

A medium sized cave-like ornament with no sharp edges would be a great hiding spot for your fish. There are so many to choose from. If you're going to have live plants, a few bunches of tall swords toward the back of the tank would be a good start. Then you can work in smaller mid-ground and foreground plants. Again - the possibilites are endless when it comes to choosing your tank decor.

You'd have to figure out the light requirements for the plants that you select first. There's a lot of info. here on the forum about planted tanks as well. Here's one that you can start with.

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/a...um-part-34861/

If it seems overwhelming for your first betta tank, there are a lot of silk plant options. Just be sure to get plants with no sharp edges. You don't want to tear the delicate fins on your fish.