New Betta Mom

[Brey0255]

Hi There! I am new to Bettas and new to this site, so forgive me if I post in the wrong place. I just got a baby Betta, Charlie, from a petco and have just been reading up on proper care. Im wondering about the sex and age of my Betta. Ive seen some pictures on this site and others of juvi Bettas and I feel like mine is rather small and bland. Im not sure at what age they would be sold at a pet store. Charlie is rather plain looking, kind of grey/brown and only about an inch long. This fish has the attitude of a 'classic' male, but fins and color are more female type so far. At what age would color start to show? I'm a little worried about how young it is. Any tips are welcome, as I am new at this and hope to be successful. thanks!

[veggiegirl]

Hey there and welcome to the forum!!! You have a lovely baby betta, afraid I have no experience with baby bettas so at this stage I can't help you with ags and sex of your fish. I thought I would mention though that in order to keep you betta healthy you will need to provide him with a heated tank. Bettas are tropical fish and cannot tolerate temperature fluctuations as this causes extreme stress and compromises the immune system putting them at risk of all sorts of horrible illnesses. In order to provide the stable temperature that they require to remain healthy a heater with a thermostat is essential. I am unsure of your set up but thought I would mention it. Also bettas require a minimum sized tank of 2.5 gallons in order to remain happy and healthy long term. This sized tank would require 2 weekly cleanings to remove waste. two 50% water changes twice a week would be suitable for a tank of this size.

Let me know if you need any more advice or have any concerns about anything

[Romad]

Hello and welcome to the forum

Charlie still has stress stripes in the picture that you posted. Once he/she is acclimated to their new home and warmed up (78-82f) they should start to show their true colors.

Good luck with your new fishy friend.

[BeautifulBetta123]

Welcome and that is a cute fish but for a healthy betta I would buy him a five al with a heater and a live floating plant for him to play in make sure all your decorations are fish safe and read all the sticky's in betta care section.

What type of food are you feeding him? I would go with Omega 1 betta pellets or New Life Spectrum pellets along with a frozen food like bloodworms for extra protein since it s still a baby.

[Brey0255]

Charlie eats Betta Bio Gold pellets, and gets freeze dried blood worms as a treat no and then. I have a 3 gal, with filter, light, plants, etc ready but I was afraid she was too small to put in there yet. I thought all that space for such a tiny fish would be stressful, but if you all think she should be moved perhaps I should start the process. Thanks for all the info and tips! Keep 'em coming!

[BeautifulBetta123]

Okay be sure to baffle the filter so the little guy doesn't need to battle the current or get sucked up which has happened to fellow betta owners :(

[Brey0255]

thanks! I found this great link here on the forum about how to baffle the filter. An absolute MUST for a fish this small, I think.
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=30139

[Oldfishlady]

Welcome to the forum and to the wonderful world of Betta keeping....

Nice to meet you....

[BeautifulBetta123]

Yeah that is great instructions.