this is my second time owning a beta but the first time it was a birthday present and i didn't find out any info. his name was George and he lived for 2 years. i thought that was good until the guy in the pet store told me they live for 7 years? is that true?
My new Beta's name is Blue, he's got a brand new bowl (3ltr) and a new plant. do i need a pump? or a temp regulator? and if he has a plant how often does he need food? are the beta pellets ok?
and if i give him live food how does he eat it? does he have teath or does he swallow it whole?
i don't even know what kind of plant i got him. can plants harm them?
help please, i'm trying to take good care of my beta, but every time i try to look something up it just tells my their history of where their from.
Thanks for the help.
Re: New Beta Owner! Lots of questions. Help please.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shortie55505
this is my second time owning a beta but the first time it was a birthday present and i didn't find out any info. his name was George and he lived for 2 years. i thought that was good until the guy in the pet store told me they live for 7 years? is that true?
My new Beta's name is Blue, he's got a brand new bowl (3ltr) and a new plant. do i need a pump? or a temp regulator? and if he has a plant how often does he need food? are the beta pellets ok?
and if i give him live food how does he eat it? does he have teath or does he swallow it whole?
i don't even know what kind of plant i got him. can plants harm them?
help please, i'm trying to take good care of my beta, but every time i try to look something up it just tells my their history of where their from.
Thanks for the help.
Im not sure about living 7 years, i dont think so. Im not sure about bowls, i would reccomend getting a tank, due to the fact that you cant cycle a bowl, and as far as temp regulator, u need a heater to keep the temp at 78 degrees. Pellets are Ok, try some tropical medley flakes, that is what all of my fish eat, it has pieces of brine shrimp in it, and try some bloodworms about 2 times a week, not too much though because they will constipate your betta. As far as plants i dont think all plants are safe, i could be wrong though, i would prefer some silk plants, and if you want to go the live plant route, try some java fern. Hope this helps.
What do you mean "you cant cycle a bowl"? how do you know if you beta's constipated? and one more question how often are you suppost clean and change the water?
Thanks sorry about all the questions.
living 7 years? you would have to get pretty lucky for that. they would usally live around 3 or 4 maybe even 5. yes do get a heater for your tank (5 watts per gallon). you should have at least a 2.5 gallon tank. better for you (easier water mantainence) and the fish (more room) plus they live longer. and a filter would be good too.
like neo said, pellets and flakes are great and frozen bloodworms/brinshrimp once a week as a treat will benefit your fish
betta fish dont have teeth, though mine, tries to chew its food anyway then swallow it back. but if his food peices are too big he wont swallow it- he'll spit it out and the food will pollute your tank. so make sure food is good bite size peices
What do you mean "you cant cycle a bowl"? how do you know if you beta's constipated? and one more question how often are you suppost clean and change the water?
Thanks sorry about all the questions.
no probs about the ?'s.
Cycling is when the tank sets up, it is when it establishes itself, good bacteria and bad bacteria must be established to have a well balanced tank, a bowl cannot cycle. Consitpation in fish is like in humans, if you dont see him going, if he looks bloated, and i think if it is stringy. And for water changes, 20-25% every other day, but with a bowl im not sure.
I've never owned a betta that will touch any sort of flakes. I've actually also had very little success with freeze-dried bloodworms. All of my bettas have been fed betta pellets as a staple with frozen bloodworms, frozen brine shrimp, and live blackworms as treats. Every once in a while they'd get a thawed frozen pea.
Definitely follow that link Meatpuppet posted; it's a good source of information on general betta care.
About plants: a lot of people avoid live plants because they think they can be a hassle. While this is certainly true for a lot of plants, it's not always the case. Some of the easier to care for plants are hornwort and java fern. You don't need special lighting or fertilizer and they'll help keep nitrates down as well as oxygenate the water and prevent algae from getting out of control. I definitely recommend live plants for most tanks, small betta tanks included.
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
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