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Kind of new owner:)

3K views 35 replies 8 participants last post by  lilnaugrim 
#1 ·
I had a few betta fish when I was younger, but I went with my friend so she could buy one about a month ago and I've been wanting one since. I finally got to the store today and bought a delta tail male(pictures to come). I'm really excited and hopefully I'll be a better owner now than i was when I was 10 :-D
 
#27 ·
I think he's eating? I dont always have time to make sure he eats in the morning but I know the first time I fed him he did eat at least a little. I know its probably not the best but I'm just using the betta flakes right now. I don't need a heater, but at night i have a light bulb on by him and it keeps his tank a steady temp. I will probably get a heater eventually just so that its for sure stable all the time. Should I already be doing water changes? I've had him for 5 days, but i don't want to stress him out or anything, should i wait until he's a little more settled to start the cleaning routine? I'm pretty sure he swims around most of the time until I come around because every time i come in he is swimming and then all of a sudden hes behind the rock again. Thanks for the water changing tips! thats exactly what i needed!
 
#28 ·
Just start the water changes as soon as possible so that he doesn't suffer from ammonia poisoning or anything to that he stays as healthy as possible. He might get some stressed but you need to do it to keep the water clean and healthy. He'll be fine. But leaving the food in while you leave is bad for him since the uneaten food will rot, causing more ammonia that you need in a small space like a 1 gallon.

Also keeping a light on him at night is not good, they do need to sleep and can't do so with a light on them so a heater is essential. He's probably stressed out more from the light than he is from being in a new space.

Also something that will help him being not stressed when you do your water change. Instead of taking a net to him to get him out, try scooping him out with a cup/plastic ware. Preferably something that has not seen soap or any other chemical since they are toxic to fish. You can get a set of 3 small plastic ware containers at walmart for a dollar something, pretty cheap. I use those with changing water, so my fish just sits in those while I change out their tank for new water. Nets can harm their fins so it's not only less stressful but good for them as well.
 
#29 ·
+1
If you will change him and acclimate him to the water temperature slowly he will be fine. Change him as soon as you can. Like lilnaugrim wrote that food that you leave for him to eat , especially flakes half of them sink to the bottom and contaminate the water which can give him infection.
About light i would also not keeping it all night .I think it stress him out.
About food
Flakes cause swim bladder issues more readily than most pellets. You should be using a high quality protein based pellet with the first two or three ingredients as whole fish not fishmeal or wheat. The flakes will also muck up his water quickly
The two most often recommended foods on this forum are New Life Spectrum betta pellets, and Omega One Betta Buffet pellets. The Top Fin and Aqueon foods are decent, but they contain a lot of grains. Some bettas are sensitive to grains and fillers, and do better on New Life Spectrum or Omega One. You also can give him as a snack freeze dried blood worms Hikari brand i like because they enriched with multi-vitamins. And when you get pellets never follow box feeding instructions they are wrong. You need to give him about 2-3 in the morning and 2-3 in the evening. And good idea to fast once a week to clean digestive system ,which i never do lol But i don't overfeed my bettas.
 
#32 ·
Okay! ummmmm first things first I won't leave the light on anymore. How much are heaters usually? Should I get like a mini one since i have such a tiny tank? I can do the water change tomorrow after school. ahhhhhhh hopefully i can go get pellets soon. Do they have those at walmart? I'll probably get to walmart quicker than petco or petsmart. Can I just use the little bowl he came in for water changes? For right now with the flakes I have how often should I be feeding that and how do I make sure he eats it.
 
#33 · (Edited)
The best recommended heaters . And you can get them for one gall i think it 25w.

Penn Plax Cascade
Hagen Elite Mini Submersible
Hydor Theo
Marineland Visitherm

Most of, if not all of these heaters have to be ordered online or found in a local fish shop. Petsmart and Petco generally don't carry them. Good places to order are www.amazon.com and www.drsfostersmith.com

I don't think you can find that betta food at walmart. You need to go to Pet stores. And the stores around me sometimes out of stock so i have to wait for new delivery. And not all stores have those brands. I know my petsmart have Omega but don't have NLS. So check a few stores , but i guess if you can't find you can order on line. So don't even spend you time to go to walmart.
When you give him flakes just try to see if he eats it. I know you said that he is hiding when he sees you. But if he is healthy hopefully soo he will get used to you and will follow your finger too. I guess just get away from the tank close enough to see him. If he is healthy and eating he will come to eat.
Give him a little pinch of the flakes. Just little bit because most of it sink to the water right away.

Also when you go to pet store get aquarium salt and if you will be at the pharmacy department get Epsom salt (unscented) . It first aid for bettas when they sick . I think it good idea to have them on hands
 
#36 ·
And good online store that I love is ThatPetPlace.com, it's got great deals on products! But of course you kind of need a credit card too, but I've used them many times and they are almost always the cheapest!
 
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