Would Someone Please Help Me

[kgirl]

Hi,
I have a relatively large fascination for fishies but I'm not very experienced with them and the fish I've had before didn't last very long. So I would like to have some questions answered if I may. Any and all help or advice is appreciated.

I have currently have two male bettas and I like them alot so I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can for them to keep them happy and healthy :)
I Have my red/green one (Karei) in a 2.5 gallon plastic aquarium right now and I have my blue one (Reahu) in an ordinary glass fish bowl.
I have a 10 gallon glass tank I want to put them in. It has had some different sorts of fish in it, it is pretty dirty. Which brings us to my first question.

Is there something I can use as a cleaner to rid all the dirty scum and germs out of the tank so it doesn't affect my bettas?
I've used regular soap before and washed it out very well I thought but when I put my last betta in it he died
So I want to prevent this from ever happening again.
Also, I've heard that if you put bettas in the same tank and block them off from eachother they can give eachother bad germs...is this true?
I used to change all of the water in their tank and add new water that is the same temperature as it was before, but, I was discouraged from this method. Now I have a filter that makes the really cool bubbles and I take 50 percent of the water out and suck up all the little chunks of debris that I can find. Is this a better way to clean the tank?
I've heard many many many different name brands and types of food to feed them. I currently feed them "Betta Pellet Food" by "Aqua Culture."
It looks like little tiny circular nuggets lol I don't know how to explain it differently. Hopefully someone will know what I'm talking about.
Is this an ok food for them?
I just sprinkle it in and I always find alot of food on the bottom. Are bettas just messy eaters or am I over feeding them?
Somebody also told me that bettas like to play hide and seek and are not happy without hiding places. Is this true?
I would like to put real plants in with them and give them as much of a real habitat as possible. But I'm afraid of poison them with the wrong type of plants. Im growing some Nymphaea lillies right now. I haven't found them on any poisonous plant list for bettas so I'm crossing my fingers that they are ok for them.
This is My last question for now I promise lol
I've been looking at the different types of bettas and I can only decide that they have VT fins but I dont know what type the actual fish is considered. I bought them at walmart so I know they can't be any type of show fish, which is fine with me, I love them all the more
My question is...if I take pictures of them can somebody tell me what they are? lol
I know they're not yellow or mustard gas or anything like that. But I'd really like to know :D

Well if you read all that thanks for bearing with me xD
Like I said before, any and all advice, tips, help it's all very much appreciated.

~K~

[iamntbatman]

Is there something I can use as a cleaner to rid all the dirty scum and germs out of the tank so it doesn't affect my bettas?
I've used regular soap before and washed it out very well I thought but when I put my last betta in it he died Crying or Very sad
So I want to prevent this from ever happening again.

Don't use soap! It's toxic to fish. Honestly, even on nasty used tanks, I tend to just go to town with a hose in the yard and some sort of stiff brush to scrub the nasty stuff away. You can use bleach to disinfect and vinegar to help get rid of hard water stains. Just make sure you rinse really, really well and give it time to air dry afterwards.

Also, I've heard that if you put bettas in the same tank and block them off from eachother they can give eachother bad germs...is this true?

If they're in the same tank, then yes, if one fish is sick, then the other fish has a chance of catching it. However, if you've got the fish in a bigger tank, you have more water to work with, which generally helps you keep water quality much higher. This reduces the chance that either of your fish will come down with any sort of disease.

I used to change all of the water in their tank and add new water that is the same temperature as it was before, but, I was discouraged from this method. Now I have a filter that makes the really cool bubbles and I take 50 percent of the water out and suck up all the little chunks of debris that I can find. Is this a better way to clean the tank?

This is a much better way. 100% water changes are stressful to the fish, so doing smaller ones more often is definitely better. Using a gravel vac or turkey baster to suck up uneaten food and fish waste from the bottom should always be a part of your regular tank maintenance.

I've heard many many many different name brands and types of food to feed them. I currently feed them "Betta Pellet Food" by "Aqua Culture."
It looks like little tiny circular nuggets lol I don't know how to explain it differently. Hopefully someone will know what I'm talking about.
Is this an ok food for them?

It most likely is. Most betta pellets are pretty similar. It's usually just a matter of picking between different brands until you find one your fish like.

I just sprinkle it in and I always find alot of food on the bottom. Are bettas just messy eaters or am I over feeding them?

Sounds like you're overfeeding them. Each fish should only get 3-4 pellets at each feeding, and you should feed them twice a day. Some bettas are ravenous eaters, but others are more deliberate, so you might have to drop one pellet at a time and watch the fish eat them to make sure you aren't letting a lot of food rot in the tank.

Somebody also told me that bettas like to play hide and seek and are not happy without hiding places. Is this true?

Bettas need the security of some sort of hiding place. You can find a piece of driftwood that makes a cave, you can use aquarium-safe rocks to make a cave yourself, or you can buy a cave-type resin aquarium decoration from the pet store. Just make sure whatever you get has no jagged edges that the fish could tear its fins on.

I would like to put real plants in with them and give them as much of a real habitat as possible. But I'm afraid of poison them with the wrong type of plants. Im growing some Nymphaea lillies right now. I haven't found them on any poisonous plant list for bettas so I'm crossing my fingers that they are ok for them.

I'm not really familiar with that type of plant or its care requirements, so I can't help you there. Live plants look great and have a lot of benefits, so I definitely recommend them. Some of the easier live plants are java moss, java fern, and floating plants like water lettuce, water sprite, or even duckweed. Bettas really enjoy the cover floating plants provide.

This is My last question for now I promise lol
I've been looking at the different types of bettas and I can only decide that they have VT fins but I dont know what type the actual fish is considered. I bought them at walmart so I know they can't be any type of show fish, which is fine with me, I love them all the more Love
My question is...if I take pictures of them can somebody tell me what they are? lol
I know they're not yellow or mustard gas or anything like that. But I'd really like to know Very Happy

Yep, if you post a picture I'm sure someone could tell you what type of betta you've got.

Good luck!

[kgirl]

oh awesome!!
ok heres some pics, they suck but it was all i could do :/
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...81408041-1.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...81408037-1.jpg

[iamntbatman]

Both look like male veiltail betta splendens to me.

[kgirl]

okay so whats a spleden? Is that the breed or color..what lol
Thank you so much for answering my questions by the way :)

[lovemybetta]

I've heard many many many different name brands and types of food to feed them. I currently feed them "Betta Pellet Food" by "Aqua Culture."
It looks like little tiny circular nuggets lol I don't know how to explain it differently. Hopefully someone will know what I'm talking about.
Is this an ok food for them?

IT IS AN OK FOOD THAT IS WHAT I USE FOR MY BETTA. ALSO I ONLY FEED MINE LIKE 2 PELLETS. THAT IS ALL THEY NEED.

[tmz]

Originally Posted by kgirl

okay so whats a spleden? Is that the breed or color..what lol
Thank you so much for answering my questions by the way :)

splenden is the spcies of betta. there are many different species. but betta splendens are the ones most commonly found in pet stores and kept as pets. they are the most colorful of the betta species.

[dramaqueen]

Pellets are fine. Some people feed their bettas flake food instead of pellets. Its just a matter of preference.I feed mine pellets.Freeze dried or frozen bloodworms and freeze dried brine shrimp are good but should only be given as a treat once or twice a week.