acclimating bettas

[dramaqueen]

I think I'll use a net for fear of hurting my fish. I had a friend who tried to catch hers with her hand and the fish slipped out of her hand like a wet bar of soap and almost ended up going down the drain. I think I'll add tank water every 15 minutes, as Flashygrrl said. Thank you, everyone for your advice.

[Kim]

I may be a little too late for this post, but I'll say it anyway. What I do is float the bag in the tank for about 20 minutes. Then I carefully dump the water and fish into a small, clean container. Then all you need is an aquarium siphon. You tie a few knots in the tubing and get a siphon going (put the end in a different container to avoid messes). Then, tighten the knots until the water is slowly dripping out. Place the end of the siphon into the container with the fish, and wait until the amount of water doubles. Then, gently scoop out half of the water, and wait until the level doubles again. At this point you are ready to catch the fish and put them into the tank. With other fish, I would just net them, but since bettas' fins are really delicate (and their will be only one fish per tank) I would use a cup and scoop them out, then pour them gently into the tank.

I used to just float the bag and then dump them in (this was before I knew anything about aquariums), and the fish would usually hide and breathe rapidly for a while. Now I do it this way, and when I put my fish in the tank they just swim around like they own the place! :D

Oh, and remember to keep the tank lights off, and the lights in the room off as well. This reduces stress and will help them acclimate faster. A little natural sunlight is fine though, the lighting just has to be subdued, not pitch black.

I really have to recommend that you keep your bettas in at least 2.5 gallon containers, it will help them be much healthier. Also, are you planning on getting heaters? Bettas are tropical fish and really need a stable temperature of around 78 degrees F.

[Little-Fizz]

Originally Posted by drazen

what are you going to keep you're betta in? if you keep you're betta in a tank , standard pre. are put the bag with the fish in you're already acclam. tank for 2 hrs. so the temps get very close. The bag will float and you can open the top of the bag to let in some o2 and hold the top of the bag with the tank cover. If you're betta has a very small home then put out a container of water the day before you by the fish. When you bring you're fish home use the water in the bag as long as the fish store keeps clean water and poor it into the bowl and then top it with you're standing water. standing water should be at room temp so keep it in a warm place.

Oh my, are you serious drazen? Your advice is pretty scary, inside a bag for 2 hours with limited atmospheric oxygen???? I wouldn't be so quick to try and make someone seem incorrect when your clearly not to sure of what you are talking about.

The maximum I would keep a betta in the bag to get the temps right is a half hour, MAXIMUM.

[Little-Fizz]

Originally Posted by aunt kymmie

I acclimate just as Flashygrrl, only after the steps she lists I gently pour the water, with the fish, into a net (with a bucket underneath) then release right away into my tank. I've done this with every fish and never had a problem. Just my two cents into the mix. :)

Aunt kymmie, I've done this too. My net would not fix into my bag, and I didn't want to hurt them (My first time with ADFs) and I know I definitely did not want the water from the bag in my tank. The tanks the ADFs are kept in is disgraceful.

Anyways, I floated the bag for 15 minutes and then opened it up and introduced my tank water into the bag, left them for another 10-15 minutes, then I discovered my net wouldn't fit, so I grabbed a metal bowl and gently poured the bag into a net over the bowl then immediately transferred them into my tank. They swam to the bottom and made themselves right at home. It was a pretty good method if you ask me.

[dramaqueen]

I will be keeping them in gallon containers. I don't have the money or space for individual tanks for each one. I realize that the best home you can give a betta is a nice sized aquarium with a heater and filter. I keep up with water changes and feed my fish a proper diet.They are kept in an upstairs room that stays quite warm. I don't like to be cold either and I know that if I'M cold, my fish probably are, too. I also realize that temperature fluctuations are not good for fish. Are there any heaters made for gallon containers that would be ok in acrylic containers?