Betta Fish Forum banner
4M views 13K replies 2K participants last post by  Smaragdina_is_best@12345 
#1 ·
Ok, so I'm sure everyone would love to see the variety of betta tanks/bowls that we have, so post pics of yours here!:-D I have to find my camera, and then I'll get pics of my tanks :)
 
#12,336 ·
Bettas don't really need filters, but you can get a filter and put it on low settings.
Silk plants or real plants are fine, I have a silk plant because I have no idea how to care for real plants.
And if you're going to use those things for a tank, I reccomend cleaning the tank very often.
 
#12,338 · (Edited)
Oh gosh, it's larger than I expected! It's around 1.5 gallons , which according to some people is the super trooper duper kabooper kashloomer mimoomer minimum for a Betta. Silk plants, natural gravel, heater, good water, often water changes, and your betta will hopefully live a happy life! Though, getting a lid is a good Idea (one with holes or something) because Bettas are jumpers.
 
#12,339 ·
I just used this super-helpful converter ‘widget’ I just found on my mac to convert it to gallons, and it is apparently 1.343 gallons. How often would I need to clean it, and will those cleans be full cleans, 1/2 cleans or what? I am planning on maybe getting a glass plate for a lid, or maybe I will find some plastic the right size. I will try to get it running soon, and buy some silk plants too. What could I do about his fins do you think?
 
#12,350 ·
what a pretty fish Lonely! =D
 
#12,356 ·
Oooh the second picture really brings out the blue on the rim of his double tail!
 
#12,364 · (Edited)
Thanks so much for the replies everyone! My Mum and I have decided to get a bigger one, and we chose the “Aqua One Betta Trio” from PetBarn (cheaper than it was at City Farmers by about $20):


My brother and sister each have a Betta as well, so we are putting one in each compartment. It is 36 litres, or 9.5 gallons, which is a huge amount better than the 1 gallon one. It has an in-built filter, and comes with a heater and a light.

So far, we have got the gravel, but nothing else. My sister and I spent about 2 hours rinsing the stones, which are now spread out in the divided tank.

However, I am unsure what to do next. We are considering using real plants in the tank, is this a good idea, and what plants do you recommend? I read that Riccia and Java moss were good choices.
Should we wait to get the plants before adding water? Or add them after the tank has cycled?

Also, should I wait until my fish is better before putting him in the big tank, so that whatever he has doesn’t get transferred to my siblings’ fish? (I would put him in the smaller, 1.3 gallon Ikea one)

I am really confused as to what to do next, could someone please advise me on the next few steps?

Thanks so much, I really appreciate the time everyone took to respond :)

ETA: I just read that we need some water conditioner for setting up the good bacteria. What is the best type available in Perth, WA? Also, there were about a million different bottles of chemicals available in the pet shops; which is the right aquarium salt? This was the one I saw in the shop:

Is it any good, or should I look for others? Are there any other chemicals I need?

The chemicals we currently have are:
Stress Coat (API brand)
Stress Zyme (API brand)
Melafix (API brand)
BettaSafe Water Conditioner (Tetra brand) - “Makes tap water safe for Bettas; Complete formula, works in seconds”. We have been using this to treat our tap water when doing tank cleans.

Please tell me if I have forgotten anything, and thanks again for all the previous replies!
 
#12,368 ·
You can get Seachem Prime which is a great water conditioner and a lot of the members on here recommend it.

Also, if you visit a Pet City grab New Life Spectrum betta formula... its a lot better than Hikari betta gold.

Have a click on the links in my signature... they might give you some ideas for things to buy 😊
 
#12,365 · (Edited)
That's a really nice tank! You can immediately add the plants, probably easiest would be to get some Java Ferns (I prefer Java Ferns as when the leaves reach the top of the water line, it makes a natural resting/sleeping area for the Bettas) that are already tied on to the driftwood and are very easy to maintain. Java Moss is nice too, also low maintenance, will look really nice once you tie it down onto some driftwood and watch it grow. As for the quarantine period, I would follow this method using the Melafix you already have (in their current setup) before adding them all to the main tank just to be on the safe side.

Also when your Java Fern is nice and healthy, you will realize that at the underside tips of the leaves, brown tiny furry roots will start forming like this. This will probably take about 1 month or so, as they are low light/slow growing plants. I generally let it come off by themselves and just gently insert it back into the base main plant.

To speed up the cycling process I dose my tanks with ISTA Photosynthetic Bacteria. Very handy chemical to have on hand. I also use some Hexa Flora Spring Liquid Fertilizer just to give my Java Ferns a bit of a boost in nutrients. There are many types of fertilizers out there but I find that this particular brand is helping my Java Ferns pretty well. And not to forget your Anti-Chlorine solutions, which I think you already have.

Till my Java Ferns are nice and tall enough to reach the water surface, I made my own Betta hammock with aquarium divider suctions and fold some dried up banana leaves like this:
 

Attachments

Top