Blowing bubbles at a frenzied pace!

[3bangdoos]

Hi! This is a great site for new fish lovers like me and I simply love the thought of having expert opinion/advice handy.

We just got our first fish, a male betta (vibrant blue-will post pictures soon!) a few days back from Petco. Initially he was reticent, but after a day he became extremely active. My 5 year old daughter named him Neptune for the following reasons:
1) She loves astronomy and planets.
2) She says Neptune is the sea god and is blue, hence...

We were a bit concerned with Neptune's frothing all over his bowl, but Google revealed it's due to his 'mating' requirements going into overdrive! Ah well!
But my question is, do I need to clean up the froth at regular intervals or let it be? I'm just concerned that he'll block the opening of the bowl with his bubbles and not have enough O2. Everytime we clear up, he goes into frenzied bubble creation mode and we aren't able to cope up :)

[dramaqueen]

Hello and welcome to FishForum. The bubbles are prefectly normal and don't need to be cleaned up. I think Neptune is a great name for your betta. Your daughter is very smart for thinking it up. :) What size bowl is he in? Small bowls need water changes twice a week. Looking forward to seeing some pics soon.

[3bangdoos]

Originally Posted by dramaqueen

Hello and welcome to FishForum. The bubbles are prefectly normal and don't need to be cleaned up. I think Neptune is a great name for your betta. Your daughter is very smart for thinking it up. :) What size bowl is he in? Small bowls need water changes twice a week. Looking forward to seeing some pics soon.

Thanks dramaqueen!

We currently have him in what I think is definitely a 2 gl (or maybe more?) bowl. We wanted to gradually transition him to his new home, so we've just got some colored gravel stones, a couple of plant bulbs (which are yet to grow) and a sign which says 'No fishing' . Do you think we would still need 2 changes/week? Is cloudiness an indicator to the frequency of water change?

[dramaqueen]

If its 2 gallons I think you could get by with one change a week. Cloudiness isn't a good indicator of time to change the water.I was told when I got my first betta to change the water when it gets cloudy. Water quality is very important but I think you'll be ok with doing it once a week since it's 2 gallons. Twice wouldn't hurt but you can get by with once a week.

[crowntail lover]

Yes you should get away fine with changing the water once a week!
I hope he loves his new home!
You do know to put water conditioner in the clorinated water right?

[3bangdoos]

Originally Posted by crowntail lover

Yes you should get away fine with changing the water once a week!
I hope he loves his new home!
You do know to put water conditioner in the clorinated water right?

I'm playing it safe and using Poland Spring. I guess that's good enough?

[AngelicScars]

You should have a water conditioner and do you have a heater? He needs to be in a tank no lower then 78 degrees F.
the bubbles are all normal and fine. He'll pop and make bubble nests every so often. Definitely a good sign.

Can't wait to see pics!

[dramaqueen]

Even if you use spring water, it needs to be dechlorinated. A couple of good dechlorinators that some of our members use are Prime by Seachem and Tetra Aquasafe. There are plenty of other brands out there to choose from, also.

[crowntail lover]

Yes a conditioner is NEEDED

[3bangdoos]

I have posted Neptune's pictures under Betta Pictures. Last night we felt he got cold (temp dropped to below 70F), so we put a couple of spotlights on him and he immediately started his frenzied swimming.

We felt he needed a plant to rest so we're getting one today. Also, a thermometer and some aquatic gravel maybe. Though we would love to shift him to a larger tank with more plants and stuff, we're just loathe to pluck him from his comfort zone and introduce him to a new home.