New Betta owner and Newbie!

[ladikara]

Hi all!

I am new to this forum, but I have been a lurker for awhile now. I cannot tell you how much I have learned by reading threads and such. Thank you!

I have never owned a Betta before, so Bubbles (yes that is his name) is my first. I grew up as most kids did, with goldfish.

Anyway I got Bubbles on Thursday of last week. Today I got my first bubble nest from him! So I can tell he is happy and feels safe. His personality is starting to show. He flares up a lot and just is cute as can be.

He is a beautiful Betta (I think!). I just adore his colors. Not sure what kind he is, but regardless, he is beautiful.

I have 2 cats, who now love watching Betta-Fish TV. They just sit and watch but they don't ever try to go for the tank. He doesn't seem to mind them either.

The only minor mistake I have made is getting him a 1 gallon tank. After reading this board and various other online sites, I have decided to get a bigger tank for him. So I ordered a 3 gallon online tonight. So his home is about to get much bigger! I am sure anything beats that darn cup they come in.

Anyway here are a few photos. Hope it's okay to post them.

Thank you again!






Alexa (my Maine Coon) watching Betta-Fish TV!


Not happy I interrupted her program.

[ninjafish]

Your fish is beautiful! He is what's called a Veil Tail, or VT. Congrats on him, and welcome to the site. You have a lovely cat, too, she's soo cute. :)

[cmndrJOE]

Welcome to the forum!

Your fish is purdy. May I suggest you invest in a heater and a thermomemter for your new tank. Your buddy will appreciate it. Bettas thrive in water that's near 78 to 80 degrees. Also, invest in a water treater, as most tap water is treated with chemicals that may not agree with your fish. I use Seachem Prime (I bought a bottle of it from my local petsmart for 4 bucks).

Are you going to run a filtration system in your tank? A few members suggested a sponge filter to me, and I love it. ( http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...ngefilterround ). It's the best filter investment I've ever spent. You'll need to buy an airpump for it, but you can spend 10 bucks on that and be set. Never needs replacing, and once a month all you need to do it squeeze it out into some old tank water to maintain it. If you're not going to run a filter, just make sure you keep up on your water changes and you'll be set.

[BettaxFishxCrazy]

Your fish is beautiful! I love the last picture.haha :P Since it's a 1G, filtering it is pointless IMO because you're going to have to do a lot of water changes. A 1G should be cleaned every other day 100% IMO. Ammonia builds up very quickly in smaller tanks. That's why we say bigger is better, but if you don't mind keeping up with the water changes, you're all set. :)

[a123andpoof]

Beautiful fish! and beautiful cat!
I have a 3g and I don't have a filter for it. But if you don't filter you will probally want to do at least 25% water changes every other day. You can probally get away though with it every two days and and a 100% once a week. Thats what I do.
I just love your cat lol he is sooooo pretty! (I LOVE longhair cats)

[dramaqueen]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Your fish is pretty!

[ladikara]

Thank you everybody! Bubbles and Alexa say thank you for all the compliments. Thanks for the welcome too! Alexa has grown bored of Betta-Fish TV. My other cat now has a little interest, but her catnip toys have more of her attention. ha!

Bubbles is doing great and is happy as a fish can be. He added to his bubble nest over night and it's still in tact in the corner of the tank. Actually as I type this, I just looked over and he is back to working on his nest. Too cute!

As I said in the original post, he will be getting a bigger tank. Just waiting for it to arrive. I had a filter in this 1 gallon tank and it just seemed to send water every which direction, so I took it out. I also thought the filter in a 1 gallon tank was pointless. The bigger tank will have a filter. It's a panoramic tank, so I am looking forward to getting it. Yes, I plan to get a heater too. I do have a thermometer on the tank, you just can't see it in the pictures. It's on the side. :)

As for filters, I have a question. What benefits does a sponge filter have that a regular filter (one that comes with a tank) doesn't. Just curious.

[cmndrJOE]

Well, the sponge filter never needs replacing. All you need to do, about once a month, is take it out when you do a water change, and squeeze it out in the old tank water. A sponge filter gives the benefical bacteria in your tank a place to live and grow. You never have to replace any filterpads, and creates little to no current in your tank. Your betta actually breathes air, so they don't need their water airrated (spell check?).... actually they don't like much current at all. A hang on back filter (abbreviated hob) creates current. Of course there are hob filters that are regulateable, but in my experience, it made more sense to get a sponge filter than to try and find not only a hob filter that has an adjustable flow, but one that would fit on my tank, and one that never needed parts replaced.

I actually found my sponge filter made too much current, so I bought a 25 cent air regulator, available at any petstore, and now I can adjust my spongefilter. It was way easier than me trying to spend the money for the reasons I listed above. Oh and they don't take much room at all, plus, my fish likes to seep ontop of it lol.