RJ -- my first betta.

[Rynasaurus]

Hey everyone, I guess this is my (and his) introduction. I'm Ryan, 14 years old, just started 9th grade. And this is my betta fish Rolland James (call him RJ!) I literally just put him in his 10 gallon tank 5 minutes ago.

I really really dislike the huge pictures that take up my whole screen so I hope these aren't too big:

RJ playing with his reflection:


RJ in the car:


RJ swimming:


I'm doing the fish-in cycle right now (added the Tetra SafeStart) and will be monitoring the tank's ammonia levels. (I hope he'll be okay!) Unfortunately, this is borrowed money as I spent my own money on the tank and so I could only buy one hiding place for RJ. A few barrels stuck together, haha.

He was bought from Petsmart about a half hour ago. I am fasting him on Sundays, and I'm turning the light off around 10, when I go to sleep.

Comments, Questions? Anything I'm doing wrong?

Thanks!

EDIT: In that reflection picture. Does he see his reflection? Or is it only me? I don't want him to be stressed from thinking there is another betta he's looking at..

[CodeRed]

He's very pretty! You'll want some plants eventually, but since you're limited on money, I'm sure everything will be fine for the time being.
To answer your question, usually they can't see their reflection like that, but they can sometimes. If you position yourself like you see your betta, you can't see your reflection head-on. It's really confusing to explain x.x; Gah.... Sorry -.-;
BUT, the light in an tank DOES make the glass more reflective. Either way, if he does see his reflection he'll probably flare and get worked up for a couple of days, then chill out when he realizes that it's nothing to worry about. Congrats on your betta!

[bloo97]

Nice fish! Took the words right out of my mouth, CR. :D

[Rynasaurus]

Hey thanks! He is pretty. I like his purple colors. From looking at that sticky thread, I'm guessing he's a veil tail (not sure)? I picked him because he was the most active in the little cup of his. I hope he's really friendly. I put my head on the tank and looked at him and he came over to me. I hope it's because he was looking at me, and not because of some other reason, haha.

I feel bad for RJ cause he only has one decoration, but I'll work hard again to make some money to buy him some.

[CodeRed]

Yup, he's a veil ^_^ Multicolor. A bit of grizzle.

By the way, my brother's name is Ryan, so +1 for you xDD

[Fermin]

Nice looking betta! Congrats on giving him a good home!

[nochoramet]

He's pretty! And yes, he's a veil tail. Most bettas get verrryyy friendly when they realize you are the food source lol. All mine are! Congrats on your betta!

[FuulieQ]

Wow, you sound like you're really done your research! :D Hooray.

Cute betta. :) Aquarium decorations are ridiculously expensive, aren't they? :l Sometimes, silk plants are a little less expensive, though. I have a silk plant along with the real plants in my betta's tank and I catch him sleeping on it sometimes. :)

[Learn To Fly]

You can buy cheap silk plants from a craft store. Just make sure they don't have metal any place that it can touch the water.

Nice fish, welcome to the forum, and you sound knowledgeable already! I'm sure RJ has a great owner in you!

[Ajones108]

If you want plants at an affordable price, PetSmart has some rather lovely live plants that are really a lot cheaper than the silk/plastic ones. Sometimes they have them packaged in Topfin containers near the fish area. If they don't have the packaged kinds, they'll have plants growing in the tanks. I really like the water wisteria I got from there. It might shed a few leaves on you but give it time. :) Just buy, rinse off, plop in tank. I think it was like $3.99 for a bunch of it or something. I also have a moss ball in my tank.

If they do have the Topfin packaged containers, I REALLY like the anubias nana, $7.99. :) They're very hardy and easy to plant.

Your fish looks very happy! Kudos for doing your research. Just keep an eye on those ammonia levels and make sure that your filter isn't pushing him around or sucking him in.