Am new here, it's 10 degrees out so I said hmm, what better thing to do than to adopt a new pet. Moved to Denver at the beginning of the month, and my wily California King managed to escape amidst the move, so I decided to shift away from snakes for now. Anyhow, without and further babbling, this is Chigurh. (extra points for those that realize I named him after the villain in No Country for Old Men.)
You all will probably better recognize what type he is etc. I honestly don't have the slightest clue, I just thought he was purdeh lol
Fed him a few blood worms which he seemed to take akin to, though I must say I felt really tempted to buy that big 5 gallon fluvial edge Chi aquarium, the one with the natural little waterfall thing into it.... Darn thing is awfully sexy, but decided 5 gallons was probably a bit much for one Betta.
Am new here, it's 10 degrees out so I said hmm, what better thing to do than to adopt a new pet. Moved to Denver at the beginning of the month, and my wily California King managed to escape amidst the move, so I decided to shift away from snakes for now. Anyhow, without and further babbling, this is Chigurh. (extra points for those that realize I named him after the villain in No Country for Old Men.)
You all will probably better recognize what type he is etc. I honestly don't have the slightest clue, I just thought he was purdeh lol
Fed him a few blood worms which he seemed to take akin to, though I must say I felt really tempted to buy that big 5 gallon fluvial edge Chi aquarium, the one with the natural little waterfall thing into it.... Darn thing is awfully sexy, but decided 5 gallons was probably a bit much for one Betta.
Cheers,
Ken
Oh my...the water looks awfully cloudy!! Do you have a heater for the little guy? Just so you know, with that size tank (I have one too for emergencies), you'll need to do 100% water changes everyday...
Other than that, cute looking fishie! Sorry I don't know where the name comes from... *fail* D:
Watch No Country for Old Men, epic film. And a water heater? Forgive my Betta noobness, I believe it's time I search the forum haha. The water is cloudy because the sand is still settling. Like an idiot, I poured the sand in AFTER I put the water in /facepalm.
I would invest in a thermometer and a heater for the tank. It should be around a steady 78 degrees F. I would be careful with the hole in the top too, bettas like to jump!
Bettas are tropical fish..so they need their water temperatures to be between 76ºF-82ºF...more toward 80ºF preferably. Bettas do need room to swim though...many recommend 2.5 gallon tanks to allow them to swim around and not be bored (which can cause them to bite off their own tails..). Using a 2.5 gallon tank is also easier for cleaning..only 2 water changes a week compared to the every day changes you're going to have to do with your current tank.. I would use what you have now as a quarantine tank or a hospital tank, honestly.
Did you wash your sand before adding it? Sometimes it has dust and grime that also makes your water rather cloudy... you can do a few water changes (siphoning) and gently add water back into the tank to improve clarity.
5 gallons is actually the perfect size for bettas. Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as "too big". Some people here keep their bettas in massive community tanks. I have one in my 10 gal.
You mentioned it was cold where you live. Unless you heat your house to 80F you will need a heater as bettas require a constant temperature of 78 degrees to thrive. They can tolerate as low as 70 or so. Lower than that and you are risking his life. Unfortunately most heaters are designed to work with tanks of at least 2 gallons...
How big is that tank? Small unfiltered tanks (<2 gallons) need constant water changes to keep the fish healthy. 2-3 times a week I think. How will you clean the sand? in an unfiltered tank it can become a hassle.
Yarp. I almost sprung for a 5 gallon but wasn't certain whether I was ready to drop 50$ on the aquarium, albeit a nice one, for a Betta. As beautiful a fish as they are, 50$ is a lot of Ramen noodles lol
That said, I am half debating going back and swapping this tank for that nicer one tomorrow. I believe it's called the Fluval Edge - Chi if I'm not mistaken. I just need to look at my finances first and foremost and decide whether or not I want to drop that kinda mullah right now without having a job yet. Still on the hunt lmao
That said, I reckon ole Chigurh should be fine in his current setting for now until I spring for a nicer aquarium setup if I maintain it well, yea? My apartment stays nearly a constant 75-80 (I'm a Louisiana boy originally, I like my hot weather) so it should keep his water at an acceptable level. Will drop my thermometer in there in a bit to see what kind of a reading I get.
I have a buncha sand. Literally like 20lbs of it. I wash it prior to placing it in the aquarium, though; I have so much because I used to use it for my snake who went A.W.O.L., might as well use what's left of it.
If you don't want to splurge, you can get something called a "critter keeper" if you like. You can find them in the small pets/reptile section in a pet store...they're only about $15 for a 5 gallon one...that's what I'm housing my new guy in.. And they have a better lid so your betta won't jump out (yes...they do tend to jump)
I'll splurge, just not yet. I still have multiple aquariums for the snakes I've had in the passed that I could clean and use, everything from 5 gallon to 25 gallon setups, but I quite like the fit and finish of the one I linked above. I figure if I'm gonna have such a pretty fish out on display, I might as well throw it in something that doesn't look like it came from ToysR'us (no offense to anyone here lol)
Just trying to keep with the aesthetic appeal of the rest of my apartment is all. Good to know these things though, I was always under the impression that they did fine in small surroundings, though logic generally says bigger is better. Might also invest in a coarse sand, that way it doesn't cloud up the water like the nice beach sand I have does. Fish seems relatively happy though. I assume him swimming around and exploring is a good thing, versus just sitting still like he's shell shocked.
Edit: I assume it's also a good idea to add small amounts of salt to their water? I see in your sig that for every gallon you add a half teaspoon.
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
