Hey everyone, I'm a new beta fish owner. I saw that my boss had one at work and I immediately wanted one, so a flimsy wim I went out and just bought a fish and set up. I bought him a cute glass container. He has rocks in the bottom and a live plant with him as well. I'll take a picture soon and put it up to see. HOWEVER I do have questions.
I don't know if I'm taking care of him correctly. When I brought him home I filled his tank up with water and put his little tupperware container resting in it. He sat for about two hours and then I came home and transfered him into his bowl, however I just kinda poured him in. :/ I put a little mesh thing on top of the container as I heard these fish jump. I don't know if I should feed him or when to. And I don't know if he's okay. He seems to be fine a little, he's not just sitting, he's moving around just a bit. His color does not looks like it's faded and I see no bubbles. The water in the tank actually feels pretty warm to the touch just from sitting in my bedroom, although I don't know if it's to hot for him or not. I'm just worried about my poor fishy, I want to give him the best care that I possibly can, he is to pretty. Maybe someone can give me some advice please?
Actually now I'm kinda afraid, I think it may be to cold and he is swimming close to the bottom. Anyone know of an easy way to atleast keep him warm over night until I can buy him something?
There's really not a way to keep it warm overnight.
And for Bettas, the recommended tank size is AT LEAST 2.5 gallons, but you can get away with smaller if you do appropriate water changes- and no tank should be smaller than a gallon. With no filter, it should get a 100% change at least once a week.
I'm not sure what changes to do on your tank because, one, you didn't specify a size, and two, I've never dealt with a tank smaller than 5 gallons before.
You'd do better (and have less work to do) with a larger, filtered tank with a heater in it. Heaters you have to set yourself are normally better because presets tend to be funny.
Bettas need a constant temperature between 76 and 86. The best temperature is around 78-80 degrees. That means you can't put a light on it during the day to keep it warm, because Bettas need night cycles just like people and there will be too much temperature fluctuation with the light going on and off.
As for feeding- Betta pellets are the ideal food, not regular fish food. 2 to 3 per meal two times a day, and it's recommended you fast your Betta one day a week to help prevent bloating (A Betta's stomach is only the size of his eye). Some people prefer to feed frozen foods. In a good pellet, the first two ingredients on the bottle should be fish or fish related (Shrimp, etc. etc. etc.).
Another more experienced member will be able to help you more than me, seeing as I've only ever had one Betta. This whole forum has taught me a lot. I suggest reading the Betta fish care sticky and the one about the myth of Bettas living in puddles- your Betta will be happier, healthier, and live longer if you take proper care of him.
I wouldn't know how to judge the size of the tank cause it's not a normal tank, it's like a decorative piece. But it seems bigger than the ones they were selling at petco. However I don't know how I would put a heater in there.
My boss at work has a beta fish that's tank sits on the wall, it has no heater, and no filter. I change it weekly (as I would do my own) but his fishy seems fine, I feed him every morning when I get to work and he's very interactive (which is why I thought my beta would be okay.)
My beta is currently moving around now, although he's kind of attacking the rocks at the bottom of the tank every so often. I just want him to be okay. i know idealy the fishy needs the heater, I just don't have it tonight.
I also have pellets that I will feed it. It's what my friend kelly feeds her two. But she keeps hers in smaller containers than what mine has with no heater or filter, just frequent changes. I went out and bought a bigger container because I wanted to give him room to swim around.
I can see him over on my dresser now and he is swimming around quite a bit.
You can get a heater that has a couple of suction cups that you can stick on the wall of the tank. They worked with my male when he was in a circular tank, so I'm pretty sure it could work with almost any type of tank.
Not the best, but it gets the job done. A thermometer is also ideal so you can make sure that the heater is working. You can get one for maybe 4 bucks, tops.
Your betta is most likely still getting used to his new home. You should feed him twice a day. I use flakes, but most members here use pellets. Usually 2-3 pellets per meal, and scoop out any that he doesn't eat.
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
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