New Betta Owner Hello and a Question

[pinksnowme]

Hi my name is andrea
I just brought home a beautiful clear betta from a friend off craigsliss. He is in a 1 gallon bowl for now. With water conditoner and meal worms for food.
My question is: Does he need something to stay afloat for sleeping? He didnt come with plants. Do I need to get him some to help him sleep near the surface tonight?
I fell in love with him right away but I had to wait 2 weeks while I was in surgery to get him. Deffinately worth the wait!
I looked online for the name of a "white warrior" Anime white warriors have water names. So I am calling him Blizzard!
I want to learn all I can

[Burd]

Welcome to the forums! :)

Bettas don't need help staying up by plants or otherwise. They do, however, definitely prefer having somewhere to hide. Plants can provide this. So can caves or even make-shift hidey holes made from a mug or something. Do your fishy friend a favor and get him silk plants if you don't want to get real ones.

You'll also need to consider buying him a heater. It's pretty mandatory. Bettas thrive in temps above 76 degrees, between 78 and 82 is where they really like it. I guarantee you'll see a huge difference in how happy he is.

Also, he's gorgeous. Very beautiful boy.

[pinksnowme]

Thanks Burd for the quick reply! :D
I will be getting some plants from my dad this week who used to keep bettas in the old style with a tiny cup and 1 plant. I plan to do a little better for my betta.
Good to know he can sleep breathe on his own :)

[pinksnowme]

2 more photos of Blizzard
1) in his bowl
2) I thought my purse made a nice background

[laughing]

Silk plants 3 packs are $5 at WalMart! He would love them!

Mugs, terra cotta pots, shot glasses, etc. are all amazing choices for your betta. Cheap, too! A large terra cotta pot is $2 and you can break it in different ways.

Heaters are mandatory as well. Air stones, filters, etc are not. Filters do make your tank cleaner and lessens how often you need to clean the bowl.

Good luck!

[laughing]

By the way, in a larger tank properly set up and fed a good diet, I bet he would turn into a gorgeous butterfly! He has a tiny bit of the coloring now....

[caitic10]

Welcome! Betta's don't need something to stay afloat but plants are a great idea for hiding places.

laughing is right, Blizzard is showing a hint of butterfly patterning. Butterfly is when the body color extends to the fins partway, but after the fins are clear. With proper care and clean water, the butterfly colouring may begin brighten. The most common butterfly colours are red, blue and green.

[FuulieQ]

He does look like he'll become a butterfly. c:

I've never heard of feeding a betta mealworms... is that healthy? I'd get some pellets for variety, at least.

[Littlebittyfish]

Hello and welcome to the forum! He is a beautiful betta. I agree with what everyone else has mentioned so far...Heaters are very important for bettas. On a 1 gallon bowl I would preform a 100% water change daily or every other day atleast to prevent finrot.

[Ashleigh]

Blizzard looks alot like my betta Peewee in the last 2 photos just with longer fins :D welcome to the forum by the way!