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[JayJo]

Hi there! I'm brand new to this forum but I ended up here because I wanted more information on Bettas, friends with Bettas, and just wanted to see more Bettas (without freaking buying more). (:

I've always been into Bettas, my sister and mother has had quite a few but for awhile there, I haven't had anything to do with them. I just recently moved in with my boyfriend and his family and I'm not allowed to have any pets. But! I can have AS MANY BETTAS AS I WANT. Horrible, right?

The other day in Wal-Mart, I just had to walk threw the fish section and there they were. Starving, sick Bettas just dying to have a LOVING owner. So. Naturally, I bought two male bettas (Crowntail & Veiltail) and a 1/2 gallon tank with a divider. Mind you, I was only a beginner to owning a Betta but dangit these guys NEEDED ME.

So when I got home I was desperate and did A TON OF RESEARCH. I bought conditioner for my fish's water, flakes (they didn't care for the pellets AT ALL), and bloodworms the next day. They were okay but my red Veiltail wasn't eating or doing anything. He died today but my Crowntail is doing wayyy betterrrr. And I bought another tank (42 fl oz, what is that regarding gallon?) and it has a divider! I might just use it for one fish though, I've been reading about space for a Betta.

I also bought the medicine drops (Bettafix, did I do good with that?) and read the directions, gave my Wal-Mart Betta a drop. He's doing WAY BETTER. Swimming around his bowl, eating his flakes and bloodworms almost immediately.

BTW, I also bought 2 Bettas from Petco (luckily, at my petco they are kept for AMAZINGLY, have great colors, and they are ALL lively!) and they now live in the 1/2 tank together (with the divider). A Halfmoon and Delta!

Now I have a few questions but I'll post them in the appropriate board (:

I'm Jay, BTW! Nice to freakin' meet all of you Betta lovers! (:

[BellasMomma]

glad yer saving bettas! its definitely addicting! 42 oz is only a third of a gallon, not great for 1 fish let alone 2!! please dont divided it!!! one main thing u can do to make yer bettas happy is get a heater. r u going to upgrade yer tanks? cuz a divided half gallon is even less than a third gallon... if u can get a 10 gallon and divided it 3-4 ways! with a heater and filter yer bettas will be on cloud 9! being able to have as many bettas as u want it pretty lucky, if only my hubby would let me stock the house with them!

[dramaqueen]

Hello and welcome to the forum. A half gallon isn't big enough for two bettas to share. We recommend 2 gallons or larger for 1 betta. I would recommend a good pellet food as their staple diet, along with bloodworms, daphnia or brine shrimp, either frozen or freeze dried.

[JayJo]

Thank you, guys! I think I'm just going to move my one Betta into the new tank and take out both dividers out of them. Annnd today I'm going to go to Petco and check out the tanks there! I stayed up longer last night and read about tank sizes and now I kind of feel bad. So I'm definitely going to upgrade as soon as I can! Can you explain the dollar a gallon thing at Petco for me, please?

So flakes are a bad idea? Because I have the pellets. Maybe I can try again. And I have the freeze-dried bloodworms and they love those!

Would my small tanks do fine as long as they aren't divided JUST for now? Until I can upgrade the tanks?

[Kytkattin]

When petco has a sale all tanks over 10 gallons only cost $1 per gallon. That means you would pay $10 for 10 gallons!

Flakes are generally frowned upon because they cloud the water, and are a lot harder to accurately feed. Freeze-dried is okay, but a lot of people have problems with bloat when they feed them. I recommend no more than one freeze-dried anything a day. Frozen is a lot healthier.

Your small tanks are just fine for now. Clean water and heat are the most important thing.

There are a lot of conflicting opinions about Bettafix. Generally speaking, it is not recommended because a key ingredient, Tea Tree Oil can damage their labyrinth lung.

[mjoy79]

Originally Posted by Kytkattin

When petco has a sale all tanks over 10 gallons only cost $1 per gallon. That means you would pay $10 for 10 gallons!

Flakes are generally frowned upon because they cloud the water, and are a lot harder to accurately feed. Freeze-dried is okay, but a lot of people have problems with bloat when they feed them. I recommend no more than one freeze-dried anything a day. Frozen is a lot healthier.

Your small tanks are just fine for now. Clean water and heat are the most important thing.

There are a lot of conflicting opinions about Bettafix. Generally speaking, it is not recommended because a key ingredient, Tea Tree Oil can damage their labyrinth lung.

+1 :)

Welcome to the forum Jay!

[JayJo]

Oh goodness! I can't wait for the sale then! (:

All right! The Bettas have been switched to their new homes! All dividers are stashed away(: And I fed them pellets today and they ate them but kept spitting them out a couple times before actually eating them. Should I get smaller pellets?

Oh, shoot! I won't use the Bettafix anymore.

I want my fish to have the best ha so just correct me ANYTIME I NEED IT.

I'll have pictures of my two healthy bettas up in just a second (if you want to see?). I think they are both beautiful. My purple one loves having his picture taken while my cotton candy colored one hates it. (:

And thanks for all the welcomes guys! I definitely feel right at home here!

[LaLaLeyla]

Well don't give up on the bettafix just yet. Just don't over do it. C:

[JayJo]

Oh, gotcha. Fwew, scared me. Hahaha thank you (:

[mjoy79]

Pictures are encouraged. Always welcome :)