I got my first betta about a month ago and am trying hard to be a good mommy, but I feel like I'm missing out on a lot! Lieutenant Worf came from my local pet shop, and the lady there said he would be fine in a tiny bowl, so that's what I've been keeping him in. I change his water once a week and feed him every day. I use Betta Plus Bowl Conditioner and feed him Betta Bites. He got fat pretty quickly and I'm notorious for being "too" nice to pets and overfeeding them, so I cut him back to two pellets every day. Is that still too much?
I read over the Betta Fish Care sticky on this site and found that I'm doing a lot of things wrong, so I'll be making some changes soon.
I live in a small apartment and plan to remain a casual fishkeeper, so what's the smallest bowl I can keep him in?
Also when he was at my boyfriend's he was very active and perky and was always swimming at the glass like he wanted to give us a hug, but when I moved him to my house he got sad. I kept him by the window until I read that he needs warm temperatures and that that might explain his lethargy, so I moved him away. I hope he starts perking up soon. However, he's gotten some white stuff on his gills. To me it just looks like coloring on his scales, because it's a glittery silver/white and has red beneath it, and the coloring on the gills is symmetrical to each other. I've attached a picture. I hope it's not a disease or anything.
The picture where he's looking mopey and thin is the first day I got him, and the picture where he's all fanned out is at my boyfriend's when he was happy and super active.
Hey that bowl is def. too small poor guy has no room, the smallest i would go is 1gallon and even more important he needs a heater. As far as feeding just two pellets total a day is not enough, most recommend at least two pellets two times a day, and in that bowl and in the one gallon tank you should do water changes twice a week
he might be happier in the second pic because the sun seem to be shinning on him, maybe making his water warmer
a bigger bowl is DEFINATLY a good idea. i had the same issue, thanks to the site here i am in a bigger tank. and getting the heater tomorow. :) apparently a filter isnt necessary for a small tank( friends correct me if im wrong) apparently there are super tiny heaters that work great for 1-2.5 gallon tanks.
If you want your bowl to not be clunky like a tank is, homesense sells five gallon glass fishbowls which are very pleasing to look at and much nicer for your fish.
You should definitely upgrade to at least a 1 gallon. You don't need a super huge tank for your betta to be happy. I've seen happy betta fish in one gallons. But definitely you should upgrade. You should up your pellets to at least 2 pellets twice a day, like someone else said. Also, betta fish like a variety of food, so getting some flakes or frozen bloodworms wouldn't hurt (bloodworms are a treat - once a week).
If your betta is living in that size bowl, the water should probably be changed either every day or every other day. But if you're upgrading, I guess that's irrelevant. On my 2 gallon, I do 20% changes every other day, and a 100% change once a week. Most tanks have similar water change schedules, but it really depends on your own tank and what you have in it. For a heater, I suggest the tetra 50w sumbersible heater. I have it in my 2 gallon and it works great. I've also seen in it other people's pictures.
Once you upgrade, you should get a cave or a rock or a plant or something! Your betta will get bored and might start to bite his fins. When I do 100% water changes, I sometimes move the decorations a little so that he can explore a new layout.
Other than that, I'm glad you came to this site. It's very informative! He is a very pretty fish!
Last edited by agent89201; 01-12-2012 at 12:57 AM.
Teah, the bowl is def. too small. My general rule is 2.5 gallon per betta but if you really don't have the space you can go with 1.5 even if it's still a little small.
I'm not too worried about the white on his gills if it's symmetrical and the scales don't look raised or fuzzy. My Admiral Apocalypse has that. It might just be normal coloring.
The important thing is getting him a bigger tank, a heater AND a thermomether. Because they are tropical fish they do better in water between 76 and 80. I keep my 2 tanks (a 5gallon and a 3gallon) at 78 and they are very happy. They might survive in lower temp but their immune system is compromised so they are prone to catching diseases and be lethargic.
Now the question of filter or no filter. A filter is not necessary as long as you keep up with the frequent water changes (a couple of times a week depending on the size of the tank) but a filter will help keeping the water a little cleaner and more clear. You still have to do water changes once or twice a week with a filter but you might get away with 50% water changes once or twice a week instead of 100% a couple of times a week. Again the water changes depend on the size of tank you're going to use.
As for environment, betta love when there's plenty of plants and caves in their tanks. And preferably, don't put the tank in front of a window.
I got him a bigger bowl, it's one gallon. I don't have any decorations yet, but I'm going this week to get him a heater and thermometer and a plastic plant and some other decoration (don't worry, I read up on how to make sure the decorations are safe!). So right now he looks pretty small in the bowl with nothing else in it.
I also increased his food.
Since I put him in the bigger bowl he's been flaring his gills at me every time I approach the bowl. He never ever did that in the small bowl. In the small bowl, I would lean down to look at him and he would swim up to me to check me out and flap his little fins at me. Now he does swim up to me, but he puffs out his gills so he looks menacing. The only thing I can figure is that somehow the bigger bowl distorts my face and makes me look funny.
I did get hold of a bigger tank, like 15 gallons, but it's a hand-me-down, so I have to test it to see if it's water-tight and if it is, I'll clean it out and then he'll have a really happy home. But I do have to run it by my landlord... I'm not sure he'd like such a big tank in the apartment.
The 1 gallon bowl is fine as long as you keep up with the water changes. I'd suggest looking into getting a good adjustable heater as well. Brands to look at are Hagen Elite 25w Submersible, Penn Plax Cascade 25w, and Marineland 25w Visitherm.
The silvery stuff on Worf's cheeks are normal. Many bettas get that.
Be careful! Now that you've been bitten by the betta bug, you could end up buying more bettas. One for each crewmember of the Enterprise. :)
I got him a bigger bowl, it's one gallon. I don't have any decorations yet, but I'm going this week to get him a heater and thermometer and a plastic plant and some other decoration (don't worry, I read up on how to make sure the decorations are safe!). So right now he looks pretty small in the bowl with nothing else in it.
I also increased his food.
Since I put him in the bigger bowl he's been flaring his gills at me every time I approach the bowl. He never ever did that in the small bowl. In the small bowl, I would lean down to look at him and he would swim up to me to check me out and flap his little fins at me. Now he does swim up to me, but he puffs out his gills so he looks menacing. The only thing I can figure is that somehow the bigger bowl distorts my face and makes me look funny.
I did get hold of a bigger tank, like 15 gallons, but it's a hand-me-down, so I have to test it to see if it's water-tight and if it is, I'll clean it out and then he'll have a really happy home. But I do have to run it by my landlord... I'm not sure he'd like such a big tank in the apartment.
That bowl is DEF. better than the first, but once you get the 15 gallon up and running he will be SO much more happier
A great and cheap decoration is a coffee mug (cleaned.. .preferably dark colored on the inside) that is laying on its side
Good luck! Can't wait for updates!
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
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