[Doris12]

Hi,

I got a new female betta fish today... Im not sure if I had set her up comfortably.. I have a 1 gallon bowl.. with some pebbles and a plant.. she seemed to be moving all around till evening and in the night she was not very active.. could any one tell me the reason if you know.. (P.S-i dont have a heater.. it was too expensive here.. i coulndt afford it .. so I kept a table lamp next to my fish bowl.. is this setup fine for her..?)

 

[Oldfishlady]

I would get a thermometer so that you can monitor the water temp and move her to the warmest part of the house...depending on the water temp you may have to figure out some way to maintain the water temp of at least 75-76F-that lamp may help during the day-but at night the water temp may drop too much-and she needs to be on a light and dark cycle-otherwise you may have lots of on-going problems with long term health since you can't afford a heater.....

In the 1gal-do you have a filter and is that a live plant or fake, type of additives used and what is the water change plan-also how did you first acclimate her to the new water....

In a 1gal unfiltered tank without live plants-water changes-twice weekly...1-50% and 1-100% should maintain water quality.....

Is this your only Betta and fish tank....

 

[Doris12]

ys.. I have a thermometer to check the temperature drop every now and then... but Im afraid if i can rely on it.. it was a very cheap stick on thermometer...
I have used live plants.. I knew that the plastic plants might tear the beta's fins.. read it some where before going to the pet store..
Ya.. its my only beta and fish tank.. she seems happy and very active today..
you say that with this setup she doesnt live long healthy.. should I go and give her back.. ? she was in a large tank there...

 

[Doris12]

and no.. I don't have a filter.. I was planning to change the water twice a week..
when I first dropped her into the bowl.. I checked the water temperature to make sure that both the store water and my bowl water were same.. and then dropped her..

 

[BettaFishLuver]

and no.. I don't have a filter.. I was planning to change the water twice a week..

Since you have a live plant this might be ok as long as you stick to the water changes, do you have any water conditioner?

when I first dropped her into the bowl.. I checked the water temperature to make sure that both the store water and my bowl water were same.. and then dropped her..

From this post it seems like you just plopped her in the tank! Did you float her in the water?!

I don't think you should take her back but you should consider a lot of things like heaters, filters, and a bigger tank. I know this stuff is quite costly but when you bought the fish you should've answered most of your questions before hand. You could make this work, but it's going to need a lot of attention and care!

 

[Doris12]

Ill c what best i can do for her...
"Dropped" doesn't mean i literally dropped her..! dint get the correct term for it (at the least, one should know how to handle a fish before buying it!)and I think I'm not so dumb.. :roll:

 

[Myates]

Welcome to the forums, and congrats on your first betta.

Don't stress too much, as a lot of people don't fully understand what is needed to properly care for a betta. Too many myths and pet store employees/people not doing the proper research into these fish.

The 1 gallon is a large enough tank, as Oldfishlady mentioned- weekly water changes of 1 50% and 1 100% is needed, along with water conditioner.

The sticker thermometers can be a little unreliable at times. I suggest an in tank glass thermometer, they tend to be under $2, and will be useful when doing water changes to make sure the new water is roughly the appropriate temp.

What is the name of the live plant that you have? Some require different needs, such as substrate, fertilizer, lighting is always a must, heat..

The ideal way to acclimate them to new water (during the 100% as well) is not only just floating the cup in the tank, but during that time you would want to remove some of the water from the cup (throw it out) and replace with water from the tank a few times in a span of 20 minutes or so.. that way she won't go into shock from an immediate change in chemistry.

You don't need a larger tank if you are willing to do the water changes, and you don't need a filter in anything smaller then 5 gallons, imo, when willing to do the appropriate water changes.

If you ever do decide to upgrade to something a little bigger you can always look at Kritter Keepers at PetCo- normally the larges are roughly $10 for 2.75 gallons. They are heater safe.
I would save up the money for a heater.. look around, you can usually find a 10 watt for roughly $12, which would work good in your 1 gallon.

No one thinks you are dumb.. please don't think that. We just want what is best for you, and your little girl. You are trying to give her the best, and that is a good thing.

Is she still acting lethargic? Or are there new signs?
If so, are you using water conditioner, and what is the current temp of the tank?

*Just realized you are in Sweden.. so I didn't convert the liquid measurements, money.. and unsure what is available to you- store wise..

 

[a123andpoof]

Congrats on your new betta!

I think 1 gallon is fine, though I would get a heater as soon as you can. Have you thought about checking online for one? You may be able to find one fairly reasonable with shipping charges that aren't crazy. I would check as I don't know what you have for pet stores over there.

 

[Doris12]

to Myates and a123andpoof...
yes.. I was planning to get a thermometer soon... the sticker thermometer seems not to be reliable..
Well Im not sure about the name of the plant.. but it was a recommended plant by the pet store keeper... so go it.. it seems to be compact and good..
that really a good idea for cleaning the tank... thanks myates for your valuable suggestion..
no she was not lethargic today.. i think she was a bit scared to the place yesterday..
everything here in sweden is expensive to have a pet... I will check online for the heater.. seems to be a good option..
I have one more question.. Do bettas really sleep or take rest..? I know this is silly.. but wanted to know.. sometimes she stays motionless for a while ( even her fins don't move) is this normal...?:shock:

 

[FishyFishy89]

Betta fish do sleep.
In fact, in my avatar my Spike loves to sleep in that tiny hole of his log xD
I would highly recommend looking online for a heater. I've noticed that even the higher end more expensive brands can be found for a cheaper price. The heater I recently purchased in store for $40 can be found online for around $15 and upwards.
Keep in mind bettas have different personalities. Sometimes you'll get a very active betta (like mine) who loves swimming and entertaining anyone whom comes to the tank. Then you'll sometimes get the quiet ones who enjoy just sitting and watching. I say as long as her (or his) colors are bright, she opens her fins nicely, has all use of her fins/looks forward to feeding time and eats all her food, then she (or he) is a healthy betta.
Speaking of food, what food are your feeding and how much?

 

[Doris12]

yes.. I am looking for a cheaper one... but how much watts should I use for a one gallon fish bowl..? The minimum i saw was 60 watts.. i think its too heavy for my fish bowl.. but other than that i find the heating mats for 4 watts.. can it be used..?
about the fish food.. I got two.. one was the flakes and the other one was instant brine shrimp food.. i give her each once a day...

 

[FishyFishy89]

yes.. I am looking for a cheaper one... but how much watts should I use for a one gallon fish bowl..? The minimum i saw was 60 watts.. i think its too heavy for my fish bowl.. but other than that i find the heating mats for 4 watts.. can it be used..?
about the fish food.. I got two.. one was the flakes and the other one was instant brine shrimp food.. i give her each once a day...

I wonder if a heater like this would work
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4455060
Haven't tried such a thing, 90% of my bettas have been housed in 2.5 gallon tanks/larger. Spike is in a 5.5 gallon.
60 watts is gonna be MUCH too strong. There are 25 watts out there. There ya go, even better.
http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-THEO-Submersible-Aquarium-Heater/dp/B0006JLPG8
Exact brand I am using. and only $20 at that.

As far as your food: brine shrimp should be used as a treat. I give Spike frozen brine shrimp once a week....maybe once every 2 weeks. Most bettas don't like flakes very much. I personally don't like flakes. Some brands, even used properly can cloud the water GREATLY. I used Omega One Betta Buffet. Spike gets 3-4 pellets every morning.

 

[Doris12]

thanks a lot fishy fishy..! that helped me a lot... I think Ill go for the mini size betta bowl heater.. looks compact for my bowl...
ya.. I noticed that she dint like the flakes.. I don't know why the shop keeper suggested that..! she likes eating the brine shrimps..
I heard bettas should be fed with protein rich food often... i saw it in some thread that bettas could be fed with chick peas and frozen shrimps..! is it true...??

 

[Doris12]

oops the reveiw for that heater doesnt look good.. may be i should go for the one that u have..

 

[FishyFishy89]

oops the reveiw for that heater doesnt look good.. may be i should go for the one that u have..

90% of the negative reviews are towards the bigger ones, like the 100watts and up. It is alot smaller than it looks. I thought my 50W would be pretty tall, but it is pretty small/fits perfectly in my tank.
here are a coupla links to the one I installed:
http://www.bettafish.com/picture.php?albumid=2318&pictureid=22774
http://www.bettafish.com/picture.php?albumid=2318&pictureid=22775

EDIT: Here is a youtube review on that hydor heater I linked you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9hy6wpQVok
You can see how small and compact it really is.

 

[finsNfur]

Congrats on the new betta! Just FTR, the OP is in Sweden, so some of the advice like check Petco/Amazon etc. doesn't really work for the OP, other than as a reference guide.

None of my bettas are in a bowl, I've always kept mine in at least 2.5 gallons. However, my son recently had some Triops in a one gallon bowl, and I put a Betta Stik in it. It didn't heat the water very well, I had to keep the bowl half empty in order for it to work. You will just need to shop around for a heater. (also, the first two links the above poster provided do not work for me) Of course your home might be warmer than mine, and a Betta Stik or something similar might work for you.

Sticker thermometers have always been pretty accurate for me, I don't think it would be too far off the mark in a bowl, as long as the sticker is placed low enough to cover the area with water.

One thing the OP hasn't stated yet, is what kind of water conditioner they are using. When adding a fish after a water change/new water, instead of just "dropping" it in (and I don't mean literally dropping it, lol---I don't think that's what bettafishlover meant ) you need to add a water conditioner first to remove chlorine. I assume the water is chlorinated in Sweden? I don't know how the water is treated there, public water suppliers usually treat it with chlorine, but that is very harmful to fish. Also, in the future if you purchase a new fish, you should float the fish in it's bag in the bowl/tank for 15-20 minutes so the water temp will match and not be such a shock to your fish. I'm sure that's what bettafishlover was asking, if you had acclimated the betta first, rather than just "dropping" her in.

 

[Doris12]

I found a betta stick for 7$.. I think Ill go for it.. the probelm is im not able to get it from ebay or amazon.. says it doesnt ship the product to sweden..:-( may be ill enquire about it here in a local store n c they if they have one..
haha.. okie.. now I understood what she meant..
I think the water here is actually good.. they are mineralized... I asked about this when i got the fish.. I was told to use the tap water...

 

[Bombalurina]

Tap water is the right thing to use. However, I would still definitely use a dechlorinator (Prime, by Seachem, if you can get it. They ship out here to Australia, so I'm guessing you may find it in Sweden too). You never know what is in the tap water - for instance, if a dead cat is found in the water, authorities may tip in a load of chlorine or chloramine to detoxify it, and that could kill your fish.

 

[Doris12]

okie.. Ill check about that in the local store....