[Keanz]

Hello!
This is my first time owning a betta and maybe need some help with him.
I bought a betta from petco a few days ago (his names zuko and I think hes still a baby). Right now hes in a ten gallon tank with a filter and heater and some fake plants and real plants. (I do plan to get him more stuff)
Is it normal for him not to do much? His tank is on my desk so most of the time I get to watch him and he almost never leaves the corner of the tank closes to me. It's like hes always watching me but I hope it doesnt mean anything bad.
He has also been getting more aggressive, I did my first water change with him in the tank and he kept attacking my hand. I find it cute and all but I hope it doesnt mean anything bad. Since I dont see him do much I like to poke my finger in his tank and let him chase it (hes getting more gutsy and biting my finger more to)
It also looks like hes getting black spots on him? I dont know if they're just color or some kind of sickness. Hes also kinda transparent, I think hes just cellophane but I'm not to sure
(Sorry about the bad pictures)

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

Welcome to the Forum!

He is a marble; those are normal black spots. He may eventually turn mostly black. Zuko's a cute little guy, isn't he???

It is not unusual for new Betta to stay in one spot; especially when they have gone from a tiny cup to a large tank. It will just take him awhile to start exploring.

With baby Betta is it important to keep water its cleanest. Should you wish to read it, here is the Forum's tutorial on cycling. You will need SeaChem Prime and an API Master Test Kit for Freshwater. You can use strips but the kit gives you so many more tests that you get more bang for your buck. If you can't budget in the entire kit, at least get the l iquid Ammonia test.

CYCLING: the two-sentence tutorial

Change half the water when either ammonia or nitrite approach 0.50ppm (alternately, 25% at 0.25ppm), or weekly, whichever comes first. Add Seachem Prime at 2-drops per gallon of tank size every day until cycled. That’s all you have to do. You can stop reading now. But there’s a lot of...

www.bettafish.com

 

[Keanz]

Thank you! That makes me a little less worried about him,
I'll also be sure to clean his tank more often!

 

[littlescallop33]

Aw, that’s sweet that he likes to bite your finger. My Betta is much more shy and while he loves flaring at all the snails in his tank, he generally avoids my fingers/hands.. 🙂

 

[757_Bettaz♡]

Hello!
This is my first time owning a betta and maybe need some help with him.
I bought a betta from petco a few days ago (his names zuko and I think hes still a baby). Right now hes in a ten gallon tank with a filter and heater and some fake plants and real plants. (I do plan to get him more stuff)
Is it normal for him not to do much? His tank is on my desk so most of the time I get to watch him and he almost never leaves the corner of the tank closes to me. It's like hes always watching me but I hope it doesnt mean anything bad.
He has also been getting more aggressive, I did my first water change with him in the tank and he kept attacking my hand. I find it cute and all but I hope it doesnt mean anything bad. Since I dont see him do much I like to poke my finger in his tank and let him chase it (hes getting more gutsy and biting my finger more to)
It also looks like hes getting black spots on him? I dont know if they're just color or some kind of sickness. Hes also kinda transparent, I think hes just cellophane but I'm not to sure
(Sorry about the bad pictures)
View attachment 1019437
View attachment 1019438

HI KEANZ!!
Let me start off by saying that Mr Zuko is oh so so cute! If you didnt know you have a Veiltail Betta, As i look at your photos you have posted on here Mr Zuko is still a Juvenile, Meaning he is still young, You can tell by the size of his fins, and the size of his torso, So he is still in the process of growing, May i ask What kind of food are you feeding him? How many times a day are you feeding him? And how much are you feeding him? What kind of Water Conditioner are you using to clear the chlorine out of the water to make it safe for him ? And what is the temperature is your thermometer reading in your tank? And Do you have your thermometer inside of your tank on the opposite side of the tank away from the heater so that way you get a correct reading?
Also what kind of filter do you have in your tank, Bettas like low flowing water, if the current is too strong the betta will go in a spot where he or she cant be pushed around by the current from the filter.... it May be your filter is too strong for him.
I personally have a Double Tail Half Moon Betta, His name is Mr Frost, He got his name due too he was completely White & clear with light blue eyes when i bought him, until I brought him home and introduced him to his new 10 gallon tank home, Heated planted and filtered. I Also introduced him to live Foods, as well as frozen brine shrimp and Frozen blood worms and i feed him pellets at least once a week to provided him with a lot of nutrients and to make sure he is getting what he needs, And has completely drastically changed colors on me he looks like a completely different fish! He is extremely active just like ALL my other 10 Bettas i have he never stops moving! I will show you a picture I think your Betta is fine I think he's just trying to adjust to his new home because you have to think about everything that a betta has to go through before you bring it home to give him a new home, And it could possibly be your filter may be too strong.

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk

 

[Camandtwinkles]

I recommend this scrubber. It works really well.

 

[Keanz]

HI KEANZ!!
Let me start off by saying that Mr Zuko is oh so so cute! If you didnt know you have a Veiltail Betta, As i look at your photos you have posted on here Mr Zuko is still a Juvenile, Meaning he is still young, You can tell by the size of his fins, and the size of his torso, So he is still in the process of growing, May i ask What kind of food are you feeding him? How many times a day are you feeding him? And how much are you feeding him? What kind of Water Conditioner are you using to clear the chlorine out of the water to make it safe for him ? And what is the temperature is your thermometer reading in your tank? And Do you have your thermometer inside of your tank on the opposite side of the tank away from the heater so that way you get a correct reading?
Also what kind of filter do you have in your tank, Bettas like low flowing water, if the current is too strong the betta will go in a spot where he or she cant be pushed around by the current from the filter.... it May be your filter is too strong for him.
I personally have a Double Tail Half Moon Betta, His name is Mr Frost, He got his name due too he was completely White & clear with light blue eyes when i bought him, until I brought him home and introduced him to his new 10 gallon tank home, Heated planted and filtered. I Also introduced him to live Foods, as well as frozen brine shrimp and Frozen blood worms and i feed him pellets at least once a week to provided him with a lot of nutrients and to make sure he is getting what he needs, And has completely drastically changed colors on me he looks like a completely different fish! He is extremely active just like ALL my other 10 Bettas i have he never stops moving! I will show you a picture I think your Betta is fine I think he's just trying to adjust to his new home because you have to think about everything that a betta has to go through before you bring it home to give him a new home, And it could possibly be your filter may be too strong.

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk

Ahh thank you!
Cool to know he might be a veiltail! I just assumed he was a plakat lol,
I use tetra bettamin pellets and freeze dried brine shrimp, I feed him twice a day usually 1-2 pellets each time and sometimes the shrimp.
I use seachem prime. The temp is usually around 85F, I dont use the heater it just gets hot here especially in the summer. I have a cascade 100 filter on the lowest setting.
Ah Mr Frost sounds like such a good boy, I'd love to see a picture!

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

As he is a baby, you need to feed him more often;: two pellets 3 x per day and frozen once per day. Would also suggest a more nutritious food: NorthFin Betta Bits, New Life Spectrum, Fluval Bug Bites are the ones I've fed. Watch the freeze dried as it, according to the makers, should only be given as a treat. If you want him to do really well, substitute frozen Mini Bloodworms (actually mosquito larva) or Baby Brine Shrimp instead of freeze-dried.

I agree with you. Only time will tell, but he looks like an HMPK to me, too.

When you do get your heater, place it directly under the filter so the heat is spread evenly throughout the aquarium. If you put it away from the filter then you will have hot and cold spots. And, as suggested, place the thermometer away from the heater.

As Zuko gets bigger and stronger, gradually turn the filter up. This will help him strengthen. Mine like to play in the output and it is great for exercising. Surface agitation also prevents biofilm build-up. What you don't want is a filter so strong any fish has no place to rest or eat.

Take care of that cutie!!!