Hello everyone! I am excited to have finally gotten my first Betta! My sister has one and I grew to love it so I have set one up in my apartment. I researched a lot ahead of time, and tried to start her off right. I do have a lot of newbie questions that I would love some help with so that hopefully things can go great for my new red Betta female, Baconator! lol
1) I have a 10 gallon tank filled with 8 gallons of water without a filter. I purchased a basic 10 gallon tank from Walmart without the starter kit, so it's a large glass tank. I read that Betta can jump (do females jump as much or as high as males too?) so I only added 8 gallons of water so there is plenty of space despite the fact that there is no hood, or lid on it. Is this okay?
2) I purchased a Tetra-O submersible heater from Walmart as well that claims it will hold the water temperature steady at 78 degrees. It's rated for tanks that hold 10-30 gallons of water. I would prefer it a touch higher but it's not adjustable so it's ok. As long as things are consistent, the fish should be ok right? I read that if the heater is placed horizontally near the bottom of the tank that it wouldn't need to be removed during water changes. I placed it near the bottom horizontally, yet when I plugged it in, nothing seemed to happen. Is it on, and will just come on as needed? It's summer here in NC so it's warm, and I guesstimated what room temperature was when I filled the tank so I guess it could already be warmer than 78 degrees but I'm not sure. Heaters are brand new to me so does anyone have any advice for me on the best way to deal with them with my setup (8 gallon/no filter)
3) Now that the fish has slowly been allowed to adapt to the water, and allowed to swim from her bowl, when should I feed her? I read where overfeeding is horrible, and to only feed her what she can eat in 2 minutes. I am motivated to stick to that. I started with betta pellets from Walmart (cheaper now due to being on a college budget lol) but will be able to get frozen blood worms soon. I also plan to give her a pea with her first round of treats this weekend to try to help her system out as much as possible while she adapts to the change in environment.
4) I realize that my choice to go filterless means more water changes. I am motivated to stick to that. I have read that 2 25% changes twice a week is better than 1 50% change, because it doesn't stress the fish as much. I plan to work on a basic schedule of 25% change on the 1st day, 25% change on day 3, and 100% change on day 5/6, then start the process over after day 7. Does this seem logical? I would love any advice on this. I will not be using a filter at any point with this current setup so please keep posts focused on proper upkeep without a filter so that they will be the most helpful!
5) I have one tiny female betta in a 10 gallon tank (8 gallons of water) with a skeleton skull in the middle with holes big enough to swim in and a plant that covers a quarter of the tank from top to bottom, and a smaller plant to the left that is entirely underwater. I read where bettas like to explore new regions so I got the skull, and they love to hide and sleep in plants, so I got the fake plants. I really want to try to create the perfect setup for her because if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right lol. Do any of you have an idea for ways to improve my system even more so that she is in the best possible situation?
6) What is the best food to get to feed long term? I understand that frozen bloodworms are ideal, but maybe won't be economical. I purchased cheap pellets at Walmart tonight just to start her off, but I'd love to hear reccomendations!
Those are all that I can think of for now. I'm sorry for all of that, but I'm so excited about it and I really want to do it right lol. I'll post pics soon of the setup so you all will have a better idea what I'm working with!
Hope to hear from you all soon!
-Patrick
1) I have a 10 gallon tank filled with 8 gallons of water without a filter. I purchased a basic 10 gallon tank from Walmart without the starter kit, so it's a large glass tank. I read that Betta can jump (do females jump as much or as high as males too?) so I only added 8 gallons of water so there is plenty of space despite the fact that there is no hood, or lid on it. Is this okay?
2) I purchased a Tetra-O submersible heater from Walmart as well that claims it will hold the water temperature steady at 78 degrees. It's rated for tanks that hold 10-30 gallons of water. I would prefer it a touch higher but it's not adjustable so it's ok. As long as things are consistent, the fish should be ok right? I read that if the heater is placed horizontally near the bottom of the tank that it wouldn't need to be removed during water changes. I placed it near the bottom horizontally, yet when I plugged it in, nothing seemed to happen. Is it on, and will just come on as needed? It's summer here in NC so it's warm, and I guesstimated what room temperature was when I filled the tank so I guess it could already be warmer than 78 degrees but I'm not sure. Heaters are brand new to me so does anyone have any advice for me on the best way to deal with them with my setup (8 gallon/no filter)
3) Now that the fish has slowly been allowed to adapt to the water, and allowed to swim from her bowl, when should I feed her? I read where overfeeding is horrible, and to only feed her what she can eat in 2 minutes. I am motivated to stick to that. I started with betta pellets from Walmart (cheaper now due to being on a college budget lol) but will be able to get frozen blood worms soon. I also plan to give her a pea with her first round of treats this weekend to try to help her system out as much as possible while she adapts to the change in environment.
4) I realize that my choice to go filterless means more water changes. I am motivated to stick to that. I have read that 2 25% changes twice a week is better than 1 50% change, because it doesn't stress the fish as much. I plan to work on a basic schedule of 25% change on the 1st day, 25% change on day 3, and 100% change on day 5/6, then start the process over after day 7. Does this seem logical? I would love any advice on this. I will not be using a filter at any point with this current setup so please keep posts focused on proper upkeep without a filter so that they will be the most helpful!
5) I have one tiny female betta in a 10 gallon tank (8 gallons of water) with a skeleton skull in the middle with holes big enough to swim in and a plant that covers a quarter of the tank from top to bottom, and a smaller plant to the left that is entirely underwater. I read where bettas like to explore new regions so I got the skull, and they love to hide and sleep in plants, so I got the fake plants. I really want to try to create the perfect setup for her because if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right lol. Do any of you have an idea for ways to improve my system even more so that she is in the best possible situation?
6) What is the best food to get to feed long term? I understand that frozen bloodworms are ideal, but maybe won't be economical. I purchased cheap pellets at Walmart tonight just to start her off, but I'd love to hear reccomendations!
Those are all that I can think of for now. I'm sorry for all of that, but I'm so excited about it and I really want to do it right lol. I'll post pics soon of the setup so you all will have a better idea what I'm working with!
Hope to hear from you all soon!
-Patrick