[OMGemily]

I posted a thread on this already but it was in the betta care section and after posting i realized that this would be a better place to get answers on this particular topic.

So i bought a baby betta at petco yesterday (yes theyre selling babies now) thinking it would be cool to see what he/she turned into. Kind of a mystery fish however, ive never cared for a baby betta. so i have a few questions. Whats youre opinion on food? in the other thread i was told baby brine shrimp werent completely necessary but i can get them if i need to. right now i have pellets and freeze dried blood worms. I tried chopping up a blood worm last night for the baby but it was just slightly too big for him. he swallowed it completely (i saw it go all the way down to his belly) and then spat it back up. Also how old do you think he is and what age do they normally start to get color because this guy doesnt seem to have any yet. thats all i can think to ask right now so heres a picture of him/her (its about half an inch long maybe):

 

[indjo]

To get frozen BW to bite size, slice them before they thaw. You will get more than enough for one baby so don't take all of it - maybe just half of a slice or maybe less depending on his appetite. The long pieces are ok as long as the baby doesn't have a hard time getting it into it's mouth (make sure it's not too long). Otherwise it might have difficulty spitting the BW out if it needs to breath and will coke.

IMO babies are probably 2 months old - about 1.5-2cm. You can feed it what ever it will eat and as much as it will eat. Try to give it a balance of protein and fat. Too much protein or too little fat will make the body firm but thin and it will grow slower. Too much fat will make it ... sluggish (?) but will grow faster.

I often feed a combination of tubifex/BW and daphnia.

 

[OMGemily]

im feeding him freeze dried worms right now. or at least since last night. he doesnt seem to care for them much but i think he ate the one from last night because i didnt see it this morning. I just put another tiny peice in there and he/she eyed it but didnt attempt to eat it again. will they eat crished pellets? also you said babies are probably 2 months old. did you mean mine is probably 2 months old or thats how old they are when they get their color? also if he starts eating freeze dried food can i keep feeding him that or is it better for them to eat frozen food? also should i soke the freeze dried food first?

 

[tpocicat]

Personally, I wouldn't feed mine freeze dried anything. I prefer frozen. You should be able to find frozen baby daphnia and baby brine shrimp at your LP/LFS. Mine will eat crushed betta pellets at this age, but of course that may be because there is sibling rivalry going on. I've never had one fry before. Best of luck with your little one.

 

[Luimeril]

baby bettas need special care. :I

as i said in your other thread, stay away from freeze-dried. they're known to cause bloat in adults, and that wouldn't be good for a baby.

try to find baby brine shrimp, either eggs you hatch or frozen. frozen blood worms are another good choice. most pet stores sell them, you just need to ask for the frozen fish food.

what size tank are you housing it in? Chappy grew up in a 3 gallon with daily water changes, so be prepared to do ALOT of water changes. you probably don't have to do daily like i did, but i wanted to make sure i did everything right. they also NEED a heater. moreso than adults, because they're still developing.

 

[OMGemily]

Personally, I wouldn't feed mine freeze dried anything. I prefer frozen. You should be able to find frozen baby daphnia and baby brine shrimp at your LP/LFS. Mine will eat crushed betta pellets at this age, but of course that may be because there is sibling rivalry going on. I've never had one fry before. Best of luck with your little one.

thank you

baby bettas need special care. :I

as i said in your other thread, stay away from freeze-dried. they're known to cause bloat in adults, and that wouldn't be good for a baby.

try to find baby brine shrimp, either eggs you hatch or frozen. frozen blood worms are another good choice. most pet stores sell them, you just need to ask for the frozen fish food.

what size tank are you housing it in? Chappy grew up in a 3 gallon with daily water changes, so be prepared to do ALOT of water changes. you probably don't have to do daily like i did, but i wanted to make sure i did everything right. they also NEED a heater. moreso than adults, because they're still developing.

i just got some baby brine shrimp theyre frozen and little cubes and they melted a little on the way home so theyre in the freezer now... soo how do they work? i just chop up the little frozen cubes and give him little brine shrimp ice chips? right now hes still in his cup. (since about 7 ish last night) i used a little syringe to get all the floaties out but i havent been able to change his water. ill probably try to do that after i get done posting this. when i get home though i guess ill put him in Antiones 5.5 gallon tank and move Antione into the 10 gallon i just got (it has a slate bottom. is that ok for them?) im getting another heater and have a thermometer already. do they need it warmer than adults? you changed 3 gallons of water every day for only one fish? im guessing its because of the stunting hormone? i think someone mentioned that earlier. i cant imagine their ammonia getting that high... what if i had him in a one gallon with daily water changes? would that not be enough?

Important side note: Reading over my post i realize it sounds like i dont want to put a lot of work into raising this little guy or girl so i wanted to make sure you all know that im not trying to not give him the best home i just want to make sure theres not an easier way. i know theyre a lot of work and im not trying to slack off and not give him the best. i just want to know whats necessary to give him the best chance of survival. im asking about the one gallon to save on water but if he needed a 10 gallon id put him in there and leave Antione in the smaller one. I really want this guy or girl to grow up and be beautiful and everyones help is greatly appreciated!

 

[indjo]

I was commenting on the probable age of your baby. They should have colored up by now. The picture shows that it's a light color - not clear what though.

I don't like freeze dried wormy food - worm's body parts are liquid. If you dry that you probably lose a lot of the nutrients. I prefer frozen food because they stay as they are - the difference is only they're not alive.
BBS IMO is too small for it now. Frozen daphnia or frozen adult brine shrimp is better (live is better).

If you want to keep feeding freeze dried, always soak it before feeding. You don't want it to expand inside the bettas belly, causing bloating. The same goes for pellets.

 

[tpocicat]

I thaw my frozen foods before giving them to my fish. I have enough fish, that I can thaw one cube and share it out with everybody. If you got the solid square type, just breat off a small section, thaw and feed. If there is more than the fish can eat, change the water. Babies should have warner tanks. Mine are between 80 and 85 degrees.

 

[OMGemily]

oh wow thats quite a bit warmer. i have hikari brand frozen bbs and it just looks like theyre all blended up like a smoothie... should i still thaw it first? it seems like it would just mix with the water

 

[indjo]

Frozen BBS or daphnia should not be like that. They should look the way they were when alive. If they seem blended .... they've gone bad and shouldn't be used.

Is it possible that the bbs are just very small that they look blended?

 

[OMGemily]

this is what i have: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11268250&lmdn=Product+Type

they could just be really ttiny... it looks kinda like frozen soup to me

 

[tpocicat]

Hikari is a good brand. I think that the brine shrimp are just very tiny. You will see individual brine shrimp once you put them in the water.

 

[OMGemily]

...are they the little pink fuzzy looking stuff?? are they really that tiny??

 

[tpocicat]

Yes, I think you are looking at the legs, might make them look fuzzy.

 

[OMGemily]

i mean them in general. like i stuck the frozen cube in water and it dissolved into what looks like fuzz... when its spread out it doesnt but theyre like microscopic almost?

 

[MrVampire181]

Yeah thats normal. I feed BBS daily so that sounds about right.

 

[OMGemily]

ok. i didnt realize they were so small! He/she seemed to have a hard time eating them :/ of course he/she seems to have a hard time eating everything so far... are they to small for him/her maybe? also how old are they when you can tell their gender? all this him/her he/she stuff is getting kind of annoying haha

 

[OMGemily]

heres a little collage of him i promise the water isnt that dirty anymore!

 

[Luimeril]

he's gonna be purdy when he grows up. :V

 

[OMGemily]

i really hope he/she does grow up if he/she makes it a week ill be happy. usually when my fish die its within a few days... so im really hoping this one pulls through! im excited to see whether its a girl or boy, what tail type, what color. everything its my little mystery baby