My first Betta....

[dominicolom]

i have never owned a betta fish before. any animal for that matter. Sunday I went out and bought a Crowntail Betta fish. I named him Kermit. I bought a bowl, gravel, plant bulb, water conditioner and food (color enhancer). I didn't get very much info when i asked the associate at the store. I had a smaller bowl and she told me to get a larger one cause they tend to jump. That was the only info she gave me.

I took Kermit home and prepared his new home. I used tap water, conditioned the water and let it stand that for about 2 hours before putting Kermit in. Was I ok in doing that? I hope so. So far Kermit seems to be content even though he doesn't have any plants in his environment. I'm sure they will start growing soon i hope.

Is there anything else I need to do? I read something about a heater and a filter. Will I need that?

Attached is a pic of Kermit.

Thanks,
Lynnette

[Drumachine09]

Contrary to popular belief, bettas are not ok in bowls long term.

Bettas are a tropical fish, and therefore need a heater, and like all fish, they need a filter as well. Your best bet, is to go to walmart, and get a minibow 2.5 or 5 gallon tank for him. They should have filters. You need to get a small heater for him as well.

Untill you can get a bigger/filtered/heated tank for him, do a water change on the bowl often, like every couple days or so.


Edit:Nice betta too.

[MeganL3985]

I got my first betta recently and kept him in a bowl for about a week almost 2. I bought him a 2.5 mini-bow tank and a 7.5 watt mini heater by Hydor. Its working very well :) Congrats on the new fishie!

[Nick_Pavlovski]

So far you've done well, especially by conditioning the water first!
For many years I knew nothing about that.

As Drum and Megan have said, he'll be a lot happier in the long run in something bigger. Those little tiny bowls really shouldn't be sold anymore.

If you can afford it, a 2.5 or 5g or bigger will be better. Doesn't have to be glass, you can get plastic ones.
He'll really appreciate a heater, too. They are warm water fish.

You can always try garage sales, second-hand / thrift shifts, "moving house" sales to get a cheap tank.
We have days here in Australia when people put unwanted trash out on the street to be taken away - stuff like broken household appliances, small car parts, big pruned branches etc. I often see tanks being chucked out. With some love, some of those tanks could be used again. We've got one of these days this weekend - I'll be cruising the streets looking for some!

[RobbieG]

Welcome to the AC - everyone already gave you really good advice so I'll just congratulate you on your new fish and recommend you listen to the previous posters:ezpi_wink1:

[dominicolom]

thanks for the replies! i will be getting a bigger tank on my next pay day!

[SkarloeysMom]

thanks for the replies! i will be getting a bigger tank on my next pay day!

A bigger tank will be great for your new fishie. He'll be fine in the bowl until you can get him a new tank set up as long as you make sure to change his water every few days.

Walmart has 2.5 and 5g MiniBows that come with all you need to get started for a very good price. Add some gravel and plants and you're in business.
Craig's List is a good source too. They have great deals on used set ups.

Welcome to the forum by the way and you have a beautiful fish. I'm glad you found us. I think you'll fine that reading this forum very helpful with getting you off to a good start in fishkeeping.

[RobbieG]

There is also a free ebook on the lefthand menu that you can download - it has tons of helpful info

[Nick_Pavlovski]

If your Betta is the only fish in the tank, then try to remove any uneaten food soon after feeding.
Otherwise, it'll sit down the bottom, grow fungus / bacteria and all that will slowly poison the water.
Best to have his attention when feeding - put it right in front of their noses.

[SkarloeysMom]

If your Betta is the only fish in the tank, then try to remove any uneaten food soon after feeding.
Otherwise, it'll sit down the bottom, grow fungus / bacteria and all that will slowly poison the water.
Best to have his attention when feeding - put it right in front of their noses.

Oh yes, that's excellent advice. Also pertaining to feeding, give them 1 pellet at a time and let them finish chewing before dropping the next. You only need to feed them 3-4 pellets a day. I heard once that when you feel bad for them cuz they act so hungry all the time just remember that their stomach is the size of their eye. Overfeeding can kill them.

[Nick_Pavlovski]

Oh yes, that's excellent advice.

Thanks! I'm between Bettas at the moment, but hope to have a new one in 2.3 weeks' time.

[kurly]

Hello everyone,
New Betta Owner here....I bought my daughter a Betta today for her first fish! She named him Rainbow because of all the different colors on his body and fins. I also bought the 2.5 minibow set as well and it is very nice. My question is about the filter. Before we turned it on, the fish was calmly swimming around the bowl and going to the top with ease but I noticed after it was on, the fish is more excited and having a little more trouble swimming around. Is the filter too strong or is this the way it is supposed to be? It is a very quiet filter but it is quite large.

I have read so many different things about Betta's and filters that I have gotten myself a little confused. Some say they need one, some say they don't. How do your Bettas respond when the filter is on?

I just want to make sure that we give Rainbow the best care possible.

Thanks

[Nick_Pavlovski]

If you can adjust the filter to a lower setting, try it.
My understanding is that Bettas like clean water but don't need it to move much - they are slower-moving water lovers.

[kurly]

Thanks! I didn't even realize that the filter had more than one setting until after you advised me to try adjusting it. It was on the highest setting and I adjusted it to the lowest one. Everything is MUCH better and Rainbow is swimming happily now thumbs2:

Silly me - lol

[SkarloeysMom]

On the filter that came with my 2.5 MiniBow the flow control was set to the highest setting when I got it and my betta was getting thrashed around by it too. Look on the back side of the motor for a little slider button and slide the other way to slow down the flow.

[SkarloeysMom]

You found it! Don't feel silly...its not that obvious. I'm not sure its even mentioned in the directions.

[kurly]

Thrashed around is a good way of putting it. I felt sorry for him because he was trying his best to swim around the top of the water and you could tell that he was putting so much effort into doing so. It pretty much was pushing him all around the aquarium. I was really getting worried about that and didn't want anything happening to my daughters fish on his first day home!

I just wish they would be able to put that switch somewhere a little bit higher on the motor instead of waaaaaayyyyyy at the bottom of it - lol.

[MeganL3985]

Thankfully I think mine was already on the lowest setting, it barely moves the water at the surface. :) Glad to hear everythings good now!

[kurly]

Thanks. I just hope everything continues to go well. We have never had a fish before.

[Nick_Pavlovski]

Good that it's OK now.
Just keep asking questions!

[kurly]

How do you change the water in a 2.5 bowl with a Betta? Do you change 20-30% once a week?

[Nick_Pavlovski]

20-30% seems about right.
However, the water needs to be "aged" first - I fill a bucket with water, leave it for 4 days, put in chlorine remover/stresscoat, then on the day of a water change, add the necessary chemicals to get the right KH & GH.
If it's a darn cold day, then I heat the water too, as a big temperature change can be fatal.

To remove the water, the best way is to siphon it with plastic hose.

[Nick_Pavlovski]

Probably 20%, now that I think about it, if you siphon it out using plastic hose and try to vacuum up uneaten food, faeces and other waste as you do it.

[Mark Lathrop]

Do you still need to age the water if you're using a water conditioner? What about cycling? I'm thinking of getting a betta for my office in the next month or so.

[SkarloeysMom]

Do you still need to age the water if you're using a water conditioner? What about cycling? I'm thinking of getting a betta for my office in the next month or so.

You don't need to age the water if you use water conditioner. I don't think you can cycle a bowl since there's no filter. If you get one of those 2.5g Minibow set ups you can easily cycle that.

With a betta in a bowl I think a 100% water change at least every week, use water conditioner, and try to temp. match the water as best you can. Bettas can survive in a bowl but they really thrive in a bigger tank.

[kurly]

From what I can tell my daughter's Betta loves his 2.5 minibow. He swims all around it and rarely stays still. Pretty much the only time he does stay still is when he is hiding in the decorative barrel inside it.

I kept this quiet but I am already guilty of "getting hooked on fishes" - lol ....... My daughter's Betta is so pretty that when I went back to the Pet store for supplies the day after I bought him, another Betta caught my eye and I just had to buy it... for me! She now has two Bettas in her room. One in each of its own 2.5 minibow and they both have built a pretty big bubble nest in their new homes and loves hiding in the silk plants.

I really like those minibows and so do they. :malelovies:

[SkarloeysMom]

How do you change the water in a 2.5 bowl with a Betta? Do you change 20-30% once a week?

I'm glad to hear you have a Minibow. I'm sorry, I read it as a bowl and not a tank in your this post. My bad. The Minibow is a great little tank. I have a young betta in a 2.5 and my old guy in a 5g one. I use a gravel vac and clean and change out about 30-50% of the water once a week in my Minibows.

[kurly]

I guess I wasn't too clear in my post. I did say a 2.5 bowl but I meant 2.5 Minibow. Sorry. That would make a difference in how my question was answered. I have never heard of a gravel vac so I guess I need to get one to properly clean my aquarium. This may seem like a weird question but what do you do with your Betta when you use your gravel vac? Do you take him out of the Aquarium or is it safe to leave him in there?

[SkarloeysMom]

I guess I wasn't too clear in my post. I did say a 2.5 bowl but I meant 2.5 Minibow. Sorry. That would make a difference in how my question was answered. I have never heard of a gravel vac so I guess I need to get one to properly clean my aquarium. This may seem like a weird question but what do you do with your Betta when you use your gravel vac? Do you take him out of the Aquarium or is it safe to leave him in there?

I leave him in the aquarium. If you keep the vac close to the gravel while you're vacuuming and you are careful putting it in the tank and taking it out you won't have any problem. Sometimes my betta does come over to check out what I'm doing but I just keep an eye on him and make sure I don't suck up his fins. There's really not that much area to do in the 2.5 so it goes pretty quick.

To easily start a syphon, fill your vac hose with water, plug the outlet end with your thumb and hold the vac end up to the same level. Go to your tank and submerge your vac end in the tank and get the air out still holding the outlet end with your thumb. Then put the vac down in the gravel and put the outlet end down into a bucket on the floor (lower than the tank). That will start the syphon without you having to suck on it or bounce it up and down in the water. There's not a lot of room in the 2.5 so I found this to be the safest way to get the vac started.

[kurly]

This question may seem pretty goofy but I am new to fish keeping and water changes. I haven't done a water change yet because I have only had my 2.5 Minibow for 6 days now. But I am going to get a large aquarium in the near future (probably 55g)

Where in the tank is the water the most dirty? The top, bottom or all over? When changing the water, do you take 20% of the water out of the top of the aquarium with a cup or small bucket? Or siphon it out from the bottom with a hose and then use the gravel vac to clean the bottom?

[SkarloeysMom]

Where in the tank is the water the most dirty? The top, bottom or all over? When changing the water, do you take 20% of the water out of the top of the aquarium with a cup or small bucket? Or siphon it out from the bottom with a hose and then use the gravel vac to clean the bottom?

Its not a goofy question. Syphon it out from the bottom while you're using the gravel vac to clean the gravel. I really don't think that there is a most dirty part of the water. I'm guessing the cleanest water is what is coming out of the filter outlet but I don't think it matters when you're doing a water change.

[kurly]

I have done so much research lately that sometimes I just want a quick answer! And you are always here to reply. Thanks! :c5:

[Mark Lathrop]

You don't need to age the water if you use water conditioner. I don't think you can cycle a bowl since there's no filter. If you get one of those 2.5g Minibow set ups you can easily cycle that.

With a betta in a bowl I think a 100% water change at least every week, use water conditioner, and try to temp. match the water as best you can. Bettas can survive in a bowl but they really thrive in a bigger tank.

I forgot to look back in here, but thanks for this answer. :c5: