Basic Betta Care?

Volleyball_Rox

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Okay so I got my first betta last Sunday, and before then I did a lot of research, and I still am. I've checked out betta books from my library, found they were very unhelpful for everyday/week normal betta care. I ordered another, it should be here soon. But I think the most effective way to get tthe basic betta care down is to ask you guys, real life people who own bettas.
So, Betta Owners, what do you do on a day to day, week to week basis?
Like, How often do you feed?
What do you feed?
What is your fishes behavior?
Type of betta?
Do you breed?
Does he or she live in a bowl, tank, aquarium?
What's is his/her(s)name?
How often do you clean your water?
How do you clean your water? (Step by step process, plz.)
What's your tank set up?
What's the temp?
What kind of water conditioner do you use?
How long do you let the water sit before using it in your tank?
Would it be apropriate for me to everyother day, replace half of the water in my fishes bowl with fresh, new tap water treated with Tetra Easy Balance water conditioner that has sat to become room tempurature?
If you could, be ever so nice, and reply with what your normal daily routine is, and your weekly routine, and your monthly routine?
Help out a fellow betta lover with some beginner advice?
I know you wouldn't like to feel guilty if my betta dies because I didn't get the right information, and it is your time to speak up.
Thanks!
 
Oh hooray! More opportunities to talk about my fish!

-I feed 2 pellets or 1 freeze-dried bloodworm each day, always presoaked for at least 10 mins to prevent constipation.
-My fish, Straight Up G, or Sugar, is very calm and likes to watch me and follow my finger. He sleeps near the surface and leans on a plant or the base of the heater. He doesn't even use his big shelter. :p He also gives me the death stare when I turn the light on at night.
-He lives in a glass tank, one of the basic sturdy ones with the black rims
-I change the water 50% every week. If he seems annoyed or acts peculiar I put him in his tiny tank(with water from his big tank) and do a full water change. For this I use a little tube, suck the end, and let the tankwater pour into a sink. Then I grab the water that's been sitting out for a few hours or days with conditioner and refill the tank. I always take out the heater, of course, then put it back in.
-I don't have a thermometer or the ability to change the heat setting on my heater, but Sugar is happiest when it's warm to the touch.

In my opinion, just treat your betta with love. If you really love your fish, you'll probably see what makes him happy or sad and be able to deal appropriately. I interact with my betta very often as he lives on my desk. I let him see his reflection in my mirror once a day and puff up at himself for a minute. I let him follow my finger, I shine a flashlight into the tank. They're intelligent fish and will respond to new things. Stimulation is good for any pet!

Good luck. :]
 
How often do I feed?
- Don't think many others do this, but in the morning, it's so bad for me. I have no time to feed them. So it's not until I go home from school, 5PM, that I feed them two pellets. Then at 8-9, feed them 2 more. And then when I go to sleep (which is usually around 12 or 1) I feed one more, unless it's too late and they're already sleeping.

What do I feed?
- This is gonna change for me. I feed pellets as their main food. Other treats are like freezedried bloodworms once a week. But since these are dry, I also presoak them with garlic juice (great for bettas), or for others you don't have it, with regular tank water. Too much dry food --> constipation

Fish Behavior?
- Well, I have two. One: will kill anything in it's sight. Two: Is afraid of any moving thing. Lol :) If I move my finger too fast, he backs up. Poor thing hahaha

Type of betta?
- Both veiltails. One just red all over, the other blue-ish with red/purple in it's tails. Both pet store bettas (rescue mission!!)

Do you breed?
- No...too much time, money, will take up space, and I'm way inexperienced for that. Leaving that for the experts :)

Housing?
- Divided 5 gallon tank. Heated to 77, and filtered. Lots of plants, all silk, no real.

Naming?
- I actually haven't named them...shame, I know! I call them various things constantly though ;)

How often do you clean your water?
- Mine is cycled, so I do weekly changes. Usually weekends of course.

HOW do I clean my water?
- Mmmmmmmmmmmm. The fun part. You have a 1 gal right? So ours are gonna be different. But I'll start with how I do it:
I have a siphon. Makes it so much easier.

1: Get ALL water ready. (I'll tell you what I use later). I make sure, using "finger testing" (putting in your finger in your fish bowl. Then compare with the new water), that the temperatures are as close as possible. Then I set aside. I put everything inside, the dechlorinator, aquarium salt......

2: Get the bucket and towels ready. Water has to go somewhere right? Lol
3: Put in the siphon. There are different types of siphons, so no details necessary. Get out water, while cleaning out SOME gravel, not disturbing all of it.
3: Put the old tank water in the bucket aside. Then I bring the other water up. But, they're all in smaller 1gallon plastic buckets. I have to carry it upstairs, so it's easier for me. I put the 1gallon dechlorinated water as close as possible. Then, using a regular cup, pour cup by cup.
4: Fill until full. get more if necessary, or get some out if necessary. It's always good to have extra water on hand in case you mess up... lol
5: Clean everything up!
My opinion, putting in the water is the worst part. Getting the water out with the siphon is a breeze. Very simple (depending on the siphon).

Tank setup
- Errrrmmmmmmmmm idk what you mean. Hahaha. Like what's in it?

Temp:
- 77. It should be higher, like 78 or 79 though. I just have a bad heater.

Conditioner:
- Seachem Prime. Works wonders. Wonders. Detoxifies ammonia, nitrates, rids of chlorine and chloramines. When water is just left out in the open, only chlorine is gone. Chloramine is still in there. It won't really kill, but it's not the best.

How long does it sit?
- Well it's the first thing I get ready. Then it sits until I need it to put in the tank. So around 5-10 minutes. With a conditioner, you can put it in about "immediately" (5minutes around). But it never hurts to let it sit for a day. Unless something gets in the water, lol

Replacement
- A litttttle more often, but that's pretty ideal too :)

Daily routine:
I feed them and I love them :)

Weekly routine: On a WEEKLY basis, I feed them treats, and clean out their tanks.
MONTHLY routine: I probably arrange their "furniture". I like a little change now and then in a tank. Plus I put in some more, or, you know, whatever.


Don't worry with the questions :) And thanks for letting me not do my homework. hahaha. Procrastination!

Oh, and if you decide to get a tank light, I only put it on until I get home (5PM - 11PM). If I put it when I wake up, that's too long. It shouldn't be more than 12hours a day. Otherwise it would be (8AM - 11PM). That's like...14 hours. Not very good. Lol. I think the worst is for algae outbreak? Unless you have certain plants. But I don't have real plants, so i don't know about that...
 
How often do you feed?
I feed my two girls - siblings in separate tanks- once a day, time varies, usually about the time I eat my own dinner.

What do you feed?
Hikari Betta BioGold - it's a bit pricey, but betta food lasts for ages and the tiny pellets are easy for them to eat. Every now and then they get freezedried bloodworms, very high in protein. In summer if I find mosquito larvae in clean water in pot plants etc, they are rinsed and fed live to the fish as this is one of their natural foods.

What is your fishes behavior?
Lemon, my bigger girl, is very curious but wouldn't hurt a fly. Blueberry is tiny, and timid.

Type of betta?
Both petshop veil tail girls, not the most impressive finnage but they have gorgeous colour. One's royal blue and the other is bright yellow.

Do you breed?
I wish, don't have the time or money.

How often do you clean your water?
Lemon's tank is filtered so about once a month, Blueberry's is not so she gets weekly changes.

How do you clean your water? (Step by step process, plz.)
I prepare the water with a dechlorinating powder. I place a bucket on the ground next to the tank and using the wrong end of the syphon - the tube, not the big cylinder - to swirl around the bottom of the tank and remove about 60% of the water. Then I fill it back up and pour the old tank water over the garden, very good fertiliser.

What's your tank set up?
One girl is in a filtered 3.5gal tank, shared with a snail. The other is in an unfiltered 1.5 as she is tiny and freaked out in a larger tanks with a current. The larger tank has a light, both have heaters and a bunch of java moss for help with water quality.

What's the temp?
The heaters keep it at 27-28 degrees celcius.

What kind of water conditioner do you use?
I forget the brand but it's a white powder which dechlorinates the water and buffers it to a pH of 7.0 - my water naturally has a very high pH.

How long do you let the water sit before using it in your tank?
One hour to let the powder take effect. I don't know if this is neccessary but better to be safe than sorry.

Would it be apropriate for me to everyother day, replace half of the water in my fishes bowl with fresh, new tap water treated with Tetra Easy Balance water conditioner that has sat to become room tempurature?
I wouldn't think you'd need to do it that often, I think, provided you don't overfeed, that twice a week would be fine. You don't want to stress them out.

If you could, be ever so nice, and reply with what your normal daily routine is, and your weekly routine, and your monthly routine?
To sum up, daily: feed the girls, check the heaters are running.
Weekly: partial water change, cleaning the sand with the syphon.
Monthly: full water change, remove filter cartridges and decorations, wipe down in warm water with no chemicals.

My advice, keep the water warm, the tank clean and their bellies full. As a guide, the saying goes that a betta's eye is roughly the size of their stomach.
Hope this helps :)
 
How often do you feed? Once a day with a starve day.

What do you feed?
Betta pellets (Hikari Betta Bio Gold and Atison's Betta Pro) alternated with frozen bloodworm and brineshrimp, with a pea on Saturday and a starve day on Sunday.

What is your fishes behavior? Active and interested in what is going on. Always at the front of the tank watching what is going on or patroling the tank. Very curious and intelligent fish!

Type of betta? I have male and female betta splendens - veil tails, halfmoons, plakats and halfmoon plakats.

Do you breed? No.

Does he or she live in a bowl, tank, aquarium? They all live in tanks. The females live in my community tank and the males have 3-6 imperial gallons each. Most live in divided tanks.

What's is his/her(s)name? Boys - Deimos, Goliath, Sirius, Apollo, Sen, Azrael, Howl. Girls - Aurora, Kiko, Amalthea, Li-lu

How often do you clean your water?
Weekly water change of 25-40%

How do you clean your water? (Step by step process, plz.)
Turn off all filters and heaters. Leave tank for 20 minutes. Empty 25-40% of the water with a gravel vacuum and "hoover" the gravel as I do so. Dump water and re-fill bucket with temperature matched, treated water (I use Stress Coat+). Gently pour back into the tank with a large jug. Turn equipment back on.

What's your tank set up?
Each tank has filter, heater, light and caves. Some have live plants (my community tanks) and some have silk plants (my betta tanks). All tanks have LOTS of plants. I use fine gravel or sand as a substrate.

What's the temp?
27 C / 81 F

What kind of water conditioner do you use? Stress Coat +. It removes chlorine, chloramine, ammonia associated with chloramine and heavy metals as well as adding aloe vera.

How long do you let the water sit before using it in your tank?
As long as it takes me to add the dechlorinator. I have housemates so can't really leave buckets of water around to age, plus I don't have enough buckets for all my tanks.

Would it be apropriate for me to everyother day, replace half of the water in my fishes bowl with fresh, new tap water treated with Tetra Easy Balance water conditioner that has sat to become room tempurature? Bettas need heated tanks. They are tropical fish. At room temperature they tend to be more lethargic and more prone to disease. It's like us living in a perpetual winter. However, if you keep an unfiltered bowl you need to do daily water changes of about 50% and make sure you do at least 2 (preferably 3-4) 100% water changes a week. I'd do 50% one day and 100% the next day. If you always do partial water changes little bits of ammonia will build up over time. Obviously, each set up is different so what I would suggest you do is test your water daily for ammonia and see how long it takes for ammonia to show up, and then make sure you change the water a day or two before. So if ammonia takes 4 days to show up, do a water changes 2.5-3 days apart.

If you could, be ever so nice, and reply with what your normal daily routine is, and your weekly routine, and your monthly routine?


Daily routine:

Morning - turn lights on, check equipment and temperature and check all fish are OK.
Throughout the day - check on fish, play with bettas ("Follow The Finger" or show them a mirror to flare at). Keep a very close eye on any fish in hospital (like my Deimos atm).
Evening - 3 betta pellets each OR 3-4 bloodworm/brineshrimp
Night - turn lights off.

Weekly routine:

Sunday - daily checks, starve bettas
Monday - daily checks, give bettas 3 pellets each
Tuesday - daily checks, give bettas some bloodworm/brineshrimp each
Wendesday - daily checks, 3 pellets each
Thursday - test water for pH, KH, GH and nitrates (just to keep track), water change, gravel vacuum, re-plant as necessary, clean decor as necessary, filter clean as necessary (usually once every 2 weeks or once a month, depending on filter), feed bloodworm/brineshrimp
Friday - daily checks, 3 pellets each
Saturday - daily checks, feed cooked and deshelled pea (good fibre)

Other random tasks:

Plants - if any plants are dying or need trimming I sort them out when they need it. Usually a Thursday.
Water tests - I try to do tests for nitrate, pH, KH and GH weekly but it's not too much of a problem if I miss a test as my stats are always spot on. Ammonia and nitrite tests I do if a fish dies/gets sick, if any of them act weirdly, if my filter gets turned off, if there is a power cut, if I add new fish.
De-algae - done as and when needed. Usually once every 2-3 weeks.
Add Indian Almond Leaf - as and when I need to. Always added to hospital tank. Topped up after water change if necessary.

I've probably forgotten loads!
 
Like, How often do you feed?

Every other day.

What do you feed?

King british tropical mini pellets. He adores them. He also gets a few bloodworm and daphnia once a week, he really enjoys them, and also chasing and killing them !!


What is your fishes behavior?

Very active, exciteable and rather violent in the presence of fingers and live foods. Perfect for a betta :lol:

Type of betta?

Basic store bought Plakat (male) I originally bought him as a female with a group of others but he matured and showed his masculine side at last.


Do you breed?

No, I don't have the space or time at the moment..


Does he or she live in a bowl, tank, aquarium?


Bowls should be banned outright, and he lives in a 12 gallon tank.

What's is his/her(s)name?

Bronson. Named after Charles Bronson, one of the UK's most notorious violent prisoners.

How often do you clean your water?

Once a week, every single week without fail.


How do you clean your water? (Step by step process, plz.)

I syphon off half the water with a gravel vac. hoovering up any small bits of debris in the process, pour that away, and replace with the same amount of dechlorinated water at the same temp as his tankwater.

What's your tank set up?


12 Gallons, Rena filstar internal cannister filter set to low/medium - the flow is further deflected by a big clump of java moss. Heated and planted with live plants, plus a coconut cave. Here's a pic. The plants re growing in well now. the moss has really thickened up and is touching the surface!:hyper:

stuff2987954.jpg




What's the temp?

27 degrees Celcius.


What kind of water conditioner do you use?

King British dechlorinator, Indian almond leaves ( I break one into four and drop them in the tank to float about as they like.


How long do you let the water sit before using it in your tank?

I don't. The action of the water blasting ino the bucket drives off a great deal of the unwanted gases, plus the dechlorinator binds the chlorine and chloramine to make it safe ( I add dechlor before filling the bucket) . I stir it futher a few times with a planting stick to make sure the dechlor is mixed then jug it into the tank.



Would it be apropriate for me to everyother day, replace half of the water in my fishes bowl with fresh, new tap water treated with Tetra Easy Balance water conditioner that has sat to become room tempurature?

Yes that would work for a while, but your fish should not be in a bowl at all. He needs a heated (unless you are in an extremely warm part of the world and the temperature in the room is at a constant 26-28 degrees C ...which is doubtful) and filtered tank. Bettas are tropical fish who require more space than myths would have you believe.

Plus, the best and easiest way to keep your water clean and stable is with a cycled filter. The filter will harbour a colony of good bacteria which will break down your fishes waste and convert it to a less harmful form. Basically a filter does almost all the work for you ( you will still need to do water changes once a week )

Due to the shape of a bowl, a decent filter and heater will be almost impossible to attach, and would take up almost all of the already nonexistant space .

In a 5 gal tank you will have plenty of room for both filter and heater, plus your betta will have a vastly more normal and natural territory size to live and swim in. You don't have to spend a great deal of money on a brand new tank either. Check around to see if you can get one second hand. Places like Ebay, Craigslist, newspaper classified ads, an also car boot sales and garage sales. Ask around the neighbors too and see if anybody has a spare tank in the garage/loft they don't want. You can set up a tank a lot more chaply and easily this way.:good:



You should also plant the tank thickly with a lot of plants, as in the wild these fish come from waters with a lot of vegetation in it, they love to hide and lurk in plants, and rest on them too.

Since you're a beginner, I'd advise to go with SILK plants. Loads of them. Plenty of long tall ones to rest on and some shorter ones to hide in. Make sure not to get plastic because these often have hidden sharp bits on them, which can easily cut a bettas delicate fins.
 
Do you breed?

No, I don't have the space or time at the moment..


Does he or she live in a bowl, tank, aquarium?


Bowls should be banned outright, and he lives in a 12 gallon tank.

No space at the MOMENT? What, are you planning to or something? Lol :)

But I do agree, bowls should be banned. However, what keeps running through my mind is that people would get creative saying "they lived in bowls earlier, they still can (blah blah...)" and find even more inhumane things. It's not like they're gonna stop selling vases. Terrible, terrible vases. I know in some countries, bowls ARE banned though. Curious to how that's gonna work out.
 
If I can get a place of my own with a room /area big enough then I would like to try it at some point in my life yes. My LFS doesn't often have bettas in, and when they do most of them are very poor quality. They currently have a red CT and a silvery blue VT , not something they usually get in, and both of those have been reserved already, which just tells you how poor the usual quality of the PK males and females are they normally sometimes have.

As soon as something even slightly better comes along it's gone in a flash. Clearly people like and want these fish, and the LFS does give people reasonable advice. They also do not keep their bettas in cups. So supplying them with a occasional crop of decent well bred fish seems reasonable to me, and I could learn more about rheir breeding behavious and bloodlines ect.


From all I've read bettas are not kept in bowls or small containers permanently even in their native Thailand. The people who fight them traditionally keep them in ponds, and select the best males for fighting. They keep them in a clay pot for a while as they condition the fish for fighting, then fight them and afterwards return them to the pond.

Similar thing with goldfish. People think the Chinese have always kept them in bowls , which they haven't. The fish would be kept in large containers or usually ornamental ponds, and when company came over for tea/visits, a good specimen would be removed and placed into a clear glass bowl to be admired, then returned after the visitors left.

Somewhere down the line in both cases, wires and info have been muddled and people have ended up thinking these small containers are suitable for a permanent home for fish and it simply isn't true.

Ok so most people cannot provide a huge pond or re-create a massive rice paddy, but the very least we can do is get as close/large as possible in size and environment in order for the fish to be happy and healthy and behave normally.

So many act as though a 5 gal tank is some humongous glass box and it isn't. It will fit into 12-14 square inches of space. I've measured it and done it myself so I know it for an absolute fact. If someone can't provide such a small amount of space somewhere in their home then I'd seriously worry about their hoarding habits. Even the smllest flat/apartment can fit a 5 gallon, most can actually fit a 10 gallon .
 
Nothing to argue about there. I definitely agree. My dad, when he was a kid, would do the same with betts. Scoop 'em up in ponds, fight them, and return. It was a sport (still is?).

I didn't know that about goldfish, interesting. Nice piece of info I can use to yell at something, lol.
 

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