Bloodthirsty Siras

[gypsy_rose81]

My betta Siras is in a one gallon vase on my desk at work. In it are are some smooth stones, a little gravel, a few aponegeton bulbs that have just started to sprout, and a fully submerged philodendron cutting along with two more cuttings off the side (just to sprout roots). The submerged philodendron is his favorite object so far, he swims vigorously around the stems and sometimes lays on the leaves which are at the surface of the water. He even uses them like a slide, going up and over the leaves several times a day. I've trained him to "kiss" (read: attack) my finger before he eats. Although lately, he seems to be almost caressing it, swimming past and rubbing his fins on me. I hope he's not going soft on me. Anyway, I think he's pretty happy.

Obviously the setup isn't conducive to a filter, so I change his water about once every 7-10 days based on appearance. I'm considering adding a small heater under the gravel, but I've heard that it will speed up his metabolism thus causing more waste, which since I don't have a filter, would be worse than him not having a heater. I'd also like to start breeding guppies and some kind of shrimp for him to eat, I can't do that at work of course but I'd bring the fry and shrimplings in for him. I've found plenty of resources on care and breeding for his intended meals, but I can't seem to find info on how many fry and/or shrimplings he should eat per day. I don't want to overfeed and cause constipation, and I've heard that the occasional cooked shelled pea innards will help with that.

I'm also unsure as to how big the fry can be before they're too big for him to consume. From what I can tell, guppies give birth about once a month, between 10-30 fry. So if he eats at least one a day there won't be any waste, unless by the end of the month the fry are too large for him to eat. I was also considering putting a couple larger ghost shrimp in his vase to clean up some of the uneaten food, but I'm not sure they'd last long enough to put a dent in it. They might become dinner before they have dinner I suppose. Anyway, any suggestions or advice is welcomed. Please no snide comments about how I'm torturing him by not putting a 2.5 or larger gallon tank with a filter on my desk at work... if I did that I'd have no place for my scented oil diffuser, the chia grow-a-head a coworker gave me for Christmas, or the substantial collection of inkless pens I've accumulated.

 

[Spishkey]

i wouldnt feed any fish, let alone a betta, soley on 'feeder' fish, there really isnt much nutritional value to them. fish need a varied diet

 

[gypsy_rose81]

i wouldnt feed any fish, let alone a betta, soley on 'feeder' fish, there really isnt much nutritional value to them. fish need a varied diet

I planned on stuffing the fry and shrimplings before feeding them to him. He doesn't seem to mind the Nutrfin Betta Flakes I've been giving him, and they do have a few bloodworms thrown in, but I honestly would like to give him the chance to be more active. I was also thinking about giving him a few flightless fruit flies now and then.

 

[Neon.Tetra]

Welcome to the forums! Nice detailed post!

Honestly, the best thing you can do for the fish is move him out of the vase and put him into something else with a filter. But I'm aware you know of peoples views on living conditions. At the moment, if he stays in the vase you'll have to replace the water in the vase more regularly, I don't know the exact amount but 7-10 days is a tad too long. Another thing is, without a filter the fish will go under stress from continually changing water stats. So make sure until you can get a filter replace a percentage of his water regularly not all in one go with 100% clean water.

He sounds like a real character! And a heater will show you even more of his personality, if he room you keep him in is quite warm then you might be able to get away with it. But instead of small feeder fish, Frozen or Freeze-Dried Brine Shrimp & Blood Worms will be just as good for him, if not better. I noticed such a difference in my Betta when I gave him a heater and then finally more room from his 2gal.

I bought his all inclusive 2gal for just under £20, which included a filter (I bought a heater seperatly) which wasn't too bad.

The diet of my own Betta consists of flake food pinches 5 days a week, a bloodworm or two for 1 or 2 days, and then a deshelled pea for the last day. It adds variety and should reduce the occurance of constipation. Be careful if you add fruit flies because they could introduce disease into the tank.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck and keep us informed on how he is

 

[gypsy_rose81]

Welcome to the forums! Nice detailed post!

Honestly, the best thing you can do for the fish is move him out of the vase and put him into something else with a filter. But I'm aware you know of peoples views on living conditions. At the moment, if he stays in the vase you'll have to replace the water in the vase more regularly, I don't know the exact amount but 7-10 days is a tad too long. Another thing is, without a filter the fish will go under stress from continually changing water stats. So make sure until you can get a filter replace a percentage of his water regularly not all in one go with 100% clean water.

He sounds like a real character! And a heater will show you even more of his personality, if he room you keep him in is quite warm then you might be able to get away with it. But instead of small feeder fish, Frozen or Freeze-Dried Brine Shrimp & Blood Worms will be just as good for him, if not better. I noticed such a difference in my Betta when I gave him a heater and then finally more room from his 2gal.

I bought his all inclusive 2gal for just under £20, which included a filter (I bought a heater seperatly) which wasn't too bad.

The diet of my own Betta consists of flake food pinches 5 days a week, a bloodworm or two for 1 or 2 days, and then a deshelled pea for the last day. It adds variety and should reduce the occurance of constipation. Be careful if you add fruit flies because they could introduce disease into the tank.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck and keep us informed on how he is

Ok so maybe I'm the bloodthirsty one... I really want to see him eat stuff that's all. I also have been looking around and I'm thinking of constructing a DIY sponge filter with some other teeny tiny supplies like an airstone and the head from a sponge paintbrush etc. I really do want the best for him within the scope of what I can provide on such limited desk space.

 

[gypsy_rose81]

hmm I just thought about something. Someone recommended against using water clarifiers since I don't have a filtration system. What about Stress zyme biological filtration booster? It says it contains live bacteria to help keep aquariums clean, and instructions are to add it on the 1st, 7th, and 14th days, then once weekly after that.

 

[loraxchick]

Make your own sponge filter. i made two this week in less than ten minutes/ filter. so simple. in my small tanks i will NEVER buy a filter again. easy peasy. for info on how i made mine, feel free to PM me.