Hello From A Newbie Betta Owner.

[Pixel]

Hello there! I'm not brill at introductions, so please bear with me as a wie warning.

I'm (almost) a complete newbie to keeping aquariums despite having helped look after them for so many years- I'd grown up with my Mum's 80 litre tank, but as I've found out recently there's a HUGE difference between having a tank and looking after it properly! Anyhoo, about eight months ago I was given a baby bio-orb as a moving in present, and off I went without looking online how to do it properly. I left the tank on for three weeks popping in the odd bit of fish food (as my friend who had gave it to me suggested) and then bought a beautiful veiltail betta. He was amazing, and I still thank him so very much for introducing me to this amazing hobby and to how awesome betta's really are. Looking back at it, I'm amazed he survived to begin with in that tank- the conditions must have been dreadful!

Pan (the betta) lived to around six months where he suddenly died, I'm still not sure why, he was perfectly happy swimming around his tank the night before. But, after Pan, we left the tank running for about a month before I crept down to my local fish store only to fall in love with a crown tail (Jaffa) who is just as awesome, if not more so as his predecessor. Jaffa has been with us for about two weeks now, and for the past week I've read so much about tanks my head is due to explode. I'd really love to give him a far superior life to Pan.

I'm determined to get a new tank for Jaffa and to plant it (having browsed around google looking at everyone elses nano cubes I have to say I've fallen in love), so I'm hoping you guys won't mind me bombarding you with questions!

Thanks, and I'm very much looking forward to quizzing you all!

 

[Curiosity101]

Welcome to the forum.

My guess as to the premature death of your other betta is purely poor water conditions. Fish can look fine one day, then be dead the next. And if it's a premature death with no clear symptoms that is always my guess as you very rarely see it in a pre cycled tank or a tank that's been up and running for a long time.

Well done on doing the reading, it can be rather daunting at first I know (we've all been there). But it really will benefit you and any future fish you buy.

My main advice to you right now (even before buying a bigger tank for Pan), is to buy a good quality test kit so you can keep and eye on his water stats. As it's better for him to be in pristine water in a small tank than bad water in a bigger tank.
You need to be keeping his ammonia and nitrites at 0, as I'm sure you've read. And the only way to do this is daily testing until they are consitently reading 0 on tests without you having to do a water change.

Good luck, enjoy your new betta, take pics and if you want advice on getting him a new tank definitely make a thread about it. Especially if you're after second hand, I love virtually shopping for tanks for other people on ebay and the such. N I don't think I'm the only one!

 

[Aqua Tom]

Welcome

 

[Pixel]

Thank you both!

I ordered a test kit yesterday, so hopefully that'll arrive soon so we can work on his water if needs be. At the moment I'm doing a 30% water change every two days until I get the kit just to make sure he'll survive until I can see what the water is like. Is this the right thing to do, or am I damaging the water further? I agree with you that Pan's death was more than likely down to the water, they really ought to add real instructions on tanks how to cycle properly, I kept my bio-orb on for three weeks before adding Pan, but had I gone with the instructions it would have only been on for a few days!

I'll start a thread on my tank hunting soon, and I really need to work on getting a photo of Jaffa. I have a few of him in his bag, but they're pretty bad I'm afraid.

 

[Curiosity101]

The water changes you're doing sound exactly right as a preventative measure until you can be sure of the water conditions

Tbh it makes no difference whether you leave the water for 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week etc etc if it's literally a tank of water. To cycle you need ammonia, be it from a fish or from an artifical source such as bottled ammonia or fish food.

 

[Pixel]

The water changes you're doing sound exactly right as a preventative measure until you can be sure of the water conditions

Tbh it makes no difference whether you leave the water for 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week etc etc if it's literally a tank of water. To cycle you need ammonia, be it from a fish or from an artifical source such as bottled ammonia or fish food.

Aye, true! There's not much point just leaving it on if it doesn't have anything to cycle around.

 

[Skins]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Keith.

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]