I Want A Betta

[awilson360]

Hey guys,

I am very tempted to get a nice Betta Splenden. I do need some advice thought.

I have a empty 10 gallon tank that is cycled and planted. What kind of Betta Splenden could I put in there? I have no clue as to the difference in behaviour between the males and females and what can and can't go together. Am I right in thinking that 1 Male would be fine in there?

Also, what is the optimum temperature I should set the heater too and what kind of food would they take.

Cheers guys.
AW

 

[ellena]

Hi! Good on you for asking before buying
Firstly, when you say cycled, what do you mean? If the tank has been empty for more than a couple of days, it won't be cycled any more.
If it is cycled, you could divide it into 2 and have 2 males in there (search the forum for posts on making dividers) Males cannot be kept together, they will fight.
Or you could have a sorority of 6 females. They would all need to be added together so they are all equal and can establish a pecking order. This doesn't always work out and there will probably be squabbling and maybe injuries, certainly at first.
1 male would of course be fine too.
Make sure your tank has a well fitting lid, they can and do jump!
Temp should be 27-28C and they will eat lots of different foods. Specialist betta pellets are available which make a good staple diet. These should be supplemented with live/frozen food and peas. One recommended regime is
Day 1 bloodworm ~ Days 2-5 pellets ~ Day 6 deshelled pea ~ Day 7 nothing.
I hope you find a fish/fishes you like

 

[awilson360]

Hi! Good on you for asking before buying
Firstly, when you say cycled, what do you mean? If the tank has been empty for more than a couple of days, it won't be cycled any more.
If it is cycled, you could divide it into 2 and have 2 males in there (search the forum for posts on making dividers) Males cannot be kept together, they will fight.
Or you could have a sorority of 6 females. They would all need to be added together so they are all equal and can establish a pecking order. This doesn't always work out and there will probably be squabbling and maybe injuries, certainly at first.
1 male would of course be fine too.
Make sure your tank has a well fitting lid, they can and do jump!
Temp should be 27-28C and they will eat lots of different foods. Specialist betta pellets are available which make a good staple diet. These should be supplemented with live/frozen food and peas. One recommended regime is
Day 1 bloodworm ~ Days 2-5 pellets ~ Day 6 deshelled pea ~ Day 7 nothing.
I hope you find a fish/fishes you like

Hi Ellena!
Thanks for the advice!
I'm thinking that I may just get 1 Male Betta for the mean time. He could have a nice lifestyle in a 10 gallon and I don't want to risk losing a female from inexperience on my behalf.

How do you distinguish males from females? I am also thinking of buying him tomorrow from my well established LFS rather than cheap old PETS AT HOME!

Also the tank was emptied today, moved young White Cloud Mountain Minnows into the community tank. I have a water testing kit so will be doing the usual water testing and frequent water changes were required.

The 10g does have an UG filter, hopefully that would be adequate for the waste produced by the Betta.
Do Betta's have any problems with Java Fern or Mopani Wood as that is my prefered decor with pea sized gravel.

Thanks again!
AW

 

[ellena]

Hi, yes 1 male would have a whale of a time in there I forgot to mention, male and female also shouldn't be mixed. The only options are males on their own or 6+ groups of females.
I presume you're in the UK? Generally it will be males you'll see for sale. They have much longer finnage than the females and shops will be keeping them alone or one to a tank. It's not that common to see females in my experience.
Bettas are the one time I make exception with P@H. I figure, they're on their own, so bringing in a disease isn't a problem and bettas are so individual, if you see the right one, doesn't matter where it is!
If you only moved the wcmm today, filter should be good until tomorrow. I wouldn't leave it much longer though and make sure the tank is filled back up so the filter is kept wet. A betta in a 10gall will make minimal waste so the UG shuld be fine.
Any live plant is great for a betta. Also the wood as long as it has no sharp jagged bits. That's the thing to watch with betta decor as their fins can rip so easily. The gravel will be fine though

 

[awilson360]

Thanks again for the advice!

I'm so excited to go have a look tomorrow! I don't even think the P@H here sells Bettas

I am crossing my fingers that one of my local shops does, however if not have you ever bought fish from ebay? They have some nice looking Bettas but I'm a bit worried about them being delivered by royal mail!

How do they not die from the stress of being in a parcel and being sploshed everywhere!

AW

 

[ellena]

I have bought fish through the mail before and I couldn't believe they'd live but they did.
I haven't had massive experience with bettas, (6 in total) but I have had better luck with 'plainer' pet shop veil tails rather than the fancy ones they sell on ebay. I imagine the extensive breeding must affect their hardiness.
Even those plainer ones are stunning though. Look for one which is lively and active, not hanging listlessly or hiding away. If you see just the right one and his tail or fins are a little raggeddy, they will heal, but if you can get one whose fins look perfect, that would be better.

 

[BethK]

males will have longer tails, look more elaborate and showy, females (the majority) have shorter tails, although some females are bred to have longer fins at times.


VT's tend to have more health issues than other tail types, funny that, as VT's are the dominant tail.

There are some good breeders online but you need to 'fish' through google search. if you buy a betta from a lfs, inspect the betta first, do his fins look ok, are they ragged/ripped?, is he active? etc, if yes to those questions, avoid it

 

[awilson360]

What do you think about CrownTails? I like the dark blue/black ones and I have found a very nice one on ebay.
I would like a second opinion on it before I buy but I don't know if it's expensive for what it is, how much does LFS usually charge for a male?
I have a suspicion that my LFS doesn't sell Bettas so I'll phone them tomorrow and if not I'll be forced to order a fish online

AW

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/1x-no20-crowntail-male-betta-video-added-can-post-/290450853850?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item43a0384fda#ht_3743wt_1137

 

[mystus]

The cost are all different heres a thread about them.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/335685-betta-costs/

 

[ellena]

Around here they are about £5 each. £8 is not bad, but it's the p+p you have to factor in. Whereabouts are you?

 

[awilson360]

Around here they are about £5 each. £8 is not bad, but it's the p+p you have to factor in. Whereabouts are you?

Ellena, I live in Lowestoft, UK and we only really have two local fish shops. Pets at Home and "Koi Joy" which is pretty good.
Apparently Pets at Home have a couple of males in stock so I'm going to take a look. I think it could be better to adopt a mistreated one and give it a good life rather than one that has been treated good for its entire life and will end up in a good home anyway!

I have just changed the water in the 10 gallon and put in a heater. I've set it to 27C, is that ok for the Betta? Also it's a 200W heater and from what I've read it could be too big? It's about 10 inches long and has heated up the water fine.

I'll let the water settle down and go to Pets at Home later this evening.

Thanks,
AW

 

[BethK]

200w would be too strong, you may have to set the temp lower, ideally, you would need a 50w for a 10 gal, 75w as a max.

 

[awilson360]

200w would be too strong, you may have to set the temp lower, ideally, you would need a 50w for a 10 gal, 75w as a max.

Ok thanks for the advice! I've found a nice little 50W heater in the garage. Just need to wait for the mopani wood to finish boiling and then attach some Java Fern to it

AW

 

[awilson360]

Update:

Went to P@H today and they had one Betta Splenden left. I asked about it and she said that they only sell males and that it's fairly young. Its a reddish purple and I was surprised to see it in a tank with other fish. They weren't other Bettas, some kind of tropicals? They were small whatever they were but he wasn't bothering them. He was active and swimming everywhere so I ended up getting him!

He is now in his tank discovering everything! Will take some photos later tonight when he has calmed down a bit!

AW

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Aww congratulations. His colours sound nice too

My P@H sell females too; but they are marked.