Information On..

[Nyu]

Hi everyone! Now, I have a 38L (10G I think?) tank just sitting around doing nothing currently, and so I started a thread in Tropical Discussion asking for suggestions of what to put in it. And I had a couple of people suggesting a betta. I've never had one, and have no idea about what I'd need to do for them. Can you guys give me some information on their needs, preferences, just information that someone would need to know to have one and to look after it properly and to keep it a happy fish ^^. I want to know alot more about them before considering getting one, and I figured you guys would be able to give me the most help.

Thanks!

 

[Nyu]

Anyone? ^^

 

[GuppyGoddess]

Hi,
One of my bettas (a female named Lilly) is in a 10-gallon.

What she has is the tank (on a stand), a 50-watt heater, a thermometer on the outside to keep the temp around 78ish, a whisper 5-10 gallon filter, silk plants and decor to swim around in, and gravel. With that size of a tank, she does quite a bit of exploring. She's a very curious fish and if ANYTHING is out of place in her tank, she's right there to investigate it. If my hand/arm is in the tank, she swims right up and will nip me to see if I'm food.

One important thing with bettas is that they do not like currents from filters, so with the 10-gallon tank, there is extra foam extending out of the out-take valve to be sure the water is calm. Also because my female is so little, I wrapped foam around the intake so her fins won't get sucked up. The intake being covered with foam is EXTREMELY important for any variety of betta. My veil tail almost got sucked up after I put his filter in! (you can buy a package of filter foam at any lfs).

If you cannot get all the equipment right away, your betta will be okay with the tank, heater, gravel, and a bit of decor. One of my males was in a 5-gallon with only that stuff for over a month!

I have 6 bettas: 3 female and 3 male and so if you have any specific questions, go ahead and ask. I just want to add that I like females more because they have an easier time swimming around in smaller tanks. They glide around.

 

[Nyu]

Do they prefer the silk plants or does it not really matter as long as there are plants in the tank?

What's their main diet and what do you feed them for treats and stuff?

Yeah, I'd definitely need to soften the output of the filter somehow, not sure how I'd do that though because for this tank the filter is a little funny and the output is literally like a spray bar across the top of the tank.

Would just like, the foot of pantyhose over the intake work?

Alrighty, thank you.

I was thinking of getting a male, but I will take getting a female into consideration.

What kind of fish are suitable for their tank mates?

What are the different types of betta you can get? Like the different tail types and stuff?

Can't think of any other questions for the minute.

Thanks for the help

 

[LilyRose Tank]

hi there i shall try answer all thoughts and questions on bettas
1 do not keep more than one male betta in a tank...and dont put a female in with him for company, he'll kill her...most important rule lol
2 feed once a day...mini pellets, fish flake, and once a week..tubiflex/bloodworm/brine shrimp..either frozen, dried, or live...if dried food is given, add a deshelled pea once a week
3 lots of real and/or silk plants..not plastic as they tear fins
4 gravel or sand either its your preference
5 heater, sponge filter, and yes stocking over inlet..great.
6 water change every time a fluid water test kit says ammonia or nitrite about 0.25ppm....with one fish in a tank your size once a week should probably be enough
7 they like hidey holes, caves, coconut caves, rocks to hide behind or shelter in, ( arranged like flintstone house)
8 they don't really like tankmates..i have golden apple snails in with mine, and some have had success with pygmy corydoras or norman lampeye fish, nothing with big colourful tails/fins as he'll see them as a threat.
9 they love your company so spend time talking to him. My Blaze allows me to stroke his belly a tiny bit. and will come up to my finger to feed ( not take off my finger but almost there)
10 Bettas have a number of tail types,... veil tail, crowntail, combtail, spadetail, platkat tail, double tail
11 bettas have a number of different tail fin type...halfmoon, delta, superdelta, there probably are others i cant remember their names
12 bettas have load of colours, single colour, bi-colour, tri - colour, marble, butterfly, dragon,

if you go to eBetta.com ( i think thats its name..you will see).
hers a photo of my 48L to give you an idea

my Blaze is a silver red supedelta dragon

and here is Casper's tank a 64L tank

plants include l>r
cabomba, onion, elodea, on rock 3/4 the way from left..anubias nana. and the one in blazes tank on right at back.. java fern, these plants are easy to keep....just make sure 8-12 hours daylight light and nighttime moonlight light on all night.....elodea grows extremely well. ( 2 foot in 4 weeks)
in front of rock, i can't remember . shall look it up for you.

 

[Nyu]

hi there i shall try answer all thoughts and questions on bettas
1 do not keep more than one male betta in a tank...and dont put a female in with him for company, he'll kill her...most important rule lol Alrighty, got it.
2 feed once a day...mini pellets, fish flake, and once a week..tubiflex/bloodworm/brine shrimp..either frozen, dried, or live...if dried food is given, add a deshelled pea once a week I have some frozen bloodworm so that works.
3 lots of real and/or silk plants..not plastic as they tear fins I'm not really a fan of plastic plants anyways so
4 gravel or sand either its your preference I currently have gravel with marbles
5 heater, sponge filter, and yes stocking over inlet..great. Yeah, I already have a stocking over it because I used it for a fry tank for a while
6 water change every time a fluid water test kit says ammonia or nitrite about 0.25ppm....with one fish in a tank your size once a week should probably be enough Water change once a week, okie dokie.
7 they like hidey holes, caves, coconut caves, rocks to hide behind or shelter in, ( arranged like flintstone house) O: awesome. I love the coconut cave idea!
8 they don't really like tankmates..i have golden apple snails in with mine, and some have had success with pygmy corydoras or norman lampeye fish, nothing with big colourful tails/fins as he'll see them as a threat. No colourful tank mates, alrighty. I was thinking of maybe some of the pygmy cories, but I'm not sure if they prefer a sand substrate?
9 they love your company so spend time talking to him. My Blaze allows me to stroke his belly a tiny bit. and will come up to my finger to feed ( not take off my finger but almost there) Oh wow, that's so cool, well, he'd be in my room just at the bottom of my bed so he'd get company, can they tolerate the presence of a cat? Because my cat literally lives in my room but he's very calm and has no interest in my fish, he just likes sleeping on top of my other tank.
10 Bettas have a number of tail types,... veil tail, crowntail, combtail, spadetail, platkat tail, double tail What's the difference between them?
11 bettas have a number of different tail fin type...halfmoon, delta, superdelta, there probably are others i cant remember their names Ditto ^
12 bettas have load of colours, single colour, bi-colour, tri - colour, marble, butterfly, dragon,

if you go to eBetta.com ( i think thats its name..you will see). Ohh okie, checking out that website now, thank you!
hers a photo of my 48L to give you an idea

my Blaze is a silver red supedelta dragon

and here is Casper's tank a 64L tank

plants include l>r
cabomba, onion, elodea, on rock 3/4 the way from left..anubias nana. and the one in blazes tank on right at back.. java fern, these plants are easy to keep....just make sure 8-12 hours daylight light and nighttime moonlight light on all night.....elodea grows extremely well. ( 2 foot in 4 weeks)
in front of rock, i can't remember . shall look it up for you.

Your tanks are both so pretty! I'll also need to look up those plants, the are really gorgeous. My tanks is 38L so it'd be a little smaller than your first one, here's a picture of it:

Thanks for your help

Edit: You can see the output in this picture, any idea how I'd somehow cover that to stop it being so harsh?

 

[Hunterprey]

Yes cories will prefer sand coz of their barbels. I've had bettas with julii cories, peppered cories, Kuhli loaches, Oto cats and guppies(some had bad luck with guppies) and they get on fine. Bettas can jump pretty high my female bettas can jump 5 inch above water surface, male bettas not as high, so cover holes that are too big for them to escape, especially u have a cat.

Here's a Mustard Gas Doubletail Betta

Beautiful tanks Lilyrose. specially the first one

 

[Nyu]

Yes cories will prefer sand coz of their barbels. I've had bettas with julii cories, peppered cories, Kuhli loaches, Oto cats and guppies(some had bad luck with guppies) and they get on fine. Bettas can jump pretty high my female bettas can jump 5 inch above water surface, male bettas not as high, so cover holes that are too big for them to escape, especially u have a cat.

Here's a Mustard Gas Doubletail Betta

Beautiful tanks Lilyrose. specially the first one

Ah okay, are there any tank mates that I could have with a beta that don't mind stones? (ones that would fit comfortably into the tank)

Oh that betta is gorgeous!<3

 

[LilyRose Tank]

thanks for the complement. i have had to trim it a bit and put plants into the second tank, poor blaze couldn't see for plants
this is blaze he has a superdelta tail (120-160 degree spread)

and this is casper a Halfmmon tail (160-180 degreew spread of tail

THE FOLLOWING FISH ARE NOT MINE, TAKEN FROM INTERNET PHOTOS

examples of crowntail

next two examples of butterfly pattern

this one is a doubletail

and this I think is a veiltail halfmoon

hope that helps

this one is a link to a spadetail

http/images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http/petfishescare.com/images/betta_fish.jpg&imgrefurl=http/petfishescare.com/betta-fish-myths.php&usg=__t9Ifig5lFjTUfHToH1RVLBpj_Sc=&h=268&w=300&sz=10&hl=en&start=53&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=CAdbskaiaJt8jM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbettas%2Bfish%26start%3D42%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4TSEA_en-GBGB328GB328%26ndsp%3D21%26tbs%3Disch:1

and this is a link to a platkat halfmoon

http/images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http/i309.photobucket.com/albums/kk361/ocyew/Bettas/YunHuiBetta/Orange1.jpg&imgrefurl=http/www.homeapet.com/english/viewtopic.php%3Ff%3D45%26t%3D8076&usg=__j2xudOKZ3fibvkQ50EX64U3r9Tc=&h=597&w=875&sz=52&hl=en&start=123&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=v6yr4vW9Px3f7M:&tbnh=100&tbnw=146&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbettas%2Bfish%26start%3D105%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4TSEA_en-GBGB328GB328%26ndsp%3D21%26tbs%3Disch:1

 

[GuppyGoddess]

Answers to your questions:

They probably prefer live plants, but I don't want to deal with those.

They get betta pelettes, dried krill and tropical fish crisps. Their treats are blood worms after water changes (basically they're trained that after a stressful water change, they get a treat) and then they get part of a pea on Sundays. Bettas are SO easy to train. They WILL eat from your fingers within a few days of being put in the tank. If you need intructions on how to do this, PM me after you get your betta.

I tried using a panty hose section and it didn't work well. One of my bettas is a baby (about 1" long) and she was stuck to the filter EVEN with foam on. I had to double layer it because she's still building up strength. (basically she was too young to be sold, but Petco put her out on the shelf anyway and I decided to take a chance and try and raise her.)

None of the tank mates I tried worked (platies, rasboras, and other female bettas). . .that's in the 10-gallon. My female was pale regardless of her tank mates. She's happiest alone. Remember mood rings? Bettas are like those. The happier and healthier they are the better their coloring is. An unhappy betta will be pale.

You'll have to google around for photos of various bettas. Two of my males are double tail and one is a veil tale. I love all and it's all about preference. Crown tails are gorgeous. . .I've never had one before. Not sure what my females are!

 

[ellena]

Good info on here
lilyrose, your tanks look so great! Are the plants just planted into the gravel, any nutritious substrate? I cannot get plants to grow, I have killed elodea, cabomba, luwigia and java fern, and my amazon swords are barely hanging on in there

 

[Nyu]

@LilyRose Oh those are all so beautiful! But I still don't really understand the different tail types, apart from crowntail?

Answers to your questions:

They probably prefer live plants, but I don't want to deal with those.

They get betta pelettes, dried krill and tropical fish crisps. Their treats are blood worms after water changes (basically they're trained that after a stressful water change, they get a treat) and then they get part of a pea on Sundays. Bettas are SO easy to train. They WILL eat from your fingers within a few days of being put in the tank. If you need intructions on how to do this, PM me after you get your betta.

I tried using a panty hose section and it didn't work well. One of my bettas is a baby (about 1" long) and she was stuck to the filter EVEN with foam on. I had to double layer it because she's still building up strength. (basically she was too young to be sold, but Petco put her out on the shelf anyway and I decided to take a chance and try and raise her.)

None of the tank mates I tried worked (platies, rasboras, and other female bettas). . .that's in the 10-gallon. My female was pale regardless of her tank mates. She's happiest alone. Remember mood rings? Bettas are like those. The happier and healthier they are the better their coloring is. An unhappy betta will be pale.

You'll have to google around for photos of various bettas. Two of my males are double tail and one is a veil tale. I love all and it's all about preference. Crown tails are gorgeous. . .I've never had one before. Not sure what my females are!

Okie, but plastic plants are definitely a no-no.

Oh I see, and the pea is to help with the digestion stuff? Oh I'd love to learn so when I do I shall be sure to pm you.

Hmm, maybe I could do a layering of the stuff underneath the pantyhose? Oh wow, the poor thing, was she okay?

Really? Hmm. Well, the tank mates that I've shortlisted it down to are pygmy cories and maybe endlers? Ok so pale = bad, colourful = good, got it!

Alrighty, thanks for the help :3


This is a question to everyone, I put a picture of my tank up there and you can see the filter output, any idea how I'd soften one like that? It doesn't have a valve thing.

 

[LilyRose Tank]

Good info on here
lilyrose, your tanks look so great! Are the plants just planted into the gravel, any nutritious substrate? I cannot get plants to grow, I have killed elodea, cabomba, luwigia and java fern, and my amazon swords are barely hanging on in there

hi ellena, i havn't done any fertilising going on, and yes just planted in gravel ( gravel layer is thicker than 1 inch)...but i have a moonlight light i leave on overnight. it semms to be the thing thats helping, as my last live plant tank i lost all the plants as i didnt leave the moonlight light on at night, mhy hubby said to leave it on and the elodea grows 18inches a month!

NYU... does the flow come out at a cartain place? if so, turn it if you can so the flow is towards the glass at the back of the tank. It'll slow it down a bit, not a great deal but a bit so its not directed into the tank

 

[GuppyGoddess]

@LilyRose Oh those are all so beautiful! But I still don't really understand the different tail types, apart from crowntail?

Answers to your questions:

They probably prefer live plants, but I don't want to deal with those.

They get betta pelettes, dried krill and tropical fish crisps. Their treats are blood worms after water changes (basically they're trained that after a stressful water change, they get a treat) and then they get part of a pea on Sundays. Bettas are SO easy to train. They WILL eat from your fingers within a few days of being put in the tank. If you need intructions on how to do this, PM me after you get your betta.

I tried using a panty hose section and it didn't work well. One of my bettas is a baby (about 1" long) and she was stuck to the filter EVEN with foam on. I had to double layer it because she's still building up strength. (basically she was too young to be sold, but Petco put her out on the shelf anyway and I decided to take a chance and try and raise her.)

None of the tank mates I tried worked (platies, rasboras, and other female bettas). . .that's in the 10-gallon. My female was pale regardless of her tank mates. She's happiest alone. Remember mood rings? Bettas are like those. The happier and healthier they are the better their coloring is. An unhappy betta will be pale.

You'll have to google around for photos of various bettas. Two of my males are double tail and one is a veil tale. I love all and it's all about preference. Crown tails are gorgeous. . .I've never had one before. Not sure what my females are!

Okie, but plastic plants are definitely a no-no.

Oh I see, and the pea is to help with the digestion stuff? Oh I'd love to learn so when I do I shall be sure to pm you.

Hmm, maybe I could do a layering of the stuff underneath the pantyhose? Oh wow, the poor thing, was she okay?

Really? Hmm. Well, the tank mates that I've shortlisted it down to are pygmy cories and maybe endlers? Ok so pale = bad, colourful = good, got it!

Alrighty, thanks for the help :3


This is a question to everyone, I put a picture of my tank up there and you can see the filter output, any idea how I'd soften one like that? It doesn't have a valve thing.

Hi,
Yeah, my betta was fine. Because there was a layer of foam, she was stuck to that. If I hadn't been sitting right there watching her swim, she may not have survived.

Pygmy cories would be great. They do need to be in groups of six or more, so keep that in mind. I've had them in the past and they're fun fish. Endlers may not be as good of tank mates and may nip at your betta or the betta may nip at them. You may need to double check, but if I remember correctly, pygmies need somewhat established tanks and they also do better with sand substrate b/c they are mini-catfish and have whiskers. Mine were in smooth gravel and were okay.

 

[Nyu]

@LilyRose: I tried turning it but it only helped a little, so I placed extra filter wool stuff in it so that also calms it. I put my hand underneath the output and it doesn't seem nearly as harsh now, but I don't know whether it'd still be too strong for a betta.

Hi,
Yeah, my betta was fine. Because there was a layer of foam, she was stuck to that. If I hadn't been sitting right there watching her swim, she may not have survived.

Pygmy cories would be great. They do need to be in groups of six or more, so keep that in mind. I've had them in the past and they're fun fish. Endlers may not be as good of tank mates and may nip at your betta or the betta may nip at them. You may need to double check, but if I remember correctly, pygmies need somewhat established tanks and they also do better with sand substrate b/c they are mini-catfish and have whiskers. Mine were in smooth gravel and were okay.

Oh good, I need to remember to put the stuff under the pantyhose.

Actually I think I'm just going to leave it with just a betta. Thanks for you help ^^