My First Betta

[walkers101]

 

[loraxchick]

handsome! i like his color.
enjoy your fish
cheers

 

[walkers101]

hmm considering the other fish i have in my tanks this one is the least active please tell me bettas do more than just hang around at the top of the tank looking miserable lol

 

[ellena]

They can take a couple of weeks to settle in, then they have great personalities. I see you have a heater Do you have a filter and what size tank is it?

 

[GuppyGoddess]

He's a beautiful fish.

Bettas DO NOT hang out at the top looking miserable. Your betta should be swimming around and interative *with you* through his tank. Also, he should be swimming up to your finger out of curiosity. Bettas are very curious fish and are always exploring their territory.

The deal is he may be a bit shy since he's new to the tank. Quick question: is he by himself in his own tank or with tank mates? If he is with other fish, he may be stressed by that. Also, how is your water? Any ammonia?

 

[Honeythorn]

hmm considering the other fish i have in my tanks this one is the least active please tell me bettas do more than just hang around at the top of the tank looking miserable lol

How big is the tank ? It should be at least 5 gallons for just the betta. At least 10 gallons if you want even small tank mates.

Also, the tank looks quite bare of plants though the picture isn't much to go on admittedly.

Bettas like to hide and patrol a territory filled with plants. LOTS of plants, not just the odd one or two or a clump in a corner, FILL the tank, all the back and sides and leave a few small open areas for free swimming. A bare tank will stress a betta, it's very unstimulating and with the light on it will be like living in a bare padded cell for him.

Surface plants are also a great idea. Even if all the other plants in your tank are false you can easily keep live surface floating plants, which will also use up some Nitrates too . They need no special treatment at all apart from removing some when it gets overgrown. Riccia is an easy one, as is Frogbit and Water lettuce. Salvinia is also good but won't be available if you are in the US.

 

[walkers101]

its in a community tank 32 gallon there is a few fake plants in there with plenty of caves and rocks the filter is a fish mate 200gal + 20gal p/h guess ill have to get a few more plants for him

 

[walkers101]

 

[Jonty]

red claw crabs are brackish aren't they?

 

[walkers101]

at my LFS they were in a tank with blue gourami and dwarf gourami they have been fine in my tank also

 

[Jonty]

Do they have access to land? From what I've read they don't do well in freshwater, and need quite a bit of land space.

And Truck, lets not get petty here. Though it may not be a fact, most bettas enjoy the conditions Honeythorn mentioned. In the Newcomer forum we all portray as a fact that you MUST cycle your tank. You don't have to, but it's better for the fish, just a a densely planted 5 gal is better than an empty 2 gal.

 

[Truck]

just a a densely planted 5 gal is better than an empty 2 gal.

For who? Nothing scientific about that statement.

 

[walkers101]

well i have read up the red crabs are hardly ever out the water then they do want to go which is maximum 10 mins a day they climb up the airline hang out for a few mins then come back down

 

[Honeythorn]

How many times do I have to point out that it's obviously an opinion (Gosh what a highlight, I thought I'd put it in bold so you could see it more clearly if it isn't obvious enough for you ) I have never ( I can use the Italic button as well, amazing ) said bettas MUST have plants or they will die on the spot, I have stated that most bettas do like a densely planted tank, which is true at least in my own experience , and also in the experiences of others here .

If like most shop sold bettas, that betta has come from a smaller container or tank and has been plunked in what is to him a vast open space, it's hardly surprising he's not happy. It's like dropping an agoraphobic in the middle of an open field with only a couple of trees to shelter under.


Having plenty of cover, as in more than a few plants dotted about, will help him hide and settle and have his own little jungle to feel safe in. Even if the entire tank isn't planted, planting up a quater or half will help him calm down and stop sulking and drifting at the surface.

 

[Honeythorn]

just a a densely planted 5 gal is better than an empty 2 gal.

For who? Nothing scientific about that statement.

Larger space to dilute waste ( regardless of water changes ) more room to swim, lots of plants to hide in and explore VS a tiny space to shuffle about in , less water to dilute waste , nowhere to hide, nothing to look at, nothing to engage the brain however primitive it may be....

No it isn't a scientific fact, but it is blatantly obvious which is the better situation .