New Betta Owner :)

[ashkins15]

Hi all! I just picked up an adorable male CT Betta at Petsmart today. He's my first fish and I want to make sure I'm treating him well and that he's as happy as he can be and since I'm extremely new to all of this, I figured I'd ask some experts Wink

I'm using this 2 gallon tank: http/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3107806

I conditioned the water like I was supposed to, am keeping it at the suggested temperatures, put a couple of accessories/plants in the tank, and am feeding him pellets as of right now. The tank comes with an air pump and air stone diffuser as well as an under gravel filter plate.

Any suggestions/tips/advice? He seems pretty happy...he's swimming around a lot. I can't tell if he likes the air pump on or off better though. I know it'd be ideal to have him in a little bigger of a tank but this one honestly gives him a decent amount of room to swim around in, even with the plants and hiding spots I've put in there for him.

Anyway...I'm sure you get these questions all the time, but I really just want to make sure I'm doing right by him and making him happy!

 

[llamalord305]

Do you have the filter cycled? Most people would agree that that tank is a bit small. Most of us agree that a 3 gallon is a MINIMUM, and a 5 gallon is pretty good. You can get a 5 or 10 gallon with a hood for not so much.


Anyways, whats much more important is the cycling. You see, when a fish poops or pees, it breaks down to ammonia, which is bad for the fish. Fortunately, there are bacteria that live in filters that "eat" the ammonia and produce nitrite. This nitrite is also bad for the fish, but fortunately there's another kind of bacteria that turns nitrites into nitrates. (Note the E into an A, very important!) Nitrates can only harm your fish in high concentrations. This can be taken out with water changes. Read up here.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=141944
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099


It is good that you want to keep you fish happy, and that attitude will get you very far here. You wouldn't believe how sour people have been. But I digress.



Ask away with questions, as most of us will be very happy to answer. Don't feel bad if you didn't know, most of us start out like this. Good luck! =)

 

[Luke_emma_23]

Hello, tank looks nice, maybe a bit small but it's probably heaven compared to what they are kept in at the pet stores!!
What type of decorations do you have, Bettas need real or silk plants as plastic ones will rip and damage their delicate fins.
Agree with above on cycling, do you have a test kit?
Oh, and we love PICS!!!!!!!

 

[lilacamy931]

Congrats on your new betta, agree with the others above. Main thing is to keep ontop of water changes until the beneficial bacteria catches up and can deal with the fishes waste more adequately and oh piccyss!!!

 

[Honeythorn]

I know it'd be ideal to have him in a little bigger of a tank but this one honestly gives him a decent amount of room to swim around in

Yes it would be ideal which is why you're supposed to do it, and no it doesn't give him a decent amount of room in the slightest. If you have space for a bigger tank then get one. This species does not live in tiny puddles in the wild, and keeping it in the equivalent amount is also not a good idea.

A 5 gallon+ will give the correct minimum space, and will actually be far easier to care for with regards to water quality. You can fit a decent filter and heater, and won't have to do a water change every other day ( which can be stressful for them espescially if you remove the fish each time )

A 5 gallon hex tank, or something like an Aquastart 320 will fit into a 12 inch square space ,and every home has one of those ( or one is easily made by moving stuff )

 

[Rezatii]

I agree with Honeythorn, it really is worth getting a decent sized tank for your lad, you and him will both be happier.

In a 5 or 10g You could also consider getting him a few friends, like some nice small cory's or something A 2g may be passable now, but he will grow and really, bigger tanks look nicer anyway, there are so many more options A bigger tank will also make maintenance a hell of a lot easier and make it easier to disguise things like heaters and filters

-Rezz