Newbie Betta Help

[fishforthekids]

New to this, so your help is appreciated.

For starters, I have a week-old aquarium - fish in tank for 3 days - 5 gallons. I have the following fish: 1 male betta, 2 x-ray tetras and 1 red wag platty.

My question is about feeding. I have tetra flacks for the other guys and Betta Bits for the Betta.

First I feed the flakes since the other guys are a little more aggressive about eating. The Betta nibbles a few flakes but spits them out--that's okay. When I drop in 3-4 betta bits, the other fish sometimes "taste" the bits and spit them out. They drop to the bottom and are left. The Betta does not do a very good job of finding the bits and eating them before they sink to the bottom. He swims around looking for food but usually swims right past the bits. What do I do to get the Betta to eat better? If I feed the bits first, the little guys nibble them and the Betta misses out. Any thoughts?

THANKS!

 

[Monty2451]

From what everyone has been telling me here (and by listening to this its obviously true) you need to put the betta in its own tank, a 5 gallon tank is too small to have any kind of community with a betta male. Bettas are very territorial and need space in a tank in order to 'patrol' around it to keep away rivals and other threats as well as for privacy in general. Bettas are very solitary fish and should only be put into a large community tank (at least 20 gal.+ from what I hear) and even then the list of acceptable tank mates is short. So in essence, get another tank, either the same size or smaller (but not too much, you really don't want to go less than 2 1/2 gal. if its possible) and put him by himself, I'm sure he'll be alot happier!

 

[fishforthekids]

Thanks for the input, Monty. The LFS said this "community" was okay based on the size of my tank. Does anyone else think otherwise?

Any input on the feeding question would be appreciated, as well.

 

[catxx]

a week isn't long enough to let your tank cycle.
you're going to suffer losses before your tank is healthy
read the guide to cycling in the beginners forum.

a 5 gallon isn't really large enough for any "community" of fish.
personally i'd keep it betta-only
platys like company, and tetras need to be in groups of 6+, this would be too much for your little tank!

i have a planted 5 gallon hex which is betta-only, and he fills it! big attitude for a tiny fish.

 

[heatmisr]

To answer your question about the feeding, bettas are not bottom feeders. Develop a routine so he knows when you "call him", it is time to eat. I always click with my tongue a couple times. When he hears that sound, he knows it is time to eat. Wait for him to come to the top. Once you have his attention, feed him 1 pellet at a time and watch him eat it. I usually drop the pellet right in front of him so he sees it. Once the pellet starts to sink (which happens pretty quickly) he will not be able to find it.

Hope that helps.

ETA: typos

 

[fishforthekids]

Thanks for the suggestion. I will try that. I definitely want the guy to eat.