Thinking Of Getting A Betta

[justjon]

Hey guys, after being told in another section of the forum I could get a Betta (we call them "Siamese Fighting Fish" here), I just have a few questions...

Is a 30L Tank big enough?
What temps am I looking at?
Lighting?
Gravel/Plants ok?
Food?

Basically, i'm a fresh starter, i've got a 70L tropical tank (see sig).. but these fish are stunning.

I did hear their lifespan is about 7-9 months, is this correct?

Thanks in advance! May end up setting the tank up tommorow.

 

[justjon]

oh! and here is the tank I have:

http/www.birstall.co.uk/products/rena_kidmaxi_light.html

If it's suitable, could I put a sand-bottom on it too? Instead of gravel? With some pebbles...

 

[justjon]

Lots of views, no replys - can anyone help me out? I'm cleaning the tank now in preparation just incase, I have a filter thought its from an old tank so wondering if I should replace it, also has gravel so may not go with sand as why when i can save money!

Help me out guys!

 

[auntylin1]

hi john,
are we the only owls, or is it the time difference.

 

[justjon]

Er, yes it's 12:52 am here, and i'm cleaning out a tank! Hi! - anyhoo... strange how no ones replying... will have to play the waiting game!

 

[CraigBaines]

Er, yes it's 12:52 am here, and i'm cleaning out a tank! Hi! - anyhoo... strange how no ones replying... will have to play the waiting game!

i am here, but i know sweet f a, you may aswell ask the fish itselfs rather than me

 

[auntylin1]

hi again,
l`m not an expert, guess they will reply tomorrow, but do know that the betta - siamese is an air breather and is probably the tropical fish that needs the least amount of space, so think you`d have no probs at all with your new tank, providing you dont put large aggressive fish in with it. As for the bottom of the tank l would guess gravel, or sand would be fine, they are not a fish that spends a lot of time at the bottom of the tank. If your old filter is working and has been sterilised before adding it should be ok, guessing its not undergravel type, fluval or outside type. You`ll probably get more enlightened advice later from others. If you do set tank up tomorrow, dont forget to get tap water conditioner, or let water stand for a couple of weeks before adding the fish, up to you. Good luck

 

[ibbledibble]

Hey guys, after being told in another section of the forum I could get a Betta (we call them "Siamese Fighting Fish" here), I just have a few questions...

Is a 30L Tank big enough? works out at over 6 Gal, and min recommended size for a betta is 1 gal (though its a lot more work and not as pretty that way!) so sounds great
What temps am I looking at? 76-82 but whichever temp you decide on, keep it stable at that temp if poss.
Lighting?they seem to be more active when they have lights on them, so some sort of lighting would be handy, particular type of lighting depends on if you want live plants etc
Gravel/Plants ok? gravel, sand or bare bottomed are all fine and down to personal preference. live plants are great, if you go for fake, silk is better than plastic as less chance of delicate betta fins snagging on it.
Food? pellets are generally a good bet, live or frozen food are great as a treat (not too often). cooked, cooled shelled bits of pea once a week can help keep their digestive tract healthy and avoid constipation (plus some of them really love it!)

Basically, i'm a fresh starter, i've got a 70L tropical tank (see sig).. but these fish are stunning. hehehe welcome to the start of your addiction

I did hear their lifespan is about 7-9 months, is this correct? no, average lifespan is about 2-3 years for most bettas, some people have had them live for 4 or 5 years, but bear in mind that sometimes they are quite old when you get them. from a reputable importer, average age seems to be 3-6 months generally.

Thanks in advance! May end up setting the tank up tommorow.

also bear in mind that they like a fairly calm, undisturbed water surface, without much current in the tank, so you may need to sort out some sort of current killer (have a look at the betta FAQ's in the pinned topics for how to do this). they are surface air breathers and don't need any added aeration in the tank either.

hope that helps. its pretty late and my brains not totally switched on any more, so sorry if i have forgotten anything. show us pics when its all set up please

 

[justjon]

Thanks so much for the reply.

I'm off to the LFS right now to pick one out and put a deposit down on him or her! (dont want to pick him up yet!)..

I'll buy a new filter system along with a new light, what temp is that in the UK (celcius)?

 

[justjon]

OK - Been to my LFS.

I got a new light (amazingly had 1 left in stock), and asked for a bit of advice. I'm going to boil the gravel I have and leave it sat overnight to sterilise it, and i've also purchased a new filter system which the guy reccomended to me for Betta's as there is hardly any current produced by them.

He said to me they will be getting some really nice betta's in next friday, so i'm going to setup the tank, put the gravel in tommorow and leave it running till then when I go and get my little buddy!

Does anyone have any hints/suggestions other than above for me? About water changes etc?

 

[justjon]

One more question above my other 2 posts..... i've setup the tank, added the usuals to kick it off, small filter is working away (slight current at the top of the water, shall I lower the filter even more into the water?), all working well.

Now I need to ask about the heater i have, is it ok to have an open tube-heater in the tank, or will the betta burn itself? Also, the back of the tank is mirrored, will this be ok?

 

[SharonCC]

Congrats on your upcoming purchase...Bettas are beautiful fish! I do a 25% water change once a week...I have a shield over the outflow, as they don't like the current...

 

[Ficious]

yes i have a 1.5 cube with a nano filter. i put my heater over the outflow so it doesnt creat too much current.



a good rock and plant in the middle will also give something to break up the current.





enjoy your betta. im into my first few months with mine and i love these fish now. he always is looking at me at my computer and gets excited when i get close.


some neat things you can do with your betta is every once and a while add a ghost shrimp or two. i have a shrimp tank and once a week ill take out a ghost shrimp and throw him in. its good stimuli for them. also...my tank has an open top so what i did was take a soda cap...put some dirt in and a couple of seeds. i dont know what plant it is but its sprouting. the plant sits in the cap and floats around constantly in the current that is there. he loves to bump it around a lot.



i heard betta live for a year or two. 7-9 months seems short...and if it is true then its going to be a sad year

 

[justjon]

Thanks for all your replys.

The tanks looking good, crystal clear water etc. Any idea what I could use over the filter to shield it and stop the current?

oh, also - what do you guys think on the mirrored tank ? The back of it is just a mirror and i'm a bit worried that he'll go a bit nuts? Or are they not that silly?

 

[flippajh]

I have the exact same tank with my betta in it. I've had the tank set up for a couple of weeks and he's been in there for a week, unfortunately I thought transferring over part of one of my filters from my old tank would be enough to get him going ok, but am now going through a cycle with him, which is horrible. I'm doing 10% water changes twice a day at the moment to get the Nitrites down, he's feeding fine but very listless.

I have the smallest Rena filter and heater in there, with the standard light that came with the tank, at the mo I've just got the Amazon Swords in there, into the gravel substrate, and as I said they've only been in there for a couple of weeks but they seem to be doing ok.

Here is a pic of my set up.