Thinking Of Owning A Betta

[Connor Rimmer]

Ive not even set up my tank yet, it will be about 2-3 days before that happens then a 2 week cycle ive been told to do.

But until then i'll look around.

 

[LauraFrog]

2 weeks is the absolute minimum TBH... you can speed it up by adding mature filter media or one of the additives that works (in the UK that would be Bactinettes. Don't bother with the others they are garbage.)

If you just want a pet betta there is nothing wrong with veiltails, nothing at all, and it might be good to buy a fish like that and give it a good life. It's when you're thinking about breeding that you need to know things like the tail types and colours of the parents, or to buy off breeders to get young fish of good strains. Veiltails are just as colourful, active and interesting as the other strains.

 

[ReMz]

Lol i hadn't seen this topic yet and was about to quote some posts and post accordingly.... However, some crazy know-it-all said everything i wanted to say .

Thx for being on top of things and giving top-notch advice LauraFrog

So, I used to own a tropical tank a while ago, i was 14, young, naive and not very knowledgable to what I was buying. I bought a Betta but I dont think it liked the tank mates it had.

im wondering, what fish can co-exist with a Betta? Or do they really prefer to be on their own?

Im going to home him into my old Bi-Orb 30 liter tank, I believe that will be large enough for him. Ill buy its some plants/ornaments for him to hide, too. Ill buy it bloodworm probably a couple of times a week.

Is this an ok tank? please help =).

Bettas certainly do 'best' on their own. but some of the suggested tank mates 'might' work... just depends on the individual betta. I'm especially keen on otos as tank m8's, but there are a few other compatible fish.

You can buy a pack of frozen bloodworm cubes. Just chip off a bit, put it in a small container, and add some warm water. Feed 4-6 blood worms once per week as a treat. No need to buy blood worms "a couple times a week"

By tank mates, I mean like maybe 4-5 neon tetras, nothing large!

as said, not a good plan... neons = nippy

It's not the size of the tank mates that matters but their temperaments. Neons are probably not a good idea. They have a tendency to nip fins. bettas as a rule should not be kept with anything that nips fins, so most tetras are out. In a 30L, you could have two or three platys, or two or three small corys or several otos. You could also think about white clouds or danios, but bettas are sometimes irritated by small fish, so if you were going tankmates, I'd go platys, bottom dwellers or snails.

100% correct

I will keep this in mind
Thanks for the info, I think ill begin reading more FAQ's today on Betta's. I want to understand them nearly fully before I take one into care!

RIGHT ON! I'm so more inclined to help people that don't buy a fish knowing nothing and then ask for help when things go wrong. Always refreshing to see intelligent and caring members bump into this section.

I have kept bettas with platys, but not with mollies (which require salt) or guppies (which will be attacked because of their colours and broad tail fins). Swordtails IMO are too large for a tank of the sort of size you're talking about. It's a lot about the temperament of the individual betta really, I have had some that will not tolerate even being next to a tank with other fish, and others that will live happily in any peaceful community (minus fin nippers).

Most catfish are tolerated by most bettas, there are very few that will not put up with catfish. You have to realise though that there are a LOT of different catfish. The two you are most likely to encounter are loricariids and corydoras. Corydoras are members of the same genus, they are schooling fish and you should keep three at a minimum. You can get pygmy ones that only grow to about an inch and a half, so obviously you could have three of these. You can get dwarf ones that reach about two inches, those are a possibility, but you have to watch that you don't buy some of the larger ones that oculd get to 4 inches.

The other sort of catfish are loricariids, which are basically the 'plecs', I used the technical term because the body shape is the same and because otos are in this family. I mentioned those in my other post, they are very small, schooling catfish. They are easy to look after once you've got them the right food. The other plecs are generally large, the smallest are about four inches and the largest over 2 feet, so I'd recommend you keep away from those in such a small tank. Personally I wouldn't keep even the smallest in a tank smaller than 15-20 gallons.

yeah..... i've had a betta snag an "overly" peaceful oto before.

As said, "catfish" can vary greatly. You do not want to keep any type of large pleco in a tank that size. dont even entertain yourself with the idea. otos are the best suckerfish, as with small cory cats

2 weeks is the absolute minimum TBH... you can speed it up by adding mature filter media or one of the additives that works (in the UK that would be Bactinettes. Don't bother with the others they are garbage.)

If you just want a pet betta there is nothing wrong with veiltails, nothing at all, and it might be good to buy a fish like that and give it a good life. It's when you're thinking about breeding that you need to know things like the tail types and colours of the parents, or to buy off breeders to get young fish of good strains. Veiltails are just as colourful, active and interesting as the other strains.

And finally to the point I wanted to get at the MOST. I'm quite the VT lover. I've spotted and bought some really cool VT's in chain stores that I love to death. Don't get caught up in the "i want something more exotic" phase. There are many VT's that I would buy over much, much more expensive bettas.

If you are interested in some quality bettas in the UK, contact Netty, Bronzecat, or Modaz here in these forums

 

[Connor Rimmer]

It's definately not that I don't want a VT, its that I see a Half Moon on a website, somebody was selling them and it just captivated me, it was gorgeous! The VT's in the store right now are of a gorgeous blue, but are kept in with platys and other livebearers im pretty sure... and as i've read and been told, I dont think thats good. Maybe ill do a Wall-Mart style rescure and take one to give it a good life

 

[ThePiggy]

I definitely approve of betta rescuing! It's such a good feeling to take one from a depressing state in the store and watch them brighten up within the first day of being in a real tank. You can tell in their eyes that they are grateful. And his personality will come out and you'll be hooked on bettas like the rest of us.

 

[LauraFrog]

I definitely approve of betta rescuing! It's such a good feeling to take one from a depressing state in the store and watch them brighten up within the first day of being in a real tank. You can tell in their eyes that they are grateful. And his personality will come out and you'll be hooked on bettas like the rest of us.

I'm a betta rescuer as well, I tend to take the sickest of them that are going to die. Some of them have died anyway, but it's absolutely incredible to see the change in them. I would advise against a first time betta owner rescuing a near hopeless case. Some of my bettas have taken three or four months to rehabilitate because of all the abuse they have suffered. But most 'pet store cup' bettas you will find just have a touch of finrot because of poor water quality, and are bored and upset... a new tank will do absolute wonders for them. The guessing game is fun as well - taking some faded, washed-out, miserable looking creature and seeing what it looks like when it's happy. I rescued one boy with shredded, rotting fins hanging off him in tatters... I could see that he was a reverse cambo (dark body with cellophane clear fins) and maybe a butterfly, and I thought he was going to turn out 'coconut ice' light pink. Good food, space and clean water - now he's a rich, vibrant apricot colour, he is a butterfly and there's marbling on teh body as well. I wish I had before and after shots, I really wish I had thought to take a photo of the sorry state he was in when I got him.

 

[Connor Rimmer]

Ok, so reading muchly about the Bi-Orb, I decided to to my LFS and saw a nice little tank that would suit a betta just fine, and hopefully they'll get one in stock tomorrow, so Ill be buying it tomorrow.

Maybe on saturday ill nip into town, then ill pick up my pure ammonia and some medicide droppers ( does anybody know if I go into a chemist and simply ask for medicine droppers willthey look at me like im sane?).

And so it begins!

 

[Bojangles]

Ok, so reading muchly about the Bi-Orb, I decided to to my LFS and saw a nice little tank that would suit a betta just fine, and hopefully they'll get one in stock tomorrow, so Ill be buying it tomorrow.

Maybe on saturday ill nip into town, then ill pick up my pure ammonia and some medicide droppers ( does anybody know if I go into a chemist and simply ask for medicine droppers willthey look at me like im sane?).

And so it begins!

The women in my chemist looked at me wierd when i asked for a medicine dropper then i said Syringe then she knew what i wanted

 

[LauraFrog]

Yay, somebody with the brains to fishless cycle.

I like people who see bettas as something more than a centrepiece. Thankyou from all the betta lovers on this forum for treating them like intelligent, living animals.

 

[Connor Rimmer]

did some shopping around today (on my bike, in the soaking rain) and found some decent tanks at a fair price. I cant help but feel sorrow for all the Bettas I see in my LFS's though, all of them in bags can hardly move. If only I could save them all!

Also, I see one which was really long and thin, think he may have been ill or underfed!

 

[ThePiggy]

Open your own betta shop and put the mean fish store out of business! At least out of the betta business. If I had the means... I would start my own shop in a heartbeat.

 

[Connor Rimmer]

is it possible to get some snails for a tank? itll be around 30-40 Litres, if that helps on the size?

 

[ThePiggy]

Snails are usually a good idea. They don't increase the bioload much.

 

[Connor Rimmer]

Can you suggest any type? and Which part of the forum are they within ^^? I cant seem to find them!

 

[ThePiggy]

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