# New to Bettas and totally overwhelmed



## quilla (Apr 25, 2012)

I've absorbed some great info from this site so far (THANKS), but am still so overwhelmed. Long story short, my husband and sons (2 & 4) recently came home with two bettas and one of those awful tiny Aquean 1/2 gallon divided tanks. I knew nothing about bettas except that they need to stay separate and always seem to be sold in tiny bowls. I right away researched tank size and I know we need to size up to make our little guys (Thunder and Jackpot) happy.

Anyway, we did set up the tank because it was better than the cups they were sold in and I wanted time to research the best option. They actually seem to be doing okay, good color, eating well, and they swim to the front to greet me when I peek in to say hi. Still, I want to make the change ASAP.

I want to keep our betta-ownership as simple as possible because I figure there is less of a chance I'll screw this up, haha. In other words, I've seen some gorgeous tanks on here, but I know we won't be able to keep up with the care needed for huge tanks, live plants, etc.

My questions:

1. TANK SIZE: I've seen everything from 1 to 10 gallons being emphatically recommended. Is it okay to buy a 10-gallon tank and split it? Or is a 5-gallon (split) reasonable?

2. HEATER: There's no heater now, obviously, as the tank is too tiny. We live in So Cal so the weather is temperate, but what kind of heater is best for a 10-gallon? What is the smallest tank that should take a heater?

3. FILTER: I'm so out of my depth here. What works best?

4. WATER CHANGES: We've changed the water competely once in the week and a half since we adopted Thunder and Jackpot, but now I know not to do a 100% change. My question is how do you get it clean (i.e., no poop) if you don't completely change the water? Does the filter take care of that?

I'm sorry if I sound completely ignorant, but I am. But T and J are family members now and I want to do the best we can by them. 

Thanks for any info.


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## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

Good job on trying to get the best home for your betta! 

1. 1 Gallon is the minimum, 2.5 is recommended and 5 gallons is ideal. 10 gallons and above gives you the option for some fishy tankmates. 10 Gallon divided is fine, 5 Gallon divided is fine too. The larger the tank you have, the less water changes you have to do. In my 5 Gallon with a betta and a snail I do one 50% water change a week. It's all about how much time, money and space you have.

2. A 50W-100W heater is good for a 10 Gallon. I use a 100W. You cannot safely heat anything under 1 gallon, and even heating a gallon is hard to heat. 2.5 and above is easy to heat.

3. If you have anything under 5 gallons a filter is optional. It will just mean more water changes. lol Most filters are fine. I use a cheap TopFin brand heater. 

4. The best way to make sure your tank is completely clean is with a gravel siphon. It will take out your water while cleaning all the poop in the gravel.  I think they are about $10 in the US. I'm not sure on how often you have to change water in a 1 Gallon. If it's between 2-5 Gallons you'll be doing one 100% and one 50% change a week. In a 5 gallon you do one 50% a week. and with a 10 gallon you'd be looking at between 20-30% changes a week. It's very hard to hold a bacterial cycle in tanks under 5 gallons, so doing 100% changes is fine. 

Hope I Helped!


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## Stonehenge (Apr 24, 2012)

I have 2,5g tank with one snail and a beta and some live plants to boot and its filtered. Is just doing a 100% water change once a week good of should I do the 50% every 3 days and still do a 100% or just do a 50% every three days?


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## Sivan (Aug 30, 2010)

It is perfectly fine to divide a 5 gallon for two fish; they will have plenty of room to swim and they will share the same water. Since you would have that sized tank, you will be able to cycle it and that will remove the need for 100% water changes unless they get sick.

Here is a guide on understanding different components of water conditions and a tank-cleaning schedule:

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=359067177472308

This guide will help you begin a cycling process, once you understand the chemicals from the above guide:

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=359893534056339

Remember to make sure you have a testing kit, in order to watch for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate spikes. I hope this helps you out.


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## quilla (Apr 25, 2012)

Thank you so much, everyone. We hope to go shopping for new digs tonight, so I will print out the recs and take it along. I also appreciate the fact that you are probably answering questions that newbies have asked a million times before and you aren't chastizing me for it.  I am jumping on and off the site today between the classes I'm teaching, so I haven't been able to read the site as thoroughly as I want or should.

One more Q...if we get a 5 or 10 gallon, how many days should the set up tank acclimate before we let the fish in?


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## Sivan (Aug 30, 2010)

The cycling process can take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. The guide I left for you explains what to look for as well as how to do a fishless and in-fish cycle.  It might help to look at it more in depth when you have time.


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## quilla (Apr 25, 2012)

Whoops, thank you! Okay, so since I have the fish already, would you advise keeping the fish in the very small tank while the big tank cycles? Or is it going to be okay, probably, to do an in-fish cycle? Which would be riskier? Thanks again! We're going to get the tank tonight.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Hi and welcome to the forum and betta keeping! It sounds like you are on a great track with getting a heater and a larger tank. You're right there are a lot of opinions here and around the web on what makes a good betta home. 

In your case, seeing as you want low-tec I would go with a 10 gallon divided tank because in the end, you'll only need to make one water change a week. You can do a fish-in cycle with this very easily as betta are hardy enough to survive it. This is going to consist of you doing roughly 2-3 50% water changes a week until the tank cycles. If you like, you can try one of the "bacteria in a bottle" things. They seem to be hit or miss as to whether or not they work, but it might be worth it to speed up your cycle. Just make sure you get one with an expiration date that is faaar off. 

Either way, you will need to add aquarium test kit to your shopping list. The API master kit is probably the best out there for under $100. 

For filters, I like sponge filters as they are very gently on the long fins of a betta and they add a pleasant bubbling noise to the room (however this isn't great if the tank is in a bedroom). Here is a picture of how I divide my 10 gallon betta tanks. 










The middle section has the heater and the filter, and with the extra space in the middle, the fish can't see each other and won't stress themselves out. 

We never mind answering the questions of new keepers because it means that we are spreading knowledge about betta fish. We're happy to have you with us!


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Stonehenge said:


> I have 2,5g tank with one snail and a beta and some live plants to boot and its filtered. Is just doing a 100% water change once a week good of should I do the 50% every 3 days and still do a 100% or just do a 50% every three days?


With your size tank and live plants I would do one 100% change on Sunday and then a 50% on like Thursday. A filter honestly doesn't help in anything smaller than a 5 gallon as filters are only used to cycle a tank. The live plants (if they are fast-growing) make a bigger difference.


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## xSTOTTSx (Mar 18, 2012)

I have a 3 gallon, with a male betta and a live plant, and do one 100% change every Sunday. I figured using a filter wasn't necessary.


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## quilla (Apr 25, 2012)

Thanks again. All of your advice helped last night! We ended up buying a 10-gallon kit at Petsmart that had most of what we wanted (after walking out of PetCo in frustration when the clerk tried to tell me bettas liked small spaces, then tried to sell me a divider that was marked for 29-55 gallon tanks). We let the boys pick decor, which is why poor Thunder has a pink, magenta-spotted dragon on his side. (I also bought some "Stacked Balinese Pots" for Thunder so he can reclaim some of his masculinity.) Jackpot has a ship. They both have a couple of plants and betta hammocks. We haven't put the fish in yet, though they are pressing their little noses against their little tank, clearly interested in the posh digs being erected next door.

I set it up last night, mostly easily, though the Top Fin divider (the only one they had) was a pain in the butt. I got it in though and it seems snug. I hope it holds. Here's my NEXT QUESTION...  :

?????The divider is see-through. Will that likely stress out the fish? I've seen mixed reviews on here and elsewhere. I know some fish tolerate seeing others and some don't. While I like they way Izzy split the tank above, I prefer just one for the simplicity. Are there better dividers out there? Or should I just put in more plants? Or...???????

Thanks again!


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## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

We are glad to help. That's what we are here for.  Is it the TopFin 10 Gallon Kit? I have the same tank.  I bought a bigger heater and filter for it because I didn't feel they were doing a good job. I'm pretty sure there is a guide on here on how to make a home-made not see-through divider. I'll look for it . . .


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## quilla (Apr 25, 2012)

Thanks, Maisy. Yes, the 10-gallon kit. The heater seems to be working, if I can trust the sticker therm that came with the kit (I'm dubious)...I need to play around with it (the therm showed 80 this morning after running all night). I plan to get a better therm. As for making a divider, I WISH I had time, but I'm already a bit strung out with two little ones, job, t-ball, etc. I need to be realistic!  I'll take a look though. If it doesn't involve too much time or talent...

Off topic, I love that you named your snail Usain Bolt.


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## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

Well, I can't quite find the thread. lol I'm not very knowledgeable on dividers as I've never had a divided tank.  Someone who has a divided tank will help. lol 

EDIT: I didn't see your above post! lol I use that thermometer and it's worked fine for me. As long as the temp is at a steady 78-80 you should be good. I think it's quite easy. You'd have to ask koimaiden. 

Thanks!


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Ya. Dividing the tank like I did was a lot of work and four-letter words lol. I don't plan to do it again for a long time. 

I had those Top-Fin dividers and found them to be too see-through and not offer enough water circulation. The good news is DIY dividers are really simple. I used this tutorial: Tank Dividers @ petfish.net and did the craft canvas and report card binder method (easy to find at Walmart or Office Max and you have enough supplies to mess up a few times and not be out a couple bucks). I did glue my dividers in, but you don't have to do that. You just need to make sure they are snug. The craft mesh is much more opaque. With my setup now, the boys hardly ever see each other.


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## quilla (Apr 25, 2012)

I also liberally used those four-letter words when dealing with the divider last night. The divider took about as much time as the rest of the tank set up.

I don't want to glue to the tank because in the future I will probably only want a single betta (though I hope these guys live long and prosper), plus I don't want to have to start the tank setup again. And I'm not sure my ability to make my own snug enough to fit w/o shifting. I wonder if I could attach the craft fabric to the divider I already have, maybe as a second layer, rather than deal with cutting up folders etc. I know it is "easy," but I've learned that "easy" is a relative term. Or use the craft fabric with the existing frame. I'll have to ponder this. 

Oh, and I just ordered the API master test kit from Amazon. About $19 including shipping, so not bad! I'll keep the fish in the smaller tank until the kit arrives.

Thanks again!


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## YoshesMom (Mar 15, 2011)

I use the craft mesh dividers easy to make but make sure you get them in there super snug Betta are crafty


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## YoshesMom (Mar 15, 2011)

P.s......post pics of your boys


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## jeffegg2 (Apr 5, 2012)

They will not die from stress. Mostly they will just lose interest in each other so much. I think posters here get carried away with stress about stressing......

Your divider should work great! Enjoy watching them flare!

Jeff.



quilla said:


> ?????The divider is see-through. Will that likely stress out the fish? I've seen mixed reviews on here and elsewhere. I know some fish tolerate seeing others and some don't. While I like they way Izzy split the tank above, I prefer just one for the simplicity. Are there better dividers out there? Or should I just put in more plants? Or...???????
> 
> Thanks again!


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## quilla (Apr 25, 2012)

I might try getting some craft canvas on my way home tonight. 

Jeff, I appreciate the point of view.  And truthfully, I don't know Thunder and Jackpot's personalities yet, so maybe they'd be fine. Still, I'd hate to risk that kind of "betta-testing" though (haha). I'm a mom. We worry. 

Rachael, I'll work on pix. Where would those kind of pix be posted? I haven't done the forum thing in a long time and I'm out of practice...


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## lilyth88 (Mar 15, 2012)

quilla said:


> I might try getting some craft canvas on my way home tonight.
> 
> Jeff, I appreciate the point of view.  And truthfully, I don't know Thunder and Jackpot's personalities yet, so maybe they'd be fine. Still, I'd hate to risk that kind of "betta-testing" though (haha). I'm a mom. We worry.
> 
> Rachael, I'll work on pix. Where would those kind of pix be posted? I haven't done the forum thing in a long time and I'm out of practice...


What you can do is position some plants right near the divider on each side, so while they can see each other, there are other things to distract them right around the divider. It'll also make the "viewing area", so to speak, smaller.

There is a forum called "Betta Pictures.";-)


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

jeffegg2 said:


> They will not die from stress. Mostly they will just lose interest in each other so much. I think posters here get carried away with stress about stressing......
> 
> Jeff.


Actually stress does kill fish. Read this and you'll understand more. It's a well-written article by a friend of mine that cites scientific sources. http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-articles/stress-freshwater-aquarium-fish-98852/ 

Your idea to insert the craft mesh into the existing frame sounds like a great plan to make a slightly more opaque divider and have it be snug in there. lilyth is right with the plants. You're going to want to add a lot of decor along the divider. Plastic (but you have to be careful which ones) and silk fabric plants works great if you're not ready for live plants.


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## Shadyr (Mar 27, 2012)

On the stress with two betta in a divided tank....I think it depends entirely on the personalities of the fish. When I was in purchase mode, there were two gorgeous males and I wanted them both, so I went with a divided tank kit. The divider was fairly see through, so the males had a very clear view of each other.

Betta A, Red - Type A betta. While I am still not sure why he died - he looked healthier than Ghost, actually, he only lasted three days. He was very agressive, patrolled the divider, flared constantly, and was so intent on the other fish that he would often ignore food. I was thinking I needed to remove him, but sadly, he solved the issue in the most unfortunate way.

Betta B, Ghost - extremely laid back. The only reason he would patrol the divider was because he could see the food on the other side that was being ignored and he *wanted* it. (One of his obvious crafty shining moments was getting Red so worked up that his swishing pushed the food through to Ghost's side, where it was happily gobbled up)

Ghost has the tank to himself now. If I had known more at the time I would have made the divider more opaque. This is my one experience, but it leads me to think your plan to make the divider more opaque is the correct one! I hope it works out well.

PS. Real boys don't mind a little pink or magenta 

PPS. We have a small stock of decorations now, and switch them out every week or two to give the bettas something new to look at.


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## quilla (Apr 25, 2012)

Thanks so much for the continued help! (LOL on real boys liking pink! My husband and I both have to admit the pink dragon "makes" the aquarium.) I "made" a new barrier yesterday with craft canvas and the report cover spine, and it was a LOT easier than I expected. Easier, actually, than assembling that stupid Top Fin one, and it looks so much better. I used a black spine for the frame, which is much subtler than the turquoise one that came with the Top Fin product. I will get a few more plants too. Here are a before and after.

Before: 









After:


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## YoshesMom (Mar 15, 2011)

Great set up I'm impressed for someone who said they knew nothing looks like a great Betta home


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## kfryman (Nov 7, 2011)

Are the boys already in there? With at least two weekly water changes they will be fine. A good thing to have on hand is a 5 gallon bucket, Home Depot sells them for pretty cheap.

You may have to baffle the filter which is super easy. You can just use an old bottle. There is a thread in the betta homes section, right underneath where betta care is. It should be one of the first ones. It can be made in minutes.


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## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

WOW! That's great!!  They should love their new home!!


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## Shadyr (Mar 27, 2012)

Looks nice, and roomy! I hope you and yours get lots of enjoyment from your scaly new family members. Bettas have a lot of personality. The one I have on my desk is learning to be such a showoff, everytime I look at the tank, he comes up to the front and dances for me 

My kids really like theirs. Indigo and Lavatail are also helping them learn to be responsible feeders and keepers of small pets!


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## lilyth88 (Mar 15, 2012)

The pictures didn't work for me.


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## quilla (Apr 25, 2012)

Oh, weird. I wonder why they didn't work for you, Lilyth? I just used tinypic. 

Anyway, the boys aren't in there yet. I've ordered an API kit and am wondering if I should wait until I can test the water or if we should just try to integrate them and hope for the best. The PetSmart person said a week's wait would be okay, but... For right now, they're in that tiny Aqueon, but so far are doing really well. They get very curious about everything that is going on around them. We are anxious to introduce them to their new home, but are worried about the transition too, of course.

Kfry, we just got that Home Depot bucket the other night! I was setting up the tank and got to the "use a new bucket" direction and thought, CRUD! But my husband went out to HD about 15 minutes before they closed and got us one. I'll have to look at what you mean by "baffle the filter." The words "make one" usually make me cringe, but after my seeming success with the new divider, I am feeling a bit braver.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Poor fish, living in a tent while their mansion awaits next door. Go ahead and put them in. Here's how you would normally acclimate them to a new tank. 

The tank should be filled with tap water with the appropriate amount of conditioner. (2 drops/gal for Prime...10 drops/gal for most others). Temperature 78*-82*

Here's where it's different for you. Ordinarily they'd be in the cup from the store. You'd float the cup in the tank to equalize temperature. Then, over about a half hour, you'd drain 1/3 from the cup and replace with tank water. You'd do this several times. This is most easily done using a cleaned-in-_hot_-water turkey baster. One will come in handy, so it's a good investment.

But, for your situation, since the water in the big tank is the same as in the small one, you're good to go.

Capture each in his cup, the one he came in. This can be a frustrating, but ultimately satisfying procedure. Patience pays. It's a skill which will pay dividends in the future. It is the safest way. Float it in the big tank to equalize temps, then slowly release him....times two.

That's what I'd do.

Anyway, with a 10gal tank their ammonia will not get too high before your test kit arrives. If it takes longer than a week, do a 50% water change using same temperature water with conditioner.

That's got to be better than being in that cramped ammonia-fouled environment in the Aqueon.

For a while, don't even worry about using the filter. When you get ready to cycle the tank, read up (it's in the stickies), come back here for advice and encouragement.

Get this done and everything else is easy.


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## quilla (Apr 25, 2012)

Thanks so much! We decided to bite the bullet and give it a try tonight, based on your suggestions. Everything is looking great so far. Jackpot seems thrilled with his new surroundings and is swimming around and checking everything out. Thunder seems a bit more cautious...he was kind of hiding in the corners for a while. But now that I did the baffle he seems completely happy and has started to cruise around. Let's hope for the best the next few days!


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Your tank looks great!! I'm sure your boys will be very happy. Just keep the heat up and do water changes as you should, and they will live a long, happy life with your family. If you begin to notice one flaring at the divider a lot (like spending almost the entire day there), try adding some more decorations on his side. 

If you want an even easier baffle, you can just secure an aquarium sponge (found in the filter section at Petsmart and Petco) to the front of the filter with a rubber band. It really slows the water. I actually have these baffles in all of my tanks not just the betta tanks. Many fish don't like the current.


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## lilyth88 (Mar 15, 2012)

thekoimaiden said:


> Your tank looks great!! I'm sure your boys will be very happy. Just keep the heat up and do water changes as you should, and they will live a long, happy life with your family. If you begin to notice one flaring at the divider a lot (like spending almost the entire day there), try adding some more decorations on his side.
> 
> If you want an even easier baffle, you can just secure an aquarium sponge (found in the filter section at Petsmart and Petco) to the front of the filter with a rubber band. It really slows the water. I actually have these baffles in all of my tanks not just the betta tanks. Many fish don't like the current.


I use that baffle, but I use string instead of a rubberband. It looks funny, but it works!


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## quilla (Apr 25, 2012)

I just wanted to thank everyone again. We've had our tank for about a month and a half now and Thunder and Jackpot seem to be thrilled with their new home. They (and I) have survived a few water changes with no apparent bad side effects, yay! They come wiggling to the front of the tank whenever my sons or I (mostly I) come to feed them, and I even literally have them eating out of my hand! So, thanks again!


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I've enjoyed reading this thread - your tank looks great and it's wonderful to hear how happy the boys are! I always think stories like this are a kind of fishy fairytale.


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## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

I was only thinking about you the other day wondering how you were all doing! Glad all is going well and isn't it so rewarding when they start taking notice of you and become your friend  Ky dances for me in the morning when I get up and everytime he hears me enter the room. Your tank looks great, the perfect home! Would love to see pics of your boys


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## quilla (Apr 25, 2012)

Aw, thanks! I've come on a few times to read tips on things like water changes and water testing, as well as vacation feeding (i.e., don't, if only gone a couple of days...we'll be away this weekend), but haven't had a chance to post. I will take some pix...so far, I haven't had any success getting really good ones; I need to play with my camera a bit.


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## nicebear24 (May 7, 2012)

Well I think the best is a 10 gallon split, that way the fish can have 5 gallons to swim in. I don't think a 5 gallon is a good choice if you want to split it, cos than it wouldn't be very fair, i'd get a 6 gallon and split it into 3 gallons for each fish...but remember bigger is better!


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## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

Try seeing if your camera has a "macro" setting. Usually looks like a little flower  Glad to see you're keeping up with your research. Bet your children love watching them too. My daughter has learnt a lot about responsibilty for animals as well as enjoys watching them. Sometimes I calm her down after a tantrum by lying down with her infront of the fish tank. Calms us both.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Tank photography can be a bit difficult. I find that using my tripod helps immensely!


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## quilla (Apr 25, 2012)

Jackpot built a bubble nest! Will post pix eventually...


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

All i can say is:

http://www.Bettatalk.com


So happy jackpot built a bubble nest! That usually means they are happy and doing well!


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## lelei (Apr 30, 2012)

_Hello and Welcome to our great forum I am fairly new as well to the wonderful world of being a betta mommy, and I have upgraded our "Sammy's" tank, from the store size fish bowl, to a med size critter keeper, to a 3 gal Koller craft 360 cylindrical tank, and I found that this works best for us, for now, until we decide to get another betta, and another tank, but ours has an air stone, and I use silk plants, and Sammy has a spongebob hide a way..they love those, something to hide in, I don't know if that is on your list, but I would add it, for decor and fish entertainment _

_Once you upgrade your tank, you will figure out what works best for your water changes, I try my best to do every week, and for now it's a 50-75% water change every sunday..(only time I have) and with the aeration stone, I think it keeps it cleaner, (not stagnated) for oxygenation- and looks really cool_

_I also have the Gravel vaccuum, which I am not liking the one I have, but I try to do the best I can with it, I think I will have to invest in another one, I got mine from Petco, for about 10$_

_Also there is a "Betta Log" that I am gonna get soon, I hear they are great fun for betta's as well..If you want to add that to the list..lol..(list gets longer).. and for some we use the "Betta Hammock" those are very in-expensive tho.._
_Well, good luck on your new buddy, and as soon as your tank is set up..Show those great pix.._


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## quilla (Apr 25, 2012)

Thanks, everyone. I put some pix up in the proper forum. Here's the link:
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?p=1086210#post1086210

Lelei, I've been doing 50% changes weekly and I have a gravel vacuum that is okay so far, I guess.


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