# New Betta Fish and I'm already frustrated...



## mrslotspeich (Jun 13, 2010)

So I got a new fish... My first Betta... (I have named him Blu and have posted pictures on my page) 

Anyway, I had a 1 gallon corner tank from walmart that I got a few years ago and haven't had a fish in forever so I figured why not add to my pet family... So I went to Petco and was looking at fish. I asked the lady if I should get these two Molly fish? and she asked about my tank and said it would be too small and I should go with a Betta. That is how Blu ended up coming home with me.  

Well, I joined this site to learn about Bettas since I've never had one and I feel completely horrible having him in a gallon tank after reading that he would strive more in a bigger one. So I went out on a hunt for a tank today and ended up getting a reallly good deal on a 10 gallon! I didn't really try to get a 10 gallon but couldn't pass up the price of 25$ for tank and lid with lights and coupons for other supplies. I didn't think I needed to get the kits because I figure I can't use the food and the filters flow will be too strong. So I bought some gravel and Lava rock things with holes for Blu to swim through and I also got a filter with an adjustable flow and a heater since I know my water in my 1 gallon is too cold and Poor Blu just sits there not really doing anything. 

After all this typing I really just want to know is a 10 gallon way to big for just my 1 Betta even if i put to Lava rock caves in there and plants... I don't want to completely overwhelm him but also later on I thought I could figure out some tank buddies for him or divide the tank. I just don't want to rush it until he's comfortable in his new surroundings. 

I tried to ask the lady at Petco and she was completely frustrating saying that my Betta would be able to live his whole life in my 1 gallon and I said well I want to add some tank mates later on and asked her what would go with a Betta and she said nothing will ever go with Bettas they will always fight and stress. SO I don't really know if I should just take the tank back or let him have some room until I decide if I'm going to split it or if there is any other fish that can share the tank with him... 

I'm sorry this is a lot of text. Any help would be completely appreciated.


----------



## Phoxly (Jun 14, 2010)

A 10 gallon community tank with bettas is very fun, and doable! That petco lady is ridiculous. 

You can have:
Neon Tetras
Glo-lite Tetras
Ghost Shrimp
and Otos!

In a 10 gallon you can have:

1 Betta, 5 Glo-lite Tetras, 2-3 Otos, 2-3 Ghost shrimp. 

Howeveeer.. Some bettas will eat your ghost shrimp, so get bigger ones.


----------



## Jayy (Dec 23, 2009)

You can keep bettas with other small peaceful fish,but not all bettas get along with other fish. If want to keep more than one betta you could divide it into two or three parts. You can find dividers at petsmart for $10,but you can make your own and I'm sure a member can the link up for you.


----------



## mrslotspeich (Jun 13, 2010)

Yeah, I felt she wasn't very into bettas. I was looking at getting freeze dried blood worms for blu and she said that if you feed them different things besides their normal food they'll get constipated... is that true? I bought them anyway and gave blu one and he seemed to really enjoy it.


----------



## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

WOW! You got a great deal!!! 
Keep your 10 gallon! I'm super jealous of you! ;P 
You should totally get otos! They look like lots of fun! 
You could also try African Dwarf Frogs. just depends on how chill your betta is and if there are and spaces in your lid that are 1/2 an inch or bigger. If so they could jump through. a cut up water bottle taped to your lid to block exit would probably fix that though. =]
Have fun with your tank! Post pics when you get it set up k? =]


----------



## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

They can get constipated if you *only* feed them bloodworms but as a treat occasionally, they're fine. 

My betta Tango lives with 4 corydoras catfish in a 16 gallon. He chases them sometimes. But he never, ever attacks them. It's kinda touch and go. Your new betta might be fine with mates and ignore them. He might chase them but not hurt them. He might attack and damage them. You never know until you try. 

Giving him time to adjust is a good idea. I switched Tango out of a 1.5 cube into the 16 and if I remember, he spent a lot of time cruising at the top and didn't do much more then that. Today he's all over the darn thing. Also, the filter flow might be freaking him out. You can make a baffle for it out of half of a plastic water bottle. There's a thread floating around here with a how-to on it.


----------



## smallvle (Nov 23, 2009)

I just wanted to throw in to keep any eye on your lava rock. Sometimes it can have some sharp edges, and from someone who's been dealing with torn fins for months now, run your lava rock over panty-hose; if the panty-hose rips, your fish's fins could rip. Ripped fins are no fun. : ( But good luck on your 10 gal betta condo! ; ) That sounds really cool!


----------



## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

Live or silk plants will take up some space, give your fish more hiding spots, and make your tank really pretty. I know that some people on this forum use tera cotta pots (with the little holes on the bottom covered up) as decoration and caves for their fish.


----------



## nochoramet (Oct 2, 2009)

Wow good job on getting him a condo! A 10g is a great size for him! If I were to get tank buddies, I'd try to stick with either Corys or Otos, because most of the time Bettas don't do too well with fish other than those. They swim too fast and nip fins and might stress your betta, and he also might try to attack them. Be careful not to overstock your tank though! It sounds like you're doing a great job!


----------



## Sarada (May 11, 2010)

My betta lives with 3 cory catfish


----------

