# Betta Newbie - Advice needed



## courrttanne (Oct 3, 2013)

Hello! I am so excited to be part of the community. I just ordered a tank, a small heater, anda betta leaf hammock and I should have everything by Saturday. 

I am going to find my forever fish friend on Saturday and pick up anything else needed. I guess a small thermometer and water conditioner. What else would you recommend?

Also, I am interested in a live plant. The tank is two gallons and has an LED light. I am a little freaked out by possible bugs and parasites that could come with it though....

Is there anything else that I should know? How should I select a fish? If you could go back and talk to yourself when you were just getting into the betta hobby, what would you say?


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## sainthogan (Sep 27, 2012)

Live plants are the best, I've never had a problem with parasites or bugs. Although silk works well too. Any decorations you may get need to pass the pantyhose test - take a pair of pantyhose and rub it all over the decoration, if it snags even a tiny bit, it's too rough for your Betta.
I strongly recommend an in tank thermometer because as I've learned from experience, the ones you stick on the outside of the tank are extremely unreliable (I have one right next to an internal thermometer at this very moment the stick on one reads 72 while the internal one reads 76 - which is what that tank's heater is set at).
Also Bettas LOVE hiding places, so make sure you have lots and lots of places for him/her to hide.


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## courrttanne (Oct 3, 2013)

Thank you so much! I haven't come across the pany hose test in my research yet. I will try to find an in tank thermo.

and yes, lots of good hiding places


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## ANHEL123 (Jul 21, 2010)

For 2 gall i would not recommend the filter. 
When you go to the store try to check your betta for any visual sign of the disease. 
When you bring new betta home try to acclimate him to your water source for about 2 hrs in case the water is a lot of different than in the store.
I would keep betta in the tank without gravel and decorations first in case he might be sick and you don't want to end up with disinfection. Its easy to disinfect the tank but now easy to disinfect the gravel and decor.
Yes when you buy live plants make sure they don't cell them from the tank where they have fish. Live plants can carry ich.
And for 2 gall i would really not recommend filter. For 2 gall i would do 2-50% and 1-100 water changes. I personally do full water changes only for my 2.5 gall and for 5 gall.
Read that


http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=142066&highlight=betta+fish+check+list

Best food 

http://www.petco.com/product/116563...ne-_-1483889&gclid=CIzknYST_LkCFctQOgodtV0AVg


http://www.bigalspets.com/betta-formula-1-mm-semi-floating-pellets-50-g.html

Do you need instructions on acclimation?

Also see the video in my post #10 of this link


http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?p=2036738


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## courrttanne (Oct 3, 2013)

Thank you so much! I took a picture of the checklist on that thread. Also watching the video. I will buy the food at petco.

As far as acclimation goes, I am planning on not putting anything in the tank in case he is sick, like you said. I have read he needs to acclimate to the water temp. I have done that with other fish in bags, but not sure what to do with him in a cup.


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## SalsaMom (Aug 16, 2013)

I also had only acclimated fish in bags, not cups.
You could move him from the cup to the bag...that is an option.

We put our new Betta into our tank last Sunday - not even a week yet!
He was in a cup....here is what I did...

Floated cup in tank for 20 minutes (trying to warm him up because I could tell that cup water was cooler than my tank).
After that - I took out a little cup water, and put in a little tank water - all this while leaving the cup floating in the tank.
First time I did that I gave him about 10 minutes with the 'new' bit of water.
Then I took out some cup water and added that amount of tank water back into the cup....I repeated this several times and would let him hang out at least 5 minutes between taking out/adding in.
Every time I'd take out his cup water - I'd put it down the sink.
**I used new never-used, hot-water rinsed Solo cups for this process. One Solo cup was for dipping tank water, one for dipping out the old cup water.

The whole process - all the time with the cup floating in the tank - took about an hour.

We were putting him into a 5 gallon filtered tank with a heater - brand new set up.

When I cut him loose into the tank I also added half of the container of Dr Tim's One & Only (shout out to Hallyx for that suggestion - Dr Tims is my new favorite product).

So far - so good. All is well and daily water test results show everything at zero. Sweet.
Fish seems happy, eating well...acting fine...

I had the tank up and running a little over 24 hours when we brought the fish home too - make sure you do that so you know your heater is ok and all that. 
I use Prime as my water conditioner.
I also have a thermometer in the tank - the kind that sinks and you just shove it into some gravel.
I got the Prime, heater, Dr Tims and some other stuff from Foster & Smith - I had enough for free shipping - they even put the Dr Tim's in cold packs - even with the free shipping.

Good luck!


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## ANHEL123 (Jul 21, 2010)

Exactly you can do it in a bag, or the way SalsaMom suggested .

Make sure you check the betta hammock it might contain a thin wire down the stem of the plant which can rust,and pollute your water. You can easily fix this problem by pulling the wire out before placing it in the tank.  But i think they have new version of the betta hammock which don't have this wire any more.

Definitely check the heater in a bucket of the water for at least 24 hrs to make sure it not defective and don't leach anything in to the water. There were a few problems before that happened to a few people.

And let us know about new betta!


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## courrttanne (Oct 3, 2013)

Thank you everyone!!!! I have his tank all set up. I am going to pick out a fish and get him into the tank tomorrow. 

I am going to pick up water conditioner. What is Dr. Tim's one and only?


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## SalsaMom (Aug 16, 2013)

Dr Tim's One & Only is a beneficial bacteria starter.
I got a bottle from Foster & Smith and used half of it in the 5 gallon we set up just over a week ago.
So far the new Betta is happy in there and my ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are all staying at zero during my daily water tests - which is great.

I put half the bottle in at the same time I added the new fish.
Made the water cloudy for about an hour and after that it was fine.

I used it in an attempt to jump start the cycle so to speak and hopefully avoid lots of water changes the first few weeks, while reducing stress due to water quality for the fish.

I still test daily (this is day 8 of the fish being in there) - but so far it's accomplished my goal and made the Betta tank easier for me and healthier for the fish too.


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## ANHEL123 (Jul 21, 2010)

If you not going to cycle your tank you don't need to use beneficial bacteria though. Did you decided if you want to cycle your tank?
Also take the sample of your tap water to the pet store to check for the ammonia. A lot of people seems to have this problem. The store will do it for you for free. And ask them for the actual reading too, instead of them telling that water is fine. Also if there is ammonia in your tap water buy water conditioner Prime. It's the best recommended if you have any problem with your water.


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## courrttanne (Oct 3, 2013)

My tank has a filter. I am not opposed to cycling the water but I am not sure what it is. I have read about it but it confuses me. 

I am considering starting a little ecosystem with soil, live plants, and a shrimp. The idea of a natural tank fascinates me!!!


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## ANHEL123 (Jul 21, 2010)

I don't cycle my tanks so i am no advice here But its a lot of people on the forum who will give you a lot of good tips
Don't forget to quarantine a shrimp if you buy one.
Here is some links. CHECK POST #22 FROM LittleBlueFishlets there is some links in her thread that might help
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=173977&page=3

Also 
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=115758


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

courrttanne said:


> My tank has a filter. I am not opposed to cycling the water but I am not sure what it is. I have read about it but it confuses me.


I don't think you mentioned the size of your tank... some people say it's too difficult to maintain a cycle in a tank smaller than 5 gallons.
Cycling confused me too until I actually did it and understood it. Basically, when your tank is running, your fish waste (ammonia) needs to be turned into something less harmful. So beneficial bacteria in your tank will eat up the ammonia. It will live mostly in your filter media but also on the surfaces of your tank (glass, gravel, plants). So in order to build up the beneficial bacteria, you need to give it food, which is ammonia. You can cycle with your fish in it using your fish's waste as the food for the bacteria, or you can do it fishless and use straight ammonia. There are bottles of beneficial bacteria that you can buy to jump-start your cycle (the one-and-done stuff others were talking about). When I cycled my 5 gallon tank I cycled it with my fish in it- I just checked the ammonia levels every day and when the ammonia levels got up to about .25, I did a 50% water change. So if you cycle you definitely need a test kit. So when you cycle you can do a lot less water changes (like 25% once a week instead of two or three a week depending on your tank size).
If you ever set up another tank, you can use the filter or filter media from your cycled tank in your new tank and you will have an almost instant cycle.


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## courrttanne (Oct 3, 2013)

Thank you for the clarification on cycling. My tank is 3 gallons so I think it's too small to do that. But I am planning on getting a bigger tank at some point and I will look into that. Thank you for the info about the shrimp as well. I will read the thread. 

I have Stewart in the tank (globe style tank) with the heater only. I am going to make sure he is healthy before adding everything else. Do any of you guys keep plants?? I am looking for low light fully submersible plants if you guys have any recommendations.


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

courrttanne said:


> Do any of you guys keep plants?? I am looking for low light fully submersible plants if you guys have any recommendations.


Yes, I have a lot of plants in my 55 gallon tank. Some low-medium light plants that I've done okay with are hornwort (floating plant), green myrio (floating or planted plant), anubias, and Amazon sword. I've never had java fern, but people say that it is a good low-light plant. I think the rest of the plants I have are medium-light plants.


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## courrttanne (Oct 3, 2013)

I wanted to update you all on my tank and fish 

This is Stewart and he is very happy in his new tank. I planted amazon sword plants and added a moss ball. The temp has been around 80-82. He loves his betta hammock! 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/courrttanne/10319747245/
I did have a shrimp (Rover) but today I found him dead. I'm so sad.

Other than Rover, everything is going well so far. I am scared I am missing something or doing something wrong. I hope it continues to go well..


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## ANHEL123 (Jul 21, 2010)

Wow your betta is so gorgeous!!! Sorry about shrimp
I would do a water change since you had a dead shrimp. Did you just get him recently? I am wondering if he was sick. Hopefully nothing contagious that he can give to your betta. 
Just next time if you put any live creature in the tank quarantine it to make sure it's not sick.


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

Thanks for the update! :-D


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## galtgirl (Sep 25, 2013)

Beautiful betta. He looks a lot like my Big Bob. It's hard to believe that these guys have personalities but they really do. Little Bob is very timid but Big Bob is curious and eats off my finger.
About the names: my first betta I named Bob. When I picked up my second one my 3 year old grandson was with me and I asked him what we should name him, and he said Big Bob. I told him I already had a Bob and he said that we could call him Little Bob. That's what the kids call them so I guess I'm stuck with it. Sorry Bruce, you are now Big Bob instead.


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## hollyk (Sep 29, 2013)

Wow- Stewart is beautiful! Enjoy him! The fact that you're asking questions and doing your research means that he's already in good hands, even if you're still learning. Many pet store bettas end up in tiny, cold bowls. Stewart's lucky he got you!


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## Fishybitty (Dec 29, 2012)

I just wanted to say welcome to the forum! I wanted to suggest anubius as a plant. (Imo ) It is pretty simple to care for. The leaves can be nice little resting spots also. 

Also, a lot of pet stores sell live plants in tubes that are snail, pest and parasite free


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## courrttanne (Oct 3, 2013)

You guys are awesome! Love the names and the story behind them galtgirl!

I did have the shrimp seperated for a while, but next time I guys I will wait longer? I am actually thinking he wasn't sick, because he showed no signs. I am worried that Stewart killed him. I will try with the shrimp one more time to see if Stewart is a shrimp murderer (lol). 

I did a water change and everything is going well so far. The temp is staying between 80-82--my bowl heater is perfect. When I was growing up our bettas did not get a heater because we didn't know any better. But I'm glad Stewart has one.

The water is testing pretty well. The nitrates are at zero, which is good right? The pH was a little high at 7.5, so I put in a touch more water conditioner. The plants seem to be doing okay, except I can't keep the all of the roots under in the sand. The moss ball looks happy too.

Do you guys have moss balls? It helps with waste correct?

And thank you hollyk. Just a nervous new betta mom. You guys are all so great. Thank you for all o your help!


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## ANHEL123 (Jul 21, 2010)

You really can lower the water to 76-78*. I really don't like to keep the water too warm since i learned that the water is the water , more chance for the infections.

Keep us updated


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## courrttanne (Oct 3, 2013)

Oh man. I read 79-82 is optimal and prevents diseases? It made sense to me because our water used to stay below 78 when we kept betas before and they kept getting sick an dying. 

Blahhh. There is so much info out there? 

Its bumped down to 79 now, and since its getting colder it probably will not go over 80 anymore


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## ANHEL123 (Jul 21, 2010)

good I don't think that your bettas died because of the temperature. 78* is good temperature , even 76* is perfect. Its many different opinion on that though. I am talking from my personal experience and from reading many post on this forum But you know bettas just like any other animals or human can get sick no matter how right /good care you give them.


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## courrttanne (Oct 3, 2013)

So Stewart is doing well! He is eating and swimming around and enjoying the tank.

I did notice a possible spot on his tail. Its in about the middle of his tail, and just looks like kind of grey and white. Its so small I have to really look at it. I read all the diseases betas can get in the forum and it doesn't match any of the descriptions. Maybe it is nothing? He isn't showing any symptoms... maybe I am paranoid...


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## ANHEL123 (Jul 21, 2010)

can you post close picture of it?
Just keep close eye on it and make sure its not getting bigger or fuzzy, fluffy . He still in 3 gall tank? Make sure you rinse the filter and check the water parameters. For 3 gall you need to do 2-50% weekly water changes with the gravel vacuum.


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## Aryia (Oct 10, 2013)

I also suggest Anubia for a plant. They are fairly slow growing so they won't overcrowd your tank either, and Betta (especially males with heavy finnage) love resting on top of the leaves. 

I bought some live food for mine, black worms (as treats), and they absolutely loved it. Black worms are fairly easy to keep too. You just leave them in a container with some water inside your fridge, no need to feed. Mine are still alive after 2-3 weeks now. They are mislabeled as "blood worms" at some stores. 

My local fish store suggested BettaPrime, which inhibits ammonia for a non-cycled tank. That way when we're a little behind on water changes it won't harm the fish too much.


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## courrttanne (Oct 3, 2013)

Thank you for the tips Aryia! I really appreciate that. I will have to look into the live feeding, although I will be so grossed out dealing with worms. blahhh

Okay and as far as that spot on his fin, I was going to get a picture of it yesterday, but it wasn't there anymore!!!! It was so tiny before I couldn't tell if it was there or not, but at least for now there are no issues.

I am concerned about fin rot, but he has dark fins so it is hard to tell. Tomorrow it will be time to do a full cleaning on the tank and I will keep an eye on him.


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## Aryia (Oct 10, 2013)

xD they grossed me out at first too. You can always use tweezers to pick them up and wear gloves hehe. I use my eyebrow pluckers (never use them anyway!), otherwise they stick on every surface they touch. 

BrineShrimp and Daphnia can be sucked up straight out of the water (I used a Pippette), but to my knowledge they're a bit harder to keep and culture. 

I think fin rot will be noticeable since the fins will become really uneven at the ends, and it's still easily treatable at that point, so don't worry too much.


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## ANHEL123 (Jul 21, 2010)

wondering what was that spot. Why you think he has fin rot?


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## Aryia (Oct 10, 2013)

courrttanne said:


> Is there anything else that I should know? How should I select a fish? If you could go back and talk to yourself when you were just getting into the betta hobby, what would you say?


Oh man and if I could rewind like a month or two, I would've made myself set up all my tanks and cycle them properly and built my filtration unit hahah. I got tempted by too many pretty Betta and now I'm stuck with doing manual changes for a couple ten gallon tanks and dozens of half gallon jars until I find time for the filtration system lol!

It's so hard to resist them, especially the one or two pretty ones you spot at Petco, because you just know they might not be in that condition anymore a couple weeks from now.


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## courrttanne (Oct 3, 2013)

Anhel, I don't know if it was the lighting or what, but there is no spot. I don't know if I imagined it or what. 

I am cleaning the tank and doing water changes. New filter cartridge goes in this week too. 

I was worried about rot because the outside part of his fins seem to be dark, but I cannot tell if it is his coloring or rot.


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## ANHEL123 (Jul 21, 2010)

Do more water changes as a preventative. For the tank size you have you need to do at least 2-50% water changes a week with vacuuming , and filter media swish/rinse in the tank water. Not sure if you checked the links i gave youAs for the new cartridge you don't really have to change it too often. Just rinse it very well. People saying that you can keep it really long time until its falling a part. And when its too old put a new cartridge in the filter but keep the old one behind it for a few days and monitor for ammonia spike.


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