# New Betta Fish Owner



## LaceyLou (Sep 17, 2010)

I am going to get my first betta fish today for my dorm room. I can't have too big of a tank and my boyfriend got me a 1.5 liter tank for the fish (I know that the tank is small for now). We got a heater that is good for up to a 5.5 gallon tank and it is 25W. I have no idea what I am doing it comes to this stuff and I don't know how to regulate the temp. in the tank so that he/she doesn't die. I will eventually get a new tank so that the fish has something bigger to swim around in (within the next month or two). Also, the tank came with a little LED light on the top but I don't know if that gives off enough heat to keep the fish warm. What other basic things should a first time betta owner know? 

I got just about everything that the fish needs. 

I just don't want him to die because that is what has happened to my friend's fish when she had one.


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## Ajones108 (Jul 7, 2010)

I think I need to make a thread specifically for college students about betta care... 

1.5 LITRES? That heater can't be used for a 1.5 LITRE tank. The most you can do is do daily 100% water changes, or at least every other day, to keep the water clean. You'll need a good water dechlorinator like Prime too.

Edit: 2.5 gallons is minimum for a betta. Just saying. I know I'm leaving a ton of stuff out but I gotta get to class.


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Most heaters are designed to be used in tanks that are a minimum of 2 gallons. 1.5 liters is beyond unreasonably tiny, even for a temporary tank. That is less than half a gallon and you must do 100% water changes daily with a dechlorinating product such as Seachem Prime in order to keep the fish's waste under control.

Fish constantly excrete ammonia from their gills, kind of like their form of urine. This ammonia is extremely toxic, and having any detectable amount of it in the water is unacceptable. The only way to maintain an undetectable amount is through very frequent 100% changes. In nature, this ammonia would be converted into less toxic compounds by beneficial bacteria, consumed by plants, and diluted over much larger quantities of water. The container which you are speaking of would turn into a death soup of ammonia in very little time.

I highly recommend getting a larger temporary container. You can use rubbermaid/sterilite plastic storage bins like you would find at WalMart or Target--these bins are very light, durable, and they're safe to use with your heater. A 2-4 gallon bin is only about $3, you can't beat that. Keeping your fish in such a small container is very impractical, and you won't be able to use your heater. There are many cheaper and more humane alternatives that won't have you changing the water so much. If you can, you should return the tiny deathtrap to the pet store--the pet industry and the retail store should not be allowed to profit from the sale of these torture devices.


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## LaceyLou (Sep 17, 2010)

Thank you for the advice. I am going to get a tank and return the other one tomorrow.


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Great.  We hope to hear more updates from you in the future. Good luck with your new fish.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Hello and welcome to the forum.


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