# My Spontaneous Betta-Owning Experience



## mmkubo (Jan 26, 2016)

Hey all, I'm new to this forum. I've introduced myself and my fish in several places already, but I guess I can do it again.
My name is Shelley, I recently moved from Petersburg, Alaska to Anchorage, Alaska with my boyfriend. One day a few months ago, we had actually motivated ourselves to go to the gym. We got in the car, started driving, and I realized that I didn't have gym shoes. We went to the mall so that I could get some shoes, and smelled Auntie Annie's. We got pretzels, after which we were too bloated to go to the gym, so we went to petco instead to look at cats (we are both 100% cat people, and are trying to get the money to pay the $1000 pet deposit for two cats, and I really miss my cats back home).

Anyway, we were looking at the cats in Petco, and I was really sad because we couldn't get them yet. BF suggested maybe we could get a Betta instead, and I jumped on the idea. We got a blue Betta with striking black outlines scales, and named him Slick. We also got a .9 gallon tank that had this nifty cleaning system, some rocks, a couple ornaments, and went home and set it up.


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## mmkubo (Jan 26, 2016)

Later that night, I was reading online about Betta care. I discovered that Bettas thrive best in warm water and, because our apartment is set to 63 degrees, I decided to get a tank heater. I put it in the tank and, lo and behold, Slick had no room to swim. So, the next day I went to Petsmart and got a 2.5 gallon basic glass tank, some gravel, plastic plants, etc. 

Slick was really happy with the new setup, and I couldn't stop watching him SWIM.


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## mmkubo (Jan 26, 2016)

Sorry, wrong picture. That one comes later.


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## mmkubo (Jan 26, 2016)

He started making a few bubble nests, and I was thrilled. Everything was peachy until around Christmas time, when we realized he was sick. I took him to the local fish store, where they gave me a possible diagnosis (swim bladder), but nothing certain. They told me to try this stuff called "BettaSpa", and said it would work wonders, no matter what was wrong with him. I also got a sponge filter/bubbler, because until he got better, I wanted to make sure he could breathe.

While the fish and I were at the store, he started floating on his side in his little container. I was so scared, I thought he was dying. I rushed home with everything, put the BettaSpa in his water and setup the filter. After a little while, he seemed to go from floating on his side 90% of the time, to floating on his side maybe 80%. I began to hope that _maybe_ he wasn't going to die.

Over the length of three days, he started to get better. On the third day, he was swimming around, almost like normal. Occasionally would float back on his side, but at least I knew he wasn't going to die.


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## mmkubo (Jan 26, 2016)

Now, in 2016, he is happy as a clam. A few weeks ago we tried to add a frog. Slick seemed ok with it - very curious - but the frog didn't like this strange fish getting to close. That was the end of that. Fortunately neither fish nor frog were damaged in any way. Frog bit fish, but fish didn't have any visible injury. We returned frog, and found out later that a larger tank is necessary to try something like that.

On the same day that we got the frog, we also got a floating plant (on the house because it was small). Since then, the sides of the tank get dirty faster, and we have been thinking of maybe getting a snail. Since it wasn't fish who initiated attack with the frog incident, we hoped that a snail would be better. As long as fish didn't attack snail, everything should be fine.

Today I went back to the store and got a mystery snail. After getting back home, I read a reply to my question on this forum about snails, and found out that 5 gallons is the minimum size tank for pretty much any tank mates when it comes to Bettas. I also read that even with meeting the minimum size, the tank still has to be heavily planted, so I got some plants. I realized that once I put live plants into the tank, I might be adding stray snails as well. I decided to get an assassin snail to take care of those, thinking that since the mystery snails are much bigger than the assassin snails, everything would be peachy.

Found out later that this can be true - if I'm lucky. Well, too late now, I already bought everything. I set up the new tank, and put my tank residents inside. So far, everyone is still alive, and doesn't seem overly interested or afraid of anything. However, I can't find my assassin snail. I'm sure he'll turn up. I think I got lucky this time, and I hope it lasts.

Edit: Found the assassin! He was hiding on the back of a very large leaf in the very back of the tank.


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## mmkubo (Jan 26, 2016)

I came home from work today and found my mystery snail floating on the top of the tank. I was worried that something had happened to him, but he was alive at least and was moving. He eventually managed to get to the bottom by releasing bubbles that were in his shell. I think he must have tried to climb the bubbler, and got air all up inside. Is there any way to prevent that? Or is that just something that he has to either learn to avoid or learn to deal with?


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## mmkubo (Jan 26, 2016)

I forgot to post a picture of the new 5.5 gallon tank setup, so here it is. Sorry it's not a very good picture. So far, the assassin snail, mystery snail, and betta are getting along wonderfully. The assassin snail really loves the back left corner, so you can't see him in here. The mystery snail loves to wander the tank though, and is very much not afraid of the assassin snail. He'll sometimes come over to the back corner and they'll just hang out together. As for the betta, he doesn't really seem to care. He was somewhat curious at the beginning, but he's gotten over it by now.


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## BettaBoy11 (Apr 21, 2015)

Subscribing!


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## mmkubo (Jan 26, 2016)

I have two mini tank heaters that I got for my small tank. Unfortunately, they weren't enough for the 5.5 gallon tank, even with both heating the tank, and it only got to about 71 degrees. So a couple days ago I got a colbalt 50 watt heater (expensive, but I CAN SET THE TEMPERATURE AAAAHHH) and now the water is at about 80 degrees! Slick looks much happier now, and seems more active, although it could also be my imagination.

My assassin snail has been buried under the gravel in one spot for about 2 days now. I was starting to worry that he was dead. I gave him some bloodworms, but Slick is very greedy and tried to eat them every time he thought I wasn't looking. I then put the snail in a small container with some tank water and bloodworms. After a few minutes, he started moving around again. it's been about ten minutes and he hasn't eaten any of the bloodworms, but at least I know he's not dead. The fact that he didn't go straight to the food also seems to show that he's not starving, so I'm a little less worried now.

The past few days I've been finding these tiny piles of stuff on my leaves and in my gravel. It looks like poop, but I know it's not my fish's poop and it doesn't look like any snail poop that I've seen from research. I'm kind of freaked out because there's SO MUCH OF IT and it's so tiny. Usually the only way I can even see it is if it's on the leaves, or if I shoot water at the gravel with my chicken baster. It's like tiny piles of tiny tiny green-brown pellets. Poop, right? I'm confused... It must be from one of the snails, but I'm not sure which one.

I think that my assassin snail would be a lot happier with sand. He likes to bury himself, but it's not very easy with the gravel. I'm thinking of getting another betta and putting him in my small 2.5 gallon tank, and since the assassin snail is so small, I might put sand in the small tank and put him in it. Not sure when this will happen, but I think I have most of the supplies already. I just need a fish, sand, more plants, and more ornaments, so hopefully soon.

I'll try and get pictures of this poop-like stuff. I'm also trying to get good pictures of the tank/residents, but I haven't mastered that skill yet...


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## mmkubo (Jan 26, 2016)

Here's a better picture of my tank. If you look closely, you can see all three residents in this one.


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## mmkubo (Jan 26, 2016)

My mystery snail seems to love that bubbler! Fortunately I haven't seen him floating since that first time, hopefully he's learned his lesson


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## mmkubo (Jan 26, 2016)

It took me probably an hour to get these next two pictures... Slick is very camera shy


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## BettaSplendid (Jul 12, 2015)

Slick is a very handsome boy. He is so lucky to have you. You keep upgrading and making his life more and more beautiful. His color looks richer too.


Good job!


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## mmkubo (Jan 26, 2016)

Thank you BettaSplendid! This is kind of how all my hobbies end up - lots of money spent even though I may or may not actually have experience...

I made another stop at my fish shop, and ended up getting a more permanent sponge filter. Apparently the one I was using basically uses regular cotton batting, and it doesn't last very long and is supposed to be temporary. They gave it to me free with the tank though so that's ok.

My snail I think will also be less prone to climbing the new sponge filter, and even if he does, he won't be able to get to the bubbles as easily, so that should solve any floating problems that he may have.


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