# just got a betta from walmart six days ago...



## jodymcdougle (Feb 25, 2012)

i purchased a male betta from walmart about six days ago. he lives in a betta tank that is about a foot long, with nothing but blue shiny pebbles for a bed. i thought about getting him something to sort of hide in or call home. he seems to like one side of the tank better than the other one. my last betta from walmart survived about two days. he lived in a glass flower vase because i was told that he could live through anything. i should also probably mention that the tap water here is chlorinated. today, i thought about getting a gallon of non-chlorinated water or a bottle of dasani or something. his water is getting kind of dirty too. i've been feeding him the betta flakes that they sell at walmart. i think i just ended up buying a kit or something... i dunno... just the things that were being sold by the fish i bought. what kind of water should i change with? also, he doesn't seem to like the flakes so much. i was told to feed him once every other day, and then i was told that was not entirely true, and to feed him twice a day but to crush up the flakes. another thing, what is his favorite temperature? it gets kind of cold here at home some times, so i have been wrapping his tank up with a couple of shirts, while letting the air top still have air. any tips, or answers to these questions would be appreciated! thanks in advance, and all the best! -jody

p.s. the new fish's tank was filled with "betta water" (also sold next to the betta at the store), is it okay to fill his tank with a gallon of purified water from the grocery store....? because i think his water cold use more, and the water he has is already getting dirty.


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

he's a pretty boy. looks a bit stressed, though.

do you know how many gallons the tank is? tanks over one gallon are better for them. gives them more room to swim in, you can add plants and caves, and they can be heated safely.

you should get him some plants, it'll make him happier. silk are better than plastic, since plastic can rip up their fins. at walmart, they sell 3-packs of plants. the price varies on them(they're $6 here, but i've heard less than five elsewhere), but be careful about the ones with the red underside. :I mine leeched dye into the water, and i think that killed The Doctor... soak them for a few days and rinse them well if you get them.

for temps, mid to upper 70F is best. adjustable heaters, while expensive, do a great job of keeping the water temp stable.

any water is fine, just make sure you use a conditioner. AquaSafe by Tetra is one brand. i use Prime, personally. StressCoat+ is another great brand.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Hi Jody, and welcome to the world of bettas. Like many of us, you've been told a bunch of poop by the petshops. 



jodymcdougle said:


> i purchased a male betta from walmart about six days ago. he lives in a betta tank that is about a foot long, with nothing but blue shiny pebbles for a bed. i thought about getting him something to sort of hide in or call home.
> Do you know how many gallons the tank is? Bettas are intelligent fish, but also shy, so he would definitely appreciate a) something to hide in, and b) something for mental stimulation.
> To hide in, you can give him a small terracotta flowerpot, a hamster tube, a PVC tube, a coffee mug or even a shot glass. He would also enjoy a plant, either real or silk (plastic can tear fins) to play with. If you want to consider a live plant that is really difficult to kill, look at java moss (makes a wonderful bed), anubias, java fern or anacharis.
> 
> ...


So, as promised, here's my list for what you need to keep a happy betta:
- a tank, 1 gallon or more (bigger is generally easier to care for, plus gives more swimming room)
- a heater, 4-5 watts per gallon, adjustable if possible
- a place to hide (a cave of some sort)
- something to play in (a plant, live or silk)
- water conditioner (Prime by Seachem is my choice)
- a good betta pellet, like the brands I mentioned above
- If your tank is smaller than 5 gallon, you also need his cup to put him in during 100% changes

Optional things:
- substrate (marbles, sand, gravel, whatever)
- a filter (if your tank is more than 5 gallons, I would definitely get one)
- a light (it will help live plants, if you choose to get some)

I hope this helps.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

^+1.
Bottled "Betta Water" is a money grab, it's basically selling you a bottled of dechlorinated water, at a ridiculous price. Especially if you have a 1gal tank that needs to be changed quite often.


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## jodymcdougle (Feb 25, 2012)

thanks so much for all of the quick responses! i just don't want this one to die too. i really bought and did what walmart said. he doesn't seem to like the flake food that i have for him now.....

am i feeding him to much? or does my betta maybe have a favorite colored flake that i am not sure about yet...?

i've been feeding him a broken up flake about every morning and night.

this evening, my girlfriend and i bought him some bottled water and poured it in the original bowl that he was bought in. we then put Same Keith Max Moby the 2nd back into his home with clean water and he moved around quite a bit and i thought he seemed more alive and happy. his tank looks 100% cleaner. i didn't know how much i would have to invest for this little guy, but he's sort of becoming a part of our family like most pets do and i would like for him to be happy. do you guys think that he will be okay living in the environment pictured above in my original post for a few more days? it's no fun that he has no plants or a cave to hang out in, because he's sort of becoming comfortable with one side of the blue rocks. i also think that he can sort of make out his own reflection in the aquarium he lives in, but that just be me. if so, will that bother our now friend? this is an excellent website for people who have been had by walmart. but i think that he would rather be here than still in that cup on the shelf.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Be careful about bottled water, it can't be distilled water, which has no minerals, the fish needs water with minerals to be healthy.
A good thing to look out for is that dark stripe on his body in the photo. It's common for many betta to get those stripes when they're stressed out. Some female betta have them all the time, but I think in males it always means stress, I've never seen one with a permanent stripe like that.. If it's fading away that means he feels better (the stripes can appear and disappear in a matter of minutes).


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## jodymcdougle (Feb 25, 2012)

Luimeril said:


> he's a pretty boy. looks a bit stressed, though.
> 
> he HATES his picture being taken. i wonder if that happened to him a lot at the store or if he just sees another betta when i hold the cellphone camera up.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Definitely want to use tap water over any other water source, along with water conditioner.. it can take a week or longer for them to eat properly. I would suggest trying out pellets, as they are easier to control how much he eats- and remove if not eaten easier.

Bombalurina has given you excellent advice in what is needed for a healthy betta. 

Good luck to you and Same Keith Max Moby the 2nd.


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## freemike (Feb 3, 2012)

A note on food from my experience. My Betta tolerated the Wal-Mart betta flakes/pellets. They didn't seem to like it very much and would spit it out and basically just eat enough of it to stay alive. They would eat every other day or so.

I went to Petco and got New Life Spectrum Betta Formula and frozen brine shrimp. It makes feeding time so much more relaxed lol. I drop in 3 pellets at a time for feeding and they are gone within seconds. Saturday night they get a healthy serving of the Brine Shrimp and a fast on Sunday. I tried giving them some of the Walmart foods (pellets/flakes) just to add some variety. They took a few nibbles and then swam off like nope not interested; where's the good stuff? Spoiled boys.


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## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

He'll be okay for a little while, but you definately need to invest in a heater and dechlorinator. Prime only uses 2 drops per gallon, so it'd last an eternity if you bought it to treat your tap water with. Heaters can be a bit expensive, but you get what you pay for... Adjustable heaters are well worth the investment. They help bettas stay healthy and live for the 5 to 7 years that is a proper life span.

If you can get an empty plastic gallon jug that held water or milk, I'd suggest rinsing it out in hot water and keeping it. You could use it to measure exactly how many gallons your tank is, and then you coulees use it during water changes. 

If you have a clean ceramic mug, I highly suggest rinsing it in hot water and putting it in the tank for the time being, bettas need a place to hide when they are stressed.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

+1. You don't need to spend out money to get him a place to hide.  Any dishwasherable mug would do the job for now.  

He'll be ok in his current environment for a while as long as it is kept clean (one 50% and one 100% change per week), but you do need to get a heater and dechlorinator ASAP.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

I would get some pellet food and some freeze dried blood worms. Feed maybe 3 or 4 pellets a day and maybe 1X a week feed a bloodworm as a treat. Frozen ones are better but I have a hell of a time finding them.

Pellet food is supposed to be better then flakes. its easy to overfeed on flakes and that can lead to bloating or swim blader disease. That being said, Plain, unscented epsom salt is good to have on hand incase of bloating/SBD.

I have one guy that didn;t eat for like 3 weeks after i got him.


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## SacredSeaMonkey (Feb 25, 2012)

You should really read this betta care guide, I read it religiously so I wouldn't miss a beat when i was setting up my 5gal tank for my betta. I'm probably going to take back these Tetra "tropical flakes" made for bettas and find something more pellet-like.

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=64078


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## a123andpoof (Apr 10, 2010)

If you can't get to a petstore walmart does sell everything you need. They have a heater for $15 that heats 1 to 5 gallons. I use it in my 1 gallons and never have a problem. And they have dechlorinater though if you can get prime its recommended and will last forever. I would get a heater and decholorinater right away. They also sell pellet food. Though there pellets are rather large so I would look either or small pellets or go elsewhere.


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## my cute fish 123 (Jan 24, 2014)

I heard that you can use tap water BUT you need to use dechlorinator (P.S. did I spell that right?). I got flakes for my fish but they didn't eat them. Instead they just floated up there until the water got changed. Hope your liked your fish.


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## Rana (Apr 27, 2013)

my cute fish 123 said:


> I heard that you can use tap water BUT you need to use dechlorinator (P.S. did I spell that right?). I got flakes for my fish but they didn't eat them. Instead they just floated up there until the water got changed. Hope your liked your fish.


This thread is two years old, please don't bump up such old posts. :3

Tap water is indeed fine to use so long as the chlorine is taken out with a dechlorinator, and unless your water quality is really bad, it's probably the healthiest water to keep them in. And again, some bettas will eat flakes readily, others won't. It also depends on the brand- cheaper brands with cheap ingredients are usually less appealing.


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