# My first betta! (New here!)



## Puremuttz (Nov 6, 2009)

Hi, my name is Tonya, and I am finally a first time Betta owner. I've been wanting one for a while, because I find them to be beautiful, but never found one that I ''just HAD to have''.

Until yesterday. Completely random and unexpected, but I couldn't walk away. LOL It was a beautiful betta, marked as a female (although I have doubts).

So, I grabbed some tablets to make the water safe, a 1g tank, the Betta, some gravel, and some food. (Bought a little fake plant for the tank today, and a snail...no reason, I just like snails).

Now, I plan on upgrading to a 5g in the near future, hopefully, but I grabbed what I could to accommodate the Betta for now, until I find the 5g that I want.

Anyways, feel free to say betta care facts (although I will be taking advantage of this forum and reading through all posts to soak in information!), and if you know his (or her?) coloration, please my curiosity and let me know! 

Here are pictures I took this morning (and he's featured in my avatar). Also, feel free to guess the gender, because while I'm pretty convinced it's a male, if there's reason to suspect that the cup WASN'T mislabeled, I'd be interested in knowing.

No name yet.


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## Puremuttz (Nov 6, 2009)

I guess I answered my own question about gender. Someone told me to put a mirror in front of him and see if he does a ''frilled lizard'' type response. At first, he ignored it, but then, he gave me an answer. I guess I need to think of male names...LOL


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

Looks like a male to me. Check under it's pectoral fins and see if there is a little white dot. If there is, it's a female. 

His/her coloring looks like Blue with Red wash.  

Welcome!! Please feel free to ask questions!


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## Calmwaters (Sep 2, 2009)

Welcome your fish is very pretty.


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## Puremuttz (Nov 6, 2009)

Calmwaters said:


> Welcome your fish is very pretty.


Thank you, Calmwaters.
I find him to be quite the handsome little guy. Granted, I think all bettas are pretty, but he's the one who caught my eye after about a year of glancing at them when I'm in a store...so I have to say he must have an extra ounce or two of good looks.


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## TigerLily (Sep 17, 2009)

He is a very pretty little guy. I love his coloration, so cool!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Hello and welcome to the forum. Your betta is very pretty!!


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## Puremuttz (Nov 6, 2009)

Good news!

My friend's grandma used to keep fish, and she has offered to snatch up a 10g when she goes up there next, for my Betta. 

So, the future tank upgrade is one step closer to happening.

For now, he's doing well in the 1g, and I keep telling him that he'll get a bigger place in the future, but for now, at least he can stretch his fins in comparison to that tiny, half-filled cup he was living in.

I just have to figure out where to set up a 10g....LOL


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## BettaxFishxCrazy (Sep 5, 2009)

Welcome to the betta world  Your betta is very handsome!


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## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

Lovely guy! The best thing about a 10 gallon is that you can split it for future bettas! ;-)


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## Puremuttz (Nov 6, 2009)

Jupiter said:


> Lovely guy! The best thing about a 10 gallon is that you can split it for future bettas! ;-)


Very true. By the time I get the 10g here and set up, I may split it so I can add a 2nd handsome betta if I come across one. 

One thing I'm curious about with split tanks...can they see each other, and if so, isn't it stressful for them to flare up at each other? I felt bad making him flare up earlier to verify he was male, but reading around on the forum I've seen it mentioned a couple times that it's ''good'' for them to flare up occasionally?


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

If you split a tank, you can put plants along the divider so they can't really see each other that well. Yeah, flaring won't hurt them.


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## AlexXx (Aug 23, 2009)

hey will eventually get used to seeing each other, its no worse than seeing their own reflection, which they think is another betta.


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## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

Welcome to the forum. Your little guy is very handsome


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

Puremuttz said:


> Very true. By the time I get the 10g here and set up, I may split it so I can add a 2nd handsome betta if I come across one.
> 
> One thing I'm curious about with split tanks...can they see each other, and if so, isn't it stressful for them to flare up at each other? I felt bad making him flare up earlier to verify he was male, but reading around on the forum I've seen it mentioned a couple times that it's ''good'' for them to flare up occasionally?


Nah, it doesn't stress them. They just have to get used to it.

I have 3 males in a divided tank and they actually seem to LIKE the company and they always have something to do.


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## Puremuttz (Nov 6, 2009)

Thanks. Right now his only companion is a blue mystery snail, and while he nipped him once, the rest of the time he's been sticking close by, like he enjoys the company.

No aggression, no flaring, and no more nips (maybe he was taste testing? LOL)

Assuming my friend is able to get the 10g from her grandma's place, I will be having fun putting that tank together so I can give Jasper (the betta's name) more room, and maybe a neighbor if I find another betta I just can't pass up.


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## Puremuttz (Nov 6, 2009)

-=nevermind=- I may have found a 5g, but I have to check to see how close/far away this person is, to see if it's even manageable to pick up.


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## AngelicScars (May 5, 2009)

He is very pretty and I'm happy to see that you are upgrading! Especially with him having a tankmate, usually the rule of thumb with tankmates is having them in at least 10 gallons or more. Since it is just one snail, I think a 5 gallon should be fine.

Also, females do flare too. All of mine did! Males tend to do it more and put on a much bigger show. The best way to tell the male and females apart (besides the fin size) would be checking for the egg spot on the belly.


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## Puremuttz (Nov 6, 2009)

AngelicScars said:


> He is very pretty and I'm happy to see that you are upgrading!


Of course I am.  The 1g was really just to have something for him ''for now''. I will be getting a 10g in the future, but I am not sure how soon, because I didn't think to ask when my friend would be heading over to her grandma's house, or when they'd be in my area afterwards.

I am hoping to find a 5g for the time until then, just to give him more room to swim and more ground room to add hidey holes and such.

I will enjoy when I finally get the 10g and can decorate it nicely for him.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Welcome! Your plans sound great, and I must say that's a handsome boy you have there


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## Puremuttz (Nov 6, 2009)

Thank you. I found him to be rather irresistible. If that wasn't obviously by the fact I got him and made ''for now'' living quarters for him instead of an ideal long-term one right away.

I am big on taking the best care of my pets, though, and you can bet that I'll be working towards a nice home for him so he can live a long & healthy life.

Plus, once I get the 10g, it seems I can split it and add a 2nd betta? That isn't the plan right now, but then again...if I come across one that I find absolutely stunning, it may change. Hehe.


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## k stiles (Aug 29, 2009)

AngelicScars said:


> He is very pretty and I'm happy to see that you are upgrading! Especially with him having a tankmate, usually the rule of thumb with tankmates is having them in at least 10 gallons or more. Since it is just one snail, I think a 5 gallon should be fine.
> 
> Also, females do flare too. All of mine did! Males tend to do it more and put on a much bigger show. The best way to tell the male and females apart (besides the fin size) would be checking for the egg spot on the belly.


what happens if your female is white(I know my luna is a female, but just for refrence

or you could start a sorority i'm doing it over christmas

oh, and one last thing, what do snails eat??


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## Puremuttz (Nov 6, 2009)

k stiles said:


> oh, and one last thing, what do snails eat??


I was told to feed him algae wafers and he'll also eat whatever the Betta doesn't, or any sinking foods. Plus, I could get a veggie clip and put some lettuce on the bottom and he'd eat that, too.

The gal at the pet store mentioned cucumber or zucchini, but I don't know how accurate that is (because...we all know how knowledgeable pet store employees can be...LOL)

As for the white spot on females...I am pretty certain my lil' betta doesn't have it, but I haven't tried to search for it and I'm not sure how well I'd see it if I did. On such a small fish like my betta, it seems like it'd be difficult to see a white dot on the belly of a fish.


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## flying fish (Sep 30, 2009)

Oh,
pretty!
Welcome to the forum.
I just noticed that he looks similar to my female,
except her fins are shorter and has more blue ;3


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## Puremuttz (Nov 6, 2009)

flying fish said:


> I just noticed that he looks similar to my female


She must be a beauty then. 
I am thinking about splitting the tank and adding a 2nd Betta after I finally get the 10g and have it set-up and ready. We'll see, because it'll all depend on whether or not I find another Betta that I "just gotta get".


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## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

k stiles said:


> what happens if your female is white(I know my luna is a female, but just for refrence
> 
> or you could start a sorority i'm doing it over christmas
> 
> oh, and one last thing, what do snails eat??


Well, my Aigis was white, but it was still pretty obvious. Actually, at first before I knew to check for the white spots, I thought she was a male because she would flare at my girls. Anyway, normally the shades of white are different so you can tell.


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