# Baby Bettas?



## Kestral (Jun 28, 2011)

Long time no see, eh? I might not reply quickly, as after I type this I'm going to clean Dante's tank.

So, I went to Petco yesterday. It seems that now they have 'baby bettas'. I really want/need to buy one, as I want to be sure it is raised right.
So, I was picking out the stuff I would need. Please tell me if this is good!
- Fish food (bio-gold pellets). I would crush them for the betta.
- Plant. It is soft and has no sharp edges.
- .75 gallon tank. It's a 'keeper' - they made some for aquarium animals. Just while it is a baby. Once the betta gets older, it will move to Royal's old 2.5 gallon tank.
- Stress Coat. Will this be OK to use on a baby betta?
- Gravel

That's all I could think of. I would do a heater, but I don't know if it would be very safe. Plus, I don't know what heater or if it would but the betta in danger!
If I'm missing something, please tell me. I need to know the basic care for babies, if it is different. I know how to care for adults.


----------



## Arashi Takamine (Mar 3, 2011)

For a baby betta or "fry' you'll need a bigger tank anyways so go ahead and prep the 2.5 with the heater and the works, your gonna want some BBS eggs to hatch or just buy a sea monkey kit because bio-gold is crapola mostly wheat and are like betta potato chips. BBS and blood worms as your gonna want to give them a good kick in the right direction health wise. I don't recommend gravel until their bigger so they dont get lost. Sorry to say but the .75 will be only good for a waterchange container. Not even a fry needs to be in that thing.

Your gonna want to get a siphon to slowly remove the water to avoid stressing the little fella out and slowly add it in. (I recommend if your using tap to put it on the warm setting so it adjusts better)

Note: I've read tons on breeding and caring for fry but I am by no means an expert. I just wanna help out and I hope my advice does help. They really need live food at this stage you can wean them onto pellets later on.


----------



## Kestral (Jun 28, 2011)

The bettas are already getting color, so they aren't itty-bitty. I can sort of tell which are males and females.


----------



## Arashi Takamine (Mar 3, 2011)

Well then go for a light covering of gravel then but be careful and make sure to include lots of silk plants maybe even a betta hammock near the top. The little ones really are delicate even more so then their adult counterparts. It'll be a wonderous transformation though from a young fry to a fully grown adult and from what I hear: Baby betta flaring is incredibly, heart melting, adorable.


----------



## Kestral (Jun 28, 2011)

Would a 1.25 keeper be better? I honestly don't think I should move the baby up to my 2.5... the filter might hurt it. 
So, silk plants?
I'll have to go with pellets, as I really don't think I would be able to handle live food. I'm incredibly scared of bugs (except those big, giant pink worms!), and shrimp freak me out. I guess I'm too squeamish at the moment. Besides, I asked my mom if I could get the sea monkey kit and feed it to Royal, but she said no. D: I'll ask again.
I won't be able to get the baby until after I get back from my vacation, because I don't want to leave it unattended for 6 days!


----------



## Arashi Takamine (Mar 3, 2011)

Well there's the option of frozen foods as well as foods designed for infant fish but with the beating they already took in transit as long as you baffle the filter (plenty of tutorials on here on that using sponges) the fry should be fine in the 2.5 a 1.25 gallon is close enough too but I'm not sure if filters are better or not at this age. Again I'm not an expert I've just read a ton and have zero hands on experience. I'm saying going with live or frozen when you first get them to give their immune system a chance to get stronger with the nutrients they provide. Trust me I'm terrified of bugs and worms too. (I'm actually researching tarantula's and boy...Thats a scary experience for an arachnophobe) But in a pinch it's a lot better then giving bio gold pellets. They really are crap.

If you don't want to go that route I suggest getting a high quality food like New Life Spectrum small fish formula 3. mm (or more) pellets they're a lot better then most betta foods and I use it and theres plenty that you can give Royal some too.

I do suggest PMing Darkmoon or OldFishLady though just to be sure.


----------



## Kestral (Jun 28, 2011)

Actually, Royal is dead. D:


----------



## Arashi Takamine (Mar 3, 2011)

Ack! I'm sorry I got him and your current fish mixed up, brain fart. I am so sorry I'm so tired right now my brain is on half autopilot half here. I'm running on a cup of tea right now.

Again I am so sorry if I offended you it was not my intention.


----------



## Kestral (Jun 28, 2011)

XD No, it's fine! You didn't offend me at all. 
Any more tips for babies?


----------



## snowtail (Dec 2, 2011)

I got two babies at Petco, one is happy and thriving and the other one I tried to save but he just didn't make it. The one that lived is a female, which I'm so happy because she has great color and is so pretty.


----------



## Arashi Takamine (Mar 3, 2011)

Phew...

Herm...Well I can only suggest you do your best, keep the tank at 78, do frequent waterchanges and hope for the best. With fry it's hard to tell especially if their from Petco. I can say though for the time of year to when exiting the store hold the cup to your chest with your jacket shielding it so it doesnt lose too much temp and your body's natural heat will keep it warm and keep the heater on in the car too and then acclimate as you would an adult fish.

EDIT: I'm gonna take a nap but if you got anymore questions PM me and I'll do my best and also look through the breeding section here on the forum as there's always a lot of tips on betta fry care there and a lot of experienced breeders are on here too.


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Definitely baby food for them.. a lot of experienced keepers are having a hard time keeping them alive. I wish they didn't sell the babies.. a lot of them won't make it due to the extra care they need. 
There are a few other threads on the forum here about these little ones.. 
Here is one that others have talked about some of their experiences with them:
Thread..
And a couple more:
Thread 1
Thread 2

They might help you in what you will need to know in care of the little one.

And pics would be fun!


----------



## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

If hatching BBS is too hard/too much work, frozen baby brine shrimp fed by an eyedropper works too but be prepared to siphon out extra food that isn't eaten. BBS is messy.

I agree, Myates. So far, the feedback I'm hearing about these poor babies is that they're too young to withstand the shipping and the treatment they get at Petco. I would be willing to bet, based on experience with another tiny but not quite baby girl that many of these babies will starve to death because all they do is drop Hikari pellets in, way too big for a baby's mouth.


----------



## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

baby betta seem to be a new craze. one LPS still has decent 1-1 1/4 length betta. another has mostly 1 inches and a small LPS has 3/4 to 1 inch betta. first time i saw some that small on sale.

i do find frozen BBS are relatively easy to feed. i put them on a tupperware container and let the water content drip down and push up the actual food. its still stlightly harder but its not too much work


----------



## gossipgirl1031 (Dec 7, 2011)

I successfully got one through the really critical time. She's doubled in size and has finally gotten to move to a bigger tank and can handle the current from the filter. I have to turn it on for a few hours and leave it off for a few hours. They have high calorie demands and need it to be WARM. I finally moved Siobhan into her bigger tank and needed to go back to the store for more supplies when I saw how fast the other babies were dying off. So Thursday, I took in 2 more and they now seem to be doing okay. I had a return last night and found all of the babies except for 2 dead. I couldn't leave them there. So, I am getting a lot of hands on experience with these guys. So for tips (and I'm no expert at all-just sharing my own experiences):frequent water changes (mine are in smaller tanks because they are too weak to fight the current & so I do perform a lot of water changes by choice), feedings every 6 hours or so (chopped up bloodworms or New Life for small fish pellets) and warmth. Feel free to ask any questions, I may not be an expert, but I'm learning as I go.


----------



## gossipgirl1031 (Dec 7, 2011)

Oh, I forgot. I would do the BBS, but I have no access to them in order to feed them now. I'd have to order online and wait. I've heard good things about them though. Good luck


----------



## CalvinWill (Sep 23, 2011)

My Petco Baby is doing just fine. I've got him in a 1 gallon tank that leaches heat from the adults tanks at stays right at 78. No filter, just a waterchange every other day. I was worried about the little guy, but her is more resiliant then I expected. 

Only thing different from my adults is I feed him New Life Spectrum Small Fish. The pellets are .5mm and he has no problem getting them down till he is about to pop.

Many people have had bad times trying to keep their babies alive. If this one doesn't make it, you tried. Better then dying in a cold cup at petco.

Enjoy.


----------



## gossipgirl1031 (Dec 7, 2011)

Baby pics are now up on my page. Can't figure out how to do them on the thread.


----------

