# My new Betta Fish



## khrusty (Sep 16, 2010)

Good afternoon from Oviedo, FL (part of the Orlando metro area) in Seminole County.

Here is my new fish Ocean. He is male and recently made his first bubble nest. He is happy.


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## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

He's cute!  That tank looks mighty small for him though. How often do you change his water? The bowl is a cute idea, if it were bigger  He needs a heater too, wouldn't want the little guy to be cold!


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## bamsuddenimpact (Jan 25, 2011)

what exactly do you have it in? Its very eye catching. How big is it? You may want to get a heater. And make sure to keep up with water changes


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## khrusty (Sep 16, 2010)

The water is his tank is tepid and his bowl is filled with white gravel, a little shelter which is made out of white pebbles and some sea shells from Melbourne Beach.


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## khrusty (Sep 16, 2010)

The water in his tank is tepid and his bowl is filled with white gravel, a little shelter which is made out of white pebbles and some sea shells from Melbourne Beach.


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## khrusty (Sep 16, 2010)

The bowl is bigger in person than it appears on picture. The water is warm.


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## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

khrusty said:


> The water in his tank is tepid and his bowl is filled with white gravel, a little shelter which is made out of white pebbles and some sea shells from Melbourne Beach.


Tepid isnt warm enough. Bettas need a temperature of 76-82F degrees, which is acheived by having a heater. That tank, cute as it is, is much too small to heat. In cold water your betta's immune system shuts down and he will get sick with the likely possibility of death. He would really be happier in a larger tank, at least a gallon. In that size, it looks to be under a gallon for sure, so you need to be doing 100% water changes every other day, so harmful ammonia doesnt build up  Sorry to overwhelm you with info, but I just want the best for your fish


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## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

khrusty said:


> The bowl is bigger in person than it appears on picture. The water is warm.


Could you measure how much water is in it, by filling it up with rinsed out gallon milk jugs with dechlorinated water, and telling how many jugs it took to fill? Do you have a thermometer to know for sure the temperature? Water is always a few degrees colder than the temperature of a room.


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

He is pretty.Bettas do prefer larger space though...I personally wouldn't keep a betta in anything less than 2 gallons. In any tank 1-1.5 gallon or less unfiltered I do 100%water change daily or every other day at _most_.Are there any good pet stores/fish stores out in Oviedo?I am always looking for new places to shop for my fish and cats and dog..:lol::-D


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## DarkMoon17 (Apr 16, 2011)

I actually have one of those fish shaped bowls from Home Goods, they are pretty small. There couldn't be more than 1/2-3/4 gallons of water in it. Bettas need at least 1 gallon, preferably 2 or more. And it should be heated. With that size set up you will need to do water changes daily. He is very pretty and will live a longer and happier life in a larger, heated tank


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## AngelicScars (May 5, 2009)

What everyone else said. That opening is scary, a betta could easily jump out of it.


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## khrusty (Sep 16, 2010)

There is a PetSmart in the shopping center across from the Oviedo Marketplace on Red Bug Lake Road (it's the one that has the Lowes, the Borders store which recently closed, Michael's, Ross and Bed Bath & Beyond.-- if you live near Oviedo. I know that a lot of you are writing about the water and the size of the bowl; just a friendly reminder that Ocean is happy due to his good size bubble nest. I will promise to keep the water warm and yes I do use a water treatment bottle which I got a PetSmart (the one specifically for betta fish)

Take care all from sunny Oviedo, FL.


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## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

A betta building a bubblenest does not mean he is happy. It means he is ready to breed (please dont breed him). I see bettas in filthy water with bubblenests. Also, if you insist on keeping him in there, you need to do 100% water changes every day, that is, changing all the water every day. In a bigger tank, you dont need to do that.


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## DarkMoon17 (Apr 16, 2011)

bettafish15 said:


> A betta building a bubblenest does not mean he is happy. It means he is ready to breed (please dont breed him). I see bettas in filthy water with bubblenests. Also, if you insist on keeping him in there, you need to do 100% water changes every day, that is, changing all the water every day. In a bigger tank, you dont need to do that.


^^^+1
It is a common myth that building a bubble nest means that a betta is happy. It just as easily could mean that he is bored and has nothing to do but blow bubbles. Bubble nests are simply something they build when they are ready to breed and even half dead animals will breed given the chance. 

Also keep in mind that when Ocean decides he wants to find a bigger place to swim, that opening looks really enticing. Bettas are good jumpers and that opening is dangerous. 

Good luck with him


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

Bettas really are good jumpers...I once had a betta jump up almost 3 inches and out of a 1x2" hole in the hood of my 2.5 minibow aquarium...:-(...
If you ever decide to get him into something bigger he would love the space to flare up and swim fast. They sell Critter keepers at petsmart for pretty cheap..I have a 3 gallon critter keeper for my one betta Flippy. I like it because it is rectangular like a normal tank..so it is nice to aquascape..but it is small enough for water change time to be pretty easy..Also, my betta Cleo lived in a 2 gallon cookie jar from walmart for 8 months..It was about 9 dollars..he was super happy in there until I moved him up to something bigger. It looked like this:









I dont have any pictures of him in the cookie jar...:-(

But I found some on google search...









(not my photo)

I think they look nice.


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

Nice betta! I've seen 2 gallon plastic fish bowls for $12. Of kritter keepers, which are like 4 gallons for $10 or so.... Good luck!


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## gbose (Dec 2, 2010)

What they said. Cute bowl, but too small for a betta. Use it for a nice red cherry shrimp (or two). Get a 2-10 gallon tank for your betta.

GB


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## khrusty (Sep 16, 2010)

Thanks everyone for your advice. Take care and to all of our Central Florida members stay cool.


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