Getting a new fish next week!

[bluewave193]

I just got my tank all set up. Getting a new Betta

[Aqua]

I just got my tank all set up. Getting a new Betta

 
Have you ever had any fish before? If not, read this article about Introduce a new fish to your aquarium.
Anyway, I hope your fish'll be healthy and you'll enjoy it .

[Asch]

I just got my tank all set up. Getting a new Betta

Oooh nice, I have a betta that lives in my kitchen, he's a pretty blue/green crown tail with red highlights. I also have a 55 long tropical tank in my room w/guppies, a dragonfish, a rainbow shark, freshwater clams, live plants, ghost/glass shrimp, tetras and mollies I reluctantly took from a friend. Oh and a couple otocinchlus because they're adorable.

[bluewave193]

Oooh nice, I have a betta that lives in my kitchen, he's a pretty blue/green crown tail with red highlights. I also have a 55 long tropical tank in my room w/guppies, a dragonfish, a rainbow shark, freshwater clams, live plants, ghost/glass shrimp, tetras and mollies I reluctantly took from a friend. Oh and a couple otocinchlus because they're adorable.

 
Wow that is a lot of fish. I don't have that much space in my room. Right now I have a 1 gallon tank in the corner of my desk and I hope to upgrade to about a 6 gallon tank in about a month or so.

I'm so excited to go choose my new desk-mate, or him choose me depending on how you look at it.

[Asch]

Wow that is a lot of fish. I don't have that much space in my room. Right now I have a 1 gallon tank in the corner of my desk and I hope to upgrade to about a 6 gallon tank in about a month or so.

I'm so excited to go choose my new desk-mate, or him choose me depending on how you look at it.

 
Lol I started w/a 2 gallon betta bowl... lol

Bettas, the aquarium enthusiast's gateway fish...

[bluewave193]

I just got my tank all set up. Getting a new Betta

 

Here he is His name is Neptune.

file:///Users/georgiadowgert/Pictures/Pictures/iPhoto%20Library/Modified/2012/Neptune/IMG_0225.JPG

(not sure if it'll work or not)

[Devo]

Wow that is a lot of fish. I don't have that much space in my room. Right now I have a 1 gallon tank in the corner of my desk and I hope to upgrade to about a 6 gallon tank in about a month or so.

I'm so excited to go choose my new desk-mate, or him choose me depending on how you look at it.

 
Does your 1 gal have a filter and all of that?

-Devo

[bluewave193]

Does your 1 gal have a filter and all of that?

-Devo

 
I actually switched to a 3 gal. The 1 gal did fit everything but it was a little cramped.

[Asch]

I actually switched to a 3 gal. The 1 gal did fit everything but it was a little cramped.

 
For what it's worth, AFAIK, betta don't do well with currents. Their fins are so large they get knocked around by it, they're also fairly slow swimmers (which is part of the reason they're better as solo fish, small fast swimmers like tetras will nibble their fins and the poor bettas can't get away or avoid them).

Generally you're okay w/a weekly water change and adding water as needed.

[bluewave193]

For what it's worth, AFAIK, betta don't do well with currents. Their fins are so large they get knocked around by it, they're also fairly slow swimmers (which is part of the reason they're better as solo fish, small fast swimmers like tetras will nibble their fins and the poor bettas can't get away or avoid them).

Generally you're okay w/a weekly water change and adding water as needed.

The current isn't that strong. The reason I wanted a filter is because I think algae (and an improper heating system) killed my last one. My friend (who runs a fish business) helped me set everything up.

Also in addition to the filter, I will change the water weekly.

By the way, if you ever need fish gear check out bettazen.com

[Devo]

The current isn't that strong. The reason I wanted a filter is because I think algae (and an improper heating system) killed my last one. My friend (who runs a fish business) helped me set everything up.

Also in addition to the filter, I will change the water weekly.

By the way, if you ever need fish gear check out bettazen.com

 
I think this is a better bet. Honestly, my eyebrow twitches when I hear of people keeping bettas in unfiltered tanks. It usually doesn't end well. My current betta set up is a 6gal with a filter. It's just turned down really really low, and the water is kept high enough that the current isn't very strong.

I would also recommend the weekly water changes. Of about 30-50%, depending on your water readings. You might want to invest in water reading kits for ammonia, nitrates and nitrites, pH and all that jazz. They can be a lifesaver, esp when trying to figure out what might be up with your tank. If you want to save your betta from a lot of undue stress, you'll want to let the tank cycle before you plop him in there. Let the biobugs get going and all of that. Make sure that your ammonia isn't through the roof before you put him in there. Otherwise, it's likely to kill him. If you're too impatient to wait for the cycle to complete (or don't have media to jump start a cycle without the fish) you'll want to do daily water changes until the cycle finishes. High ammonia can and does kill fish.

If you're worried about algae, you can get a snail to eat it, or clean it off with a sponge. I've never heard of algae killing a fish before, but who knows. If the heat was too high, it could have caused a bump in your cycle, which usually will spike ammonia... which as I said above, does kill fish if too high. Heaters are really risky, because they're faulty. So you will want to invest in a good thermometer before you put the heater in. If the ambient room temp is good enough to keep him happy, you're better off leaving it with that, instead of risking the heater breaking and overheating/cooking your fish.

Hopefully I'm not irritating you with this, I just like to see happy fish :<

-Devo

[bluewave193]

I think this is a better bet. Honestly, my eyebrow twitches when I hear of people keeping bettas in unfiltered tanks. It usually doesn't end well. My current betta set up is a 6gal with a filter. It's just turned down really really low, and the water is kept high enough that the current isn't very strong.

I would also recommend the weekly water changes. Of about 30-50%, depending on your water readings. You might want to invest in water reading kits for ammonia, nitrates and nitrites, pH and all that jazz. They can be a lifesaver, esp when trying to figure out what might be up with your tank. If you want to save your betta from a lot of undue stress, you'll want to let the tank cycle before you plop him in there. Let the biobugs get going and all of that. Make sure that your ammonia isn't through the roof before you put him in there. Otherwise, it's likely to kill him. If you're too impatient to wait for the cycle to complete (or don't have media to jump start a cycle without the fish) you'll want to do daily water changes until the cycle finishes. High ammonia can and does kill fish.

If you're worried about algae, you can get a snail to eat it, or clean it off with a sponge. I've never heard of algae killing a fish before, but who knows. If the heat was too high, it could have caused a bump in your cycle, which usually will spike ammonia... which as I said above, does kill fish if too high. Heaters are really risky, because they're faulty. So you will want to invest in a good thermometer before you put the heater in. If the ambient room temp is good enough to keep him happy, you're better off leaving it with that, instead of risking the heater breaking and overheating/cooking your fish.

Hopefully I'm not irritating you with this, I just like to see happy fish :<

-Devo

 

Thank you for the advise. I am planning on getting a snail eventually, and I did let the water cycle with the filter for about a week before I got Neptune. I also have a thermometer and check the water temp. often. I need a heater because my room gets really cold at night, so the temp. of the tank will drop significantly.

[Ocelot]

Thank you for the advise. I am planning on getting a snail eventually, and I did let the water cycle with the filter for about a week before I got Neptune. I also have a thermometer and check the water temp. often. I need a heater because my room gets really cold at night, so the temp. of the tank will drop significantly.

 
Watch that it doesn't get too hot in the summer. Small tanks fluctuate more rapidly. Also, since it's a small tank, if you can afford it you might want to pick up something like a Brita water pitcher with the filter for water changes and top of water from evaporation. The filter will remove much of the chlorine and some of the phosphates, etc from tap water. The phosphates will cause more algae growth.
 
And good luck with the fish! I really enjoy them. I've had a saltwater tank set up for a good 5 years now Currently a 46 gallon bow front.