# Betta Care quick question



## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Betta was the first fish I had but it has been a while so I thought I would ask you folks here a quick question if you don't mind.

I just got a small Betta and I want to know if what I am doing is okay.

Barebottom tank, 10 gallon with a canopy, 2x13W CFL bulbs.
AC 50 HOB with Fluval Bio Balls only
Heater set temp at 78-80 F 
Light on for 10 hours
Tap water mixed with water conditioner and PH adjuster and Electro-right (both from API), Ph slightly over 7, dH about 4-5.
30-40% water change daily (tank is not cycled yet and I hve no other tank so I want to just do water change while keeping the bio running in the filter).

I try to find info on PH, GH, KH for Betta and it seems like there are various opinions. Is it like "it does not matter as long as it is steady" or "it depnds on the farm/LFS.?" 7 or slightly above with soft water is fine or not? Or can I just do slighty acidic water with soft water?

It came in a cup so it is not really like I can test the water and find out what he is used to. it is kind of a gift.

Will they show better brighter colour if I keep the bottom of the tank white? 

This betta is the only fish in the tank. I have a few floating plants and that is it--no wood, no rock, no nothing but a heater and a filter. 

Thank you.


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## DBam (Aug 9, 2010)

You may be better off without the HOB filter. Bettas don't like surface agitation and don't need strong circulation. If you're not trying to oxygenate any other fauna I wouldn't bother.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

DBam said:


> You may be better off without the HOB filter. Bettas don't like surface agitation and don't need strong circulation. If you're not trying to oxygenate any other fauna I wouldn't bother.


Thanks. I am hoping to have some bio filtration...you mean just a bare bottom tank with a heater?


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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

I have my betta in with my angels and giant danios. It loves to play in the current of the filter. I would use some substrate in the tank as this will also help with the cycling of the tank. I would only do a water change once a week. They live in dirty water in there natural environment. You can have other fish in with it if you want as long as they are not all colorful and flashy looking.

The betta is in the top right corner of the pic.


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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

I agree that HOB filters sometimes aren't the best for bettas. A sponge filter would work well. I like the look of black sand in betta tanks because I find that it really makes their colours pop. Your betta would probably appreciate if it if there was driftwood in your tank because sometimes they like to rest on top of things or hide underneath them. I have a nice piece of driftwood (about 12" long) that I'm not using that you can have for free if you want. I also have lots of Anacharis & Salvinia that you could also have if you want more plants in your tank.


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

did somebody say free driftwood???? lol that's going to be quite a large home for a single betta and i'm sure he'll love the surface area! Pamela is right, a sponge filter would probably be a better option than a HOB filter, for both your betta as well as the floating plants... let them just spread across the surface naturally.


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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

monkE said:


> did somebody say free driftwood????


I collected a few pieces of wood when we were boating one day last summer, so its not Malaysian driftwood or anything like that ...still a nice piece of wood though. The other pieces I collected have been in my tanks for months with no problems so the wood is aquarium safe.

Forgot to mention in my earlier post that Almond Leaves would be a good addition to the betta tank as well.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Pamela said:


> I agree that HOB filters sometimes aren't the best for bettas. A sponge filter would work well. I like the look of black sand in betta tanks because I find that it really makes their colours pop. Your betta would probably appreciate if it if there was driftwood in your tank because sometimes they like to rest on top of things or hide underneath them. I have a nice piece of driftwood (about 12" long) that I'm not using that you can have for free if you want. I also have lots of Anacharis & Salvinia that you could also have if you want more plants in your tank.


Hi,
Thank you so very much. That is very kind of you. Looks like my betta is going to get a nice Christmas gift.  LOL
I have a corner filter that I can use instead of a HOB if that is what you recommend. I also have a duel sponge filter with a suction cup that is to be attached to the glass, and an internal filter with a spray bar. So far he is swimming everywhere does nto look like he minds the current. I can change to other filters it is not a problem. I had a lot of betta when I first started (half moon, delta tail, dumbo ear, crowntail...) but I must admit I do not really know much about what they really like in terms fo water parameters and condition.
I have some black flourite mixed with some ADA Amazonia powder that I can use to grow plants if I want to. 
I am so used to keeping discus doing daily water change in my barebottom that I guess I just do the same with my betta automatically. LOL 
So one weekly water change is fine? Do they actually prefer less water changes?
What about PH and hardness, what do they like? I found various info on line...I am confused.
Thank you very much


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## inuudo (Sep 23, 2012)

I have a betta in a 5.5 gallon planted tank. I use an Aquaclear 20, but have both the intake and output baffled with sponge. One thing I've found is that my betta loves to cram himself under and between things. For instance, I have a couple of very small sword plants -- the largest is maybe two inches at the tallest point -- and he wiggles under the lowest leaves. I've tried to set up the tank with a lot of little nooks and crannies for him to explore. The substrate is eco-complete, and I have some large pebbles on top of part of it, some driftwood, and some larger rocks, in addition to several different kinds of plants.

eta: I change the water about once a week; it has gone ten days without much change in the nitrates. When I change it I do a 50% change. There is also an apple snail in the tank, so I have some crushed coral in the filter to boost the hardness a bit.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

He does not know freeze dried worms are food!!!! I put some on the glass and he just swam by it again and again. *sign*
I will go buy some pellets then as I dont have any fish flakes or pellets except Tetra color bits which is too big for his mouth.
Here are a few pictures of the set up so far. The tank is my old discus grow out tank. Floating plants are water spirite and one hortwort clipping. I dont have much so there is just a tiny bit for now. Hope they will grow and speard in time.


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## ibbica (Nov 20, 2012)

Aw, he looks lovely! And I have to say it makes me very happy to see a betta with 10g all to himself 

My $0.02... what he likes will depend on him. He'll have their own quirks... Some individuals seem to enjoy "playing" with a water stream, others find it troubling and will avoid it; most seem to fit somewhere in between. Just see what he does with your HOB filter in: if he tries to keep out of the stream then a sponge filter would be better for him; if he's in the stream a lot he'd probably prefer the HOB filter in. It's a big enough tank that with plants he'll have plenty of spaces that aren't moving too fast, giving you the opportunity to see what he seems to prefer. Just try to ensure there's at least one spot where the water is relatively still (and/or where there are plants or decor he can harbour in), so he can rest/sleep comfortably. You could even keep a bare-bottomed tank with plants that can handle your water and lighting conditions, but don't need to be planted in a substrate - java moss, java fern, frogbit and duckweed are good ol' standbys (...just be prepared to thin out any floating plants when they threaten to take over! ).

As for water conditions... the water wild bettas live in is typically slightly soft, relatively still ('stagnant' or 'dirty' is really _not_ good, although they can survive for a while in such conditions), and relatively heavily planted. Look for aquatic plants from SE Asia if you want to try to imitate a miniature 'native' habitat. But captive-bred bettas will ("happily"?) breed in a wide range of conditions. Within a 'covers most tropical freshwater fish' range of pH/KH/GH (please don't try to keep a betta in water with a pH of 2 or 10, for example!), "steady" definitely is the most important thing.

Some unsolicited advice on feeding... I'd try floating the freeze dried worms on the water surface instead of sticking them to the glass. This seems to work especially well with a little bit of surface agitation. Bettas are hunters... most of them act like moving 'prey' is The Greatest Thing Ever!  You might occasionally try offering a (betta-sized) mouthful of scrambled egg stuck to the end of a toothpick (it won't float, and you don't want egg rotting in the tank). When we had bettas, about once a week we'd also skip a meal and then give a mouthful of cooked pea (the meat inside, not the skin) instead of the next scheduled feeding, to help prevent blockages. And if you can periodically offer a few live Daphnia, your betta will worship the ground you walk on


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Thanks for all the wonderful help and advise. I just noticed there is a layer of bubble son the water surface so perhaps he is happy (hopefully).
My HOB is turned to min with the current and with all the bio ceramic blocks I have inside the flow is not all that high. As you can see the floating plant can stay in the same place so I think I will may be wait a bit and see. He seems to like swimming around the outflow, too, so may be he is a werid one who likes a bit of curent?
I will pay attention that I do not have too much current and I have spots for him to rest and hide (will have that once I pick up some plants and woods from Pamela...thanks so much )
May I I will just use tap water without adding alkaline buffer. The Ph is always around 6.8-7. May be a bit of mineral and that is it...is that okay?
Since in the wild they are not used to very clean water like discus is it not a good idea to change water too often? Say every day 1/3 is too much?
Thanks a lot guys. Pleaee keep the info coming.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

I have to agree with floating the worms or any food. None of my betta hardly eat anything unless it floating. I presume in the wild their main diet is insects that hit the water so it is probably instinctive they feed from the surface mostly. I also would recommend presoaking before feeding. Pellets and FD worms will both expand like a sponge in water. Since they eat like pigs usually they might eat more that their tiny stomaches can hold so I find it best to get the food to expand before they eat it, in case it does expand. I have lost a couple bettas from what I believe was a bladder disorder which I believe was caused by this. One other thing I would suggest is adding a cave. Betta's are very curious and like to explore & I have found that all mine love their caves. One of them spends the majority of his time in his.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

What kind of cave? Like a pleco cave?
Have you guys tried to ever train your betta to do tricks?
There are a lot of bubbles on the surface. Took another picture to show you.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

the bubbles are a nest, usually a good sing of being comfortable.
more info:http://nippyfish.net/behavior-2/bubble-nests/
Any kind of cave is usually good, personally I like the reptile caves


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Hi John,
Thanks.
How do you keep your water chemistry for your betta?
Can I just use tap with a bit of electro-right?


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

I actually have a 5 gal water jug i use. I put tap water heated to 77F, treated with  Kordon - NovAqua Plus and a 1/2 teaspoon of Seachem. Alkaline Buffer shake it well, let it sit a bit then do w/cs or top offs. I keep an Indian Almond leaf in the tank because I believe it gives them better health. Though mine are in 3-5g unfiltered set ups so 1 leaf per tank is good. They actually really love the almond leaves. My Bettas always swim under them and sometimes just hang out under them for a few. But thats pretty much all I do for the water, not saying it's the right way....just my way lol 1 time every 1 - 1.5 weeks 50-75% w/c and top offs in between seem to work well with mine.

I have seen alot of good info given thus far but I guess I can add what I do lol. Though I have seen the HOB frowned upon for use with them, I actually preferred using them to air bubbles. It might be because I think I killed my first Betta years ago in some stupid "Betta tank" thing I found with a built in bubbler. I thought it was cool, I dont think the betta did tho...live and learn. Man looking back , hard to believe I even did that. Only good thing about those death boxes is the bubbles keep your fish flipping around even after its dead lol RIP lil Betta! Anyway, I found that from time to time most of my betta's seemed to enjoy some current. When I did w/c's they would be right there in the middle of it, and alot of times seen them swimming back and forth through it. I never used big HOB's however. I usually used a mini variety. Sometimes set to it's lowest flow, which was not much at all. Basically so the water would have some movement, filtration and slight circulation to keep the heat somewhat evenly distributed. As Pam said they need places to relax cause they like to just chill alot lol so you definitely don't want too much movement. Floating plants or even the right piece of wood is great for them. I have actually seen mine lay sideways on something and barely be under the water. Silly fish they can be at times. Like I said...just my way. I do know most Veil Tailed Bettas dont like current too much as their fins are like sails caught in the wind lol.Though I did have one that liked it, he used to even swim in to my hand when I was messing around with things in the tank. 
Plants are a big plus with Bettas too. As mentioned they appreciate them alot. They love swimming through them and love laying in them and just chill for a bit. I agree about the black sand too as long as it isn't a black Betta like most of mine are. But to answer a question you had I don't believe any color substrate will cause them to produce better color physically. Good health is the key to the vibrant coloring. The dark substrate and background will enhance it for you visually. The right lighting will bring out all the colors too.

DO you plan on having more fish in with him? I would recommend it in a 10g, Bettas do not need to be alone and I personally believe they probably enjoy company of other peaceful fish. I know most of mine that were in community tanks did fine and sometimes seemed to even join the others. Maybe it just me lol


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## inuudo (Sep 23, 2012)

I agree with what others have said about putting the bloodworms on the surface. I usually melt a few on a teaspoon and then dip the spoon in the water. A few worms float and a few sink; he seems to have a great time grabbing all of them. I also feed Omega flake food once in a while. I give him one of the larger flakes on the surface and he rips it to bits! He's always interested when I drop a pellet in for the snail, but his main food is the Omega Betta Pellets. I feed those 2-3 times a day, 2-5 pellets/time depending on what else he's had and when. I've trained him to take a pellet of the tip of my finger. It's 50/50 whether he gets the pellet or knocks it off.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Well, I just got home. Went to Metrotown with my daughter to do some last minute shopping after paying Pamela a visit at her very beautiful and tasteful home. Came home with two full bags of plants, a perfect piece of wood, and even some Betta food. Thank you so much Pamela. You rock!!!!
I am letting the wood sit in a water bucket for now under some rock, and the plants are all in the tank.
He likes to swim and hide under the floating plants, and he ate the food Pamela gave me right away. So...we are all very happy. Looks like my Betta is going to have a wonderful Christmas.LOL Thanks Pamela.
John, I dont plan to have any other fish with this betta. I want to spend some time to see if I can train him to do some tricks, like swimming through a loop or things like that. I know it may sound ridiculous but that is what I want to do. 
If you add 1/2 teaspoon of buffer to 5 gallon of water your water's PH will be quite a bit over 7, is it? Can you control a steady Ph this way? The almond leaves still can drop your PH down with so much alkaline buffer? probably not by much if any, is it?
If I keep the tank barebootom I could probably just skip the filter, keep the floaties, and change water every 2 days.... but since you all say black substrate and plants are important I will do some scaping for him once the wood is water logged. may be a South Asia biotope style?


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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

You're welcome, it was nice to meet you ! Hopefully the wood will sink quickly. 

If you decide not to use a filter, with that many plants in the tank you could go longer than 2 days for water changes. I have a 3.5 gallon betta tank with a heater, black sand, Almond Leaf in it, and lots of Java Fern - it doesn't have a filter. I do a 50% water change about every 5 days. I use Stress Coat to treat the tap water. I don't use buffers in his water. I tried to keep him in a 5.5 gallon planted Fluval Spec before and he hated the current. He started biting his fins off and stopped building bubble nests. When I moved him back into his unfiltered smaller tank he was much happier. Bettas all seem to have their own different preferences though.

I think that there's a good chance that you'll be able to train your betta to do some tricks. I used to have one really tame betta who seemed to enjoy being petted and would let me pick him up in my hand.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Thank you very much for everyone's help.
The betta is doing fine s far, alwasy awimming around up and down and sometimes going through the plants. He is making lots of bubbles and does nto look like he will ever slow down.
I am feeding him pamela's betta food (about 2 pellets at a time) twice a day.
This betta is a gift for my little girl. It came in a cup with a lid. Since I have no tank for it I had to just put him in what was my discus grow out and now quantrantee tank. Since the tank is not cycled, I am doing frenquent water change and I also add stability and prime. I am no expert on betta but he does seem to like the water so far, especially after I added the floating plants.
Another member, gklaw kindly made me a pre-filter that I am using for the intake of the filter. The current is a bit slowed down, and the betta was seen swimming right at the outlet a few times. If he goes under the flaoting plants he will have a corner with much less current as well.
Thank you everyone for your PM, comment, suggestions, and generous offer to help. 
This forum is such a nice community consisting of many knowledable and helpful hobbists from all walks of life. I am very happy to be part of this community.
Have a Merry Christmas everyone. Thank you.
.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

If you still have him in the 10g, I don't think you need to be too concerned about the cycling process as there will not be a big bio load and the fact that the Betta breathes air. I would think you should easily be able to go atleast a week and do a 50% w/c without any problems, especially with the plants in there.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

okay...the parameters are all good so far anyway.
May I ask what does breathing air have to do with cycling?
If there is too much nitrite he still won't be able to absorb the oxygen regardless, isn't it?


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Well I believe that since the majority of the Bettas oxygen intake is obtained from air as opposed to water, they would not be affected as easily as other fish. Though nitrates can cause harm to them if they are too high regardless of that. I was kinda thinking on the fact that you seem too concerned with the tank cycling and are doing too frequent w/c's that is probably unnecessary stress on the fish. Not sure what you really meant by "frequent" as you have only had it 2 days and stated you were doing frequent W/C's. If it is a 10 gal tank with just the Betta and feeding him what little you feed him, I can't think ammonia nitrites and nitrates would build up very quickly to begin with. Especially since you have some plants to help with that. And unlike the Discus you should only be feeding him once a day lol so far less concerns with the water going to crap in a few hours
Considering most people keep them in vases , bowls and tanks smaller than 10 gal & only do once, maybe twice a week w/c's and have them for a couple years with no problems. I would think you would have 10 times less concerns than they do lol.
I am by far any kind of expert. And I could be wrong, wont be the first or last time lol But I have had many unfiltered smaller Betta tanks, with plants, and have really never found the Ammonia. nitrites or nitrates to rise to any kind of a harmful level within a week. Maybe in a bowl it would happen. Though it doesn't hurt to monitor it to see for yourself whats happening with the water.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Thanks John, I appreciate your help. I was just wondering, not meant to challenge you in anyway. I am sorry if I came across as that.
I think keeping discus has made me obsessed with doing water changes and placing this tank next to the discus tank is not helping.
I added the wood Pamela gave me today in the tank. The wood is still floating but right away he started swimmign thought the holes going all around it. It surely was interesting to see.
I wil go easy on the water change. Thanks.


Diztrbd1 said:


> Well I believe that since the majority of the Bettas oxygen intake is obtained from air as opposed to water, they would not be affected as easily as other fish. Though nitrates can cause harm to them if they are too high regardless of that. I was kinda thinking on the fact that you seem too concerned with the tank cycling and are doing too frequent w/c's that is probably unnecessary stress on the fish. Not sure what you really meant by "frequent" as you have only had it 2 days and stated you were doing frequent W/C's. If it is a 10 gal tank with just the Betta and feeding him what little you feed him, I can't think ammonia nitrites and nitrates would build up very quickly to begin with. Especially since you have some plants to help with that. And unlike the Discus you should only be feeding him once a day lol so far less concerns with the water going to crap in a few hours
> Considering most people keep them in vases , bowls and tanks smaller than 10 gal & only do once, maybe twice a week w/c's and have them for a couple years with no problems. I would think you would have 10 times less concerns than they do lol.
> I am by far any kind of expert. And I could be wrong, wont be the first or last time lol But I have had many unfiltered smaller Betta tanks, with plants, and have really never found the Ammonia. nitrites or nitrates to rise to any kind of a harmful level within a week. Maybe in a bowl it would happen. Though it doesn't hurt to monitor it to see for yourself whats happening with the water.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Not to take away from Fish Rookie's original posting, any of you guys have any personal experience or pointers in healing betta fins? Other than clean water,water changes,almond leaves etc is there anything else out there to cure fins more quickly?


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I have put some black flourite in the tank. Put some rocks on the wood that Pamela gave me to keep it down. The wood has caves and tunnels for the betta to swin through and he LOVES it.
The water is very cloudy now. I will take some pictures when the water clears up.
Planted the plants Pamela gave me in the sbustraes and let some of them float on top.
Also "borrowed" an amazon sword and some B.Japonica from my daughter's planted tank. She said I needed to give her some plants back in return so I gave her some of the elodea from Pamela.
I also have some L. Repens that I put in my ADA just to keep everything in check as it is a fast grower. I will remove that plant when the HC and hairgrass are grown in and put it in this betta tank as well. Think that is going to pretty much fill up the tank with plants.
Bought some fire shrimps from Pat and placed them in the tank. Also put two duplicarus corys inside. They will be my clean up crew.
I will wait a few days (yes, no more water change LOL) and hopefully the water will clear up so I can take some pictures to show you guys.
So far the shrimps and fish seem happy. Thanks a lot for all the help.


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## inuudo (Sep 23, 2012)

Luke78 said:


> Not to take away from Fish Rookie's original posting, any of you guys have any personal experience or pointers in healing betta fins? Other than clean water,water changes,almond leaves etc is there anything else out there to cure fins more quickly?


Is it fin rot or is your betta a tail biter?

When I got my betta, his tail was bitten ragged; I used aquarium salt for a while and StressCoat+ as water conditioner. It took about three months, but his tail fin grew out splendidly (and I discovered that he is a half moon!). Unfortunately, he gave himself a trim last week, and I don't want to add salt because I have an apple snail in the tank with him now.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Why cant you add salt when you have a snail?
BTW, Luke78, you will receive more help if you start your own thread in the hosipatl section about your problem.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

have you ever put salt on a snail crawling across a sidewalk? Not a happy ending for the snail lol. I presume it's the same result for aquatic snails. From what I have read they can tolerate light amounts but it has to be dissolved real good.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Inuudo,

Not a case of fin rot at all, possibly a biter but haven't seen in person per say they stay near by me all the time and in plain view.I am very picky about my water so its looked after, i use almond leaves(they do make a difference) and feed a varied diet.All six are very active,flaring and building large bubble nests so i know they are happy for the time being.Just looking for other options/experience thanks for the help, hope your guy pulls through



inuudo said:


> Is it fin rot or is your betta a tail biter?
> 
> When I got my betta, his tail was bitten ragged; I used aquarium salt for a while and StressCoat+ as water conditioner. It took about three months, but his tail fin grew out splendidly (and I discovered that he is a half moon!). Unfortunately, he gave himself a trim last week, and I don't want to add salt because I have an apple snail in the tank with him now.


Fish Rookie,

Well for starters, your posting is about 'Betta Care' so i assumed its an open topic correct? If i am wrong my apologies.I also followed the rest of the posts and a lot of other members here responded with their 'own' experiences along with your own hence why i added my own post(mentioned not taking away anything from you) and not start another topic regarding the same thing,everyone helping one another right? I guess not. No where did i post i had a medical condition regarding my own betta(s) and just looking for answers,if i did i would be right there in the 'hospital section' My apologies again for taking away any attention from your original post.



Fish rookie said:


> Why cant you add salt when you have a snail?
> BTW, Luke78, you will receive more help if you start your own thread in the hosipatl section about your problem.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Diztrbd1 said:


> have you ever put salt on a snail crawling across a sidewalk? Not a happy ending for the snail lol. I presume it's the same result for aquatic snails. From what I have read they can tolerate light amounts but it has to be dissolved real good.


O boy, yeah I have sprinkled salt on a snug before and it was not pretty.
I dont have any snail but if I do I will be careful in the future.

Luke I was just saying if you have fin rot issues --which I though you do--you will get more help by starting your own thread in the hosipital section. I started this thread just to ask a few quick questions about how to care for my betta but you are free to chime in. I was not telling you not to post here at all, just that if you need help quckly you could get it with yoru own thread. I misunderstood that you were looking for help with fin rot issue with your betta, my apology, too.

John, now I have cave, tunnel, wood, plants and a couple cory doras I think I am good. will you recommend anything else? Thank you.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Fish Rookie,

Although i have been keeping Fish of all kinds for many years, i have never had much success with bettas,go figure lol so when i saw your posting it helped a lot and didn't find the need to post a second thread asking the same questions.Its been a decent post, and i am gathering all the info i need to get buy without any losses.That's why i added my posting,maybe not clear enough but thought someone here would chime back and give their thoughts, and they did.Just here for some help,answers,experience, etc like you willing to help when i can and vise versa.Good luck with your betta by the way, its addictive i have six already many kinds you name it ha ha ! No harm or bad feelings, its all good as they say



Fish rookie said:


> O boy, yeah I have sprinkled salt on a snug before and it was not pretty.
> I dont have any snail but if I do I will be careful in the future.
> 
> Luke I was just saying if you have fin rot issues --which I though you do--you will get more help by starting your own thread in the hosipital section. I started this thread just to ask a few quick questions about how to care for my betta but you are free to chime in. I was not telling you not to post here. I misunderstood that you were looking for help with fin rot issue with your betta, my apology, too.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

It is all good my friend. 
You are keeping your 6 betta all in their own tank or are you using dividers?
I sometimes see people keeping more than 1 male in the same tank and nothing happens, and sometimes a male and a female will try to kill each other. It is rather confusing.LOL


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

I wish i had a setup to have them all together,but separate spots of course.Just not up to getting glass cut,gluing in dividers and so on.Might consider down the road though if the collection grows.I keep a few in those Marina/Hagen setups,but recently made the switch to large glass bowls i have found at HomeSense actually.They are each about a 1 gallon almost 2, large round and open tops so plenty of air coming through and i can tell you they use every inch of it.Big difference in their behavior and plenty active.The Hagen units were ok, don't get me wrong they did the job but space makes a difference,and when cleaning the acrylic scratched a bit.I don't run any filters on them,just two water changes a week with stability/Aquaplus for bettas and half an almond leave added each time.I use a bit of gravel/rocks/pebbles in each and have stems of elodea in each which they like a lot swimming through it all the time.Ive also found these small Hagen heaters for bettas which i added as well and make their water temps just right.A good investment if you ask me.I feed them Hikari betta food and have the tiny bites hikari makes as well which i find useful for its size and they don't have problems chewing it down after.Once in a while i feed blood worms or brine shrimp but not often. That's about it, keeping it simple really and so far its working.Got several super deltas,crown tails,short fin. Always looking to add more lol!

Yeah adding more than one male to tank can work i guess, but its up to the betta i think and how much space they can claim their own.Yeah females can be just as bad come breeding time or starting court ship.Been reading up on that< and watching videos on line.My next project down the line is to create a nano type biotope setup for a betta.See how that goes, trying to find photos and info, ain't lucky yet.



Fish rookie said:


> It is all good my friend.
> You are keeping your 6 betta all in their own tank or are you using dividers?
> I sometimes see people keeping more than 1 male in the same tank and nothing happens, and sometimes a male and a female will try to kill each other. It is rather confusing.LOL


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Luke78 said:


> My next project down the line is to create a nano type biotope setup for a betta.See how that goes, trying to find photos and info, ain't lucky yet.


does this help? 
Catch Wild betta Splenden from Thailand.By Sakai. - YouTube
Catch Betta Imbellis from wild.(Thailand) - YouTube
lol safe to say they like alot of stem plants lol you probably done seen those though I'm sure lol
yea not alot of info about them in the wild hardly at all


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

John,

Thanks for sharing those links, crazy how they collect them in those parts of the world.Wondering how many get stepped on too ? They just steam rolled through that brush.It is hard to find some pics of layouts people have started, but the search continues.



Diztrbd1 said:


> does this help?
> Catch Wild betta Splenden from Thailand.By Sakai. - YouTube
> Catch Betta Imbellis from wild.(Thailand) - YouTube
> lol safe to say they like alot of stem plants lol you probably done seen those though I'm sure lol
> yea not alot of info about them in the wild hardly at all


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I have kind of finished setting up this Betta tank. Thank you for everyone's help, especially from Pamela, who has kindly given us a beautiful pirce of wood and some very healthy plants.
The wood has finally sunk. Have planted some simple plants around the plant, nothign really fancy.
Substrate is seachem flourite.
Other than the plants from Pamela most plants are clippings or babies from another tank so they are quite small at the moment. They will grow in may be in 1-2 months hopefully.
The wood has some caves and holes for the fish to swim though and hide but he spends most of his time swimming in the open. 
It is a 10 gallon, with 1 betta, about 5 painted fire shrimps, and 2 small duplicarus cories.
Will tidy things up a bit once they grow in. Sorry I know it is not the best pic.
Right now I am doing 3-5 gallon water change every 3 days.
Thank you once again for all your help.
Have a Happy New Year.


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## inuudo (Sep 23, 2012)

Beautiful tank and betta! I'm looking forward to the updates.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

The plants Pamela gave me were very long--and I mean REALLY long--so I cut them up in very short portions and planted them all one by one in the back. Hopefully in time they will grow and form a nice backdrop.  It is kind of messy now because the plants are all very young but they should look more grown in in 1-2 months. I am not using any Co2 or excel or anything like that. It is supposed to be a very simple lightly planted low tech tank. Hopefully it will work as planned. 
Will update in a month or so. Thank you.


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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

The tank looks really good & your betta looks happy  Did you name him yet?


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Pamela said:


> The tank looks really good & your betta looks happy  Did you name him yet?


Hi Pamela,
Thank you so much. Your wood really fits very well in the tank, it is the perfect size, colour and texture. Hopefully the tank will look better in a few months.
This betta was a gift to my youngest daughter (5 years old). Because she cannot do all the scaping and so on we have to set up the tank for her. 
She does the feeding sometimes and she is very happy that the tank is no longer barebottom.  Thanks a lot for all your help.
She has named her betta "cherry," or sometimes she calls him "cherry blossom" or 'sakura." She seems to think that he is a "she"


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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

Fish rookie said:


> Hi Pamela,
> Thank you so much. Your wood really fits very well in the tank, it is the perfect size, colour and texture. Hopefully the tank will look better in a few months.
> This betta was a gift to my youngest daughter (5 years old). Because she cannot do all the scaping and so on we have to set up the tank for her.
> She does the feeding sometimes and she is very happy that the tank is no longer barebottom.  Thanks a lot for all your help.
> She has named her betta "cherry," or sometimes she calls him "cherry blossom" or 'sakura." She seems to think that he is a "she"


I'm happy to help  That's cute that she named him Cherry! I gave my friends 5 year old daughter a really pretty pink betta awhile ago & she named him Princess :lol:


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

It was supposed to be cherry bomb...but she changed it to cherry blossom!
Thanks a lot for your help.
Have a great New Year!


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## missnikki (Dec 28, 2012)

*Fish Rookie, looks like we are in the same boat with our new happy Bettas 

Do you notice if your betta sits near the filter intake, allowing it the kinda hold him there for a few seconds before swimming off somewhere else?

I kinda want to wrap plastic mesh around the intake but not sure how to secure it ... any ideas appreciated. Happy new year! *


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

No, I do not notice that but I have a sponge pre-filter on my intake, which was specially made by me by the ever so handy gklaw!!
You can buy a prefilter from Mykiss of Canadian Aquatic. Not sure however if he has the one for square intake. You can wrap some floss around the intake and just tie it up with some fishing line or even a thread I think, although I have never tried that but I have seen that done in LFS. But be careful that the floss do not get sucked in the impeller. You can also find a big block of spong then cut a slit in the middle.
I have shrimps now so the pre-filter is a good idea to prevent them from getting sucked in.
I also put some fliter floss in the filter compartment as my last media and it slows down the output a bit, I have raised the water level to almost touching the output. Things seem to be going rather well so far.
Good luck with yours.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I am now going to do one 50% water change per week. Plants are not getting any ferts but they are still growing albeit slowly. Give it a couple month the back and side should be much more bushy. 
Cherry (the Betta) is still making lots of bubbles, the two duplicarus corys are busy eating, and painted fire shrimps are making a showing here and there. No one has died yet.
Thansk everyone for your tips, and helps. I really love this wood, it has the perfect texture and colour.
Some pictures as requested..


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## UnderseaGal (Mar 4, 2014)

Great looking tank and lots of fantastic info on this thread.
I'm contemplating setting up a (much smaller) betta tank so I appreciated reading all this!
Thanks for sharing!


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