# brand new



## monty98 (Aug 3, 2011)

so i got my daughter a male betta in a 1 gallon tank, and i got a few questions. frist we got the freeze dried blood worms i have heard that they can be bad if they are over feed with them, so how do i feed we feed the betta those? and do they need a heater? if so what is a good heater? and now i want one, you all where right they are addictive but i think i might get a 10 or 20 gallon tank. any other advice would be great. im brand new at this so anything would help thank you all


----------



## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

They don't have to have a heater... If you're keeping it in a one gallon bowl, then clean it out once every 3 days and DON'T CLEAN OUT 100% OF THE WATER! Lots of people do that! Keep the temp over 72 degrees... I'd get plants for him... I feed mine hikari freeze dried blood worms... It's different with different betta fish. My female has eaten 6 twice a day and not gotten bloated! I feed my halfmoon male 6 blood worms a day and he gets bloated! I have three bettas and once you get into the hobby, you'll want more and more and more! I have a betta book that says if you want the betta to be perky and swimming, with bright beautiful colors, get a heater and some way of airation. It could be an airstone or filter. I don't have room for a big container, but if you can afford it and have space, upgrade to a 2 gal! If the male betta looks really fat, then he is probably bloated. Don't feed him for a day and if he's still bloated, feed him part of a pea. It's fiber and it'll clean out their system. I would feed my male betta 3 worms twice a day unless he gets bloated. If he gets bloated, feed him 2 worms twice a day. What type of betta is he? Veiltails are the common ones. If you get addicted like I did, you'll probably end up trying to breed them and then with about 70 eggs in a bubble nest! A good book to get from the library is Bettas by Marshel E. Ostrow.


----------



## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

I am also doing the pets merrit badge for boyscouts! Message me if you'd like more help!


----------



## Elry (Jan 15, 2011)

Betta Man's advice is not the best. I wouldn't chance your luck with his unless you want your fish to not live a full life.

I've only been in the hobby eight months, but I know my basic facts.

1. You should probably get at least a two and a half gallon tank with a heater. They *DO* need one. It's hard to heat anything under two gallons. It's possible, but it's hard since it fluctuates with the ambient room temperature. These are tropical fish that come from the rice patties of Thailand where the temperature is usually 76-82 degrees. They can survive at other temps, but if you want a betta to *thrive,* you should get a heater and larger tank. The larger the tank, the happier the betta. They'll have room to spread their fins and exercise. 
Do not believe the bullcrap myth about about tiny mudpuddles. We're talking _ricepaddies_.








Does this look like a mud puddle to you?

2. Make sure the container has a lid. Bettas can jump three inches or more.

3. I'd get a pelleted food instead of freeze dried bloodworms. They are notorious for causing swimbladder/bloat. They can be used as an occasional treat, but ONLY occasional. If you look for a pellet food, make sure the first two or three ingredients listed are some sort of meal. Bettas are carnivores and thus need protein in their diet. Presoak them for at least five minutes.

4. If you want to keep him in the one gallon, you DO need to need to do a 100% water change every five to seven days. The ammonia builds up FAST. Look at it this way. You have 1ppm and do a 50% water change one week. That takes it down to .5, then you don't do another water change for another week. It goes right back up. 

If you want more basic care facts, here is a good comprehensive care sheet.


----------



## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

I have kept bettas for 4 years... It's his decision what he believes. Bettas CAN be kept in 1 gallons and at my aquarium club, we had a pro from the IBC come and explain about bettas. I have kept bettas happily alive in a 3 pint container for 3 years at a time. They built bubble nests which says they are likely happy. I don't consider Thailand tropical. It stays warm and humid their though. If your betta is well kept, it won't need a lid. Fish jump when they're stressed. Yes, it does look like a mud puddle to me! I got my info from betta whisperer about conditioning bettas with bloodworms so it would make sense that they would be healthy! Don't listen to the pellet instructions! It says to feed it way to much! Argue with the pro betta breeder about hundred percent water changes. Almost everyone I've talked to says "no 100% water changes". Who the heck says bettas don't like light? Mine see light and they bred and swim happily around their tanks. Melifix does work! At max, from what I researched says that Thailand gets only about 97 degrees. That's in april when it is warmest. Think, how warm would it be in water out of sun because the care sheet said they didn't like light. There is a very very slight current from what I've heard... Also, think how they can have adapted slightly so lower the temp a couple of degrees. It says on my reasearch that at lowest, it's 78 degrees and think how warm the water would be plus how much they've adapted! Also, that field has a lot of plants in it! 
that would lessen the room wouldn't it? There probably are some dividers too. I also did write about a heater. Look at this pic!


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

WOW !!!!
from my own personal experience ; i have fond that....
bettas do best at temps around 80 degrees F..a decent 25 watt heater will work well..
a 5 gallon tanks with a heater and an undergravel filter will be just fine..
a little current from the filtration is fine...you just don't want him to think he is whitewater rafting..
bettas are not completely carnivorous...no fish is...it is important to give them a good varied diet...a different food every feeding...at a temp of 80 degrees they should be fed about 3 times a day..but try not to overfeed them...here are foods that i would feed..
Betta Blasts..(my brand)......veggie flakes.....earthworm flakes...plankton/krill/spirulina flakes.......super spirulina flakes.....and staple flakes...
once a week do a 20% water change..
bettas can have spawns as big as 300 or so eggs...fry can be kept together until the males can be spotted and they start to get aggressive with each other..i kept my males in 1 qt. mason jars changing 100% of the water every 2 days....females can all be kept together.....rows and rows and rows of mason jars...lol.....it was quite an experience..
when raising fry first foods need to be micro fine..well under 100 microns..infusoria is a good starter food..as well as many of the high end prepared feeds such as Mega Fry...Max Prime and a few others..
but much of this is well into the future and not for you to worry about yet...it's just me runnin my mouth....lol

i am about a million miles away from being an expert on anything..just going by my own personal experiences....so don't take my word as gospel...


----------



## monty98 (Aug 3, 2011)

wow alot of different thoughts and ways of doing things!?! well thank you all very much, it looks like there are many ways that work, that is a very good thing(so we don't kill him) for the kid and mabey me soon. her tank has a air powerd fitler with a rock bubbler in it and i just got her a plant also. i know the other fish she had died cause of the amminoin build up(didnt know about changing the water with a filter). so one more question what do you think about the amminoin removers? or is changing the water enough? thanks again!


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i don't use chemicals for cycling very much..mostly i use fish...the process of nitrification start with organic materials put into the water....there is an ammonia buildup..bacteria consumes the ammonia and reduces it to nitrite...both ammonia and nitrite are deadly to fish....once again bacteria consumes the nitrites and reduces them to nitrates....nitrates being relatively harmless to fish unless it reaches a very high count..weekly water changes helps to keep ammonia and nitrite (and even nitrate) levels down as the tank cycles...at some point readings for both ammonia and nitrate will reach "0" indicating that the tank is cycled...
if you don't have much of a bioload the cycle process will be more gentle and have much less effect on fish...
just keep up with 20-30% water changes once or twice a week...you will be fine...


----------



## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

Monty98

Welcome to Fishforums.

http://www.fishforums.com/forum/bettas/21729-some-my-betta-babies.html

http://www.fishforums.com/forum/bettas/23369-betta-info.html

Mostly pics in this thread but I also included my Betta care when asked.

Have kept up to 20 Bettas at a time and most lived 5-6 years


----------

