Surprise!

[Manitoban Herps]

I used to came tons of fish and my room was plasterd with aquariums full of fish, my room is still plasterd with aquariums but with herps not fish. Any who, my mom came home with a stunning betta tonight that a friend at her work didn't want. I just want to know some care tips on this guy.

The person who had this guy put conditineor in the water, is that nessasary?

Are these guys hard to breed?

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

KEVIN:

You can use conditioners (aquarium products) to treat the water or you can simply age some water (either letting it sit in a container for next use in a water change, or fresh water hours before sitting as well but using an air stone to stir up the water and force some evaporation). Both methods work on a small or large scale aquarium. If you leave enough water say 30% and the filter is not cleaned completely sterile then 70% fresh new water will not harm the fish.

As for bettas breeding I have no clue, I only delt in Discus fish for breeding.

:)

Goodluck.

Tony Pharosx

[Manitoban Herps]

Thanks, makes me happy do get a fish again, we have a 55 gallon in our living room with an large unknown catfish, a large pleco and a 7 inche tiger oscar, plenty of room still but there is nothing we can put in the tank without it being killed.

Maybe a female oscar?

[emkovar]

Check out the sister site to ssnakess, www.allthingsaquatic.com for all your fishie needs

[VI Reptiles]

wow, I never knew there was a sister site to ssnakess.com! Cool!


VI Reptiles

[pablo111]

Originally posted by Manitoban Herps
Thanks, makes me happy do get a fish again, we have a 55 gallon in our living room with an large unknown catfish, a large pleco and a 7 inche tiger oscar, plenty of room still but there is nothing we can put in the tank without it being killed.

Maybe a female oscar?

You have absolutely NO room in that 55.

Just because there is physical "space" doesnt mean more fish.

You guys REALLY dont know anything about aquariums on this forum :P

Stick to snakes ya herp freaks ;)

[pablo111]

Most water supplies use chloramine, which means letting the water sit is NOT enough. Add water conditioner accordingly. I suggest Tetra Aquasafe or Seachem Prime.

Make sure you draw identical temperature water from your tap. Dont over feed, change 50% of the water atleast every 2 days if possible- bettas are more fragile than you think.

[Ducksarefun]

bettas do best in still water. A filter stirs up the water a bit too much (unless you have him in a big tank). You definately want to get the chlorine from your tap water out of the water before you introduce it to the fish. Don't change any more than 50% of the water. I used to change mine every second day - probably about 25% or 30%.

Bettas breathe air, so the top of the tank (or whatever you have it in) should not be closed. If it's a male, he will build bubble nests on the surface of the water. This is normal, and is actually a sign he is comfortable.

[marisa]

Although the lid should not be closed, you must have some form of lid. Bettas are known for tank jumping. :D:D

Marisa

[pablo111]

Originally posted by Ducksarefun
bettas do best in still water. A filter stirs up the water a bit too much (unless you have him in a big tank). You definately want to get the chlorine from your tap water out of the water before you introduce it to the fish. Don't change any more than 50% of the water. I used to change mine every second day - probably about 25% or 30%.

Bettas breathe air, so the top of the tank (or whatever you have it in) should not be closed. If it's a male, he will build bubble nests on the surface of the water. This is normal, and is actually a sign he is comfortable.

Actually they do alright in a slight current as well. The bottom line is that you want the fish in the cleanest water possible. If you have a very low flow filter on a reasonable size tank (like a 15GPH red sea nano on a 5 or 10G) you can still have a reasonable amount of biological filtration, certainly enough to process what the betta produces, to prevent the presense of ammonia and nitrate and properly cycle the tank. (See? Think reptiles are hard now? :P)

There can not be bilogical filtration if there is no water movement, and therefore no oxygen. Just jam Aquaclear sponge in that filter, you'll never have to change it.


Also remember, a betta eats very little, but should get a varied diet. two or three little blood worms, and two hikari betta pellets are a reasonable day's meal.

[Thrush]

yes, I agree with Pablo, You should definitely use a water conditioner that removes chloramine if you live in a city that treats its water. Letting the water sit will only evaporate chlorine. I also agree that the betta should have sufficient surface area at the top of its tank/bowl, and that a filter is not necessary since they like more still water. Just don't fill the tank too full to prevent suicide jumps!
Good luck,
Please don't put it with the oscar!! :D
Thrush

[Rikki]

Bettas like still water and do horrible in community tanks. I have spawned bettas for years, please let me know if you are still interested! :)

[SnakeyeZ]

The minimum requirments for an oscar itself..is 60 gallons..mines alone in his 75 gal, and lovin it. I know a tad about fish :P

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

"still interested?" Rikki, your gonna ship bettas to him or something? "years", how many? Your 14.

Knowledge I have aquired about bettas:
Bettas, in nature, come from stagnant ponds/pools. They prefer no current but will take a small amount(as in the example by pablo). And as previously stated, a varied diet

With any fish, you should use a water conditioner. IME, Seachem's PRIME is the best stuff to use. You should have a lid to prevent death by jumping, and also to prevent junk from getting into the betta's "bowl"(or tank or whatever).

I would do a 20-40% Water change weekly. Try to get the change water to the same temperature as the water already in the tank/container/bowl.

Dont feed alot, you dont want to cause huge amounts of ammonia(and nitrite and nitrate) in the....container.

Unless the temperature is below 72, dont worry about adding a heater. They do best with a temperature of 75-80 though.

Good luck, and congrats!

C.

[Rikki]

What are you talking about?! I was asking him if he still wanted information about breeding bettas, sheesh! Also, I am 15 years old and I have spawned bettas since the age of 12. I have shipped bettas all across america. I cannot stand seeing people like you acting as if you know the situation, when you cannot even get the situation right. And you act as age has a single thing to do with it, you must be one of those people against younger people in the hobby :)

I keep Thai Butterfiles, plakats, and much more. I know what I am doing man...

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

Originally posted by Rikki
And you act as age has a single thing to do with it, you must be one of those people against younger people in the hobby :)

I know what I am doing man...

Yup......Thats right, im against myself in this hobby. I mean, come on im just a dumb 15 year old right?(well 24 days away).

I even stated my age in your post about "goodbye ssnakess people" or something like that.

The only reason I disputed/inquired about your comment was because you have been known to lie....I wont go any further.....and I see alot of young people lying about stuff. I understand when some people our age have been doing things or experiencing more(as you and I have) things than others. I know a kid that lies constantly to act cool, says he has a pilots license and all this other stuff. Anyways, just curious more than anything....for reasons stated above.

I was asking him if he still wanted information about breeding bettas, sheesh!

You didnt specify, sorry I guess I made a judgement but chill.

I have shipped bettas all across america.
Whatever you say.

I cannot stand seeing people like you acting as if you know the situation, when you cannot even get the situation right.
Kind of hard when you didnt specify anything. Just "if you are still interested"

I know what I am doing man...
Who said you didnt? All I did was ask a question.

Cheers,

C.

[lostwithin]

I have had one for a few years he is in a glass vase with rocks on the bottom and 5 live bamboo sticks sticking out. His water is kept around 78-80, (whatever the room temp in the herp room is, I let the water in the vase dry up until its about an inch deep then top it back up, I have NEVER treated the water I make sure its the same temp and just poor it in. Is fed commercial betta food on occasion (literally I bought one of those little containers when I got him and its still 2/3 full) . a couple times a year or so I change the water completely clean all the rocks, and cut the bottom inch or 2 off the bamboo to shorten it back up and get rid of the roots that had formed, then top it off with tap water match it to the same temp that the water was at in the cup with the fish in it and drop him back in. He is by far the healthiest betta I have ever seen. very colorful and builds bubble nests all the time. easiest pet I have ever kept.

Devon

[Rikki]

CHRISANDBOIDS14, I had a rocky past but we all have moved on since then, nothing happend major or anything. Though the way you were talking you act like your against me. Look on ATA and you will see all of my topics regarding my bettas and breeding. Lets move on, and keep this on topic. The guy asked for help lets give it to him, we can discuss this over PM if you feel the need. You act as if only experts keep bettas (not saying im not an expert :p ). Take care! :)

[pablo111]

Originally posted by sssnakeyesss
The minimum requirments for an oscar itself..is 60 gallons..mines alone in his 75 gal, and lovin it. I know a tad about fish :P

I wouldnt mind knowing the tad you know about BRB's. Notice you have one in your pic.

Im in LOVE with these animals... I want one sooo bad...

What size tank would I need for an adult? Or should I use a rubbermaid? Can someone send me a schematic of such a setup?

heatpad and rubbermaid?

[reptile boi]

Hey,

Spawning bettas isnt that hard, but you need to be very "delicate" or in other words be very careful with these guys. I have spawned mine by keeping the male and female in separate tanks with the water at about 85-88F. I kept them like this for 7 days and after that time is up i put the female in a little container which is then placed in the males tank. I leave them like this until the male has constructed a bubble nest. After the male has constructed his bubble nest, i add the female in with him. At this time the male started courting her and she started dropping her eggs immediately which the male syphoned up with his mouth and spat them in his bubbles. Once the female was out of eggs, i quickly took her out of the males tank and placed her bak into her original tank. The babies hatched about 2 days later and were hanging onto the bubble nest for a few days. Once they started to venture out on their own and started swimming and exploring the tank freely, i took out the male and place him in his own separate tank. The fry were left in the tank in which they hatched out in and were fed microworms and newly hatched brine shrimp. well, i think ive typed enough, if you want to know how i kept the fry please do not hesistate to email me for more details. I can also direct you to someone i know of that has been breeding bettas for 15-20 years if you have any specific questions.

[Rikki]

Its also important to feed the pair live or frozen foods for atleast two weeks before breeding. Nice post Reptile Boi! :)

[pablo111]

Originally posted by lostwithin
I have had one for a few years he is in a glass vase with rocks on the bottom and 5 live bamboo sticks sticking out. His water is kept around 78-80, (whatever the room temp in the herp room is, I let the water in the vase dry up until its about an inch deep then top it back up, I have NEVER treated the water I make sure its the same temp and just poor it in. Is fed commercial betta food on occasion (literally I bought one of those little containers when I got him and its still 2/3 full) . a couple times a year or so I change the water completely clean all the rocks, and cut the bottom inch or 2 off the bamboo to shorten it back up and get rid of the roots that had formed, then top it off with tap water match it to the same temp that the water was at in the cup with the fish in it and drop him back in. He is by far the healthiest betta I have ever seen. very colorful and builds bubble nests all the time. easiest pet I have ever kept.

Devon


Never let the water go down and then fill it back up. youre letting your nitrates climb too high.

Take water out first. 50% changes are good. If you do this daily your betta will be in heaven.

USE WATE CONDITIONER.

[Ducksarefun]

yea, i definately do NOT agree with lostwithin's method of fish-keeping. The water should be changed ~40% every second day if there's no filter, and once a week if there is. Don't ever clean all the rocks. The bacteria that keep everything in balance (ie, ammonia, nitrates, etc) live there, and cleaning everything means the cycle has to start all over again, which is NOT good for your fish. Anyone keeping fish should read up on the nitrogen cycle, and do water tests regularly to ensure everything is in balance, change water regularly, and remove uneaten food.

[lostwithin]

I knew people would disagree with me If i were to have ever read someone else claiming the same thing I would be shocked it sounds like a horrible condition but this guy is thriving .

Just to clarify a few things, allot of the time I'll top up the water after it has gone down only a few inches. but it has lowered down to only an inch or so on more then one occasion.
I also use water from my "snake water" which is a couple 4 liter bottles of tap water which I keep in there with lids off (so chlorine can escape)

As for washing rocks, I simply rinse them off with tap water. Mainly to rinse the left over bamboo roots out. And again this is only done once or twice a year because i realize the importance of the bacteria. and when it is done i keep a cup or so of fish water to poor back into the vase so that there is still some "active bacteria" left to start over with.

I belive the big part of the setup working is the bamboo growing in there it has literally been years in this setup and the fish is very healthy and content he actually has a very large bubble nest built right now.


Devon

[Ducksarefun]

Yes, plants help, but I am still not convinced it's the best for him. Before I knew ANYTHING about fish, I got a goldfish. Sisaphus lived in a bowl for about 2years. Every week I cleaned EVERYTHING in the bowl, with SOAP, then rinsed it all out, filled the bowk back up with water right out of the tap, and that was that. At the time, I thought it was a great environment for him, afterall, he lived 2 years. But I know better now, and I would never recommend anyone do what I did, even if it worked (for awhile) for my one fish.

Betta owners should also be aware that bettas don't eat plants, and should not be kept in those silly kits you buy, with a plant covering the entire surface, that say you don't have to feed them or change the water. I worry your post will lead to people thinking that's a good way to keep a betta.

[Rikki]

I do not think water changes ever other day would be nice for the betta, it would be very stressful, which is why most suggest weekly water changes as needed.

[lostwithin]

. You are completely right it is very possible that my betta has only seemed healthy and happy for the last few years. and nobody should go by my information I am not claiming to be a professional in any way shape or form. I am a reptile guy this betta is my only fish, yes this setup seems to work very well for me but might not be the best way it seems to be working very well for me it was originally an experiment, my personal thought behind it was that at the rate bamboo grows it might be able to work as a natural filter of sorts. I chose to use a betta because from what I have read they do not require high amounts of oxygen in the water.

My post was simply meant as a point of view that works for me. not to encourage others to follow my lead. So anyone who read my information should keep that in mind .

[Rikki]

I was not saying you are not right, not at all. I know many people who follow the procedure you use. Though frequent water changes cause stress. No worries man :)

[pablo111]

Originally posted by Rikki
I was not saying you are not right, not at all. I know many people who follow the procedure you use. Though frequent water changes cause stress. No worries man :)

Water changes, in and of themselves, don't really cause stress.

If you replace water with water that is identical to it, there is no noticeable impact on the fish.

If anything, the reduction of nitrates (if any were present) is like opening a window and giving the fish some fresh air to breathe (bad metaphor but you get it).

The "stress" in water changes comes in many forms- if you don't outgas the water (let the gases that were in the tap get out), you put excess nitrogen gas in your tank, this pisses fish off, and in huge doses can be fatal - but not to ALL fish. Also, if the Ph/Gh/Tds is different in the new water from the current water, this stresses the fish slightly as well.

Anyways, the bottom line that everyone should understand is that the simplest of fish is more difficult to take care of than the most difficult reptile.

A simple fresh water aquarium, properly maintained, represents a commitment in terms of time and effort slightly greater than, say, a panther chameleon.

[concept3]

Anyways, the bottom line that everyone should understand is that the simplest of fish is more difficult to take care of than the most difficult reptile
^^^ A bluntly ignorant statement

[Ciddian]

Oh my what a thread...lol :)

I usually keep my bettas in large jars. about 1 1/2 gallon. I do a water change weekly or more depening on the colour of the water...smell etc. Anything that would alert me that there is a problem.
Also watching your fishies behaviour is also important. Do they look fairly pale, clamped? Good time to do a water change.

I change all of my water and give the gravel or stones a good rinse..just to free any lodged food or waste. I use a water conitioner and match the waters temp as well. I usually find a bran new bubble nest hours later....that is definatly not a sign of stress so i am happy with my method.

As far as breeding some of you have mentioned feeding your pair well a week or two before. Great thing to poing out! Some people rush into thier spawning and forget that your male will not eat while he is in breeding mode...which could lead him to eating the eggs or fry.
Some spawning goes well...some doesnt. There are a few tricks and tips to making it work. But mostly... paitence is what you need too :)

Please feel free to visit www.allthingsaquatic.com as mentioned before, we could talk fish all day lol :D

Thanks for your time guys ^_^

[lostwithin]

Anyways, the bottom line that everyone should understand is that the simplest of fish is more difficult to take care of than the most difficult reptile.


I would have to say that truly is an ignorant statement, you clearly have no idea how difficult some reptiles are to keep if done properly. sure anyone can keep them alive as with fish, but to do either hobby properly is a true commitment

Devon