Hi everyone. I want to start this post out by saying that I have never owned a fish before of any kind, so I am very uneducated on how to properly care for them – please be patient with me. I marked this as NSFW as I suspect that this guy is not doing so hot.
This morning, my coworker walked into our office (with the biggest smile ever), excited to tell me that she had gotten me an early birthday present, and to close my eyes. She then plopped down this teeny, eeny weeny little fishbowl onto my desk, with this guy inside. First of all…I don't know how in any way this would be an appropriate gift for someone who has never indicated the need/want for a pet fish (I have nothing against them, I'm just more of a cat person!); and second of all…I mean what the hell?? She had told me she was getting me a gift…but I expected, I don't know, maybe a pair of fuzzy socks? A candle? I just had to plaster a smile on my face and pretend to be giddy with her so I didn't hurt her feelings – she clearly had/has good intentions but is maybe just a little ignorant/uneducated about fish (like me).
I'm a little dumbfounded at this. I suppose some people think that a pet fish is just a cute little definitely-not-a-huge-responsibility kind of gift? I used to work at an animal shelter – I know that taking care of any life is the opposite of having no responsibility, and I'm willing to take steps to give this little guy a better life than what he's had so far.
Like I said, I know nothing about how to properly care for fish, but it doesn't take much to know that this tiny fish bowl is…not enough, to say the least…lol. I would like to get him a bigger tank, but they're obviously very expensive, and I am a little tight on the budget right now. He is clearly very unhappy, lethargic, barely moving around in the bowl. His colors are dull. I'm fairly certain that my coworker just filled his bowl up with tap water from our office sink. What are some things that I can get to make his life a little better right now? I'm willing to buy a better tank, I know he needs some kind of filtration. But what else? Preferably some budget options as again, life is a little tight. And of course, general advice is much appreciated. TIA <3
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1jdd3iy
Posted by Rough-Presence8379
6 Comments
beautiful fish, basically he needs a 5 gallon tank minimum with a filter and heater bc they are tropical fish also u cant just use regular tap water they need treated water u can buy water conditioner for fish at any pet store or online thats the basic essentials but there is more like substrate and plants etc
Gotta get a heater too!! They like a light, heater so temp is 78-82 degrees…. I would get a 7 gallon tank. No spikey decor, all soft, places to hide. Maybe real plants? Just go to YouTube. But def a bigger tank with a filter and a heater
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this is the best care sheet i’ve found!! great explanations and information
for products, here are a few things i use:
* seachem prime (water conditioner)
* thrivec (fertilizer for live plants)
* fluval bug bites + hikari vibra bites (pellets)
* frozen brine shrimp + bloodworms (frozen food)
* seaoura + hygger lights (tank lights)
* api freshwater master test kit (water testing)
* fluval stratum (substrate for plants)
live plants aren’t a necessity for betta tanks, but if you are interested in them, here are a few easy and common ones:
* anubias
* amazon sword
* java fern
* salvinia
* frogbit
* any moss (java is probably most common)
* banana plants
OP, try to check local Facebook and other marketplaces! Sometimes you can find whole tanks for free or cheaper, sometimes you can also find them already with filter, heater and other stuff
I am so sorry you’re in this situation. You’ll be able to find plenty of information on this sub about what these fish need.
I’m going to give advice assuming you’ll keep it. You might be able to return it to a pet store.
Your first concern is finding a bigger tank. Bigger is lower maintinence. A plastic tub can be a good short term solution.
Second is filtration. If you can’t spring for a filter yet, plants filter too. I’ve seen people use pothos.
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5 gallon minimum, this is mine, he’s a long finned crow tail and often needs lots of resting spots. Heavily planted but low tech. Look into thrive + for your plant nutrients. Fluval bug bites, blood worms, and shrimp, also give them seachem nourish when soaking and dropper or syringe feed them, the nourish contains amino acid chains and vitamins which help your fish’s immunity and keeps them in good health.