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Betta Fish: New Betta, Your Kind Advice is Needed

Hi! We just got Robert Marie last night and we love him so much already!

I admit that I am completely new to caring for a fish and I have a lot to learn. After seeing all the amazing tanks on this subreddit, I want to be sure this set up is okay for Robert for now, and I would love some recommendations for improving his environment 🙂

Please also let me know what essentials we should have on hand.

Also, I don’t know the first thing about changing the water in the tank. The guy at the pet store said to bring water to get tested in about a week and go from there. Is this good advice?

Thank you so much in advance!!!

https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1odnrw7

Posted by Double_Excuse_7281

13 Comments

  1. AltruisticHighway6 on

    Robert is lucky to have an owner who cares enough to post on here! The absolute essentials that you should get ASAP: a heater, water test kit, and water dechlorination drops. Less time sensitive but still important: changing out that gravel for something more natural, getting decor items, and some silk or live plants. You got this! 🙂

  5. Commercial_Nebula_74 on

    Definitely need lots of live plants, maybe more natural colored gravel. Bettas like being able to hide in the plants and have spots to relax so also maybe some floating plants

  6. 86BillionFireflies on

    Most important recommendation is get a better filter. The two best options are an undergravel filter or a *big* sponge filter. If you decide to go with the suggestion of getting rid of the colorful gravel, you could install an undergravel filter. Otherwise, go for a sponge filter with a foam cylinder *at least the size of a soda can*, no matter what the manufacturer’s tank size ratings say. Those ratings are wildly unrealistic.

  8. tryingtobe_happy2175 on

    Why colorful gravel 😭😭😭 why can’t they just stop selling them in the store! Any kind of paint no matter how safe they say, it’s not safe, it’s not natural for aquatic creatures to be around any kind of paint.

  9. kijaeha_ on

    Everyone’s giving you good advice here, just wanna say this little guy is lucky to have someone willing to learn everything they need to do to care for him properly!

    Bettas natural habitats are very plant-thick and typically darker light. Some advice I’d recommend is natural plants, and top cover if possible to block out some light and give him cover. Plant recs, I use red root floaters and salvinia plants that float at the top, and plants like water wisterias, amazon sword, and dwarf ambulias have grown nice and bushy in my tank, and have been easy to care for for a beginner like me!

    Hope you and little Robert marie take care!!

  10. Mulder101361 on

    If there’s a lid on the tank, go ahead and fill it to the black plastic rim. The larger a volume of water is, the more it dilutes harmful waste and the more stable it is over time. If there’s not a lid, keep the water level lower so he doesn’t jump out.

    I strongly suggest more plants and decor to enrich his environment. There is nothing wrong with fake plants, but you do want something soft like silk plants, not plastic. If you want to try live plants, that’s great, too. Live plants help break down waste in the tank, but they do need to be kept alive for that, and some plants are hardier than others.

    I would also suggest your own test kit. The liquid API test kit is the most recommended here on Reddit. Test strips aren’t great, as they can go wonky if the slightest amount of moisture gets into their container. Whichever way you go, you’re looking to test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH. If you see any ammonia or nitrites, its time for a water change. Nitrates are okay in low amounts, but do build up over time. Water changes and live plants will remove nitrates. As for how to do a water change, take a look on YouTube. There are video tutorials available.

    Good luck with your new friend!

    ETA Robert will need a heater if you don’t have one. He likes his water between 75 and 80 F.

  12. Candid-Ad-3058 on

    I have the same platinum half-moon!!! ♡ The worker at PetSmart told me they are their most “returned / dying ” color, but I have my boy Marcus Fin-lius for 1.5 months now.

    I added driftwood to his tank which he loves sleeping under. I think the tannins from it soothes him. A lot of live plants that he weaves in and out of and rests his fins on. The hammock he sometimes uses. And floaters like red roots and frogbits for his bubble nests ♡ Catappa leaves he sometimes naps on them too or buries himself underneath the leaves 🤭

    https://preview.redd.it/soe8j9cw6rwf1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=aae6a7bde807acb502b67082e5b6ebb9172b7a81

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