Hello!! My mom went to petco for some other errands and saw this betta fish, and felt bad (bless her heart) and bought him this tiny tank (first pic). I’m the type of person that really gets upset about how animals are treated because they can’t speak for themselves. I know where her heart was, but it’s just that she didn’t even take the three minutes in store to google how big of a tank they needed. I kind of shamed her over the phone about when I don’t know MUCH about betta fish, but I had this bigger fish tank I brought over for her and a water heater. She went out and bought the lights, filter, water conditioners and the other stuff idk the name of, brine shrimp, and some snails (idk why). What else should she add?
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1rx7tbt
Posted by ababybumblebee
8 Comments
More plants are always a win for bettas but if there’s gonna be a heater and filter it all looks and sounds good!
Good job OP, this is much better. I would recommend more plants (standard, betta love plants particularly the long finned who need multiple rests), a decent liquid test kit such as the API Master for water parameters if not already got one, heater and filter (you may have and just not on the pic) and all the fish in nitrogen cycling info you can read.
The tank is a huge improvement. It looks lovely.
make sure the surface agitation is minimal. Bettas are labyrinth fish; they need to breathe atmospheric air from the surface easily, Bettas are notorious jumpers, especially if they see a small insect flying above or if they get spooked at night. Since you don’t have a lid, I strongly recommend it. Bettas have heavy fins and get tired easily. Since your hardscape (the rocks) is mostly at the bottom, consider adding a Betta Hammock or a tall, broad-leaf plant (like a large Anubias attached to the back wall). Giving him a place to nap right near the surface where he breathes will significantly reduce his metabolic stress
Seems like she got the basics. More Live plants and hiding spots are always great for bettas! Spider driftwood won’t release tannins if you don’t prefer that look. Also, the biggest thing is; look up a fish in cycle. I’m gonna guess your tank isn’t cycled, and that can make your fish sick. I’m not good at explaining it but it’s an important part of fish keeping.
As someone else already suggested, the more plants the better! She is also going to need the API freshwater master liquid test kit. It can be a bit pricey, but this is mandatory for aquarium keeping, and one kit can last you years. Be sure to do some research together on the nitrogen cycle (in this instance, you’ll be doing a fish-in cycle)!
Sounds like you’ve got your bases covered pretty well otherwise. The only other thing I am wondering is what kind of snails did your mom get? If that’s a mystery snail I see in the first picture, you’ll want to consider returning it to the store if you can (especially if there’s multiple). They have a very high bioload and are recommended to only be kept one per every 15-20 gallons.
Thanks for caring and for seeking out to do the right thing! Best of luck to you guys
Its better but now your battle will be testing for ammonia and nitrites/nitrates with a liquid water kit (id avoid strips). Since the tank wasnt cycled properly prior, you’ll be doing what is called a “fish-in cycle”. Id get Seachem Prime water conditioner if you dont already have it, as it is meant to keep fish safe from high toxins in the water. I recommend researching the nitrogen cycle and fish-in cycling. It’ll take some work.
Hi! I also don’t know much but from my personal experience as a betta owner, the water chemistry is going to change over the next few weeks as the tank cycles. Because of this, the ammonium spikes and nitrates/nitrites should be monitored, during the cycling process if you must keep the fish in the tank. Make sure that you get a testing kit to monitor the levels of these, as too much of them can be deadly to your brine shrimp and betta. If there is any ammonium or too high nitrites/nitrates, gently move your fish and shrimp into a separate container (but be careful not to shock them, they are sensitive to different water conditions). You could do the smaller tank as a temporary spot. I will attach an image that explains the cycling process. You may find that your plants start to die, or appear to be dying due to a lack of nutrients, because the tank isn’t cycled. This is normal. My tank took four weeks to cycle and afterwards the plants started to regrow. I JUST went through this process so this is my experience and it was very frustrating so I wish someone told me this could happen and is normal. Good luck! And please be nice to your mom, she tried her best :,)
https://preview.redd.it/94ccgigxvtpg1.jpeg?width=638&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b4771d36cce3312ad50e35ed91f1b8fb6cc3b7e
Hey! I’ve recently built a new tank specifically designed for a betta, if you’d like any help im happy to dm 🙂