hi ! meet Kova ! my koi betta fish who reminds me of a zebra lol. this is my first time owning a fish and i want to make sure my girl is thriving ! i started my tank about 1.5 months ago and got my betta 2 or 3 weeks ago.
before anyone says anything, i’d like to make note that she likes the bubbles in her tank ! she likes to swim through them. i’ve had the filter in the right since i got the tank and i just got a sponge filter yesterday, on the left.
is there anything i can add that will benefit her ? i just ordered a floating nest, she likes her floating log so i figured id get her something similar. i was thinking about getting drift wood because i feel like the center of the tank is kind of bare. i want her to have as many hiding spots as possible with also having room to swim. i was doing research and i want to take out the plastic rock cave because i want everything to be natural. she’s not a huge fan of the cave, and ive seen her use it maybe 3 times. where can i find good drift wood ? my local petsmart doesn’t have any. i plan on keeping the cave in the tank until i can find a natural alternative because she still likes to hide behind the cave lol.
i’ve been alternating feeding my betta pellets and flakes. she seems to like the flakes more. she loves freeze dried blood worms ! i just got freeze dried brine shrimp and im excited for her to try them. is there anything else i should add to her diet ?
i was also wondering if there is anything i can do about my plants! some of them seem to be wilting ? i’m using root tabs and i hope they’ll work to keep them healthy.
i also introduced 3 ghost shrimp into my tank yesterday! they seem to be doing well and my betta seems interested in her new friends.
thanks so much for taking the time to read this ! i hope to get good feedback from other fish fanatics. this is my first time posting on reddit lol.
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1s18ci7
Posted by Asleep_Proposal162
2 Comments
Hello, I’m also new to reddit, and somewhat new to fish keeping (6-8 months), but I’ve done tons of research since my first betta and hope I can be of some help!
Driftwood is a great option, especially for getting that natural blackwater bettas love, although some people aren’t fans of the aquarium being a bit more difficult to see. I would check for any local fishstores, all the ones in mine area are always stocked with driftwood. I’ve heard Mopani is the best. Otherwise Amazon and other online ordering places will have it as well.
I know there’s a general dislike of artificial decorations, but from what I’ve seen just cause a tank isn’t all natural that doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s just that a lot of inexperienced fish owners only buy fake stuff. Ofc course, have real plants is almost ways going to be better, if you can keep them alive.
Diet sounds great! Very diverse.
(I’m no good with plants either, although I’ve heard flourish excel a liquid fertilizer can help, plus a good light)
Only questions would be to make sure you have a heater (looks like that’s one in the back), and a water testing kit/how good your water parameters are. I went without the later on my first betta and it went very poorly :/
Awesome to see how much energy and research you put into this before getting your first fish. Love it <3
Hi OP, looks to be coming along well.
Couple of things, you really need to make sure your heater isn’t exposed to air like that. They are designed to be fully submerged and can malfunction, even explode when exposed to air.
The waterline on the heater is a minimum, not a maximum line. Manufacturers put it there as guidance for when water changes are happening etc. and the water level lowered. It’s fine to put the heater at a 45 degree angle to get it submerged.
Check the instructions for use that came with it, or online, it will state it must not be exposed to air and how to correctly place it to minimise risk of malfunction.
Secondly, please fill the tank up. I’ve a suspicion the water level is so low to cater for the misinterpretation of the heater placement. We never set a tank up around a heater, but around the fish and more water means more swimming space and more dilution of organic waste so all good.
A tank is designed to be filled up, right to the bottom of the black trim, especially so with a lid. It’s only e.g. 10 gallon if filled.
Hope that helps.