Please read before judging. I just need advice. I’m getting my brother a betta,this samurai. He has it cycling right now and at the end of the week on Friday, this samurai is going to go into that tank. However, I bought the fish now because that’s the one he wanted and I wouldn’t have time to go back to the store this week either. I have 2 bettas myself. One in a 10g and the other in a 5.5 g. This little baby would’ve been still in the cup and sitting at PetSmart where I got him. I just feel so bad now that I have him, and I am thinking about dividing my 10g for this guy until I go home.( I am in the final week of college at the moment). My home is only an hour away at most so the travel isn’t going to be too bad. Is it too stressful to put him in the tank with a divider with my other betta, then having to put him back in the cup for the ride home? Or just keep him in the cup? My other betta in the 10 g is very aggressive and very territorial compared to my other one in the 5.5, but it’s a 5.5. I feel the 5.5 would be too small to separate. Only 3 more days until I go home, so what should I do?
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Posted by Late-Bell3736
21 Comments
You definitely shouldn’t have gotten a fish you weren’t ready for. I guess your only solution is to divide your current tank and hope for the best. This in general though is very irresponsible
Do you have a bucket or some other temporary tank?
Next time make sure you’re ready for the fish before you bring it home, this is irresponsible. You can’t keep it in the cup for 3 more days so you’ll have no choice but to try and divide the 10g which absolutely will stress him out but he’ll be just as worse off in the cup. Please be more responsible next time and remember that these are living creatures, not decorations or toys.
These are living creatures OP, this is not how we treat living creatures. It’s irresponsible and not good.
I’d keep him in the cup and do daily water changes. Get him an almond leaf and some flowers/cover, even a rock in his cup. Contrary to all the people below, was this ideal, no. Is it unethical or is he going to die if he is in that cup til Friday … also no. Bettas sadly are bred in small containers and kept in small containers until they get to us …. In the store … in a small containers until. Again is it okay? No. But you didn’t get this fish “not ready” as I’m seeing those claim. The betta in a cup a few more days will be more than fine. I would float it in a heated tank or container and if it’s with another bettas ensure it has something wrapped around the cup to avoid stress which can cause illness
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Hello! I do agree that you should not have gotten him yet. However, I may be in the minority here, but I actually think it would be better if you did daily 100% water changes with prime-treated water in that cup. There is no telling if someone else would have purchased him within those few days, so he would’ve been sitting in there regardless. This is not an ideal situation, and I would never typically recommend this, but exposing the two fish together (even with a divider) will cause a ton of stress. Not only that, but you have no idea what sort of diseases and the like he may be carrying, and exposing your current betta to that is also a bad idea. Your other option is to get a couple-galloned TEMPORARY tank with a sponge filter and heater for those remaining days and just do a temporary fish-in cycle then. Your final option is to just return him to the store which, if the previous options are not ideal for you, then do that. Other than that, I am unsure as to what else can be done. Next time just wait until the tank is finished and you are home to get a new fish. And, if you can avoid it, don’t get bettas at PetSmart or PetCo.
Edit: I just want to mention because I don’t think I made it clear enough: do not put him with your other fish. It’s probably the worst option. You don’t want to risk the fish you have now. Those chain store bettas are always in very poor health.
Sorry you’re just getting shamed, I’m sure you already know the situation is not ideal. Here’s my advice:
If you can divide the tank in a way that the bettas cannot see each other, then its probably fine for a few days. I’d put him in the larger one if you can and get a solid colored divider so the aggressive betta can’t aee him. Make sure the water flow is good though with the divider in there. You could do it in the smaller tank too, but whichever tank you choose you should put a divider in. Even if the betta in the smaller tank isn’t aggressive, I wouldn’t chance putting them in there together. Otherwise, you could put the betta in a larger container like a bucket, vase, large food safe storage container, etc and do daily 50% water changes until you can transport it. If you use another container at least, throw some almond leaves and a betta log or something in there. Give it something to rest on and something to make the environment feel more natural.
I think given the choice between keeping him in the cup that he’s been, if not “doing fine” in, surviving in, and driving him an hour, transferring him to a tank where he’ll be staring at another Betta through a divider for three days, then scooping him back out for another drive into another new new tank, I’d personally go for the first just to minimize the amount of stressful events and water quality swings to adjust to.
The ideal would have been “wait till you were ready to get him,” but that ship has sailed, and if we’re being completely honest, it’s probable he would have gone til Friday to get a water change at PetSmart too. I would be pretty surprised if they do more than two a week.
Bucket or Tupperware container, preferably with an aerator, but he’ll be fine without it. Definitely okay to put him back in the cup for travel, that’s what I did with my Bettas when I moved. I definitely don’t advise splitting the 10gal, it’ll just stress them both and possibly spread diseases
Honestly, can you afford a bucket and a sponge filter? I’ve used those as temporary tanks before. Honestly like a plastic ice cream tub, a clean cup on its side for a hide and a sponge filter and obviously prime water would be all you need for a temp tank with slightly more room. Then scoop him up in the cup when it’s moving day and take him to the new tank, depending on the drive. If it’s a long drive use a battery operated sponge filter and a bucket.
Sorry for the huge text. Also, I am sorry that you are falling victim of the Reddit judges, where everything in their lives are perfect, ethical and go 100% as planned for the start. With us, mortals, things are unfortunately different and sometimes we gotta make ends meet with what we have. With that said:
The betta was already in a cup. In the same situation he is now. His life did not get worse by you bringing him home. No, it is not ideal to keep him like this and yes, he is struggling. Just like he was before. Yes, maybe (huge, monstrous “maybe”) someone else would’ve gotten him before you and he’d be in a better position already by now. But maybe he would have still been there in the cup. Or even worse, maybe he would’ve been picked up by a newbie and end up been put in a not yet cycled bowl with nothing but colored gravel and a pineapple house. So please: DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP. There is no way to know all the possibilities in the multiverse of his life. Be excited for the pet you’re bringing to your brother! Be excited that he is going to live with someone that cares for him! I know I am excited for him.
In the meantime, make his life the best possible. I saw you don’t have a bucket, but I am sure you must have some big food containers or SOMETHING bigger than a cup that you could put him in? If not, it is what it is. The almond leaves is a great idea also. And please try to prevent him from jumping! That’s my biggest fear for now.
Keep us posted! Can’t wait to see photos of him in his new house! And again, stop hurting yourself! He will be fine.
If you can get a mesh breeder box, they go in the tank and the fish shouldn’t be able to see through it. That would reduce stress, keep him at a better temperature, and keep them separate.
You must have some other container that can hold a larger volume of water? Even if not by much. Either way, try adding some thing for him to hide under and keep him in dim lighting.
Honestly, get a bigger cup for now. I havent had a betta yet but even normal fish get stressed the fuck out when suddenly theres a new fish or they are the new fish, also if hes got anything, hea gonna kill everything.
Heck where I live they sell candy (wrapped) in cup like Buckets up to 5l.
Change water with best conditionering daily and even if the drive isnt too bad theres a reason they get shipped in smaller sacks…
Glass not full
I bought a $10 2-gallon plastic shrimp tank from Pet Smart for my samurai betta while my tank was cycling. He did well in it with daily 50% treated water changes.
Don’t stress your self you’re good, it’s just a matter of couple of days.
Are you not able to go to a store and buy a container or something bigger than the cup?
Please get this guy like one of those really attractive 3 1/2 gallon tanks you could put plants in there. You can get real decorative with it and the fish would love it. I don’t know who came up with this crap that these fish have to live in water that’s only enough for it to turn around. I mean, they make more bubbles at the top of the water where their body is and they take care of the babies after the pregnancy is done the female does nothing she should stay for the reproductive situation, and after that he takes the babies and his mouth, and he puts each egg in a bubble And he watches them, but I don’t know much after that. I just know that Male does it all when you see the blowing bubbles at the top of the water that means they wanna make that means they are mate ready
I don’t know how to edit original text, so here’s a small update:
Regarding the “ideal” I know it’s not. I have good intentions even if I rushed it.
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I’m not gonna feel bullied by “perfect” fish keepers. My intentions are good just not good execution. He would still be on the shelf. This is TEMPORARY. Anyways, I found a decent sized flower vase. Put some extra decor I had in there. Almond leaf, almond bark, catalpa cone and a small galaxy rock. The parameters are decent. So I think it’s okay to add him. BIG THANK YOU to the people who were realistic and helpful. I take constructive criticism well, and trust I’ve spent plenty of money on this fish already. It’s just not at my location. He will live well at his forever home. I’ll post an update Friday.☺️