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Betta Fish

Betta Fish: New Owner

I’m sure there’s been a ton of these posts, but Petsmarts 50% off sale got the wife and I.

I have dogs, a cat and chickens, but I’m not a fish guy. My daughter, combined with petsmarts deal this weekend got me good.

We were planning on getting everything but the fish for a few days, but when we walked in, I knew we weren’t leaving without one.

I researched what I could, as fast as I could. Whatever life we can give him has to be better than living in a tiny cup. Bought today, planning on transferring him to his 10G tank in 2-3 days( or longer, depending on feedback). I got him a 1G bowl and a tiny heater in the meantime (we bought 1G of the pretreated water).

My daughter named him Peachy. He seems to be doing good so far.

https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1rie5tr

Posted by FlexSealClubber

12 Comments

  1. Normal-Turn-4255 on

    I would go ahead and put him into the 10 gallon and do a fish-in cycle. Get a testing kit and test the water every day or every other day till the cycle finishes, and also do water changes very frequently until then. And eventually please get a more natural substrate since that colorful kind leaks toxic chemicals into the water, and live plants or at least silk plants, Those plastic plants will definitely tear his fins. That pineapple hide is also known to kill a lot of bettas so….But having a heater and a 10 gallon tank with a filter is a way better start then a lot of people have! Good luck with your little guy :))

  2. cespii on

    Honestly you’re already off to a good start by getting a 10G — I would just go ahead and move him into the 10 gallon now instead of waiting. The 1G bowl will build up ammonia really fast, and the extra water volume in the 10G will make things way more stable. Get the heater set to 78–80°F and use a thermometer to make sure it’s holding steady. Even if the 10G isn’t fully cycled yet, it’s still the safer option.

    For now, since you are dealing with an uncycled tank, test the water daily. The water test kit that this sub recommends is the “API Freshwater Master Kit.”Ammonia and nitrite both need to stay at 0 — if either shows up, do a 25–50% water change and use water conditioner every time. Stable temp + clean water are the biggest priority right now.

    Down the road, you can definitely upgrade things little by little. Live plants make a huge difference! They help with water quality and make the tank feel more natural. Swapping to a more neutral gravel or even sand, adding a couple small caves, and giving him resting spots like a betta hammock or broad-leaf plants will really level it up. There are some awesome setups on this sub you can pull inspiration from.

    That said, all of that is secondary to stable, clean water. Focus on good parameters and consistent temperature first. The aesthetic upgrades can come gradually after that.

  3. BumblebeeAny9268 on

    To speed up the cycle process. Buy a bottle of beneficial bacteria (starter) and follow the instructions. The same thing happened to me. My favorite fish went on clearance, so I couldn’t just leave her there. I bought her and cycled a tank asap. Was able to get her in within 48 hours. Good luck!

  4. Lonely-Stoner-420 on

    For future reference, please, please, please do not buy a fish unless you have the tank set up and cycled. Also, you want the thermometer to be inside the tank. You also need resting spots. And, you’ll need to remove the plastic plants, because they can rip fins. Please do some proper research on how to set up a tank for a betta. I know its hard when you have children because they wanna set it up. But, its good to teach them proper care. I say add him to the tank, because the bowl is far too small. Then you will need to do research on a fish in cycle. Props to you for getting a 10 gallon!

    Edit: please get rid of the pineapple.The openings are only the size of a penny. Therefore, far too small for most fish. Definitely too small for a betta. Also, please make sure you’re checking the inside of any decor. 99% of the time they’re soooo sharp! If they are sharp, you will need to sand them down.

  5. B_the_Chng22 on

    Read up on the nitrogen cycle. Then read about how to do a fish in cycle with a beta. You have to get the liquid API testing kit. Congrats!

  6. Zealousideal-Yak-690 on

    You want as many live plans and objects that mimic a natural habitat as possible. Plastic will tear fins. Also that SpongeBob house yes it’s super cute but it is infamous for hurting their fins. Make sure that your water is treated prime is the best to remove chlorine. My best advice is learn about the nitrogen cycle. You will have to do a fish in cycle when he is in the tank. It will basically consist of you monitoring the water parameters until it is just perfect and then the environment maintains itself. You can research to get a clear understanding.

  7. FuzzyCricket4698 on

    If your lil guy already doesn’t have much space in the fish bowl, you should probably take out the huge pineapple.

  9. umkay11 on

    Make sure you acclimate him when he goes into the new tank (put him in a bag or container and leave him the tank for an hour or until temperature equalizes, as well as drip acclimating water).

    Your first step will be to look up a fish in cycle until your tank itself IS cycled. Super important- no cycle = crashes = sick fish. I’m not good at explaining a fish in cycle because my tanks were all cycled first, but TikTok YouTube google and on here has info on it.

    Second step: buy a liquid test kit. It’s more accurate than strips, I’ve had mine for two years and have yet to need to buy anything more for it.

    Third: scroll this Reddit page for all info on betta fish, it can seem really overwhelming but once you’re familiar it’s easy to get the hang of it.

    Some tips I wish I knew when I first started out:
    A varied diet is a healthy diet. Feeding only flakes or only pellets is like a person only eating bread or cereal every day. This changes by fish and owner, but an example of a varied diet that I do is: betta bug bites once a day (not a lot), or if I switch it up I’ll do flakes, then once a week I do thawed frozen blood worms. Or tubifex. Or mysis shrimp. Never both, one or the other.

    Sponge filters are the easiest filter. I had a hang on back filter with filter media, and after switching to a sponge I’m NEVER going back. They’re pretty cheap on amazon.

    The more plants the better for your fish and your tank. Some might melt off and that’s normal.

    Algae is normal, especially fluctuations. Your tank may go through an “ugly” stage. GOOD. You want everything to develop as it should. There are different types of algae for different reasons. Sometimes plants can help fix it, sometimes changing the light hours can fix it.

    Speaking of: light with a timer is best. Too much light can stress your fish. Filter with a high flow can stress your fish. Not enough hiding spots can stress your fish.

    Betta fish are fragile, and disease prone because their breeding practices are not ethical. So be prepared for sickness or death. That doesn’t mean your fish will die tomorrow, but they commonly can get different diseases. Some seen often on here is swim bladder, ich, cotton mouth, and the dreaded dropsy. There are a bunch of different meds available for all of these- but this is a later thing, for now I’d focus on the first step.

    Good luck!!

  12. SEXYHOTECCHIHENTAI on

    I see you’ve already gotten good pointers here… Welcome to the hobby!

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