I bought this Dragonscale Betta from Petsmart for my child's room. He seemed to be the only one that was 'self aware' (that may sound strange, but that's the best way I can put it). He has been with us for about 4 weeks now, and everything seems to be going well! He eats and interacts very well, and he even tolerates an Otocinclus as long as the Otocinclus minds his own business.
I saw a few pics of other fish in this sub that people said things were wrong with it that I honestly could not tell for myself in this group. So I want to share Timmy with you all, and see if there is anything extra that I need to do for him to keep him happy and healthy?
He and the Otocinclus are in a 5.5 gallon aquarium. They have artificial leaves, tannin leaves (although I may need to add more, I don't think it really did anything), a 3D printed tunnel and floating house, a moss pad, Fluval moss ball, a special heater with a guard, a sponge filter/ bubbler, a wall-mounted tunnel, a silicone centerpiece, sand substrate, and mini terra cotta pots for extra hiding spots (mainly for the Otocinclus). Am I missing anything? The light changes to dim blue at night. We feed small meals/ snacks of dried bloodworms we break into little bites and Betta pellets (only around 2 pellets at a time). He mainly eats 2 meals a day and a little snack here and there sometimes.
I've only had Oscars growing up, but this little Betta's spunkiness has tickled me. He even used to do cute little flares, but calmed down after a few days. I've been diligent in water changes and tests- I take care of two other tanks, but those are not Bettas. What do you all think, am I missing anything? I like to spoil all of my pets, but also keep them healthy. I want Timmy to have a good life while he lives it with us.
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1sgcpxa
Posted by Soft_Orange_2198
5 Comments
so i will note that otos are schooling fish and need to be in groups of 6 minimum! i also think live plants are better for small tanks- especially since they will help both your fish, and you buy helping maintain parameters. otherwise looks good!
Timmy is pretty! A couple of things though. First the silicone center piece will breakdown in the water and leach toxic chemicals into the water. You should strongly consider removing it. Live plants are best for betta’s but if you can’t for whatever reason silk only as plastic will tear his delicate fins. Bloodworms should only be given a couple times a week at most. Freeze dried foods can cause bloat (as well as bloodworms in general), you should look for frozen. All frozen foods is best. Live is superior if you can. Your Otto needs friends. They are a schooling fish and should be in groups of 5 or more. It seems like everything else you’ve got and are doing is great!
Awesome! Timmy is super pretty. I don’t want to sound like the fish police, but otocinclus need to be in groups of at least 4+ unfortunately. 6+ is ideal. They are a schooling fish, and they feel unsafe if they aren’t in groups.
Also, if you tried to add more otocinclus into the 5.5G tank with Timmy, he may get mad about it. That tank size would be a bit small for a betta and a school of fish.
There are a few things you can do here. You could return the oto to the store you got him from, they are usually very happy to take them back. Or you could upgrade Timmy to a 10+ gallon tank, and get Mr. Otocinclus some friends.
The floating house and terracotta pots are a great idea. The only concern with the terracotta pots is the tiny hole at the bottom of the pot; try to find a way to cover or plug the hole, because bettas like to wiggle their way into tight spaces. It may seem low risk, but these guys don’t have the best judgement. They have the survival instincts of a graham cracker.
Tannin leaves are a great idea, but artificial plants and leaves are good at tearing betta fins. He’s got pristine beautiful fins right now, it may be a good idea to swap out those fake plants for some real ones so that his fins can stay perfect and pristine as they are. It may feel intimidating to buy live plants, but Java ferns and anubias are virtually unkillable. (Two notes about these plants that took me by surprise the first time I had them: neither of them can be buried in the substrate or they will rot, they need to be glued or tied to decor, or weighed down with a plant weight. Also, Java ferns spawn new plants from their leaves. So if you look in your tank one day and your Java fern looks like it’s covered in stringy tentacles, it just had a baby, and it will probably drop it on its own with time, then you have a new plant.)
That’s the best advice I can give, feel free to ask questions because I’ve been keeping fish for ages, and also good luck!!
Hello Timmy 💕✨️
Hey Timmy!
https://preview.redd.it/bloj3szr23ug1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=76920ef3f72f4e0143b295b466b806026c2b549f
This is Bob, my 4 year old’s Betta that came home in a 1 gal tank with him and dad …and then cost me a small fortune as I upgraded his micro tank to this 5gal the day after we got him, and he (along with the 10 tetras, the albino bristlenose pleco, and some shrimps that my husband bought as a suprise after I got the 5gal 😒) now thrive in the 50 gal tank I got for Christmas from said husband who overstocked the shit out the 5gal. I call it the fish mansion…😅
In the 5gal, I did sand (and gravel underneath that came with the tank), driftwood tunnel and a few plants, and Bob came to life. I had some castle and fake plants that came with the tank, but I quickly removed all that and went as natural as possible. Also used a rock to hold down the driftwood (I boiled it for a while before putting it in the tank but still had tannins that made the water brownish for a while).