Hello! If any of you saw my post about this betta before, I’m fortunately pet sitting for this family again and I would love to save this fish. I do not have the funds to purchase them a heater or a filter. I run my own 60 gallon community tank and can’t put her there either. I have a leftover 4 gallon tank from my old shrimps that I could potentially take her and put her in at my house but again I don’t have another filter or heater. Any suggestions I’d be grateful for. I have access to clean water and tap conditioner. I could also bring some of my cycled tank water and put it in there but I’m not sure what the best option is. I’m also not going to tell them they shouldn’t own a betta, because I would rather save my breathe and just take the fish from them. I am willing to either fix up the tank as best I can at their house, or take it and tell them it died. Thank yall!
EDIT: The downside of taking the fish is that it’s very likely they would simply just get another one. It’s a family with a young daughter (the fish “belongs” to her) so I’m positive she would just get them to buy her another one.
Posted by Melodic-Shake9089
9 Comments
Bigger tank, more plants, or bring it back to shop and read a book before u go for a pet again
At least a 5 gallon tank with a sponge or small hang on back filter, heater set to 76-80 degrees. Yea they can survive low oxygen and crappy water quality and even room temp water for years but they’re going to look sad and decrepit and that defeats the purpose of keeping fish.
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honestly the fish needs a filter and a heater. in the state it’s in, it’s better to take it and do almost daily partial water changes with treated water. you’d have to look up the specifics on that. in the meantime, save up for a heater and a filter. as a kid i had beta that lived a couple years in a tank similar to that as i kept up with water changes (i didn’t know any better). it seems this family doesn’t even keep up with the water changes or even replace the water regularly. it’s definitely being neglected.
If you put the betta in the 4g, would they keep him in there? I would just do that, even without a heater it’s better. Then if you (or them) is able to add a small hygger or nicrew heater (~$10) and sponge filter, he should be fine.
i would start by filling the water to the top
You can work with the kid if you are a trusted family friend and kid is good-intended and kind. If this fish was Her wish, parents rolled eyes and went with it, and parents tend to listen to their kid, it will be the safest option. Show kid happy bettas from r/bettafish, tell her about what these fishies like and so on. At the same time offer parents help to set up new tank, and overall make them feel like it won’t be a hassle.
I base this suggestion on a theory that it was not an ill intent and simply a lack of information, so if i am right, an offering of help and informing MAYBE will be enough.
Oh, that poor betta:(
I would just try and educate the parents on a bigger tank, cycling process, filtration, heating, etc. That’s really the only thing you can do. As far as getting your cycling tank water from your tank, the tank water itself won’t do much, but the filter media or a small decoration in your tank would provide beneficial bacteria and be helpful for the betta.
Hope all goes well, OP! Keep us updated:)
no such thing as “cycled” tank water, just by the way. benifical bacteria lives on surfaces, mostly in the filter. you’d need to take a sponge from an established filter to seed a new tank.