# Bettas for dummies?



## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

I have a sudden strange desire to possibly get a fish... and a betta seems to be the best choice since they seem to be fairly low maintenance (as far as fish go) and rather beautiful. I've "had" a betta before, but I didn't take care of it. I was seven and my dad took care of it. Sadly it died when it's eyes randomly swelled up... My family has had a lot of fish in the past, but I didn't do anything but occasionally feed them. We haven't had fish in probably ten years when our last tiny fish (who had survived several moves as well as getting stuck in a fake plant, resulting in her having a humpback) died.

So for the sake of being thorough, assume I know absolutely nothing about fish care. Nothing. Squat. Nada. Not even a basic knowledge. Now keeping that in mind, can someone run me through the care of a betta, from the beginning of even getting the tank set up?

And while on the subject, I kinda looked into getting what I think is called a "planted tank," a tank with real plants. The only "plant" I really had in mind was what I think is called a marimo ball. I read that those could be kept with bettas, but I like the idea of having more plants. Would it be stupid of a newbie to even consider getting live plants? Would a marimo ball even be too complex? Would any live plants benefit a betta?

Would it be bad to get a betta from petsmart or petco? I don't really know of any other place to get them...

I think that's about it for now. I may come up with more questions later.


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

Sorry to double post, but I am also wondering about guppies. Guppies would be cool since I could keep more than one, so any info anyone can give me about those (especially versus bettas) would be appreciated.


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## Aeyna (Jun 16, 2014)

Okay, I know a lot about fish, so I can probably help. I just moved, but when I was in California, I had two saltwater coral tanks, a fresh water planted tank, a betta tank, and a planted frog tank. 

Bettas are pretty low maintenance. They actually prefer for their water to be a little dirty, which is why you don't need to have a filter, and you can do 20% water changes once a week and be fine. They also get smaller tanks, which means it's generally cheaper, and since their is no filter, you're not buying filter media, which can add up over time. 

The rules for freshwater fish is one inch of fish per gallon of water (a ten gallon tank does not have ten gallons once you add gravel and a giant castle, lol). Most fish like plants, I've never had a problem with having both plants and fish, but plants need a different light than fish do (stronger). A pet store can likely walk you through the different strengths of lights and get you one that will help the plants grow. Guppies are fun because you can get tons of cool colors with the males. A tank with guppies would need a filter, you do need to clean the glass more often because of algae. You can also get a pleko, which will eat a lot of the algae buildup, but not all. They also get huge over time. Our freshwater tank had a few guppies, a swordtail, an eel, and the pleko. They got along fine. 

You might also consider getting something that makes bubbles, because it's always good to add extra oxygen to the tank, plus it's pretty. 

Honestly, if I had to pick between a betta and a full tank, I'd do the full tank. It's a lot more money, but I think it's more fun to watch the fish interact with each other. 

I wouldn't ever get fish from petsmart or petco, but I'm kinda spoiled. I try to find stores that specialize in just fish. Usually if you can find a store with really cool saltwater stuff, they will also have a really nice selection of freshwater stuff. Alternatively, liveaquaria.com sells fish (they are linked to drs forster and smith), and the shipping is very expensive, but they have great customer service, and you can get really awesome fish that you will never find in a pet store. 

Also, don't do saltwater. Our tanks were tiny (29 gallon and 14 gallon) and in a few years we probably spent well over $5000. I couldn't imagine doing a 100 gallon freshwater tank. It's just insanely expensive, and you lose a lot of coral and fish very easily.


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## Aeyna (Jun 16, 2014)

Oh, never change that water in any type of fish tank with tap water. We always go and buy gallons of water. The easiest way to kill fish is with badly filtered water. 

Also, with a guppie tank you will need a heater. Even in the summer, we always had a heater on, even if just set at 68 degrees. Spend a lot of money on the heater, you need one that automatically turns off when it's too hot. I've also lost hundreds of dollars worth of saltwater fish due to bad heaters.


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## SpringSt (Jun 18, 2014)

My husband and I used to breed bettas and they are a LOT of fun and very easy to care for if you have the knowledge to do so. Like Aeyna said, we used only Reverse Osmosis water (our local grocery store allows you to bring in gallons to fill up from their RO filter at only 37 cents a gallon!) I use java moss in their containers, but have had full 10 gallon planted tanks for just 1 betta. In my experience, I found the containers to be easier to maintain and control with just java moss in comparison to a fully planted tank, but those 10 gals. were pretty! They tend to prefer no filter or one that only trickles in the output. Males with their big fins can stress with too much water movement, again why I like my containers.

We used beanie baby display containers for them so that they were easy to care for, easy to decorate (though many people don't do anything for these, we used a sand substrate, fake plant, and java moss because I like for things to look good haha) I've also used 1 gallon and half gallon "goldfish" bowls from the store. The beanie containers may hold less water, but they were also only a dollar each at our local collectibles store. The most expensive part is the fish itself, with some costing us nearly 60 dollars from quality breeders when we got started. 









This is one of our males showing off in a mirror haha


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

What about cycling a tank? Can distilled water be used?

EDIT: Could I use a ten gallon tank that a gerbil previously lived in? There doesn't seem to be any damage to it since the gerbil only lived there briefly.


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## Charlottesmom (Nov 27, 2013)

Make sure you get a heater!


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## Aeyna (Jun 16, 2014)

I'm not sure for freshwater, but I know with saltwater there is a product called biosphere that you can add to the water that instantly cycles it. There might be something for freshwater, I've used it several times and never had a problem with it. 

I never used distilled, just RO or RO/DI. Basically, I just buy water at the grocery store. Some pet stores sell water, but I always worry about mineral levels, which is a bigger concern in saltwater than fresh, but still. 

I would clean the tank very well, probably with hot water, just like you would do if you were putting any new animal in a used cage. Then I would fill it in the bath tub to test for leaks. Make sure that the glue on the seams hasn't been chewed on. Leave it for a few hours, and if no leaks, you should be fine.


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

Nothing I've read has said anything about a way to quickly cycle the tank. I just don't really undertand what cycling is and how to do it...

I'm pretty sure Ivory (the gerbil) didn't chew the seams. My other gerbils have chewed the seams in theirs, but Ivory didn't burrow enough to even see seams, lol.


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## Aeyna (Jun 16, 2014)

Cycling a tank is how you get the water from being 100% pure to having a certain level of bacteria in it so that fish can live in it. In the wild, fish don't live in purified ponds, lol. Usually, you get a throw away fish, for freshwater, usually a goldfish, for saltwater, a damsel. Basically a really dirty fish that produces lots of bacteria so that you can add the fish you want. With saltwater, it takes 6 months of fish in the tank before you can add coral or anemones. Fresh water is much easier. It would probably take closer to a week or two of one fish before adding everything you want. But then you have the problem of what to do with the junk fish that you didn't want. 

What I've done in the past is buy one fish I actually want, but I understand that there is a high likelihood that that fish will die. Most of the time I'm lucky and the fish lives. With saltwater it's much harder because usually the fish I want are between $20 and $80. Easier when guppies cost less than $5. 

I would run the tank empty for a day. That means heater, filter, and light on. Then you add fish. Never ever EVER put the water from the fish store into your tank. I don't care how much you trust the store, it's a big risk, and I've seen tanks wipe from it. With freshwater, you need to float the bag in the tank, and once the temperature is the same, add the fish. We would go to the bathroom, pour the fish into a net, cover the net so they don't jump, then walk them to the tank and put them in. Just don't lose the fish between the bathroom and the tank. 

Saltwater is harder because you have to match temperature and then match salinity. Takes at least two hours. I can do freshwater easily in 30 minutes. 

If you can find the bacteria in the store, it's only about $7, and I recommend it because it makes the tank safer for the fish.


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## Aeyna (Jun 16, 2014)

I would also spend the money on a test kit. I think the ones for freshwater are cheap because they only test 3 or 4 chemicals (saltwater test 8-10, it's insane). The kit will come with instructions on what levels are safe, and you can keep track of how high things like nitrates are. If anything is too high, there are things you can add into the filter to remove them.


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

Is a fish really needed for cycling?


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## Aeyna (Jun 16, 2014)

Yes, unless you get the bacteria. Check the pet store, sometimes when you buy a tank it comes with something to help the tank cycle, and usually you can find it for sale in the additives section. It's just a little bottle, you shake it lightly, add it, and then within an hour you can safely add fish. 

I also recommend that you get aquarium salt. Not the stuff to make saltwater for fish tanks, but freshwater fish do need a little bit of salt, you can find it near the additives, and just half a handful when you do water changes can help keep the tank healthier.


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## Aeyna (Jun 16, 2014)

http://www.petsmart.com/fish/water-care-conditioning/top-fin-bacteria-supplement-aquarium-cycling-water-conditioner-zid36-17717/cat-36-catid-300006?var_id=36-17717

http://www.petsmart.com/fish/water-care-conditioning/api-aquarium-start-up-pack-zid36-20808/cat-36-catid-300006?var_id=36-20808

http://www.petsmart.com/fish/water-care-conditioning/tetra-safestart-aquarium-cycling-water-conditioner-zid36-17721/cat-36-catid-300006?var_id=36-17721

There are tons of different ones, you just need to pick. They kinda do the same thing.


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## Perocore (Jan 6, 2014)

Bettas are an excellent choice for fish! My family and I have been keeping bettas for a long while now, and raised many of ours from babies. They're beautiful, personable little fish. Some simple things that may have already been mentioned;
> They're happiest in at least 5 gallons, but a fully planted 10 gallon makes for one happy fish!
> While they're pretty tough fish, they do remarkably better with a filter than without. 
> They are freshwater fish, and unlike many freshwater fish, adding salt can hurt them or cause illness. 
> You can do a tank cycle using either the chemicals made to cycle tanks, fish food, or a test fish. 
> Bettas do best on a high-protein diet and seem to really appreciate a variety of foods. Ours love blood worms, tubifex worms, and Omega One betta pellets. 
> Contrary to popular belief, bettas do quite well in a community tank, my boy lives with a Pictus catfish, an Indian Ghost shrimp, and a ton of mystery shrimp. All of our bettas have improved in apparent happiness after we introduced another living creature to their enviroment. My big boy is the only one in a community tank, but the others all have mystery snails in with them, and seem to enjoy the company (they like to sleep on the snails or will flare at them, or simply follow them around the tanks). 
> The tank needs a good lid, as bettas are prone to jumping.
> As tropical fish, the tank should be kept at 78 degrees Farenheit.

As for where to get the fish...I got my two boys (a large halfmoon and a double-tail halfmoon dwarf) at the local Petco, but there are some incredible fish for sale from breeders. Ebay is always a nice place to check, and some of those fish are just so beautiful!


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

Thanks for the awesome info Perocore! Do you have experience with planted tanks? If so, what plants are best? Are there any good low-light plants? The location I want to keep the tank gets little to no natural light, sadly. How does cycling a planted tank work?

Also, I was looking into housing African Dwarf Frogs with a Betta. I read those do well together. Do you have any experience or knowledge of that?


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## Aeyna (Jun 16, 2014)

My frog killed my betta. Had to get the frog his own tank. I've heard of people keeping them together, but I wasn't able to. 

I always added the plants after the tank was cycled. I added every plant I found at the store, and never had a problem with any of them. You just need a light on the tank in the hood that is strong enough for them. Without the light, mossballs work relatively well, but I never tried anything else without light.


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## Charlottesmom (Nov 27, 2013)

You don't need at least 5 gallons for Bettas, mine are all in 2 1/2 gallon heated critter keepers (water changed 100% every week) and they are fine and dandy. Just keep them out of anything significantly smaller or those blasted vases, make sure the water is heated throw in some LIVE plants (plastic can split their fins) and they will do great. In the past two years I have cared for over 20 very sick Bettas (I love trying to save some of the hard off cases at our stupid Petco), some made it 5 hours some two weeks all were cared for and loved. My guys that I have now are my last ones for awhile as I promised my husband no more pets (for two years) after I get my rats. Sure you can go for huge tanks but for 1 Betta and no "buddies" I personally feel it's overkill and cleaning a huge tank would be a pain since Bettas hate moving water so filters are generally frowned upon. These are some of my guys.....first picture is Colin, middle picture is my only female Goldie, last picture is Casper. Some of my guys are not very photogenic and do not like staying still!


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## Charlottesmom (Nov 27, 2013)

Aeyna said:


> My frog killed my betta. Had to get the frog his own tank. I've heard of people keeping them together, but I wasn't able to. I always added the plants after the tank was cycled. I added every plant I found at the store, and never had a problem with any of them. You just need a light on the tank in the hood that is strong enough for them. Without the light, mossballs work relatively well, but I never tried anything else without light.


None of my Betta tanks have lights and all their plants do great...my guppy tanks have lights and of course their plants do spectacular, the plants thrived in our goldfish tank, I think they loved the goldfish filth even though the tank was heavily filtered. I need to get some of those moss balls, I love those things!


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## Aeyna (Jun 16, 2014)

I could always tell when my bulb was dying because the plants would start to do poorly. Put in a new bulb, and they always bounced back. Because of that, we never tried anything other than the moss balls, cause we didn't have the extra money to experiment, lol. 

Now I want fish and I promised no more pets, lol. Ugh!


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## thenightgoddess (Apr 2, 2014)

I wish you were near me I would give you my two tanks. I have a 15 and 10 gallon that each have a few fish in them and I am pretty much waiting for them the pass(which might take a long time) because I don't want to own fish tanks anymore. It ended up not being something I really liked doing after I had them for about a year it takes a lot to keep them up and I hate getting wet. I've tried bettas before Ive even had them in the proper set up for them not what the pet stores will tell you is ok and they always ended up having fin problems and eventually passing.


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

I can't actually get any fish now, thenightgoddess, so location sadly doesn't matter. I have too many pets right now and it may have to wait until my family moves into a new house (which could be as long as three years). I just like to research really far in advance. I researched rats for two or three years before getting them.


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## Charlottesmom (Nov 27, 2013)

LOL!!! Fish are addicting too! I promised no more pets after the rats (which I'm getting in a couple of weeks), the furry pets will be easy to stop, the fish, specifically the Bettas will be Tough!!! I love the little goobs, and want to try and save all the ones that are in crappy water in their tiny cups, or have swim bladder issues or chewed up fins......ugh!!! I hate how some pet shops "take care of" their Bettas!


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