Tropical Fish Forum

Think Fish Tropical Fish Forum => Welcome to our Tropical Fishkeeping Forum - Please Read => Topic started by: Pauline on April 16, 2013, 09:57:46 PM

Title: Betta advice needed. Please help.
Post by: Pauline on April 16, 2013, 09:57:46 PM
Ok. Mea culpa. Please don't flame me. Today i bought a Betta toatally on impulse. I'm really new to fish-keeping and I have a 23L nano tank with 6 cardinal tetras and 2 male guppies. Today i visited a local aquarium shop that was recommened to me by another fishkeeper. They were selling Bettas in what I can only describe as flower vases, with some gravel in the bottom and a scrap of plant. They had one in a tank too, and this one seemed more lively.  I questioned if they could live happily like this, and was told that, because their natural habitat is muddy puddles, they're perfectly happy like this, and don't need much room to move about. They also said that, as Bettas are surface breathers, they don't need a pump, and that they don't need a heater as long as I don't let them go below 18C.

I didn't really buy this, but I did buy a fish! I had a 'goldfish bowl' shaped vase at home which I figured woud at least give him a bit more swimming room. Anyway, I got him home and set him up in his new home. He seemed happy at first, but was soon just 'hanging' among the plants.  I was worried he was too cold, so i moved him into my tropical tank with my other fish.  He seems happier (more lively) there, but I've now been reading that the presence of other fish stresses them.

HELP PLEASE! I KNOW I shouldn't have bought him on impulse, but I did. And now I want to do the best for him. So please could any experienced Betta keepers out there give me some advice about whether he'll be better off in a bowl by himself with no pump and heater or in the aquarium with pump and heater but with other fish. THANK YOU!
Title: Re: Betta advice needed. Please help.
Post by: ColinB on April 17, 2013, 07:30:39 AM
Welcome to the forum.

A heater and filtration are an absolute must. Rather than type lots of things out, here's how to look after Bettas :General Betta Care (http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=20058)

Needed Tank Equipment is probably the section you need, but it's all a good read for Betta care.

Hope this helps.
Title: Re: Betta advice needed. Please help.
Post by: jesnon on April 17, 2013, 10:24:53 AM
23l.. assuming you have a fluval edge? :-) I think you have a few options. Your Betts needs exactly the same equipment as other tropical fish and ideally needs its own tank. You can either take him back to the shop due to their poor advice, or you need a new tank. The 23l is fine for your Betta so maybe buy a bigger tank to move your other fish to? Sue is a Betts expert so she will give you some good tips on their care if you do keep him. I think bad advice for bettas is very common
Title: Re: Betta advice needed. Please help.
Post by: Sue on April 17, 2013, 12:02:16 PM
Some fish shops really annoy me with that 'they only live in puddles' twaddle.

I'm not getting at you (we are all guilty of impulse buys though research before buying in future  :D ) but this is utter rubbish that some shops spout. Bettas live in paddy field-like conditions in the wild. These are vast areas of shallow, slow moving water. They dry out in the dry season, and a few bettas survive in the left over puddles until it rains again. Next time, ask the shop if they live in puddles, how do the males and females ever meet  ;D Sorry, rant over.

Bettas are tropical fish; they need a tamp of 25 to 26oC, so in the UK they do need a heater unless you keep the room at that temp 24/7.
They can be kept in unfiltered tanks, but they are better with a filter and it's easier on the fishkeeper too. In an unfiltered tank they need 50% daily water changes with a 100% change once a week. Yes, they can breathe air, but they are still poisoned by ammonia and nitrite like other fish.

As for where to keep him, he could be kept in the 23 litre tank, but in your case I would advise against it. A lot of bettas don't get on with guppies as they mistake the long flowing tails for another betta and attack. And although the cardinals aren't usually nippy fish, in a small tank there is always the risk they will nip and the betta would have nowhere to escape.

Is there any chance of getting another tank? To be honest, something like a 40 litre tank? And move the guppies & cardinals into that and put the betta in the 23 litre. I suggest this as cardinals are better in a tank bigger than 23 litres. At the least, another small tank? I have a 25 litre tank for a betta (I'm currently doing a fishless cycle in it, long story!) and I like that size tank for them. They need things to swim though and a cave or two. Plants should be real or silk, not plastic, and other decor needs to be smooth with no rough edges. Plastic plants and rough decor can tear a betta's fins.
You can do a fish-in cycle with a betta more easily than with other fish simply because they can breathe air. But even so, enough water changes need to be done to stop ammonia or nitrite ever getting above 0.25ppm.