File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
So /an/

I suddeny had a desire to own a fish, never owned one before.

Went to petsmart and picked up a Betta starter kit instead of a one or two gallon tank for just a few guppies.

He's wigging out right now in his new home, how long will it take for him to calm down?
>> Anonymous
he should calm down in a couple of days. be sure to feed him at least three times a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) to make sure he doesn't starve. oh yeah and you should give him a friend, if you get a betta of a different color completely they won't fight.
>> Anonymous
The starter kit came with flakes and I also got some pellets, everything I've read says don't feed him more than three or four at a time.
>> Anonymous
>if you get a betta of a different color completely they won't fight.

No, what Anon wants is an Oscar. Those and betas get along great!
>> Anonymous
>>324556
3 times a day? I'd say once maybe twice. The excess food will just collect at the bottom.
Do NOT put bettas together! I've heard that females can stay together but males will fight.
>> Anonymous
>>324559
yeah i'd say 4 at a time, 3-4 times a day should do the trick... you don't want him getting too hungry or his fins won't shine as much.
>> Anonymous
>>324561

Male + Male = Death
Male + Female = Eventual Death
Female + Female = :D

Even a male and female will fight. Males are aggressive, and if the female refuses to mate with him, he will kill her.

Bettas don't need friends.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
this applies here...
>> Anonymous
>>324564

Oh god, my eyes.
>> Anonymous
>>324563
That's what I thought, just wasn't completely sure.
If OP is set on getting tank mates, mollies and similar fish are supposed to go well. They always got along with bettas that I've had. Just make sure they don't have long fins or the betta will nip at them.
>> Anonymous
>>324563
females with other females will often fight as well. especially if they aren't from the same spawn.
>> Anonymous
>>324572

Too true.
Rather territorial assholefish, really.

Also, some betta just do NOT like sharing their tank. Fish, amazingly enough, vary in behavior within species. Some will tolerate other fish in their territory, others will not.
I've seen Bettas tear up Neon Tetras and other tiny harmless fish. Guppies too. Some seem to find male guppies tail fin offensive.
OP, might as well try tankmates with him. If they die, then you know not to try again.
>> Anonymous
OP here.

Decided to start small, it's just a half gallon starter setup. When I get my paycheck I'm seriously considering taking advantage of the 10 gallon starter kit Petsmart has on sale for 35 bucks marked down from 50.

As sexy as one of those BioOrbs would look next to my monitor, there's no way it would work.
>> Anonymous
>>324579

Nice OP is nice.

Seriously, i think you'll be happy with that purchase. Bettas in a bigger enclosure are certainly more interesting to look at.
Also, you should consider buying a heater if you get that 10 gallon. Bettas live longer when given the tropical environment they are native too. They're also far more active and interesting, instead of those inactive blobs they often look like at the store.
>> Anonymous
>>324583

Betta's in those tiny little containers in stores always make me so depressed, since they look so miserable.

But you'd be depressed too if you were kept in a tiny ass container barely big enough to swim in and having your container randomly shock by retarded people who don't realize that hey! Shaking the container can stress and kill fish.

Also, I had a higher up at work actually say that Bettas LIKE being in little containers.

God people are stupid.
>> Anonymous
What would be a good initial setup for a 10 gallon? I've wanted a tank for years but know almost nothing about them. Until yesteray, I seriously thought Bettas were kept in different bowls at the store to make them easy to take home. >_>

I'm looking at how-tos on some incredible 10 gallon tropical tanks, and those reef tanks are sexy as fuck. It's something to build up to, but the kit seems to be the best value right now (the same kit online is anywhere from 50-70)
>> Anonymous
OP here.

Damn, he looks fucking beautiful when hes swimming and his fins are fully extended. I hope that means he's a happy fish. He didn't do that at all in the store.
>> Anonymous
Do you know anything about nitrite/nitrate cycle and water quality?
>> Anonymous
hello OP i used to work at Psmart. good job on actually getting a big tank for it i really appreciate that(you will not find too many bigger fish lover than me) the nitrate and nitrite cycle you honestly dont have too worry about with Bettas. they produce so little waste and ammonia doing a tank change once every 2 weeks will be fine since you have it in a 10 gallon. if you put a heater in it i believe its 72-73 degrees you should keep it at. feeding it once a day 4-5 pellets is enough and the floating Hikari are the best kind and brand. do not put big rocks plastic plants or anything he could tear his fins on, and black gravel and black background will make his colors come out the most
>> Anonymous
betas get along with guppies.
so buy some of those
>> Anonymous
Dont buy any other fish and put in there...i wouldnt anyway. ive had countless bettas before...11 the most at one time, and all my experiences with bettas is they will eventually fight or get beaten up on by the other fish. Bettas are lone fish so its best to keep them alone.
>> Anonymous
>>324633

From what I've been reading the cycle goes:

Food -> Fish -> Fish poo mixed with uneaten food -> Ammonia -> Nitrites -> Nitrates

Which are then removed by doing 20% water changes weekly. It has to do with the bacteria forming in the tank to break down the waste, right?

Turned on my light this morning and he was still alive, flitting around in his little half gallon.
>> Anonymous
I hate seeing these beautiful fish in those little containers. 90% of them are just sulking at the bottom, looking dead. (The other 10% actually are dead.)
>> Anonymous
betta can live with other fish.

I have a male betta, female betta, 4 bloodfin tetras, 2 ballon mollies and an african dwarf frog in a tank together and they have been getting along fine.

Male bettas just can't live together with other males or fish with long colorful fins that they could mistake for other bettas.
>> Anonymous
>>324641
Bettas actually like warmer water... closer to 79-80.

OP, I had a Betta in a 15 gallon with a few Neon Tetras and everyone was happy. They lived together for 3 years until I moved and gave the tank away.

I would suggest getting some plants (real or fake) to give everyone something to hide behind if they feel like getting away from each other.
>> stubbs !!iwLOd24zyGx
>>324563
I've put two female bettas together and the results were nasty.
IMO I'd make sure you have a backup [tank] if you ever put two females together.
>> Anonymous
there are exception tho. Ive heard of a few instances that a some males have co exsisted together.
>> Anonymous
So how do you say it, Bay-ta or bet-ah.
If you say bay-ta youre an idiot.
>> Anonymous
OP here.

How about the aggressor gets time out in the half gallon cube?
>> Anonymous
>>324791
It's bet-ta, but everyone says bay-ta anyway.
>> Anonymous
To clear up the apparent gender confusion with bettas.

Males cannot be kept together. The only time this has ever worked is with experienced breeders, keeping a spawn together, and picking out the fish that started to get aggressive as they grow up. And keep in mind, this was only in a 100 gallon tank, with 2-3 males. It won't work in any tank smaller than this.

Females and males are similar. Siblings can sometimes be kept together, however also only in a very large tank. It must also have PLENTY of room to hide and lots of things that break up line of sight. Basically, a very very very heavily planted tank. Again, this will only work in 55+ gallon tanks.

Females and females together are the only reasonable way to keep bettas in the same tank. They can be kept together in a tank as little as a 10g. However, you must devote this tank entirely to the sorority if you have a 10g, because you MUST have at least 5-6 females. The reason for this is they will establish a pecking order. If you have 2, the bigger one will beat the shit out of the littler one. 3, the two bigger ones will gang up on the last one. 4 is getting into a safer area, but you still risk having one female dominating the last 3, or even there being one small chick who gets chased around all the time.

In general, females are much easier to find tankmates for than males, also. Females will not attack other fish with large flowing fins like the males will. Likewise, the lack of finnage will also lead to them being picked on less--the main concern in a mixed betta tank is the fact that the betta is at risk of being beaten up, not the other way round.
>> Anonymous
I would say no on that idea, its not a dog, its a fish. If you take the aggressor out then the other fish will feel more dominate over the fish that was taken out so ultimately it would only cause more problems, or so i would think. Im not for positive but i have kept fish for most of my life
>> Anonymous
>>324792
They probably won't make the connection to punishment. They're fish, not people.
>> Anonymous
>>324799
its also extremely stressful for the fish if you move them around in tanks all the time, esp with bettas. netting them can rip their fins
>> Anonymous
>>324801
very true also forgot to mention that
OP you should get a betta net its a soft cloth net sometime they are called brine shrimp nets or something to that effect
>> Anonymous
Do me a favor, don't change the water every day. It's what kills the fish.
>> Anonymous
>>324753
Yes, but it's a better idea to install a small sponge filter for the bacteria to settle in.
For a big aquarium, a good pot filter is a must, lest you want to change water every second day or enjoy dead fish.
>> Anonymous
>>324830

Not true.

Full water changes will kill a fish because of the huge difference in water chemistry. They can't adjust to this difference and die. This is the same reason why you can't just dump a new fish from the store into your tank. The temperature and parameters of the water are different, and you must acclimate them slowly.

Partial water changes daily will not harm a fish. I have a 20 gallon fish tank with breeding Cichlids, i do daily 10% to 20% water changes. If they're having babies and not dying, one can assume i am "doin' it rite".
>> Anonymous
OP here.

The "prison cube" was a joke, no worries. I put him in the cube by removing most of the water from his little cup and then placing the cup inside the cube letting him swim out that way instead of dumping him.

From reading up, the filter is a good idea. I was just wondering about other fish to house wit him if I get the 10 gallon tank because for the cost of the filter, tank, and hooded light, I can get the starter kit and it seems like a shame to only use those three things from it and no bubbler/pump.

If I ever do a nano reef (I've decided to build up to one) I know that natural filtration with live rock and sand is the way to go.
>> Anonymous
>>324901

Good luck with that Nano reef thing, OP.

Small tanks are harder to manage than bigger ones, given that they are a smaller ecosystem and it takes less to throw them off.
Marine tanks are also harder to maintain than freshwater, because many freshwater species are used to change in water parameters, while marine species DO NOT tolerate changes.

You will make mistakes, OP. You will lose fish. I've lost plenty, but with each loss comes a lesson learned.
You'll need some more fish-experience under your belt before a marine tank, i gather. I'm sure your betta friend can help you with that.
>> Anonymous
I had a betta in a 20 gal with other fish. As long as you keep them with peaceful species (hint: read up on it) and avoid aggressive fin biters he'll be fine. I had mine with Odessa barbs and they did great. If you get a filter just be sure it's on low and yes to whoever posted about Bettas being tropical, they do SO much better with a heater, the ones that lie around in the pet store are nothing like how a betta in a proper environment acts.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
its funny when you put a mirror in front of the betta