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Thread: My head is spinning....

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    New Madrid County Missouri
    Posts
    1,023

    My head is spinning....

    Recently I decided I would love to add to my family and do something I haven't done since I was little... own fish. Like any good Pet Talker I started doing my research. I first thought about goldfish because that was the fish from my childhood. All the info I've found says that goldfish have high waste outputs and require large tanks to be happy. Bit short on available space at the moment. My next thought was bettas. From what I've read they are hardy (plus seeing as all my childhood fish died at the hands of my mother), need low space (again I don't have room for a larger tank until personal issues clear up) and good for first time fish owners (aka me). But that is where the info stops agreeing. One site says this but another say that and I am on overload right now. So does any of my experienced owners have sites that they recommend that has the best advice or any advice themselves that I could use. This little adventure won't begin for another month to two months but I like to be overly prepared.

    My plan at the moment is to get two males in seperate 1.6 or 2.5 gallon tanks seperated visually by aquarium background.

    I thank you in advance for any help you give.
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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Methuen, MA; USA
    Posts
    17,105
    As your research showed, goldfish are really not tank fish at all, they require a pond. I know, I had them as a child too. We could ge tthem for 10 cents at W T Grants, or they were given away, to entice you to buy a bowl etc. But they GROW. Glad you decided those are out.

    Male bettas are pretty and as long as they can't reach one another, they are a good fish. You didn't specify what the sites disagree about. I kept a betta in my community tank with other nonaggressive fish and they lasted over a year. They can be kept on their own, but I never did it that way.
    .

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    New Madrid County Missouri
    Posts
    1,023
    The main disagreements are in the feeding schedule and tank cleaning. One site I read they only need to be fed once every 3 days as they will continue to eat if overfed where as another says 2-3 times a day and yet another says once daily.
    One site says that a full tank cleaning is needed only once a month with 1/3 water change weekly and another says full tank cleaning is needed every 5-7 days.

    I googled Betta fish care so I didn't retain site names. I was just needing experienced owners advice and/or narrow down the sites to read.
    Hold your head high.
    Don't ever let 'em define
    The light in your eyes.
    Love yourself, give them Hell.
    You can take on this world.
    You just stand and be strong
    And then fight
    Like a girl.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Delaware, USA - The First State/Diamond State - home of The Blue Hens
    Posts
    9,321
    I kept a 40 gallon tank for years, and I pretty much stuck with small yet hardy fish - like fancy guppies or neons. I liked black mollies, but they are so prone to ick that I gave up on them. I always had pretty good luck with angel fish, silver dollars, and red sword tails.

    I can't imagine any site saying a full tank cleaning every 5-7 days tho, unless they might be referring to betas in a bowl with no filtration system. I can't imaging a 1/3 water exchange every week either, even with a tank with a reasonably good filtration system. The less the water exchange and the less often, the less shock to the fish. Most of the time I did more than 1/3, but I NEVER did more than 1/2, and definitely not every week either. Of course the more fish in the tank, then the more often it needs to be cleaned too, but certainly not every week. Not in this house anyway!
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  5. #5
    I've been keeping bettas for years. I've had a few live nearly four years. (which means they were older than four) I keep them in two gallons tanks. No filtration. I do a full water change every five days, you might make it six or seven days. I feed them 4-5 pieces of food twice a day. There are lights in each of the tanks to help warm them during the winter months and I have thermometers in each tank to watch the water temperature.
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  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Posts
    336
    I as well own a betta. I feed him four pellets of betta food twice a day. The tank does not have a filter, so I change the water in his tank about once a week. The tank is also smaller than 5 gallons (I'm not too sure exactly how big it is.) I keep gravel and plants in there for him and the tank also came with a light which I keep on during the day and turn off at night. I've read that bettas like around room temperature water; it is not too good for them if the water is freezing cold or boiling hot.

    I've had him for maybe two months or so. Not long, I know, but longer then any goldfish I've ever had. They're easy to care for and not to mention very pretty!

    RIP Sally

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