Betas?

[bckrazy]

YAAY! Another Bettaholic in the making ! Just to letcha know, 1 gallons are perfect homes for any Betta boy, but there are many nice, spacious 2-5 gallon Critter-Carrier type aquariums at Petsmart that are insanely cheap!! I got my 4-5gal for less than $12! They dont have lights installed in the hood, but they have plenty of sunlight during the day and lights on in my room until bedtime .. my boy with a blown tail went from a 1gal to a 4-5gal, and his tail is already growing much more rapidly and his color is FAR better than I ever saw it in the 1gal. Especially for Betta boys with heavy finnage, 4-5gals are perfect. Critter Keepers are also much longer/wider than they are tall, so they take up VERY little space. Importantly: No matter what you get, MAKE SURE it has a cover. Bettas are crazy little fish, known to jump several inches up through 1"x1" feeding holes in their covers!! For a small open space or a bowl, seran wrap with a few air holes punched in works well.

Another thing to consider, is buying 1 or 2 live plants for each boys tank ~ Java Fern, Cacomba, and Water Sprite works GREAT! They love to swim through the plants (and rest on the leaves soo cute), they dont tear their tails(like plastic plants can), and they drastically reduce how often you need to clean the tanks. They suck up a lot of the bad wastes that build up in water over time ~ which adds days between necessary water changes. Bettas do NOT require any bubblers because they're surface breathers, and they dont need a filter, unless the tank is very large (5+ gals). They actually dont like filters typically, because the current tends to swish them around and annoy them.

meh. anywayy.. Here's my tank-cleaning routine... I'm very careful about stressing my temperamental HM boy and sensitive female, so I'm overly cautious.

*Start by slowly siphoning (with airline tubing, which costs $.05 at Wal*Mart ~ siphoning is not necessary, you can simply use a cup to transfer the water, but I find that is stressful to my Bettas) out a portion of the bettas tank water into a holding bowl/jar. The jar should be adequately large enough not to freak your Betta out, enough for him to turn around and swim and such. I use 1/2gal bowls filled 1/2 to 3/4 full.

*Now, VERY gently use a special scoop (what I use), a cup, or a soft net to scoop the Betta out of his/her home. DONT use your hands. Do everything you can not to stress the Betta, just wait for him/her to come up to the surface for air and be ready to scoop them up! Quickly dip them into the nearby holding bowl.

*Take tank to nearest sink and place strainer/stopper thing in sink (VERY important, unless you like rocks in your disposal ). Check one last time that you DID remember to scoop out your fishie and put them into their holding bowl , then proceed to remove decorations and plants and pour out the remaining water. Pour the gravel into a large bowl. Rinse the tank out thoroughly, and use a paper towel to clean the sides.

*Next, swish the gravel bowl around to make sure you get all of the waste out of it. Run it under hot water, then quickly drain that water out. Rinse several times under 70*-80* (lukewarm) water, and be careful not to leave any food or waste in there or it could make your Betta sick.

*Rinse off your plants and decorations. I run the decorations under hot water, scrub them with paper towels, then let them sit in a bowl with lukewarm water. A lot of people use dechlorinated water to rinse these off, but it isnt a necessity. Rinse the live plants in cool water, trim if needed, and remove any leaves that are dark/discolored or whithering. Dead or unhealthy plants will only pollute the water more.

*Now you can add your gravel into the tank and secure decorations and plants where you need them. Using a tank thermometer ($1 at Wal*Mart), mix warm and cool tap water until you reach the temperature that the water was at before. 78* is the ideal temp for Bettas, but they're fine with water between 70*-82*

*Last, but NOT least, add your favorite dechlorinator. I use 1 tsp of Novaqua and 1 tsp of Amquel per 10 gallons (theres also StressCoat, which works to dechlorinate and reduce heavy metals in tap water). That means, if you have one gallon tanks, you need to measure out 1/10 tsp each. You can also add any needed meds now, and consider adding a pinch of aquarium salt to prevent any fin infections.

*Now, you need to carefully net or scoop Mr./Ms. Betta out of their holding bowl and place them in their tank. Give them time to explore and get acclimated before you turn on their tank lights or feed them or anything.


thats it!! It sounds confusing, but my average time for changing 1gals is about 10 minutes. 2.5-5gals are usually 15 minutes. And yes, thats with all of the precautions I take! You can probably get it down to 5-10 mins in no time at all!!!

Also, can I recommend foods? Hikara Betta Bio-Gold is good, and very reasonably priced. Bettas usually prefer pellets over flakes. Supplement dry foods with frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, and daphnia. A 4oz package of each costs about $4 and will last your 3 Bettas over a year ! You can even start trying live foods if you want, like bloodworms. Blackworms, I dont recommend because they tend to be less clean and can cause dropsy. I feed 4 pellets or a small amount of frozen food (2-3 bloodworms) twice a day.