Do you have fish?

[Ricola]

DS received a Betta fish for his birthday, but very little in the way of instructions.

What do we need to keep the fish alive and swimming happily?

 

[nativetxn]

This is the best advice you will ever receive: Keep this Beta away from our Pumba...trust me

 

[BarryHom]

The only fish I have is in my freezer.

My brother used to raise fish when he was young.

 

[pumba]

YES I HAVE FISH......actually now we are down to three betas......they are all in individual little holding tanks......except the governor ....he is in a nice tri cornered tank with a little areater in it........Now they do not really need alot of care.....I feed them once a day..even if they go nuts when I am near their watering holes......they are really great fish....I take a ladel and scoop the little things out once a week and put them in fresh water that has sat out over night.....I do not use spring water or distilled water.....just tap water that has set ......I then put him back into his cleaned out house and he is good for another week.....sometimes you can get one fish that will spaz out when you change their tanks......they get their color back eventually.....got the cute little plastic tanks at walmart and their food too........Now please disregard my tag under my name.......they are all falsehoods......honest.......well it was by a very stupid accident that I cooked mr. feeney and had to flush him....and jay the beta had a few to many years on him.......The Governor is almost two years old ..Otis is already two and Indy is just one......these are great fun......

 

[sharbear]

We have a lot of fish. I think that you can keep a Betta in a small tank but if you want advise I would go to a fish store. They are usually knowledgeable and they can point you in the right directions. I am sure that you don't want to go to all of the trouble that we go through with our fish, but they are our pets and we (my DH) puts a lot of time into it.

 

[peg2001]

Do a search on the internet for betta care and you will get lots of information. Some of it is conflicting but still generally useful.

Here is our betta set-up: 5-gallon rectangular tank with power filter and heater, live floating plants (hornswort and water sprite), 1" gravel on the bottom. We vacuum the gravel and replace about half the water every 2 weeks. The water is tap water treated with conditioner to remove the chlorine and chloramines and neutralize any ammonia.

Bettas love floating plants. Mine nestles right into the hornswort and rests there. You can keep bettas in smaller containers but the water will need to be changed more frequently. If bettas are kept in warm rooms, you do not need the heater. Our downstairs gets cold in the winter!

We feed those little betta balls twice a day and occasionally give bloodworms, tubifex worms, and betta flakes instead. They eat TINY amounts so don't overfeed.

We have other tanks as well so if you have questions about goldfish or rasboras/corycats/ottos, ask away!

Peggy

 

[bekkiz]

I've had my Scruffers (a betta) for about 6 months now. He's in a simple 1 gallon bowl, with the glass, sort of flattened marbles and a couple fake plants. I have read many places that filters can agitate bettas, and if you keep it clean, you probably won't need one.
KEY ADVICE: Check anything for the tank to make sure it won't snag his pretty fins. If it catches on hose, chances are, it'll tear his fins

I change the water once a week, if you keep him in anything smaller than 1 gal, you may need to change more often. I found these tablets called Betta Buddies (I think) at Petsmart. They come in a box of ten, plus some food pellets. After I have scrubbed the bowl, and rinsed the plants and marbles with very hot water, I just drop a tablet in, let it dissolve, rest the baggie in the water for 30 minutes, and scruffers is good to go

I also feed him twice a day, 6-7 of the betta bites in the morning, 3-4 of the Bio Gold pellets (that come with the Betta Buddies kit)in the afternoon.

You may see large amounts of bubbles floating at the top---that's a good sign. It means your fish is happy and healthy enough to mate!

 

[pumba]

one week with me demise.....was because I was so excited about getting him a nice fancy tank .....that I put in the water ..after I had cleaned the tank out and the marbles.....and the water was still slightly ......er........warm....a few hours later I fed him...and he was not doing to good....I put my finger in cause he liked to nibble on me.....and it was slightly warm....so the answer was I cooked mr. feeney by accident......but it was an accident.....honest......my other betas are doing so fantastic.....I mean two years with one is good I think

 

[browneyes]

All our fishies usually end up where Jason eats his sandwiches. It's a death wish for a fish to want to come home with us.

Good luck to your ds and his fishy.