Post by sushimama on May 28, 2006 1:54:06 GMT -5
Hi! I just got my first betta this morning. I had a fishtank in high school that went reasonably well, but I really want to make our lovely betta (his name is Sushi) happy.
We have him in a 1 or 2 (got it at a garage sale, so it's hard to tell, but it's at least 1 gal) gallon plastic tank right now. We have the flap on the top open to keep air circulating but prevent daring escapes, but no filter, heater, or air pump. We have one blue plastic plant (it might be too jagged, I'll check at the next cleaning) and marbles at the bottom. We fed him a few pellets and one or two dried bloodworms when he got here but it seems like he's still settling in and hasn't munched much yet. No tank mates now, maybe in the distant future unless he really hates his little tank. I think we'll end up with a small heater thing because we live in Iowa and I have a feeling our temp will fluctuate a lot w/ seasonal changes.
So, I've been reading a ton about bettas since this morning because I want Sushi to live! Here are my main questions...
- Right now the only thing we're treating the water with is the chlorine removal stuff. I've heard about stresscoat - should we use it? Do you use it WITH chlorine drops or INSTEAD OF them?
- We have a small lamp near his tank that's on when we're awake but off when we're asleep. Is that ok? Should it be on always, or is alternating ok? (This is more about fish sleep than temp changes -- we're getting a small therm ASAP and can monitor those changes later).
- How often should we test the water? Do we really, REALLY need to get the test kits or are the strip things fine?
Thanks.
Lauren, Sushi's new Mom
We have him in a 1 or 2 (got it at a garage sale, so it's hard to tell, but it's at least 1 gal) gallon plastic tank right now. We have the flap on the top open to keep air circulating but prevent daring escapes, but no filter, heater, or air pump. We have one blue plastic plant (it might be too jagged, I'll check at the next cleaning) and marbles at the bottom. We fed him a few pellets and one or two dried bloodworms when he got here but it seems like he's still settling in and hasn't munched much yet. No tank mates now, maybe in the distant future unless he really hates his little tank. I think we'll end up with a small heater thing because we live in Iowa and I have a feeling our temp will fluctuate a lot w/ seasonal changes.
So, I've been reading a ton about bettas since this morning because I want Sushi to live! Here are my main questions...
- Right now the only thing we're treating the water with is the chlorine removal stuff. I've heard about stresscoat - should we use it? Do you use it WITH chlorine drops or INSTEAD OF them?
- We have a small lamp near his tank that's on when we're awake but off when we're asleep. Is that ok? Should it be on always, or is alternating ok? (This is more about fish sleep than temp changes -- we're getting a small therm ASAP and can monitor those changes later).
- How often should we test the water? Do we really, REALLY need to get the test kits or are the strip things fine?
Thanks.
Lauren, Sushi's new Mom
,
You probably already know the answers to your questions, but I'll spell it out for you anyway 
)
. Sounds like your water temp is fine for now, and once you get the test kit and learn what's normal for your area's water you can decide how to proceed.