My first betta

[Lala]

I just got my first beta. His name is Kat (short for Katana) Iv had him home for about 6 hours now, and after reading the guide Im a bit worried about a few things. He seems very healthy he had the fullest fins of all the blue/green ones they had and his water wasn't cloudy when I first saw him. I hid him in the back while we did some other shopping and when I came back they were changing the water, so after a bit of searching I found him again. I didn't really know what to look for, but I tried to pick the healthiest looking one. His eyes are clear and he was swimming about, when I picked him up he flared at me and stared (he's so cute). His waters at 78 right now and has stayed around there since I put him in.

So on to the questions

He's in a 1/2 gallon tank that was part of a betta kit, I just assumed that since it was a kit it was a good size, should have known better. I was looking at a 2.5 gal but I don't have room for it at the moment. Will he be ok for a few weeks in the small tank?

I'm planning on changing his water tomorrow since he isn't eating his food, its flakes (Nutrafin Max) that came with the kit, he's eating the little dried fish in it but not the flakes and I don't have a way to get it out ( I'm going to buy a baster tomorrow). He sucks up the flakes then spits them back out, I assume he's just getting used to new things and he'll start eating that food, but I also have pellets in case he doesn't like the flakes.

The kit also came with a plastic plant, I didn't think about it before I put it in, I wish I'd have read the guide before setting him up but i was in a big hurry to get him out of that stupid little cup. So when I clean it I'll do the nylons test. He seems to love it so I hope its ok. His fins haven't snagged on it so far, but even if its ok I think I'll get him a silk plant just in case.

Also I have well water, I asked the guy at Petco but he didn't seem to know much of anything, He told me I might need to use more of the conditioner (HBH bowl prep is the one I'm using now since its the one they used in the little cups). It didn't make sense to me that I should use more since my water doesn't have additives like chlorine. I'll try to get a test kit as soon as I can, but I hoped someone else had well water and had some advice. I went ahead and put the recommended amount in the tank till I could find out more.

I just love him, I haven't had a fish before and I already want another lol.

Thank you so much for having this site its the most informative Iv found, and having forums is a huge help.

Lala

[abm]

Hi Lala,
Welcome to the world of betta ownership! It sounds like Kat was really lucky to be purchased by someone as caring as you are. You gave a lot of info in your post and I'm at work so I can't go thru it line by line - but I wanted to answer/address a couple of your most pressing questions quickly. It sounds like you're seeking the best info and that's great - I know you're doing more research even now!

1/2 gallon is very small for a betta but yes, it will work for a few days until you can get something larger as long as you do 100% water changes at least every 3 days. And don't feel bad, we've all been pressured to buy those teensy kits - when the label says "great for bettas" why would an unsuspecting buyer think they're awful for bettas? But do change the water frequently so the ammonia and other harmful substances don't build up and make your guy sick, and do try to get him into at least a 1 gallon tank soon.

About the eating: it's very normal for a new betta to refuse food initially. He's getting adjusted to a new home and to you. One thing that's very important is offering a variety of foods; if you're reading different topics here on the HB forum (and I know that you are ) you know that many folks recommend live foods, others recommend frozen and still others like the pellet forms. Personally I think all types have merit - just try and see. If he doesn't eat them, remove them promptly within a few minutes (turkey basters are wonderful things:)) Never overfeed a betta - a "normal" amount is about 3 pellets, twice a day. Your betta would probably happily eat twice this much but it would make him very ill and possibly kill him .

About well water: I have no personal experience but until you can get your water tested I would recommend bottled water - NOT distilled, but bottled spring water. Not too pricey at the discount chain stores. Even if there's no chlorine added there could be other substances in the water that are fine for humans but not for bettas. Many pet stores will test your water for free; can't hurt to ask.

About the plant: Yes, remove the plastic plant if you have ANY doubts. Nice, soft silk plants only cost $2-3 and are usually safest.

I think theBowl Prep product is probably fine; what you want is something that will remove chlorine AND chloramines from the water; read the label, be sure your product removes these substances, and use the correct amount. Personally I've had great success using Kordon's NovAqua and Amquel; used together, they remove not only chlorine and chloramines, but also nitrates, nitrites and ammonia, all of which build up in uncycled tanks (like yours and mine) and harm the fish.

I gotta go work now I hope this helps you get started and please post updates on Kat's settling-in progress.

Welcome to Healthy Betta!
~abm

[ACKislander]

I don't have well water either, but I have heard that it can be a bit different. (like higher pH in some cases) I agree with ABM that bottled spring water would be better until you can test your water's natural pH, kh, gh, and any natural ammonia that may be present.

Oh, and for what it's worth. I also bought the teny tiny betta bowl and plastic plant when I first started out. Live and learn righ?

[Lala]

Thank you both for the info and the warm welcome. I stayed up far too late last night (this morning) reading threads, but I learned a lot which is always good.

The reason I'm wondering about my water, is because it is basically spring water. We have an underground stream running through our property, and the well draws from that. This will probably sound kind of weird but I'm very picky about water, they all taste different to me. My water tastes just like Crystal Geyser, which as far as taste seems to have a lot of minerals in it, and of course has no chlorine or any other additives, since it just goes through a pump then a filter and out the faucet.

I just asked a friend who has a betta and well water and she didn't have any idea what I was talking about when I said conditioner. She's had her betta for a year so I guess I wont worry about the water to much and will try to find a test kit today.

This morning I tried the flakes and he still spit them out, so I tried the HBH Betta Bites and he ate those.

Oh I forgot to mention he was only $1.99, I think maybe it was a sale for their opening but thats why we went there we figured they wouldn't have had to much time to mistreat the fish. The grand opening is this weekend, and I think they only opened last week.

I just love watching him its funny because I read that they like to hang out at the top of the water, but he always hangs out at the bottom when he's not swimming around, is that a bad sign?

OK now that Iv wrote another novel hehe Im going to change his water.

Thanks again,
Lala

[Hobbes]

Also, if your betta still isn't eating the flakes, get some bloodworms, my betta loves them!

My bloodworms are dried, but you can get frozen, live or dried, just depending on what you want to get.

Good luck with your first betta!