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Post by mickey13 on Mar 22, 2006 18:37:29 GMT -5
Okay, first I want to thank you SO SO much for helping me out on the other thread. I just went out today and bought some new things, but before I open anything I want to make sure what I got is okay. You guys know MUCH more than the people in the pet store.
I wanted to get this one "tank" (nice rectangle) but the top was missing. SO...the woman directed me to one that was similar but used for reptiles. I decided against it. I ended up buying a ($19.99) MiniBow 1 gal. Jr. Aquarium Kit. It comes with an air pump (is this necessary) and an under-gravel filter (wouldn't this cause stress)? Is one gallon enough or should I really go with bigger?
I also bought complete water conditioner specifically for Bettas, a small plant and purple gravel (chosen by my daughter).
The girl told me she has never heard of a 25wt heater that goes in the water (was I wrong? does it not go directly into the water?)
I've also been feeding Fishy Bluehead 4 pellets 2x/day. Is this too much? He seems to fly right up to the top when he knows it is feeding time...and acts like he wants more. The girl at the store said only to feed him 2-3x/week b/c they store their food.
I bought a thermometer that suctions to the inside. Fishy seemed very interested in this. It shows that the water is on the cool side, but w/in the limits (there is a colored area to show acceptable temp).
I think that is it for now....thanks so much for all of your help in advance. You have all been so wonderful!!!
Jenn
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sawcat
Junior Bubble Nester
Posts: 237
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Post by sawcat on Mar 22, 2006 19:47:02 GMT -5
The airpump is to run the undergravel filter. I've not heard good things about undergravel filters, most people that have used them are recommending others to not. One gallon is decent, if it actually holds one gallons. My minibow is supposed to be 2.5 but reality it holds 2 gallons. If you don't think you'll ever want to get any tank mates, a 1 or 2.5 or 3 gallon are good, but should have atleast a 5 gallon for any tank mates. The plastic critter keepers are generic, can be used for reptiles, fish, rodents, crabs... The girl is not informed of things in the fish area, and is passing along the same misconceptions the stores print on the cups (petcos say that same 2-3 times a week). If you go to a major chain store, they'll carry the 25 watt heaters. The ones in my area (Petco and Petsmart) keep them near the filter cartridges. Here's a picture of mine (I use Hydor's Theo line), that black and red thing. It's completely submersible.  4 pellets 2 times a day is fine |
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Post by shadoew on Mar 23, 2006 5:58:54 GMT -5
First of all, congrats on wanting to improve the life of your betta!! ;D In regards to the size of your tank, 1 gal is okay, I have a few that are kept in tanks that size, but only because I don't have enough room for anything bigger  If you had the space, I'd probably upgrade to the 2.5 minibow, so that you could put the heater in there without any problems. I find that there usually isn't enough room for heaters in smaller tanks. But if not the 1 gal would do just fine. There are such things as 25wt heaters, although it took me a while to finally find some around where I live  (Mine are called Neptune by Marineland ) The amount of food you're feeding him seems fine to me Here is a pic of one of my tanks w/ the heater in it: (just thought that I would copy you sawcat ;D )  |
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Post by mickey13 on Mar 23, 2006 19:16:17 GMT -5
Okay, here comes my inexperience and lack of knowledge once again I was actually at Petco where the girl told me there are no 25w submersible heaters  I went to a Petco near where I work and this is what I picked up today: I got a medium sized "Aquatic Gardens" Aquarium Tote HInged Lid Feeder Flip Top (it was the one I wanted yesterday...and the one I found is a nice color!!) It looks like it could be around 2 gal. There is nothing specific on it. I also picked up a 25w submersible heater ;D It is a Visi-Therm submersible aquarium heater. It was expensive, but worth it...especially b/c the water in Fishy Blueheads "home" was below the acceptable mark this morning. I put him in front of the heat (forced hot air), wrapped the fishbowl in a towel and told my husband not to move him until the temp went up (okay, am I becoming obsessed already?!?!) I liked the minibows, but they are expensive and I wasn't going to be using the airpump/gravel filter. How may times per week will I have to clean out the new home? I'm not positive that it is 2 gal. Also, the heater says it is for tanks up to 8 gal. So it is okay for the new one, right?! I've read that it is good to give these beauties a variety of food. What else can I give him? Thanks again for all of the wonderful help you have given me. |
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Post by abm on Mar 23, 2006 20:53:00 GMT -5
sorry about the poor petco advice, welcome to betta-hood Hagen makes a great 25 watt mini-submersible heater....it's about $15 at petsmart or $12 + shipping at www.drsfostersmith.com. I've only had one to go bad on me and I've had 8 of them. I've also got a couple of Visi-therms and no problems, but I find them harder to set accurately...once set, no problem, but you may need to play with it a bit. About the feeding....bettas are little piggies and will act like you've never ever fed them before RIGHT NOW  . I would maybe cut back one pellet per feeding....I feed 2-3 pellets twice a day, and I fast them one meal per week (usually Saturday morning). Constipation is a real danger for bettas, and it's frequently fatal  so overfeeding is a real worry. You can, as you get more comfortable with your options, vary the diet somewhat - my guys love the bloodworms in gel (but refuse to eat the freeze dried ones) and maybe some daphnia, both of which you can get online. About temp...the colored area on the thermometer is a wide guideline for all tropical fish....bettas in particular need warm water around 78-80 degrees. On my thermometers the colored area begins at 70, which is way too cool. The 25 watt heater will be fine for a tank around 2 gallons - I've used them on 1 gallon tanks safely. With a smaller volume of water, any change you make to the thermostat will have a quicker and stronger effect on the water, so you just need to be vigilant. If your heater has a calibrated thermostat, just remember that for a small tank, a setting of 74 may get the water up to 78...like I said, you'll just have to play with it. |
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Post by mickey13 on Mar 23, 2006 21:07:38 GMT -5
Thanks for the quick reply. Fishy is now in his new home, and I caught him swimming around, and then I came into the kitchen and he stopped. He seems to hang around the bottom of the tank a lot (not just this one, but the bowl he was in as well). Is this normal? He also seems to go vertical a lot. Is this normal? I am going to cut him back to 3 pellets 2x/day...I don't want to do anything that might hurt him. I'll even try skipping a meal, but I don't know if it will go over well with my daughter (2 1/2 and it is HER fish--LOL). I'll go to PetSmart tomorrow to get the mini 25watt. Can you set that one also? The one I bought today was $26 on sale. How often should I do water changes, and how do I clean gravel?! Thanks again for the help...I feel SO dumb!  |
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Post by shadoew on Mar 24, 2006 5:22:06 GMT -5
As far as water changes go for my 2 gal tanks I do a 50% water change one week, and the 2nd week I do a 100% water change. Regarding the gravel, I'd just rinse it with hot water when doing the 100% water change |
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Post by abm on Mar 24, 2006 8:51:53 GMT -5
The Hagen mini-submersible doesn't have a visible temperature guide, the rubber top just twists and clicks, so you do need to watch it for awhile as you set the temp. If you're moving your fish into his new tank, that's a perfect time to play with it, while he's in the old tank. Once set, though, the Hagens are very reliable. Personally, I've learned to keep an extra heater in the house for any time one of mine might go on the fritz...like an insurance policy. Several of our members have gotten the Walmart Jr Heaters (7.5 watts I think) which generally don't set and don't work for very long (you get what you pay for :  but will keep the water warm until you can replace the regular heater. |
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sawcat
Junior Bubble Nester
Posts: 237
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Post by sawcat on Mar 24, 2006 11:45:45 GMT -5
If you got the medium tote, it should be about 2 gallons. I just got a medium one for my female, and that's how much it took, and I have a large one, and it holds close to 3 gallons.
I do a 50-66% water change in my 2-3s a week with the gravel vac to get the poo and any food they might not have eaten. This way I can leave them in, because the crowntail gets very stressed during to water changes when he used to be removed (fear stripes)
You can get a gravel vac and a small bucket. The gravel vac will suck out the poo and bits from the gravel.
The Hydor theos have temp markings on the dial, and I got mine at Petsmart. Print out the listing from the website and they'll match the price (they charge $10 less for the Theo's on their site)
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If you had the space, I'd probably upgrade to the 2.5 minibow, so that you could put the heater in there without any problems. I find that there usually isn't enough room for heaters in smaller tanks. But if not the 1 gal would do just fine.
(Mine are called Neptune by Marineland )
I went to a Petco near where I work and this is what I picked up today:
. I would maybe cut back one pellet per feeding....I feed 2-3 pellets twice a day, and I fast them one meal per week (usually Saturday morning). Constipation is a real danger for bettas, and it's frequently fatal 
so overfeeding is a real worry. You can, as you get more comfortable with your options, vary the diet somewhat - my guys love the bloodworms in gel (but refuse to eat the freeze dried ones) and maybe some daphnia, both of which you can get online. 
but will keep the water warm until you can replace the regular heater.