BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish A Betta Question...

Hi! I'm new to the forum as well as to owning a Betta and I have a question about the environment Willoughby is currently living in. What does everyone think about the glass stones (for lack of a better name for them...) instead of gravel? And if you do use the stones, do they have to be a certain kind so they don't harm the fish? (if such a thing can occur from using the stones.)
Thanks in advance for the answers! I'm so happy I found such an informative and welcoming fish community!
Britta

Bettas... <img src="/images/graemlins/fish.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/heart.gif" alt="" />

Glass stones seem like they would be a good idea, at least from what I've heard. Bettas have very long fins that are very suceptible to rips and tears, so anything you put into it's tank must be smooth. The only problem I can see a person having with these is that food and poo can get stuck between the stones, and it's harder to suction these out in between cleanings (which helps keep the water cleaner, thus your fish happier!) As long as you keep up on regular cleanings, I would see no problem at all with this.

Hi Britta and welcome. Elisea is exactly right about the glass stones - they are smooth, which is ideal, and can allow the water to foul because of huge gaps in the stones, whihc is less than ideal.

Use a turkey baster to suck up what you see trapped in there on a daily basis. And when I use glass stones, I remove everything from the tank/bowl and wash the stones completely in hot water . NO SOAP. Then pour them back in, add water and dechlor and whatever other decrations, and finally the betta (make sure the water is warm, not hot or cold).