BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish New Betta owner

I'm a new betta owner, and having only owned goldfish in the past, I'm at a loss on how to really take optimal care of my betta. We went out this weekend and bought a 5 gallon tank with filter and light for him (his name is Simon). He was originally given to me on Saturday in a "bowl" with bamboo in it as a housewarming gift. Thinking that he'd probably rather a larger area to live, we bought the tank and prepared it last night. When I woke up this morning, the water in Simon's bowl was almost murky (I believe that the water was tap water!), so we transferred him into the new tank this morning. Is this okay? Will Simon still be there to greet me when I get home from work???? I'm super excited about adding friends for him to the tanks but really want him to adjust to his new surroundings.
Also, how long should I wait before I introduce "friends" for Simon? I heard that if I wait too long, he might grow territorial.....
Help!!!

Melxo,

Each betta has their own personality, and some are more aggressive than others. When to introduce others depends on what you're thinking about adding.

Welcome to the forum.

Well, I don't have a heater for my tank, and don't really plan on getting one if I don't have to. I guess that's the advantage of the betta, you don't necessarily have to heat the water. We do have a light on in there during the day, so with the room temperature and the addition of the light, we reckon that's ok (?). So with that being said, i was thinking of a guarmi or an angel fish (although I'm told that they will likely grow too big for a 5 gallon tank). I was also thinking of some neon tetras, but am concerned that the tetras need heated water. So much to learn....

Hi!

I'm not a Betta expert but I do have one (Jake) in a 5g with a Golden Apple Snail and two very small Ghost Shrimp as roomates.

They all seem to get along fine and with such character variety, they are very entertaining <img src="/images/graemlins/rolling.gif" alt="" />

I catch myself watching them as much as the goldies in the 29g!

mommabird <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Hi!!
I am also new on this forum.
I have 2 betta fishes but in separate bowls side by side. My red one was 1st for 3 months and did not like the blue one and my blue one does not care too much to be friends.
I suggest to leave him separated from the rest, afterall he is a siamese fighting fish

Well, it's day 3 of Simon's sojourn at my house and things seem to be going well. Last night I picked up some ammonia remover to add to the carbon and spong filter. Slight drama when the tank became all murky and cloudy. However, Simon kept (and still is) swimming along happily and eating which makes me happy. The water is still a little murky this morning, but seems to be clearing slowly. I guess you really only need an ammonia remover when it's NOT a brand new tank - silly me - didn't read the instructions before I dove right in! Does anyone see any long terms problems with what happened?
Oh, and also, the pH levels in Simon's tank appear to be between 7.5 & 8. It's a new clean tank - so do I need to think about decreaseing the pH, or will it happen eventually. I know this is higher then is optimal for bettas!'
Sharona! Thanks for the reply, have you ever considered putting different fish in with either of your two guys?