BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish New and Confused Betta Parent

Hm... I feel awkward. I'm new to the board, and new to betta parentage. I really hope I'm not going against any rules by posting this, but I have so many questions that I can't seem to find a direct answer to anywhere. This is my first pet that isn't just a "family" pet, so I want him to be healthy and taken care of! He's a pretty fish, with purple and teal coloring (I don't know any technical terms..), and his name is Broadway.

So, on to my questions, and again, I apologize if I shouldn't be asking these here. I have read the articles on the site, and found them very helpful, but I still need some help.

1. Does Broadway need a light during the night when I'm asleep? I'm in college and living in a dorm (luckily with no roommate!), so there's pretty much just the one overhead light. Should I start learning to sleep with it on?

2. I tend to go home on the weekends--I leave Friday afternoon and return Sunday late afternoon or early evening. What will become of Broadway? Two petshops I called told me he would be okay if I didn't feed him for a day, and to make sure that I fed him before I left and when I got back. Is that good advice?

3. Should I be as paranoid about him as I am? I get concerned about everything he does, because I've read threads on betta illnesses. I am already really attached to my little friend, and I get so worried! Are bettas very prone to illness?

4. Will loud noises be a problem? I'm a quiet person, but my neighbors can be noisy. So far he doesn't seem to really notice it though. But I just wanted to be sure he'd be okay.

That's all I can think of for now... I hope it was okay to ask. I really want to take good care of Broadway; I love animals and he's a very good friend. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hi Pink Cow and welcome to the forum! You are right to ask all your questions here - we are here to learn from each other and help our fish be healthy and happy.

You can certainly leave your betta unfed all weekend. Don't overfeed before or after, just feed normally, or you will have to worry about constipation and swim bladder disease.

You don't need a light on at night unless you are using the light for heat. read more of the posts in this forum - we mention this a lot here.

noises should be okay, just don't let anyone disturb your little guy by poking fingers in his water or shaking his tank or whatever might stress him out. Protect your little pet!

let us know more about him!!! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I need to write an article about bettas in the dorm. I will let you know when it's up. in the meantime, read my bettas in the office piece - it's similar:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art36468.asp

What does everyone else have to suggest?

Jilly,

Thank you for the help with my questions! Since I asked those last night, Broadway seems to be doing a lot better with his new surroundings. He swims around quite a lot, and he's very alert. I'm happy to see him doing well!

Still, he doesn't seem very interested in his betta pellets. He has eaten two, but it takes a lot to get him to eat them, and he never wants more than that. I hope he's not sick.. I though maybe he was just a little stressed still. At least he is eating, but I'm kind of concerned about how uninterested he is.

I have a couple more quetsions, if that's okay.

1. Is it normal for him to have times when he's compeltely still? I posted in the betta journal thread a bit about this; last night I woke up to check on him and he wasn't moving at all. I was so worried he had died! My boyfiend suggested maybe he was asleep, but I didn't know if bettas slept in motion or not. Can someone help me out with this?

2. Also, regarding water changes... I'm not sure what the best way is to go about that. 1/3 at a time is what I've heard most places, but is that good advice? And what do I do about pouring in the new water? Do I need to do it a little bit at a time so it doesn't shock him?

Unexperienced but trying,
PinkCow

Oh, an update to my last post: I fed Broadway a bloodworm and he was very happy about that. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Also! As a quick summary of what I've discovered about him so far:
Broadway is a Walmart rescue fish... one of the few who seemed alert and not on its last fin, so to speak. He's jittery sometimes; he darted around his cup at Walmart and still sometimes darts in his bowl, but he doesn't do it often, so I don't feel like it's because of a problem. He loves to hang out near the glass "pebbles" I put into his bowl, and I've even caught him seemingly playing with them (nudging at them with his mouth and such). He also really likes his little silk plant. He's got a bit of an attitude though... and I don't think he likes my boyfriend much. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Also, the article you linked me to is helpful--thanks!

I am glad to see that you are trying so hard to be a good betta mom. It seems like you have the willingness to do the work needed to be a great one!!! Now, on to the questions...

I know sometimes Gideon will stay in the same place just kind of floating. It seems like he is watching me when he does this. As far as I know, it is completely normal. They are very interactive and will watch you to see what you are up to.

As for water changes, how big is your tank? The smaller the tank, the more often the water changes need to be. IMHO, anything less than a gallon needs a 100% change every day or two. I have a 2.5 unfiltered tank and I only change it about once every 2 weeks or so. And I do 80-100% Don't rely on the clarity of the water to determine when to do changes. You should probably invest in a test kit for at least nitrItes/nitrAtes. An ammonia monitor would be good too. A simple stick on one can be had at Petsmart for less than $10. Also the more you feed him (both quantity and frequency) the more frequent the changes need to be.
Also, what you described as playing, Gideon does too. I always thought he was foraging for leftovers, heheheh. And bettas do have attitudes and seem to be very "protective" of their parents.
When I do water changes I put Gideon in either a small plastic cup or a small critter keeper with a bit of his tank water. Then I half empty his tank and rinse everything with a mix of fresh and old tank water. Then I completely empty it and add fresh treated water (BTW Never use distilled water as it strips their slime coat off) that is about the same temp as his old water. The scoop him out of the cup with my hand and add him back in.
If I have forgotten anything, I am sure someone will chime in.

Oh, and he will eat the pellets, it just takes them some time to realize they are food. I had to stop feeding those to Gideon though because they constipated him and messed with his swimbladder. Now he eats tropical flakes with daphnia and bloodworms as treats. I don't think you should be overly worried about Broadway (easier said than done, I know), bettas are typically pretty hardy fish. There have been about 5 times when I thought Gideon would be dead when I woke up because he looked so pitiful, swimming on his side, but he's still here and happier than ever!

<img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Gideon & I send fishy hugs!!!!
Amber
ETA: spelling

I managed to snag a blurry, but still visable, picture of Broadway earlier today. Hard to do because of the round shape of the bowl...


Thanks for the answers! It's really good to have a place to ask them at. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> As for the tank size, it's pretty small (I think it's about .5 gallon), but I get paid today and I'm thinking about buying him a flat-sided gallon one instead. He seems pretty happy in this one though. I'll have to see what I can find.

Yes, I've come up with yet another question... it regards water changing. Do I need to "float" him in the water again, in whatever I put him in while I change it, to get him used to the temperature like I did when I first put him in? Or do I just dump him into the new water?

Thanks again so much! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Keeping bettas in dorms would be a great article Jilly! I know a lot of people love my fish, but there was so much I never knew about him before I got him, dispite all the research I did.

One thing that I would suggest is that people get their water from a water fountain and let it sit out for a few days, as bathroom faucet water in dorms tends to be softened, and sometimes questionable. Maybe softened water is not a problem for a fish, I don't know, but I'd prefer not to find out the hard way! Also stocking up on things like aquarium salt and bettafix is a *very* good idea, as there is very little access to something like this on campus if you don't have a car, and if your fish comes down with something, it can be difficult to treat if you don't have the supplies on hand. Another thing I've done when my fish have been sick and needed the heat from the lamp is enclose them under my bookshelf on my desk using some paper or cardboard to block the light at night, because I do have to deal with roomates. They didn't complain about that, as it wasn't bright at all. Keeping your betta on your desk is a good idea anyway, because then he gets to interact with you and you don't forget about him either!

Pink - it's always a good idea to float, or aclimate, your betta to its new water, because it may be at a different temperature, and the contents of the water will differ each time you change it as well (fewer nitrates, possibly more or less salt or meds if he's sick, etc in the new water, and you wouldn't want to shock your betta)

Thanks! The info is much appreciated yet again. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I just keep coming up with more questions...

Right now I'm wondering if making the change to a different "home" already is a good idea or not. Right now Broadway's in a round glass fishbowl, .5 gallon-ish, with no lid; I was thinking of buying him a gallon-sized square, flat-sided mini-tank with a lid. He seems happy where he is right now, but I don't know if he'd be better off in the mini-tank. Suggestions?

My suggestion is to get the tank. (As big as you can afford/fit in your dorm) He will enjoy a bigger home more than he will be stressed by the move. They love the extra space and it is easier to keep clean and medicate if (God forbid) he get sick...

HTH!
Amber


PS He is gorgeous!!!