BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish Fish Journal - BETTAS ONLY

YAY! See, you are now a betta addict...it was bound to happen. EMG has some really neat pictures of tanks she's divided and put multiple bettas in, if you search around for some of her old posts they might have links. But then you'd have to dig through. I think you can put most peaceful fish with bettas, provided they don't have long fins that might make your betta want to pick on it. I wouldn't really know though, so take all this with a grain of salt...

MarshiMaro, I'm glad redfish is eating <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Now hopefully you can just get him to eat something else! Lol, such finicky fish...

Lol, yeah, look what you people did to me!!!!
I have the tank sitting up by my bed, hehehehee, so I can look at it all day!!

I am just dying to get this tank up and going, but I can't until I get money! -cries- But I get my tax refund this Friday so yay!!

But alot of that tax refund has to go towards my new car so I won't get to spend alot of it, but hey, sounds good to me yes yes!!

Thanks again!

My name is Amber, and I am a new betta adict

Isaac, you can put a couple of cory cats in with your betta. Otocinclus is good too.

You have to be careful with fish that nip at fins though. Things like tiger barbs are NOT good, they will eat your betta's fins to nothing. It isn't just the betta you have to worry about bothering the other fish..lol..tuff as betta can be, there are some tougher fish out there that could harass a betta to death.

A good filter to get would be one of the bio-wheel filters. They are good at removing ammonia and nitrites. You may have to figure something out to slow the current down though. I have heard of folks who use those soap dishes with the suction cups..(brand new of course, never haveing had any soap in it)..they stick them to the side of the tank under the filter outlet to interupt the current. I have never tried that but those who have said it works pretty good. Be creative..lol..and if you come up with something different that works...."Share" ! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Enjoy setting up that tank Isaac ! I too am adding slowly to a 20L I am planing on setting up as a plantedtank for my blue rams. Right now I need a filter, stand and another bag of substrate.

I'll have to see if I can put a link to another forum where I have pics posted on my profile. Too bad we can't do that here ! <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Gee, that was easy and fast...lol....

the link is up, if anyone wants to check out some of my pics ! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Hey again... so I moved them both into their proper tanks and everything was good... for maybe 5 - 10 minutes... Bluefish has started floating without moving or responding to any sort of movement, until suddenly he begins to swim crazily around the tank, then float again. Redfish, seemed to be ok, except he swam headfirst between two rocks and sat there for a bit, came out swam normally, then he started floating without moving. He is now upside, half flared, and twitching. His eyes look pretty glazed over. Bluefish has become a sort of purple colour. I did everything the same with aging the water, I haven't changed anything at all. I can't for the life of me figure out what I have done, aside from possibly stress the [censored] out of them from moving... I have no idea what to do... <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I think Redfish is dead...
Ok Bluefish is well on his way... he just threw up his bloodworm <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />
I think I'm going to go complain to Walmart...

could the temperature of the water be very different ?

I always float my fish in a cup in the new water for awhile until the temps adjust, then slowly add them to the new water...just incase there are any PH differences or anything.

I think they'll just have to sweat it out this time around because I think making any more changes would probably be worse for them. Hope all goes well Mashi, let us know.

They both left me... I think they tried to hold on but couldn't. I thought the temperatures were the same... They may not have been though. I feel so horrible now.

That's alright Mashi...learn from such things, don't take it so hard.

Set up your tanks...the tanks you want your betta to be in. If you use tap water put in the correct amount of water conditioner..which "makes tap water safe for fish" Let the tanks sit for the week and next weekend, if you want, get yourself a couple more betta and float thier cups in the tanks for 1/2 hour. That way the temps in the cups will be the same as the tanks. Then add a little bit of tank water to the cups...just a bit at a time. Add a little..let them set for 15 min....then add a little more...etc..etc..until you have just about replaced all the cup water with tank water. That should do fine for them. This process gives them a chance to acclimate to the new water. If they are healthy and strong bettas they should take this adjustment just fine.

Make sure you have water set up with conditioner sitting aside for the first water change. If it sits for a few days with the conditioner in it, it should be ready when you need to change water. The longer it sits actually, the better..as long as you don't use it too soon. If you see alot of little bubbles in the water, it isn't ready yet.

Some will say this is overkill, but better to be safe than hasty.

Wish you all the best Mashi...again, don't take it so hard..happens as we learn. I even still will loose a fish from time to time from error or haste...lol..comes with the territory.

believe me Mashi, I know how you feel...

It is very hard when you do not know what caused it, was it stress? the water change? the pH? there are so many unanswered questions, but don't blame yourself.

I know that you will feel pretty bummed for a while cause I just got over that too, but I found out there are plenty of people here to help us out and support us when we lose a friend like that.

-gives you big fishy hugs-