i just got myself a betta. ive had them before but that was before i even knew how to care for fish. my betta has a five gallon tank with a ugf as well as a whisper 5-15 gallon hob.it has a fifty watt hagen heater,plenty of silk plants,black gravel, and one cave like decoration with lots of holes to swim through. this tank already has two mystery snails and ive bought freeze dried bloodworms and krill as wall as blood worms in gel. im trying to think of everything to make this fish happy and i want to know if i need anything else. do the have to have the little round pellets in thier diet . how much food am i msupposed to feed daily. will the current it the tank be to much even with th water leavle all the way up? any suggetionswill be apreciated. i want my betta to be happy. thanx-petra
happy betta?
- Thread starter petrachild
- Start date
I'd take out the UGF if you can. I feel those things are more trouble than they're worth (I'm sure others will disagree), especially in a tank as lightly stocked as yours. The whisper filter will do all the filtration you really need.
It really depends on you how much you want to feed. I would say once a day at most and I feed mine every other day and there's no problem. Fish dont store food like mammals, so any excess food they get is passed right out of their system and toxifies the water.
It sounds like your setup is perfect for your betta. Just keep up with the waterchanges and he should be fine.
It really depends on you how much you want to feed. I would say once a day at most and I feed mine every other day and there's no problem. Fish dont store food like mammals, so any excess food they get is passed right out of their system and toxifies the water.
It sounds like your setup is perfect for your betta. Just keep up with the waterchanges and he should be fine.
Taking out the UGF would be a good idea as junk can get caught under it and make a real mess of things. A tank with about 1/2 inch of gravel works really well, and will allow you to vacuum the gravel without too much hassle.
As for what to feed your betta. The bloodworms (never tried the gel kind before) and krill are great choices. Dry pellets are not necessary, but if you would like to add them to your betta's diet, I would suggest Hikari Bio-Gold pellets. Most bettas enjoy these. Keep in mind that your betta's stomach is about the size of their eye, so you need only feed a little bit of food daily. 3-6 bloodworms, or dry pellets daily should do it.
What temperature do you keep your tank at? 78-80F is a good range since betta prefer the warm water.
HTH
Sounds like your betta has a great setup, so I am sure he is a happy fish.
As for what to feed your betta. The bloodworms (never tried the gel kind before) and krill are great choices. Dry pellets are not necessary, but if you would like to add them to your betta's diet, I would suggest Hikari Bio-Gold pellets. Most bettas enjoy these. Keep in mind that your betta's stomach is about the size of their eye, so you need only feed a little bit of food daily. 3-6 bloodworms, or dry pellets daily should do it.
What temperature do you keep your tank at? 78-80F is a good range since betta prefer the warm water.
HTH
Sounds like your betta has a great setup, so I am sure he is a happy fish.
Hey petrachild,
I agree, drop one or the other filter. Bettas hate current, they don't like it at all. They also don't like any surface agitation,s so things like airstones or water flow systems really bother them when they take a breath and they will never make a bubble nest in those conditions.
Some of my happiest bettas are in my large 2 gallon jars, just more work for me keeping them clean!
Turn the whisper to the minimum setting, remove the UGF because of the airstone. That will help balance his preferences (still water) with your need to keep the water clean (less water changes and yucky smell)
As far as food, either once or twice, I vary mine and quite often skip a day every 7 or so days. I change up the diet all the time, using flakes, HBH Betta Bites (good stuff) and FD bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp.
Good foods for bettas are those with 'Fish Meal' as the primary (first) ingredient, not 'wheat products'. HBH bio-gold expands a little too much in their tummies (bloating/swim bladder) for my liking. Feed in smaller amounts, more frequently - easier to digest.
76 to 78F is great like AquaticGem said.
Otherwise, congratulations... careful.. there addictive!
I agree, drop one or the other filter. Bettas hate current, they don't like it at all. They also don't like any surface agitation,s so things like airstones or water flow systems really bother them when they take a breath and they will never make a bubble nest in those conditions.
Some of my happiest bettas are in my large 2 gallon jars, just more work for me keeping them clean!
Turn the whisper to the minimum setting, remove the UGF because of the airstone. That will help balance his preferences (still water) with your need to keep the water clean (less water changes and yucky smell)
As far as food, either once or twice, I vary mine and quite often skip a day every 7 or so days. I change up the diet all the time, using flakes, HBH Betta Bites (good stuff) and FD bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp.
Good foods for bettas are those with 'Fish Meal' as the primary (first) ingredient, not 'wheat products'. HBH bio-gold expands a little too much in their tummies (bloating/swim bladder) for my liking. Feed in smaller amounts, more frequently - easier to digest.
76 to 78F is great like AquaticGem said.
Otherwise, congratulations... careful.. there addictive!
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thanks for all your suggestions. as soon as i put in my betta i realized that the current wasnt going to work. he was unable to swim in the middle of the tank. only around the edges. i lowered the flow to a little more than a trickle and now he is swimming all over the tank and inspecting everything.my tank is set at 76F but i now raised it to a steady 78F. i bought him some hikari bio gold pellets that i will mix into his diet,and a marble (do they really play with these?)and im thinking of buying him a small floating ball if he will play with it.
about removing the ugf ,would i remove the gravle as well as most the water to keep it from getting dirty? alsois this going to cause a mini cycle in the tank?one more question would it be wise to have a female betta in this tank with him or is it better for him to be the only fish?
thanks again--petra
about removing the ugf ,would i remove the gravle as well as most the water to keep it from getting dirty? alsois this going to cause a mini cycle in the tank?one more question would it be wise to have a female betta in this tank with him or is it better for him to be the only fish?
thanks again--petra
Bettas won't play with marbles or balls. People put marbles in betta tanks just for looks. Bettas don't really "play." A cave or something and some plants would make him much happier. Most bettas like to rest in plants or swim through them. If they feel scared they might hide in the cave.
Don't worry about cycling such a small tank with only one fish. Just do the water changes. Leave the gravel in there, just take out the filter plate and don't put in the air tube that powers it. The gravel should cover the bottom of the tank. Some people do barebottom tanks, and it is a bit easier to clean, since all the dirt hits the bottom, but it's not very aesthetically pleasing and your betta will apperciate a dark colored bottom (a natural instinct to hide from predators). The gravel will also help do some biological filtration, since good bacterica can live on it. Like I said, the Whisper filter will also do plenty of bio filtration.
No, he's fine by himself. Bettas don't get lonely - in fact they are happier being little kings or queens in their own tanks. A female would get beat up by him or she might even beat up on him. In the wild bettas have plenty of room to escape other bettas - not in your 5 gallon. You could add a snail or a couple of shrimp if you want anything else in the tank.
Don't worry about cycling such a small tank with only one fish. Just do the water changes. Leave the gravel in there, just take out the filter plate and don't put in the air tube that powers it. The gravel should cover the bottom of the tank. Some people do barebottom tanks, and it is a bit easier to clean, since all the dirt hits the bottom, but it's not very aesthetically pleasing and your betta will apperciate a dark colored bottom (a natural instinct to hide from predators). The gravel will also help do some biological filtration, since good bacterica can live on it. Like I said, the Whisper filter will also do plenty of bio filtration.
No, he's fine by himself. Bettas don't get lonely - in fact they are happier being little kings or queens in their own tanks. A female would get beat up by him or she might even beat up on him. In the wild bettas have plenty of room to escape other bettas - not in your 5 gallon. You could add a snail or a couple of shrimp if you want anything else in the tank.
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Actually, some bettas -will- play with a marble or ball (floating would be interesting). My betta Senshi loves to push his marble around the tank, though it's difficult with the gravel in there, however, he appears to enjoy the challenge.
As for removing the UGF. I would just carefully pull the filter plate up (take out the airstone and tube as well) disturbing as little of the gravel as possible to keep anything that's already in the gravel from being churned up into the water.
A five gallon tank (which I have) can be cycled, but I don't believe removing the UGF filter will disturb this at all. Just be sure to keep any eye on the ammonia level in the tank using a liquid ammonia test kit. A weekly 30% (six quarts) water change should keep things in check.
I also agree that it would not be wise to place a female betta in your male betta's tank. It would get messy quick. A snail, or maybe even shrimp (though some bettas may eat these guys) would work for tank mates. You could even add three Pygmy cories, but I would wait a few months until your tank has cycled to do this, as cories are sensitive fish.
As for removing the UGF. I would just carefully pull the filter plate up (take out the airstone and tube as well) disturbing as little of the gravel as possible to keep anything that's already in the gravel from being churned up into the water.
A five gallon tank (which I have) can be cycled, but I don't believe removing the UGF filter will disturb this at all. Just be sure to keep any eye on the ammonia level in the tank using a liquid ammonia test kit. A weekly 30% (six quarts) water change should keep things in check.
I also agree that it would not be wise to place a female betta in your male betta's tank. It would get messy quick. A snail, or maybe even shrimp (though some bettas may eat these guys) would work for tank mates. You could even add three Pygmy cories, but I would wait a few months until your tank has cycled to do this, as cories are sensitive fish.