I have had bad luck in the past with fish. They always died on me from a week to a month. I let the water sit out b4 i put it in, and made sure they got food and the tank was always clean. I would like some advice on a cheap, easy to take care of, and a long lasting fish. i would really like to hear what you think. *twirlysmiley*
Help finding a fish!
- Thread starter MoOMoOchica5272
- Start date
Well I think all fish require maintenance, but bettas are pretty easy to take care of, and if done properly they can live quite a long time. I had one betta live to be four and a half years old. What size tank, and what type of filter do you have? It would be easier to make recomendations if we knew some specifics about your situation.
Caveman
Caveman
Im not a fish person so i dont know what you mean by what kind of filter, or what situation. I know i am a airhead but thats why i want some advice on the subject. Im not sure what size tank it was but i know it was smaller than a ten gallon tank bigger than a goldfish bowl. What i would like is a small tank with one betta in it. would that work? ???
Hey'
First of all you want to let the water sit out more than a day. You might want to let it sit for a month. I wouldn't call you an airheadb ut it sounds like you aren't real technical, so keep it simple set up your tank with water and just forget about it. Make a note about when you filled it. Plan on gettin a betta. You probly have a tank that's about 2.5-5 gallons. After a month go shopping for your betta. You can probly get a female to go with your male.
Be patient. Ask questions and research about keepin fish while your waiting for your tank to be ready for fish. Don't over feed. Don't over stock. And after your fish has been in the tank for a month start doin regular partial water changes. That's when you take out about 1/4 of the water and replace it with water that has sat out a cuppla days or has been treated with dechlorinator.
Buy your fish at a pet store that has alot of fish, better yet that specializes in fish. Avoid Wal-mart or other department type stores that have fish as a side line.
Good luck and keep MFT posted
First of all you want to let the water sit out more than a day. You might want to let it sit for a month. I wouldn't call you an airheadb ut it sounds like you aren't real technical, so keep it simple set up your tank with water and just forget about it. Make a note about when you filled it. Plan on gettin a betta. You probly have a tank that's about 2.5-5 gallons. After a month go shopping for your betta. You can probly get a female to go with your male.
Be patient. Ask questions and research about keepin fish while your waiting for your tank to be ready for fish. Don't over feed. Don't over stock. And after your fish has been in the tank for a month start doin regular partial water changes. That's when you take out about 1/4 of the water and replace it with water that has sat out a cuppla days or has been treated with dechlorinator.
Buy your fish at a pet store that has alot of fish, better yet that specializes in fish. Avoid Wal-mart or other department type stores that have fish as a side line.
Good luck and keep MFT posted
be careful if you decide to get a male AND a female betta, if it's small tank and you only have one female in there...all the males "attention" will be focused on her and if she not ready to spawn when he thinks she should be, he might nip at her till he kills her i've also heard that when they do spawn they both can get pretty tore up 
check out this site there's alot of good info http://www.bettatalk.com/
???also it does you no good to let your tank sit for a month, let it run for a day after you add water conditioner, to get the water settled and then you could either put fish in or try to fishless cycle see the article on this site...letting your tank sit for a month without an ammonia source will not accomplish anything :
a dwarf african frog (NOT AFRICAN CLAWED), a snail or maybe some ghost shrimp might make good friends for a betta in a small tank... better than another betta anyway IMO...ask around see what people suggest
good luck w/your new fish *thumbsupsmiley*
check out this site there's alot of good info http://www.bettatalk.com/
???also it does you no good to let your tank sit for a month, let it run for a day after you add water conditioner, to get the water settled and then you could either put fish in or try to fishless cycle see the article on this site...letting your tank sit for a month without an ammonia source will not accomplish anything :
a dwarf african frog (NOT AFRICAN CLAWED), a snail or maybe some ghost shrimp might make good friends for a betta in a small tank... better than another betta anyway IMO...ask around see what people suggest
good luck w/your new fish *thumbsupsmiley*
bettas aren't aggressive unless the fish resembles another betta (long fins or bright colors)
but sometimes fish dont act the way they are supposed to *twirlysmiley* so youre never sure they will get along no matter how much you research, but i think that should be fine
cost depends on where you are around here frogs are like 2 or 3 dollars
but sometimes fish dont act the way they are supposed to *twirlysmiley* so youre never sure they will get along no matter how much you research, but i think that should be fine
cost depends on where you are around here frogs are like 2 or 3 dollars
Welcome MoOMo! *twirlysmiley*
I agree with most of the replies I read. Betta is a great choice. Anything over the cup you buy them in is a luxury and they'll love it. However, I have to agree with liz, that letting it sit for a month really doesn't do much good. The standard is at least 2-3 days.
Tidbits:
Good Luck! *thumbsupsmiley*
I agree with most of the replies I read. Betta is a great choice. Anything over the cup you buy them in is a luxury and they'll love it. However, I have to agree with liz, that letting it sit for a month really doesn't do much good. The standard is at least 2-3 days.
Tidbits:
- You should consider getting a filter. A cheap one should work fine for just a Betta = I would avoid snails. They can reproduce on their own. i.e. you'll have a tank full of them before you know it!
- New tanks usually go thru the new tank syndrome... the tank water becomes white cloudy. This phenomenon is normal. Don't worry about it AND leave it alone!!
- Don't overfeed!!!! What is overfeeding? A Betta should only be fed once a day either 2-3 pellets or 2-3 flakes. You can even skip a day about once a week. This is real important in the first month.
- Don't do a water change for at LEAST a month. Then begin with 1/4 tank water changes weekly. The first month is critical in setting up any tank. Fish contribute to needed natural bacteria and it takes at least a month to develop some. Also, prepare the water in a container (say a 2-3 gallon jug) at least 24 hours before. The water has to be treated to remove chlorine, ammonia and other metals found in tap water. Use AquaSafe by TetraAqua.
- After a month, get the water tested. Then post questions away.
Good Luck! *thumbsupsmiley*