Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tank

U

unagi san

New Fish
#1
Oct 22, 2002
4
0
0
#1
Hi.

I've been scouring the internet for the past day or two during my freetime looking for information on my particular field of interest. You see, I'm very new to the idea of having fish. Sure, when I was a young lad I had a goldfish in a small little bowl and such, they lived for a few months before I became bored and they eventually died. Recently, I've become interested in fish keeping once again. Such brings us to my question(s).

I'm interested in keeping a single Betta, for now. My money supply is fairly limited (as in, I may have $30 USD to spend). I live in an apartment and don't have very much room for a large tank. In fact, I'd prefer to keep the tank as small as possible. I've read all over the place that beginners should start with a 10 gallon tank or the biggest tank they can afford and so on, but I seem to be a special case...
Synopsis:
1) Can I keep a single Betta in a small tank (1-5gallon?)
2) Does the Betta need gravel at the bottom of the tank?
3) Would a Betta want to have some plants around?
4) Concerning water treatment, will I be able to find chemicals to treat tap water properly down at my local pet store?
5) Do I need a filter and/or heater for a small tank with a single Betta in it?

Thanks a lot folks, I know its a bit of an overdone question but my situation seemed to be rather unique.
-Unagi
 

P

Pooky125

Large Fish
#2
Oct 22, 2002
565
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36
Corvallis, Or
#2
Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

Yes, a betta will do wonderfully in a small aquarium, I would do a 2 gallon eclipse personally, but it's all a matter of choice, get a 2 gallon, a couple pound of rocks, a few silk plants, a little bottle of stress zone, finding water conditoiner is really easy, and there's a million different kinds.. As for a heater, its optional, I would, you can find a 7.5 watt heater at Walmart, for like 7-8 bucks.. very cheap, and works pretty well. Bettas are a good choice, easy to come buy, and pretty laid back. An eclipse has the filter built right into the top of the tank, change the filter every couple of weeks.. there like 5 bucks for a 3 pack.. Freeze dried blood worms is basically my bettas staple diet, although they also get a little flake, and freeze dried shrimp.. Good luck, and tell us how it goes!
 

catfishmike

catfishmike

Superstar Fish
#3
Oct 22, 2002
2,614
0
36
Sin City, again...
#3
Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

hi,welcome to fishkeeping.bettas are a wonderful first choice fish.i keep my bettas in a various tanks of all sizes.an explorer 2 gal.(also sold as regent starfish at wal-mart),aquatank2gal.hex w/ under gravel filter(also sold as top fin at petsmart)are both great choices.it you choose to use an eclipse explorer here are 3 things to keep in mind,many people find that explorers run hot 80to84 degrees far. also the filter cartridges can become expensive i buy bulk filter pads and cut to size,lastly many peope report that they find their bettas shred their long fins in the current of the filter.i just put a plant in the way(fake is ok if you use one w/ rouned leaves)feed your betta freeze dried blood worms or daphnia(you can find this at most pet stores) just whatever you do don't keep it in a bowl.do you know any thing about the nitrogen cycle if not try to find out more as this is the key element to keeping any fish.hope i could help.  
 

U

unagi san

New Fish
#4
Oct 22, 2002
4
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#4
Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

Wow! Thank you for the speedy and informational replies!

If I were to put the Betta into a room that has a lot of sunlight coming in, would that be detrimental in any way? I spend most of my time in this room and feel he'd be quite an addition to it, however if it isn't healthy then I wouldn't want to do it.

Furthermore, can anyone give me approximate price guides for Bettas? I really would like one of those pretty blue ones like the one on the far right of the top banner on this website. Most of the Bettas I've seen at the pet store are around three to four dollars, but I haven't looked around enough to find one of the pretty blue ones. Is that a subspecies of the Betta, or is it just different color markings? Thanks again, folks!

I'm considering getting one of the basic 1gallon or so bowls that Walmart sells for around $4-$7, is there anything wrong with keeping a Betta in one of those? Thanks!
 

catfishmike

catfishmike

Superstar Fish
#5
Oct 22, 2002
2,614
0
36
Sin City, again...
#5
Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

yes there is some thing wrong with those bowls.even though many sources will tell you that they are fine but thats wrong.bowls don't have any circulation and don't stay clean very easy,they become polluted very quickly.bowls hardly display such a beautiful fish as most appear very distorted.now i realise that bettas come from still stagnet water,but in nature the amount of water is so much more that pollution isn't a problem.if you insist on keeping your betta in a bowl there are bowl undergravel filters you can find one at petsmart it's sold with an air pump,food and a rough plastic plant.toss the food and plant get a gang valve and use it to bleed of some of the air so the filter isn't too rough ask back if you want to know more i love bettas.  p.s. don't keep bettas in direct sunlight or in drafty areas also if you shop at wal-mart there is a small book on the basics of fishkeeping a good book to have if you are new
 

Billy Bob

Billy Bob

Large Fish
#6
Oct 22, 2002
139
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0
39
Yorkshire England
#6
Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

hi there thought u might like to know that heaters designed for terrapin tanks which are normally pretty small are great and come in smaller wattages so u dont over heat your tank!
 

U

unagi san

New Fish
#7
Oct 22, 2002
4
0
0
#7
Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

Concerning the filter, is that just a small device that I can hide under the gravel? Or does it need some sort of tubing and power up above the tank? Thanks.
 

Medic6666

Medic6666

Large Fish
#8
Oct 22, 2002
113
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55
London, UK
#8
Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

When I got my tank, the bloke in the shops said that either work ok....

But he said that the under gravel ones are harder to look after.

Just my little bit

:)
 

P

Pooky125

Large Fish
#9
Oct 22, 2002
565
0
0
36
Corvallis, Or
#9
Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

The price on bettas can vary, anywhere from 5 dollars to 150 dollars, a petstore betta, will be closer to the 5 dollar range, and if you spend enough time loking over them, you will gind a beautiful blue betta, there all the same species, and for the bowl, I would skip it, if you want just a 1 gallon, Aquatic Gardens makes a 1 gallon bowl with light and Under Gravel Filter for less them 20 bucks, comes with everything but gravel, and food, i think.. Personally, I would do a 2 gallon, you could try looking around at some garage sales. I bought 2 nice 3.5 gallon tanks for 5 bucks each with all the basics earlier this month.. As for the heater, it's not a nessecity, but bettas prefure warmer water.. If you really want a bowl, youcould get a spnoge filter w/ pump for around 10 bucks, would keep the water clean, and easyer to take care of then and Under Gravel Filter..
 

R

ronrca

Guest
#10
#10

Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

Just for your information, unagi_san! I have a betta in a 2G bowl here at work. No filters, heaters or anything. I have had it for over a year now. Works great if that is what your looking for. Gravel on the bottom, a little mountain ornament and a plastic plant. He loves it. Water changes once a week. I would rather see him in a bigger tank (with filter and maybe some tank mates ) myself but here at work I do not have the luxury to do so. Filter and heater are not neccessary if you are keeping the bowl at room temperature. Of course, this is the very basic requirements. There is nothing that says you cant get the betta more luxury. I mean, he's living better than if he was in the wild still. Good luck! *thumbsupsmiley*
 

R

ronrca

Guest
#12
#12

Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

Pretty close actually! They come from asia and in the dry season, they can be found in the hoof prints of an ox that has worked the rice fields. I think the dry season is like 2 months long or something.
 

R

ronrca

Guest
#14
#14

Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

Pretty much! I mean, not all have to suffer that fate. Some do. Pretty amazing actually. And if the hoof print in drying out, they jump. And jump. And jump and hopefully they can get lucky.
 

U

unagi san

New Fish
#15
Oct 22, 2002
4
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#15
Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

Hi everyone! Thanks for all of your helpful replies!

I went down to the pet store today to check out prices. The Bettas, including the pretty blue ones, are about $5. What surprised me was the lack of knowledge the employees had. One lady remarked, "You mean the plastic plants can hurt them?"... sheesh. In anycase, I think I'm going to buy the Betta, fish food, gravel, and plants from the pet store. I'm going to go to Walmart and check out their bowl prices.

Concerning the bowl -- I've decided I want to go for a one to two gallon-ish bowl. I looked around the pet store and found that they have a $10 bowl thats about the perfect size for my apartment. They had these small little things called "Betta Homes" or something, they were these octangular looking containers about five inches high, they came with some gravel and a plastic plant. I'm not too keen on those. With the issue of gravel, do I need to worry too much what type of gravel I use? Can I just use the gravel they sell in bulk (its around $3/cup)? Or do I need some special gravel that won't hurt the Betta?

For my final setup, here's what I'm thinking, I'd like to hear everyone's input on it, constructive criticisms, anything that's helpful:

1 or 2 Gallon bowl -- I have one specifically in mind -- $10 from the pet store
Gravel from the pet store -- $2-5
A plant from the pet store $1-5
Betta from the pet store $5
"Betta Bites" -- $3
Maximum Total Cost: around $30

What's everyone think?
 

R

ronrca

Guest
#16
#16

Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

Nothing wrong with it.

It does not really matter what gravel you get.

The biggest concern is getting a nice sized bowl at least 1 preferably 2 gallons is the best.

Otherwise enjoy. That is how I started out. Now I have a 90, 30, 20, and a 10. O yea and a 2g at work. All in about a year and a half. I love my discus. *thumbsupsmiley*
 

C

ChazECJr

Large Fish
#17
Oct 22, 2002
118
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0
#17
Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

Hey Ron, you said you do water changes once a week in your betta bowl.  I'm curious, do you do a full change, or a partial, if so how much?
 

R

ronrca

Guest
#18
#18

Re: Very new to fish keeping seeking advice on tan

I do around 20-30%, never a whole water change.
 

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