GouramiGirl1221

I'm seriously considering getting a betta, against my best advice to myself lol. I've heard of the addiction, and I already have MTS, but I love my gouramis so much that I'm almost positive I'll love a betta too since they're pretty closely related. I'm trying to get a 5 gal tank off craigslist with internal filter, heater, etc. for $25. I've heard of people dividing 10 gal tanks for bettas, so 5 gals will be big enough right?

Something else...where can I find a "unique" betta? I know they're all unique, but I'm wanting something you wouldn't see all the time, if that makes any sense. I haven't paid much attention to them at my LFS...lol I was afraid of getting attatched and I didn't have anywhere to put them before, so I don't know what they have.

Thanks in advance for the help...sorry if some of the questions sound silly.

Lucy

None of your questions are silly. You'll love having a betta.
Honestly, they look so boring in the store, that's because they are bored.

A 5g heated cycled filtered tank is perfect for a betta. You'll see their personality and colors come alive!

I've found as have amny others, you don't choose the betta, it chooses you. It's the one you looked at, put down and are drawn back to over and over again. lol

Some members choose to order their betta off of places like Aquabid. They do have gorgeous fish, although they can be quite pricey.
If you search the forum some members have found stunning bettas there are have posted their pics for us to drool over.

Good luck, you won't regret having a betta.

GouramiGirl1221

Thanks for the quick reply Lucy! I'll keep the betta picking me in mind.

I was just looking on petsmart's website for small tanks in case I can't get the one off craigslist, and came across this in one of the descriptions:

"Unlike some fish, the Betta fish doesn't take a whole lot of care to survive."

I couldn't believe it! Gosh, people are dumb.

Lucy

Your welcome!

It's really sad that they sell those little torture tanks.

GouramiGirl1221

Woops, thought of something else...

I keep seeing "betta food" and "betta water conditioner"...is that really necessary? I read the betta care guide on here, so I know they like bloodworms and granules and should have a thawed pea once a week (I think that hilarious by the way). And can't I just use a few drops of prime? I just want to make sure I take care of the little guy well when I get him because I know he will have been mistreated...

Lucy

Prime is fine to use as is Stress Coat.
I'm glad you read the care guide.

lol @ the pea. Just a few bits the size of their eye. (thawed and shelled)

The fish you have now would probably enjoy them too.

jdhef

GG, I bought a 6.6 gallon bookshelf tank from PetCo. My guy seems to love it. It is longer than the 5 gallon and not as deep which is ideal for a betta. I had actually bought the display tank, since they were out of them. I was just back at Petco last week, and they still didn't have any in, so they may have been discontinues.

Betta water condition is just regular water conditioner being marketed to Betta owners. The industry really seems to go out of it's way to make Betta's appear to be different from other tropical fish.

EDIT: oh yeah, generally Petco has a better variety of Betta's than Petco. The Petco's in my area only have Veil Tails and Crown Tails, whereas Petco has veil tails, crown tails, delta tails, and half moons, etc. Stay away from Aquabid, some of the Betta's there are just so beautiful that you will end up buying dozens and justifing it to yourself buy thinking about the money you will save on shipping by buying in bulk!

Red1313

lol have almost done that!
however sanity arrived just before i clicked the button.

The betta pellets are forumlated for them.
Also I don't know if this is a national thing or not but petsmart had a hudge sale on 5 gals 'a little while ago.

jgon_

Welcome to the Betta world!
My suggestion is do a good deed and rescue one of the bettas from those horrible death cups rather than ordering a pricey one online. As far as choosing one, as most people have said, the betta chooses you. When I went looking for mine, most of the bettas had these sad little puppy dog faces looking up at me pathetically. That almost got me untill I saw one that looked straight at me with an "I'm going to kill you if you don't get me out of here " look. Richard, while not the prettiest of betta sure has a ton of personality and I love him!

pinkfloydpuffer

You can find unique bettas if you look for them. I also love unique bettas, and I have found plenty at Petco and Petsmart. My latest addition is a girl from Petsmart. She has a few black dots on her that I absolutely love... they give her so much character!

GouramiGirl1221

Thanks everyone for the great replies. I did get the 5 gallon off of craigslist! How long should I leave the filter media in one of my larger tanks to get seeded for an "instant cycle"? I'm sooooo excited! I'm going to get my little guy over Christmas break while I'm home. I'm not even going to the fish store this weekend...I know I'll start looking and get attached. Plus my 55 gal is almost through it's mini cycle, and I need to just stay away so as not to find another cute gourami that I want to put in there ....I've got most everyone squished into the 29 gal temporarily until it completes, so I need to stay away from fish that will allow me to purchase them lol.

I've been thinking about where to sit him...I read in the care guide that they like to watch their humans throughout the day, so I was thinking of the busiest areas of my house. The living room almost always has people in it, but I'm afraid Edward (my powder blue DG) will become very jealous if he sees me giving the "intruder" attention as this is where I have my 55 gal set up. Plus, the only place to sit the betta tank would be on the entertainment center, and we have a big screen TV, so I'm worried it would be too loud for him there and stress him out...the 55 is on the other end of the room. The second busiest place in the house is the kitchen, which actually has possibility, but I'd have to sit him on the kitchen table. That's not really a space issue or anything, but I can't help thinking that it'd be like eating him for dinner or something...I don't know, weird I guess . I'd love to have him in my room, but when I'm gone at college no one goes in there so I wouldn't want him to feel abandoned. Any ideas?

Wow...I rambled on for quite a bit.

pamelakt

Aww how exciting!! I just got my first little guy on saturday & I'm really enjoying him. I live in a studio flat so my living room & bedroom are combined - I don't think Hamish is bothered at all by the sound of the tv - I haven't caught him watching it yet either! I dont' think you should worry too much about that. And I am out all day at work so he has to amuse himself during the day so I think you'd be fine to have him in your room.

You'll love being a Betta mummy, I do!!

GouramiGirl1221

My problem with this is I'm in college, so "school" is 2 hours away and I stay for 1-2 weeks at a time in a dorm room before coming home. So he'd basically be alone all week except for when my dad would go in to feed him, and I don't think that would be best for him. I guess I could keep him up here though...could I transport him in a 5 gallon tank without draining it? I'd really worry about that I think, because I'd have no way of heating the water for the 2 hr car ride and such. I bet the tank would fit on the night stand in my dorm...hmm...maybe this is an option. He'd only have to be moved 3-4 times a year for the long breaks...one of my roommates stays in the dorm on weekends, so I could get her to feed him for me if I was only gone a couple days. I've got plenty of time to figure that out though...IF he comes it wouldn't be until January.

pamelakt

Oh right I didn't realise... I don't know a thing about transporting them, I'm sure someone else will answer that tho. There must be a way... Can you not just get one out there in the first place? Or is there nowhere local to buy?

jgon_

Well according to the folks at my local Walmart, you can simply place him in a damp letter envelope and he'll be fine for up to 2 days!

ugh...no joke either.

pinkfloydpuffer

Emory

A place where I always am...... in front of the computer! So I must clear junk off for a 5 gallon footprint.

Husband gets paid tonight...... shopping first thing in the morning for a tank?

lol

dr.fluffanutter

I say keep him at school with you! He'd love the attention from both you and your roomie.
I know there were a few posts floating around with pretty detailed transport instructions, but the general gist is to put him in some of his tank water, insulate it (styrofoam, insulated lunch bags, spare towel, etc), and try to keep it as smooth a ride as possible. Keep the gravel, decorations, and filter wet so the bacteria doesn't die on the trip over, and you can take a few gallons of his water with you in empty water jugs so the chemistry doesn't change too much.
Hopefully someone else will come along with more details.

While the thought is nice, this falls under the same category of pet stores and puppy mills.
While you do save one cup baby, you fund the people who put them in such conditions to begin with and open up space for another poor fish. While private breeders don't always keep their "stock" in better conditions, there are some who do. So, a "pricey one online" can be well worth the money.
Understandably though, buying a betta online isn't always possible.

Red1313

It's a tough call either way. The thing about buying a fish online is that you don't get to see the fish (other then a photo) until they show up at your door. I love looking at all the pretty betta's online and if I could would buy them. But at $15 dollars a pop... that's a pretty pricy fish.
On the other hand the cheap betta's in the stores pull at my heart strings. However if I pick up a pity buy at a store I try and refain from buying any of the extra's I need for him there. It's not really the betta's that the stores make $$ off of. It's all the extras.

Good luck with you future baby!

Also my vote is for you're rez room as well.

pamelakt

A damp envelope for 2 days? Is that serious? Thats disgusting.

fishonthebrain

just had to move myself and had same problem. this is what i did and it worked out pretty well.
i took 3 empty water gallons two i just filled with the tank water and put the filter in a ziplock bag to keep it wet. the third gallon i filled half way and poured my poor betta in it he didnt look happy but got over it when i tossed his buddy otto in there and added a little more water put the lid on and wrapped them in a old sweater i wrapped the tank in surand wrap just in case. all went well and they're doing great.