ricktavious

Hello, I have a question regarding my beta fish. The poor guy has just undergone a move from my college apartment to my dad's house. My dad likes the room temperature way too cold for the little guy and I don't think he's too happy with the change. He lives in a large vase (which I understand for a beta fish is a good home for him), but it makes me sad that I can't seem to keep him warm enough

So what can I do to help the little guy out? Are there any water heaters I could buy for his vase? Please help a novice and his buddy out. Thanks!

sgould

Maybe something like this?

http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...niheater75watt

COBettaCouple

I feel like the best home for any fish is an aquarium, even if it's a small one. If you felt like putting him in a tank, you could get something like http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...5&N=2004+62761 at your local walmart, you could set up a nice environment for him that would be easier to keep the water temp around 80F with a visitherm heater.

If you prefer to keep him in his vase, keep an eye on his water temp to be sure the heater is keeping the temp. consistent for you. A lot of the little heaters tend to either simply heat and heat and heat as long as they're on until you have cooked fish and others tend to fluctuate with the room temp.

ricktavious

Thank you both for your replies!

FLBettaCouple, what is a visitherm heater? I might have to head to Wal-Mart pretty soon to get something like that for him along with a new acquarium.

Sparkling Diamonds

Well first of all, Bettas are no different that any ther tropical fish and deserve one gallon per inch of fish. Male bettas grow to be about 2 and a half inches. So, 3 gallons or more is great for them, though some owners believe it should be no larger than 5 gallons, i have two bettas living quite comfortably in 3 gallon tanks. (Two seperate tanks that is..) There are heaters that you can buy at your local fish store.

I have three of these heaters, and others have mentioned that they are fantastic. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113767 They heat the water up to the heat you determine and turn off once it reaches that heat, and when it falls lower it turns back on. So it wont cook your fish, or keep them cold, it's great.

There should also be a filter. These i've had differences with and am still searching for the perfect one, so i'd take a reccomendation from another user. However, your tank will need to be heated, filtered, and have an airstone. The air coming from these airstones are normally too much for bettas so you'll need a gang valve to lower the flow of air into the tank.

There's also a fantastic little test kit: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+114130. It's really great to keep up on your nitrogen cycle in your tank, you'll need to keep track of your pH, Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates. You want your ammonia to be 0, nitrItes to be 0, and nitrAtes to be below 10 i believe it is. When you have those readings, then you're tank will be cycled. Another great product is Biospira, it should get your tank cycled within 24 hours. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...1&N=2004&Nty=1

Bettas also seem to love little bridges or caves to sleep in, or hide in... And plants. Plastic, silk, or real plants. If you get plastic plants, dont get anything too sharp. You should be able to run panty hose over the plant without any snagging, if there is snagging then the baby's fins will get caught on the plant and will get ripped...which leads to worse things.

You'll also want to read up on the following articles and posts:
http://www.fishlore.com/Forum/32-bet...d-first.0.html
http://www.fishlore.com/FirstTankSetup.htm
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

I know this is a TON of information, i just threw at you everything that i've learned so far and there's no doubt in my mind that more members will come in and mention or critique what i've said. This is just the gist of what i've learned so far and we are all here to help you through all of it.* *

COBettaCouple

The visitherm heaters are my favorites, submersible and pretty accurate.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113767
You can find them at Petco, but the price there is significantly higher.. even with shipping costs, i think a visitherm heater from the DFS site is cheaper.

If you want to go with a tank, please read up on the nitrogen cycle and setting up a new tank:
http://www.fishlore.com/FirstTankSetup.htm & http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm
Those will bring you up to speed on getting a tank going and healthy for your betta.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113074 - this testing kit would be good for checking your water, either in a vase or a tank.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+112994 - this is the best water conditioner no matter what container your fish is in and you can measure it out with an eye dropper since you really only need 1/10th of a mL per gallon.

We like marbles for the bottom and decor that has no sharp edges (don't want to tear the fins). If it sounds like a lot, don't worry, it's really a step at a time thing and you've got lots and lots of people here that love to help someone setup an aquarium.

Bettas like caves (the neon ones for $2 at walmart work great) and plants (like java fern - petsmart) a lot and one of ours loves a little bridge we got at walmart. They enjoy things they can explore and swim through and will gladly squeeze into the tightest spots.. which is why you have to only buy decor that wouldn't snag pantyhose (inside or outside) - the betta fins are that easy to snag. those neon rainbow caves are safe and we find a lot of the bettas like to sleep in their caves. (makes them feel safe) We find ourselves spending more time watching them explore and play than the TV sometimes. LOL

JnsDnsks

You want your ammonia to be 0, nitrAtes to be 0, and nitrItes to be below 10 i believe it is. When you have those readings, then you're tank will be cycled.


The Nitrogen cycle is...Ammonia...NitrItes and then NitrAte. Acceptable Nitrate levels are 20ppm or less. Nitrate is controlled by weekly water changes.


However, your tank will need to be heated, filtered, and have an airstone. The air coming from these airstones are normally too much for bettas so you'll need a gang valve to lower the flow of air into the tank.


A cycled, filtered aquarium does NOT need an airstone. The turbulence of an added airstone is too much and simply isn't a necessity.

Jendayi

I'm sorry, but you have this backwards. Ammonia 0, NitrItes 0, NitrAtes less than 20. Ammonia and nitrites greater than zero will be toxic to your fish.


Edit: Oh, I see what you were doing JnsDnsks. You were quoting Sparkling Diamonds. Your post would be a lot clearer if you would use the quote notation to set the quoted comments apart from your own, like so:

Sparkling Diamonds

Hence the use of a gang valve, it lowers the intensity of the air flow through the stone, and lowers the turbulence. I've been told by other that they are needed and that it adds more oxygen to the water so the bettas can go longer without going to the top, not to mention if you get real plants they do need the air in the water.

voiceless_kat

I inquired with one of the techies at Foster & Smith regarding this heater to use in emergency. The techie said it should not be used in anything less than 2 gallons of water. So I would suggest you do not use this for a vase. The visi therm stealth 25 watt heater is really great, I have 3 of them and they are safe and work well. I also am with the rest of the posters who suggest getting an aquarium, even if it is just 2 gallons, as opposed to the vase. You won't believe the difference in your fish!! Best of luck and keep us posted. Val

COBettaCouple

True.. we thought the bettas didn't need air stones because they come to the surface, but when we talked to betta owners here, we found that Bettas are happier with the added oxygen in the water.. sometimes you'll see water with extra oxygen in it being sold for bettas. Keeping the surface agitated, even to the point that a betta is happy and can easily be fed, helps with the oil buildup a lot of foods cause and bacteria blooms on the water surface.

the_dukeman

Contrary to popular belief, the air bubbles from an air stone do NOT add oxygen to the water. Air exchange occurs at the water surface. However, the surface turbulence that occurs when the bubbles reach the surface exposes more water surface to the atmosphere, causing increased air exchange. If your filter system causes enough surface turbulence, you don't need an air stone. It doesn't hurt to have one, and if the air flow is low enough some bettas like to swim through the bubble stream.

griffin

actually, they do add some oxygen to the water. air exchange occurs at any interface between the water and the air, whether that be at the top of the tank or the surface of a bubble.

is an airstone always needed? no - if you have enough surface area/filter agitation, it's not needed, although it can still be a nice touch.