Few questions regarding baby beta - New update

Hello everyone. Initally I wanted to grab a baby beta for my ten gallon. I went against my better judgement and got two. They were all in a sorrity tank, and there was a tiny one, about 3/4 of an inch long who was being bullied on by the other fish. Her fins are compeletly tattered and bitten off and she was being picked on by the bigger fish the entire ride home since the pet store lady insisted on putting them in the same bag. I have both of them in a ten gallon right now, but the smaller one is in a nursery box.

How long should I wait before moving her to her own tank? I’m worried that she’s too small to make it through another move so suddenly, but I don’t want to stunt her growth in the nursery box

What and how often do I feed her? I crushed up a pellet for her but I’m wondering if thats not nutritious enough? I tried baby brine shrimp but I think they were too small for her, since she compeletly ignored them. Also can’t tell if she’s under weight or if thats just how baby fish look.

 

Sororities are a horrible idea, not just for "baby bettas," but for most females too. Out of 100+ female bettas I've rescued, only 6 were suitable for a sorority.

This betta is extremely small and therefore must have a clean tank, preferably for themself.

Also, it's impossible to tell the gender of "babies" until they're at least 3 months old. This betta can turn out to be a male for all we know.

Also, like I mentioned above, females can be very aggressive. I've had male bettas live together and females kill anyone that moves, betta or not. You must be careful trying to mix fish. It's not as easy as "she's a female, therefore she's peaceful."

Also, "baby" bettas are sensitive to water quality. I suggest 5+ gallons heated to at least 80°F and with very frequent water changes (50% every 2-3 days at most.) On top of that, they need to eat. A lot. 4-6 small feedings daily is best. Feed high quality, high protein, tiny food (flakes or powder is good.) Some "babies" won't take prepared foods, so baby brine shrimp or infusoria may be the only options.

Overall they're a lot of work, and I don't recommend them for beginners, or most people, at all.

 

Just to add that once moved to their own tank, dim, if any lights & catappa leaves on top of pristine water may help the injured betta. 80-82F is my recommendation for fin damage, especially to this extent. Best they're in that new 5g or more separate tank ASAP. Both bettas know there's another in the tank even with the nursery box & that is certainly increasing stress for both.

The other betta who may not be injured also needs those dim or no lights & I would recommend catappa leaves. Betta prefer tannin heavy water & the catappa will help soothe & heal both animals.

Several tiny feedings throughout the day is a good recommendation, particularly the brine shrimp. Frozen or live? Likely the betta just don't recognize the food as food yet but will over several attempts. In my experience most LFS betta are underweight between long term fasting during shipping & being dumped in an unfamiliar tank with aggressive tank mates. This one looks skinny & your uninjured one may be too. The brine shrimp (pellets too for the bigger betta) in small frequent increments should help pretty quickly. Small amounts in each feed tho to prevent constipation from the food increase. Watch that they're pooping.

Best of luck with your newcomers.

 

.

Sororities are a horrible idea, not just for "baby bettas," but for most females too. Out of 100+ female bettas I've rescued, only 6 were suitable for a sorority.

This betta is extremely small and therefore must have a clean tank, preferably for themself.

Also, it's impossible to tell the gender of "babies" until they're at least 3 months old. This betta can turn out to be a male for all we know.

Also, like I mentioned above, females can be very aggressive. I've had male bettas live together and females kill anyone that moves, betta or not. You must be careful trying to mix fish. It's not as easy as "she's a female, therefore she's peaceful."

Also, "baby" bettas are sensitive to water quality. I suggest 5+ gallons heated to at least 80°F and with very frequent water changes (50% every 2-3 days at most.) On top of that, they need to eat. A lot. 4-6 small feedings daily is best. Feed high quality, high protein, tiny food (flakes or powder is good.) Some "babies" won't take prepared foods, so baby brine shrimp or infusoria may be the only options.

Overall they're a lot of work, and I don't recommend them for beginners, or most people, at all.

The sororiety at the store was awful. It was about maybe 10 gallons with 8 betas and several chili rasboras. The fish I got wasn’t the only one being picked on, there were a few that were being forced into hiding by an overally dominant and agressive one, including the bigger, second fish I bought. The worker kept insisting I could keep them together when I mentioned I had two tanks. Really a shame the information they spew to people who don’t know any better.

I have a 5 gallon set up for the smaller one, I’m just waiting for a new heater to get delivered as the only avaliabe heater I had is a preset 75 F one which I figured was way too cold so I ordered a new, adjustable one.

I’ll keep up with the water changes. I was already planning to do frequent ones to help with the fin regrowth. I did a very thorough cleaning before putting them in and have been syphoning out any food that’s been missed.

I have hikari first bites and which I think I’ll try the next time I feed it, and I’ll try again with the brine shrimp. I tried feeding the bigger one wingless fruit flies which it seemed to like.

Just to add that once moved to their own tank, dim, if any lights & catappa leaves on top of pristine water may help the injured betta. 80-82F is my recommendation for fin damage, especially to this extent. Best they're in that new 5g or more separate tank ASAP. Both bettas know there's another in the tank even with the nursery box & that is certainly increasing stress for both.

The other betta who may not be injured also needs those dim or no lights & I would recommend catappa leaves. Betta prefer tannin heavy water & the catappa will help soothe & heal both animals.

Several tiny feedings throughout the day is a good recommendation, particularly the brine shrimp. Frozen or live? Likely the betta just don't recognize the food as food yet but will over several attempts. In my experience most LFS betta are underweight between long term fasting during shipping & being dumped in an unfamiliar tank with aggressive tank mates. This one looks skinny & your uninjured one may be too. The brine shrimp (pellets too for the bigger betta) in small frequent increments should help pretty quickly. Small amounts in each feed tho to prevent constipation from the food increase. Watch that they're pooping.

Best of luck with your newcomers.

It really was not my intent to come home with two fish, I just felt that the smaller one would have died had it been left in that tank. The nursery box isn’t ideal but it should be into its own tank in a few days, as soon as the heater arrives.

My light is very bright so I tried using paper towels to dim it. I’ll attach a picture, so maybe you can let me know if it’s better keeping the lights off or if this is fine. I added a roobios tea bag last night so the water is heavily stained, although my pictures may not show it well. I put a few pothos leaves in the the nursery box along with a java fern, duckweed, and a filter tube so that it can hide.

The brine shrimp is frozen, is that not ideal? I can get live if I need to. I have Hakari first bites and wingless fruitflies like I mentioned above, bloodworms, mysis, daphnia, and fluval bug bites. Is feeding every about four hours a good base line?

This is a picture of the bigger one for reference. They’re both very active, which to me is a good sign, especially since the smaller one was hardly moving when I first got it, though that might just of been because the other fish would attack it whenever it moved.

 

LOL! My most recent betta adventure had me coming home with 3 fin-rotted males, tubs shoved surreptitiously into my bag by a concerned LPS employee, just after I'd downsized my hospital tank collection! It's rarely a planned thing!

4 hrs is a good baseline & frozen is fine. Slow it as you see them plumping up, ultimately reducing to twice daily. Maybe give the tiny guy a bit longer on reducing feeding times. You're better set up & experienced than most who end up with battered betta! Especially for food. Frozen is more than fine & that betta is no doubt trying to work up a smile despite the grumpy face, over the fruit flies. Try alternating the daphnia for the brine shrimp when you frozen feed to protect digestion. The first bites is good!

Your live plants won't thank you for lights out but I'd do 24 hrs anyway. They'll be okay with that & it'll help the betta. If the light can't be dimmed by programming, I've used electrical tape over rows of LEDs to minimize. Long term that may do the trick. Betta prefer dim lighting & low-med light plants will likely be good with light reduction too.

You clearly have this cdwag29. Congrats on your new companions!

 

LOL! My most recent betta adventure had me coming home with 3 fin-rotted males, tubs shoved surreptitiously into my bag by a concerned LPS employee, just after I'd downsized my hospital tank collection! It's rarely a planned thing!

4 hrs is a good baseline & frozen is fine. Slow it as you see them plumping up, ultimately reducing to twice daily. Maybe give the tiny guy a bit longer on reducing feeding times. You're better set up & experienced than most who end up with battered betta! Especially for food. Frozen is more than fine & that betta is no doubt trying to work up a smile despite the grumpy face, over the fruit flies. Try alternating the daphnia for the brine shrimp when you frozen feed to protect digestion. The first bites is good!

Your live plants won't thank you for lights out but I'd do 24 hrs anyway. They'll be okay with that & it'll help the betta. If the light can't be dimmed by programming, I've used electrical tape over rows of LEDs to minimize. Long term that may do the trick. Betta prefer dim lighting & low-med light plants will likely be good with light reduction too.

You clearly have this cdwag29. Congrats on your new companions!

We’re in the same boat. I’ve been trying to cut down on tanks, but here I am. Betas are hard to leave at the store.

The plants are all low light slow growers so I’m sure they’ll be fine for the black out. I’ll defiently try the electrical tape. I’ve been looking around for red root floaters and finally found a lfs that sells them, so hopefully I can get those soon. The smaller beta really enjoys hiding under the floating pothos leafs so I’m sure the floaters will be appreciated.

I tried feeding the baby brine shrimp again, and neither of them paid any attention, however I was able to get the smaller one to eat a mix of things this time around. Im thinking maybe I should get regular brine shrimp? They’re due for another feeding relatively soon so I’ll try the daphina next

Thank you for the compliments and all your help! Hope they both do well and I can continue keeping them for a while!

 

Hey! Do you have a better picture of the larger betta? Can you shine a light behind them?

This fish rather looks like a young male, but I'd like to be certain

 

We’re in the same boat. I’ve been trying to cut down on tanks, but here I am. Betas are hard to leave at the store.

The plants are all low light slow growers so I’m sure they’ll be fine for the black out. I’ll defiently try the electrical tape. I’ve been looking around for red root floaters and finally found a lfs that sells them, so hopefully I can get those soon. The smaller beta really enjoys hiding under the floating pothos leafs so I’m sure the floaters will be appreciated.

I tried feeding the baby brine shrimp again, and neither of them paid any attention, however I was able to get the smaller one to eat a mix of things this time around. Im thinking maybe I should get regular brine shrimp? They’re due for another feeding relatively soon so I’ll try the daphina next

Thank you for the compliments and all your help! Hope they both do well and I can continue keeping them for a while!

I have a policy now of avoiding betta displays & *never* saying the phrase 'hospital tank' in the LFS! It's like a magnet for conscientious staff & new keepers with dying stock. Fair season is hard enough.

 

Hey! Do you have a better picture of the larger betta? Can you shine a light behind them?

This fish rather looks like a young male, but I'd like to be certain

I’ve never had a more difficult time taking pictures of a fish before I wasn’t really able to get a light behind the tank, so hope these pictures work. It’d be nice to be able to sex at least one of them! Ignore the water marks on my glass

Also, does that little black dot on its side look like natural coloration? It had it when I first got them and I was skeptical of ammonia burns since theres a few other, very tiny black speckles on it.

I have a policy now of avoiding betta displays & *never* saying the phrase 'hospital tank' in the LFS! It's like a magnet for conscientious staff & new keepers with dying stock. Fair season is hard enough.

Completely understandable. At least the fish who are lucky enough to get taken home by you go into good hands!

 

she's very slender

I'd add garlic juice to her feedings to help boost immune system.

Sororities/harems are about social dynamics


- I have not had a fish killed or injured in this type setting
- I had a lame fish ( extremely weak tail) in a harem tank and he was not picked on

she's the size I use when I set up my mixed betta tanks

2 bettas = aggression, you need 5 or 6

1 on 1 equals target

I've seen a male betta kill , well I was out of room, but I saw the dead baby catfish. my mistake. you need numbers so no targeting. ( i was 1 month into fish keeping, rookie mistake)

you have to watch dynamics

if extreme picked on/bullied - remove fish

ideal set up: all same age, sale color & fin type increases odd . I linked a study about these factors about a year or so ago.

resource scarcity increases aggression
so as fishes age and hit maturity, their dynamics may alter

My off white crown tail female Ginger had to be moved out of the 20 long, but 2 other 'softer' bettas moved with her & bullying stopped.


The smarter the fish, the more 'fish politics' comes into play.

if I never did a harem, I would not have seen Princess Peaches ( red crown tail, F) and Ron Burgundy bond ( it was so sweet, she loved him, he tolerated her... like a grumpy man) they'd swim side by side in my 16 gallon cube

my Glowfish Betta female & elephant ear female get along really nicely

they adore the king Betta Champ who largely ignores them.

The other 2 girls do fine, the aggression is spread out, no one is targeted, but it's fairly heavily planted tank so escape is easy...

my 1st shared tank, 2 females sat next to each other for 3 months before I tried a sorority. I added 3 more to hit the magic 5 fish # and they got along fine. I had to learn as I went. To me, it's more liek when you own a big dog - watchful eye.

 

does that little black dot on its side look like natural coloration? It had it when I first got them and I was skeptical of ammonia burns since theres a few other, very tiny black speckles on it.

It does look like natural coloration. It's common in cambodian bettas, like this one! Besides, ammonia poisoning is quite rare. It only occurs in aquariums with high amounts of ammonia (over 1ppm) and even then, it's usually "non-toxic" ammonium under 8.5 pH. Of course, everything in moderation...

I can't be sure. Maybe you can! Do you see a large, yellow-white triangle starting under the pectorals, ending about halfway down the fish's belly/side?

The very first one we won't be able to sex until much later on...

 

she's very slender

I'd add garlic juice to her feedings to help boost immune system.

Sororities/harems are about social dynamics


- I have not had a fish killed or injured in this type setting
- I had a lame fish ( extremely weak tail) in a harem tank and he was not picked on

she's the size I use when I set up my mixed betta tanks

2 bettas = aggression, you need 5 or 6

1 on 1 equals target

I've seen a male betta kill , well I was out of room, but I saw the dead baby catfish. my mistake. you need numbers so no targeting. ( i was 1 month into fish keeping, rookie mistake)

you have to watch dynamics

if extreme picked on/bullied - remove fish

ideal set up: all same age, sale color & fin type increases odd . I linked a study about these factors about a year or so ago.

resource scarcity increases aggression
so as fishes age and hit maturity, their dynamics may alter

My off white crown tail female Ginger had to be moved out of the 20 long, but 2 other 'softer' bettas moved with her & bullying stopped.


The smarter the fish, the more 'fish politics' comes into play.

if I never did a harem, I would not have seen Princess Peaches ( red crown tail, F) and Ron Burgundy bond ( it was so sweet, she loved him, he tolerated her... like a grumpy man) they'd swim side by side in my 16 gallon cube

my Glowfish Betta female & elephant ear female get along really nicely

they adore the king Betta Champ who largely ignores them.

The other 2 girls do fine, the aggression is spread out, no one is targeted, but it's fairly heavily planted tank so escape is easy...

my 1st shared tank, 2 females sat next to each other for 3 months before I tried a sorority. I added 3 more to hit the magic 5 fish # and they got along fine. I had to learn as I went. To me, it's more liek when you own a big dog - watchful eye.

Thanks for the info on sororites! As much as I love how they look and the thought of having one sounds amazing, they really just dont sit right with me! Still very interesting to hear how that all works though.

It does look like natural coloration. It's common in cambodian bettas, like this one! Besides, ammonia poisoning is quite rare. It only occurs in aquariums with high amounts of ammonia (over 1ppm) and even then, it's usually "non-toxic" ammonium under 8.5 pH. Of course, everything in moderation...

I can't be sure. Maybe you can! Do you see a large, yellow-white triangle starting under the pectorals, ending about halfway down the fish's belly/side?

The very first one we won't be able to sex until much later on...

Thanks for clearing that up!

There does look to be sort of a triangle shape. I used to have sparkling gourami and would sex them the same way. If I’m not mistaken the triangle means the fish is a female?

Speaking of the smaller one, its doing much better. Very active and eating, and I think I even saw a little fin regrowth. My heater arrived last night so I’ll be moving it to the five gallon later today.

 

Hey everyone.
A while ago I picked up a baby beta, who was pretty beaten up, malnurished and tiny. A lot of you gave me some pretty great advice when I first asked about him, and it paid off really well. Pretty cool watching him grow, (especially since I didn’t think he was gonna make it). I credit his survival to all the awesome people who helped me here on fishlore.

 

Wow, you've done wonders!!! He's beautiful!!!!