Got my first fish

Hello all!

I got my first betta exactly one week ago! I went to Petco and got a male halfmoon plakat. I'm totally new to fish and I've been doing a lot of research about heaters, hoods, and what size tank to get him.

I've decided on getting a 5.5 gal tank (simply I do not have enough space to get him a 10 gal tank or larger ) and this hood: .

Also any recommendations for a heater for a 5.5 gal tank? I'm planning on getting the Tetra Whisper 10I filter for him once I get paid this week. He's in one of those 1 gal petco bowls which I know is way too small for any fish. I also got some API Betta Fix since I thought he was a bit red from when I got him and Kent Betta conditioner.

One of the reasons I am posting on here is because my betta is very FINCKY. I've gotten him two types of pellets. One from Wardley's color enhancing pellets which he ate and spat out right away. The second one is from Omega One betta pellets, and that time around he didn't bother to eat it or even investigate it. I also tried freeze dried bloodworms that I originally got as for a treat, but he spat that out too when he tried to eat. He didn't bother to look at them again. I tried to see if he would try to eat food from the bottom of his bowl, but he did not bother to look at the pellets either. So I moved on to the Omega One betta flakes, but didn't bother to eat it either!

So just tonight I got frozen Mysis Shrimp which he even had a hard time eating that as well. I put him in the small plastic cup I bought him in. I tried to see if he'll eat from that bowl, but no avail. I had to put the food right next to his face with tweezers and he eventually sucked in the shrimps no problem! I was just wondering since the only thing he has eaten this entire weak was those shrimps and he ate 9 of them (he refused to eat anymore after 9), how many times a week should I feed him? I know the frozen food might be more heavier in terms of nutritional value, and I definitely don't want to overfeed him! I was so worried that he wasn't eating after a week, he was losing his color and his fins were turning a pasty white than his blue color. After I fed him he finally got some of color back!

I apologize for a long post, I tend to write a lot, and I'm totally open for any suggestions/criticism! I'll upload pics too. I want the best for my fish. Once I get a pet I go all out once I am able to financially. And I'm sorry if I posted in the wrong section, I was a bit overwhelmed where exactly I could post this.

 

What are your parameters and what are you using to test your water?
This bowl..does it have a filter?

 

Welcome to fishlore! Do you know your water parameters? As a beginner you have to learn about the nitrogen cycle if you don't all ready because it removes the deadly toxins that your fish produces, if you don't cycle your tank your fish can die! Here is a link on what the nitrogen cycle is and how to cycle your tank https://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm . Your betta may just be adjusting to his new environment mine did not eat much at all the first week, betta a can go 2 weeks with out eating so if your betta is not eating after a week and a half then you can start to worry. Oh and one more thing bettas can very easily overeat and are known to die from too much food so when feeding keep in mind their stomach is only as big as their eye I feed mine 4 pellets a day. Good luck!

 

Bettas are fickled creatures. I have one that went almost 3 weeks with out eating, and now is the biggest chow hound you ever saw. I do a steady rotation in foods just to make sure they have a complete diet that they need. Brine (though one does not care for brine he gets pellets that day), bloodworms, pellets, and boiled shelled peas once a week. I personally like feeding my Bettas by tweezers because then I know they eat and no food is sitting at the bottom going bad and messing up their tanks. With pellets, I toss one in at a time, and if they refuse it, I fish it out with a turkey baster and call it a day.

With freeze dried foods, you need to rehydrate them in tank water first and then add a couple in. So get a little cup and add tank water in, place a couple of the freeze dried food in it and let it soak for a few minutes. Then feed.

Be careful in the amounts you feed too. Bettas are notorious for over eating until they literally explode. No more then like 3 pellets a day, or 3 to 5 bloodworms and brine (depending on size). It will keep them at a good weight and healthy. If he refuses food, don't worry, they can last 2 weeks straight with out food.

It's a good thing you are planning on putting him in a 5.5 gallon tank. He will be happier and healthier in that. Please read up on the nitrogen cycle before you start, and a few items to purchase is the API Master Test Kit, Seachem Prime, and Seachem Stability. The test kit will be your best friend in helping you out when it comes to caring for your Betta. We will always ask what your water peramaters are first to rule out water quality issues. Prime detoxifies ammonia and nitrite for 24 hours, which will help you out while cycling, and Stability helps get your cycle going and complete it faster.

 

Welcome to the forum and glad you joined us. congrats on your first fish. Alison

 

Post some pics I would like to see this beauty.

 

Welcome to the forum! Sounds your Betta is a lucky guy. He will love his 5 gallon tank! Until then I recommend partial water changes (30-50%) daily to keep the ammonia under control. Have you gotten a water dechlorinator like Seachem Prime? It is worth the money. Sounds like you will be doing a fish in cycle to establish the nitrogen cycle in your tank. You can read about that in the water quality forum. Welcome!

 

Here's some pics, sorry for the late reply!:




I currently don't have a filter in the bowl. I got my new tank, Tetra HT10, Tetra Whisper 10i, hood, Seachem Prime and Stability. I had the Kent Betta Essentials, though I switched it out for better quality.

I was concern of how long he hadn't ate, his water was powdery when I first got home, and I didn't know how long since he's eaten. So I was wondering how long in between should I wait between feeding him frozen Mysis Shrimp. It's been 2 days since I've last fed him and I feel like he's been pretty active now, seems more lively without his fins clamped up as before.

Since I got my new tank, I was wondering how should I introduce him to the tank? So I cycle it for a couple days and keep testing it, or should I just do a 50%old to 50% new water change? I have a 5.5 tank and the bowl he resides in is 1 gal bowl, so I don't think I'll have a lot of water for a water change. I do know when I introduce him I need to let him float in his water in the tank for 20 minutes.

I use the API test strips to test the water. I don't know if the Master Test Kit is more beneficial than the strips? I tested my water yesterday, the hardness is high and the water isn't so alkaline.

I do want to get him to eat pellets if that was ever possible, though I would understand if the only thing he eats is the shrimps, but I read you can soak the pellets in garlic to interest him?

 

Feed him before this, he may stress and refuse to eat when being moved.

At this point I would suggest a fish-in cycle. I would drain half your bowls water and slowly introduce 'Prime'd water that will be in the 5.5g do about a 1/8th gal every 10 minutes, and once full, take out half the water and repeat the process.

In your tank fill it and prime it, let your gravel+water settle then start your filter and add a bacteria. (TSS, API startup??, etc --should be bacteria for your nitrogen cycle--)

At this point you can net your betta over. If you have appropriate test kit I would test atleast every other day until you are cycled. This is so if you have a huge spike of ammonia you can do something about it. In my experience tanks usually take 1-2 weeks to cycle, and if your levels are decent I would NOT do a waterchange.

If I missed anything, please ask or add, have a good night!

PS, Prime is a water additive that will remove chlorine and hard metals, and also neutralize ammonia.

 

Congrats on your new betta- we would all love pics. Check out the water quality section on this website for info on the 'Fish in' cycle. Good luck!