I am extremely upset right now

Hey guys...
So tonight I went to dinner and came back home to my betta being in a bowl. Turns out my mom tried to clean his tank (I just cleaned it yesterday and did a 30% water change.) and she broke it. He's now sitting in a .50 gallon bowl with a 100% water change. I don't know what to do. She refuses to help me buy him a tank and I don't even have the money to get one until I start working in December. I'm super frustrated and upset and I'm not sure what to do..

 

Hey guys...
So tonight I went to dinner and came back home to my betta being in a bowl. Turns out my mom tried to clean his tank (I just cleaned it yesterday and did a 30% water change.) and she broke it. He's now sitting in a .50 gallon bowl with a 100% water change. I don't know what to do. She refuses to help me buy him a tank and I don't even have the money to get one until I start working in December. I'm super frustrated and upset and I'm not sure what to do..

try and explain to her that the life or the fish is at risk here. you might be lucky enough to get by one month till December, but the key for that is water changes. Do u have a sponge filter or anything like that? A last resort is to rehome the fish. If convincing didnt work, one month is quite a stretch but with enough water changes and clean ammonia-free water you should make it.

 

Hey guys...
So tonight I went to dinner and came back home to my betta being in a bowl. Turns out my mom tried to clean his tank (I just cleaned it yesterday and did a 30% water change.) and she broke it. He's now sitting in a .50 gallon bowl with a 100% water change. I don't know what to do. She refuses to help me buy him a tank and I don't even have the money to get one until I start working in December. I'm super frustrated and upset and I'm not sure what to do..

Check on FB marketplace or join a local fish group and see if anyone has anything they are looking to get rid of? You can use a storage tote in the meantime and just move your filter and heater to it.

 

Yes I'd get something cheap and large enough to put your filter in otherwise you'll have to cycle the new tank when you get it. Keep the filter media wet in dechlorinated water in the meantime.

 

try and explain to her that the life or the fish is at risk here. you might be lucky enough to get by one month till December, but the key for that is water changes. Do u have a sponge filter or anything like that? A last resort is to rehome the fish. If convincing didnt work, one month is quite a stretch but with enough water changes and clean ammonia-free water you should make it.

Thank you so much, she's stubborn on not letting me get a new tank. It's reasons like these that make it hard being a teenager with this hobby.

Check on FB marketplace or join a local fish group and see if anyone has anything they are looking to get rid of? You can use a storage tote in the meantime and just move your filter and heater to it.

Yeah I can try that

Yes I'd get something cheap and large enough to put your filter in otherwise you'll have to cycle the new tank when you get it. Keep the filter media wet in dechlorinated water in the meantime.

I'm gonna try



This is his new setup unfortunately):

 

Thank you so much, she's stubborn on not letting me get a new tank. It's reasons like these that make it hard being a teenager with this hobby.

Yeah I can try that

I'm gonna try



This is his new setup e

I feel u… when i was a teenager a petsmart employee said my betta be fine in a 1 gallon unfiltered bowl… it took 4 months to convince my mom after he was sick to get him a proper aquarium. also very beautiful betta u have there

 

Do you have a 5 gallon/20 litre bucket .
There is absolutely no need to keep fish in a clear glass or plastic box/container.
Did the bowl have a filter? Did it have a working nitrogen cycle? Did it have a heated? A bucket can have all the things a fish needs.

 

I feel u… when i was a teenager a petsmart employee said my betta be fine in a 1 gallon unfiltered bowl… it took 4 months to convince my mom after he was sick to get him a proper aquarium. also very beautiful betta u have there

Yeah it's been quite difficult! And thank youuu, the image is dark cuz it's really dark in my room half the time lol

Do you have a 5 gallon/20 litre bucket .
There is absolutely no need to keep fish in a clear glass or plastic box/container.
Did the bowl have a filter? Did it have a working nitrogen cycle? Did it have a heated? A bucket can have all the things a fish needs.

As of right now, they're filled with legos but I'll certainly try and clear one this weekend

 

Yeah it's been quite difficult! And thank youuu, the image is dark cuz it's really dark in my room half the time lol

As of right now, they're filled with legos but I'll certainly try and clear one this weekend

Yw! I could also tell the fish by ur pfp. I agree and a bucket can be a good home. You just need to have it cycled ( could use old media or use a bacteria starter ( I like dr Tim’s)) and a running filter with good temps. One thing I will add is you might wanna have a cover or lid, even plastic wrap will do, just that bettas are pro jumpers and ive had some jump.

 

Yw! I could also tell the fish by ur pfp. I agree and a bucket can be a good home. You just need to have it cycled ( could use old media or use a bacteria starter ( I like dr Tim’s)) and a running filter with good temps. One thing I will add is you might wanna have a cover or lid, even plastic wrap will do, just that bettas are pro jumpers and ive had some jump.

I'm gonna try and get a bucket cleaned, but for now I'm keeping him in the bowl until I get enough money for a tank, which shouldn't be too hard since I found really cheap ones half off tonight. Just hope I can get enough money soon! Wouldn't hurt to look into getting a new filter as well

 

Does your mom even know that you joined this website? Showing her the website and the legitimacy of the issue can actually prove to her that you are committed to the hobby and severity of the issue at hand. I completely understand your mom's parenting point of view though. Most parents that buy children fish see it as the children's responsibility to learn how to take care of your pet fish. She probably did her best in her knowledge of fish in order to keep it alive after it broke and is probably upset too.
I'm sure you'll be able to work it out and hopefully together!!!

 

That sounds great, IMO you should be fine until you get a tank as long as there's heat and water changes. Fortunately, it's a betta which are quite hardy if it was like a discus fish it would be a problem. Hopefully you can get a tank at a cheap price and home him. Thats another reason why i always try to keep a spare tank on hand just in case you need one for situations.

 

I'm gonna try and get a bucket cleaned, but for now I'm keeping him in the bowl until I get enough money for a tank, which shouldn't be too hard since I found really cheap ones half off tonight. Just hope I can get enough money soon! Wouldn't hurt to look into getting a new filter as well

Also, if you already had a filter going or any type of decorations or substrate make sure to add them in, as long as it wasn't rinsed out with brand new water all of the beneficial bacteria should still be there and will be helpful to prolong you fishes survival until you get a new tank. Also make sure to check the legitimacy of the fish tanks on Facebook, even better if it's with your parent. There are a lot of scammy looking sellers on there and I've been scammed plenty of times in my naivety

 

Filters etc. are not that important for Betta's. Set up a 20 liter bucket of water that you keep conditioned and use that to water change the Betta. Give him a water change every 5 days or so just 50%. Remember these guys breathe air like we do and live in filthy conditions, make sure he has lots of live plants to make him feel safe in his home.

 

Does your mom even know that you joined this website? Showing her the website and the legitimacy of the issue can actually prove to her that you are committed to the hobby and severity of the issue at hand. I completely understand your mom's parenting point of view though. Most parents that buy children fish see it as the children's responsibility to learn how to take care of your pet fish. She probably did her best in her knowledge of fish in order to keep it alive after it broke and is probably upset too.
I'm sure you'll be able to work it out and hopefully together!!!

Yeah definitely! I'll try and explain and maybe even show her the website

That sounds great, IMO you should be fine until you get a tank as long as there's heat and water changes. Fortunately, it's a betta which are quite hardy if it was like a discus fish it would be a problem. Hopefully you can get a tank at a cheap price and home him. Thats another reason why i always try to keep a spare tank on hand just in case you need one for situations.

Yeah that's one reason why ireally love bettas cuz they're tough little nuggets haha

Filters etc. are not that important for Betta's. Set up a 20 liter bucket of water that you keep conditioned and use that to water change the Betta. Give him a water change every 5 days or so just 50%. Remember these guys breathe air like we do and live in filthy conditions, make sure he has lots of live plants to make him feel safe in his home.

Sounds like a plan! I'm just glad bettas are easier when it comes to things like this. If they weren't, I'd be really freaking out right now!