Store is taking goldfish back! Yay!!!

Hey guys,

Called the LPS that I bought my goldfish from and they finally agreed to take the goldfish back! (Although how much that would do, I'm not sure because they'll just give them away to another unsuspecting and unresearched but well-meaning person like myself). They gave me the whole 'goldfish only grow to the size of their tank anyway and that size should be fine for them' spiel. Finally put my foot down and told them that they grow to the size of the tank because we stunt their growth that way. The clincher was when I said 'I'm not asking you if the tank is big enough, I'm asking if you would take them back?' To which they finally agreed to do that. I wish I could bring them to a place that will do the right thing by them though.

So. Now. I'm thinking of getting a betta and an oto to keep my other oto company. What do I need to do/know before I come home with them? The tank, I believe, is cycled - but not heated as of now. Does the tank need to be heated before I bring them home, and how should I acclimatise both the betta and the oto? Is there space in a 5.5G for a betta and three otos? Or should I just keep it to 2 otos? Sorry for all the questions - just really want to get it right this time.

 

The tnk definitely needs to be heated for teh Betta and the otos.
The Betta and a couple of Otos would be fine. If you do not have algae don't forget to fed the Otos.
The betta won't let you forget him/her
Carol

 

Don't use plastic plants as they can damage a betta's fins. Use silk plants, or better - real plants.

Go and get some frozen bloodworms and HikarI betta pellets. Soak the pellets before feeding to the betta.

What kind of filter do you have? You need one that you can adjust so the there is very little flow. Bettas can't swim in a current. If your filter is not adjustable, there are ways to cut down the flow.

Get the otos in first so the betta won't see them as intruders. The general opinion here seems to be that red bettas are more aggressive, so you might want another colour.

The people at your fish store are idiots, so come here first for advice.

 

Oh trust me, I'm not listening to a word that they say anymore. Gosh, what would I do without you guys?

Okay - I have an UGF at the moment - I'd like to change that to a power filter, but how would I do that without disrupting the substrate too much? What's a good heater to get?

Oh. Plenty of algae right now, I reckon - but you're right, I'll need to get some algae food. I'll go look around in the species specific threads for acclimatisation advice.

Should I quarantine the betta/otos before they go into the tank? If so, how? (I don't have a spare tank to use as a q tank)

 

i'd definitely recommend changing filters. A ugf could be harmful to otos and bettas. I would run the HOB filter at the same time as the UGF for up to a week if possible.

Then, I would move the oto out of the tank into a bowl of tank water. Put more tank water in another container and move your substrata & decor to that. Take the UGF out and let the dust settle to vacuum/suck out. Return the substrata and decor and once it's settled, acclimate your otos, then your Betta.

I believe Hydor submersible heaters are available there and I'd recommend one of them.

 

Thanks so much - that really helps. So I'll get the HOB (what's a HOB filter, just in case I need to explain it to the LPS?) filter when I return my fish Run it for a week with the UGF, change the filter, replace the substrate, then acclimatise the fish.

 

HOB = hang on back, also usually known as a power filter. The most common brands are Marineland (the Penguin and Emperor lines), Hagen (Aquaclear), and Tetra (Whisper). The majority of the folks here that use HOBs seem to prefer the Marineland or Hagen filters.

 

I use the little Whisper internal filter. It's adjustable, and has no intake tube that can snag and tear the fins of bettas.

 

we've been using either Tetra or Azoo filters but those other brands are excellent as well.

 

Just thinking through the logistics now.. I've never had fish that needed heated water - how do you get the new water to the same temperature as the tank water when you do PWC?

And... after reading some threads in the betta section, I'm thinking seriously about changing my substrate from gravel to flat glass pebbles... how would I do that without having to recycle my tank?

I think I'll get a female betta - I'd assume they wouldn't be as prone to finrot as male... and from what someone said the other day about her girl cuddling up to her... I want that!!

 

I've never had fish that needed heated water - how do you get the new water to the same temperature as the tank water when you do PWC?

You use warm tap water and a thermometer, and add warm/cold til the temp is right. It's okay if it's a few degrees warmer, but never colder.

I just got my first female betta awhile ago. She is so darling that I think I"ll get another one! Not to mention that some females rival the males for beauty.

 

Oh. Should have known that. :-[ Bit worried about using the hot water, because it comes from the tank up there on the roof... No idea what kind of gunk is in the tank.

Can't wait!!

 

You can use a combination of hot and cold water or you could warm up cold water in the microwave. A digital thermometer with a probe to stick in the water would be a great way to know for sure if the temperatures are close.

We have the flat glass marbles in our tanks. What you could do is simply put the glass marbles over the gravel and leave it that way for about a week or 2 to get the good bacteria on the marbles OR you could hang pantyhose in the tank with the foot full of gravel (easier to take the gravel out).

the female bettas do tend to be more curious and interactive than males, as well as smarter and more aggressive (particularly at feeding time). they do have much less fin rot problems than males, but with betta safe decorations and the flat marbles in addition to our cleaning schedule, even our feathered male betta has been free of fin rot.

Just thinking through the logistics now.. I've never had fish that needed heated water - how do you get the new water to the same temperature as the tank water when you do PWC?

And... after reading some threads in the betta section, I'm thinking seriously about changing my substrate from gravel to flat glass pebbles... how would I do that without having to recycle my tank?

I think I'll get a female betta - I'd assume they wouldn't be as prone to finrot as male... and from what someone said the other day about her girl cuddling up to her... I want that!!