All my LFS and i mean ALL sells Betta in plastic bags/small beer-bottle looking bottles or a cookie jar. How to know whether that betta can be saved? And What else do i need for the tank? I might be getting a 3 -4 gallon tank, any special gravel for it? And can we cycle 3-4 gallon aquarium? i guess not
Though it can be hard to see in water, the things you want to look for are clear eyes, normal breathing , non-inflamed gills, fins that look full-sized (though depending on the "mutts"-and I mean that lovingly-that a pet store sells these may not adhere to strict standards). I'd love to say that they 'll be somewhat active or responsive but that may not really be the case if they've been in the container 4 days +. Though it sounds odd I'd take a flashlight to see some of these things easier-these are signs of illness: white dots that look like sugar on it's body, fins, gills (ich); goldish coating on body (this can ONLY be seen with a flashlight unless the fish is very dark colored-velvet); abnormally shaped or inflamed gills (ammonia burn though this is due to bad water and is usually cured just with clean, conditioned water); cloudy eyes, trouble swimming upward or downward, tipping on its side or seemingly being "pulled" upward when trying to swim down (swim bladder disorder); large, bulging eyes with a white ring around them (though some dark colored bettas normally have a white ring around their eyes-pop eye); black or reddish tips on the ends of fins (sometimes just coloration, often fin rot); stringy white strips hanging off of fins (fungus); greyish or whitish cottony patches on the fish (columnaris). That's not everything but those are the most common ones.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com A 3-4 gallon tank would be great, he'd either need 100% water changes about 1-3 x's/week, dpening on your particular betta's ammonia levels. Like someone else posted, you can cycle it. Technically you can cycles any size it's just the smaller it is the more difficult it is to hold a stable cycle. If you cycled it, you'd be changing out about 10-20% of the water 1x/week.
You don't need any special gravel, but do use gravel or glass stones and not sand as it is very difficult to clean. Also, if you use any gravel, rinse, soak and rinse it before use. I ended up takinga few bags back when I first did my tank because the paint would come of and float in the water or leave chalkish-looking marks on the sides and I didn't figure it was healthy for them. For some reason this happened with white a lot, not the other colors so much.
You'll need to pick up water conditioner that treats for chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals and add it every time you do a water change. Also, you'll need a heater (25 watt for a 3-4 gallon); hidies and plants (silk are preferred so it doesn't damage their fins. You can buy decor at a pet store or use things like candle holder, coffee cups, etc. for their hiding places if $ is a concern) and food (in order from most-to-least-nutritious: live; frozen (brine shrimp, bloodworms, glassworms, mosquito larvae can be bought at Petco/PetSmart for about $ 4-5/bubble pack of food); freeze-dried, flakes; then pellets ( Hikari are the best pellets for most people). Also, please make sure he has a lid as they're great jumpers and that the lid is slotted or has air holes of some type since they breathe both from the air and the water.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Good luck and congratulations!
Anyone who tells you that bettas can live in a small tank, alone with no heat or filter is giving you the wrong info.they come from warm climates and need clean water to survive.We have our betta in a 3ft tank with other fish and he loves it, we have the water set to around 26c and there is a filter in there also, we use normal gravel because he tends to stay on the top so the gravel isnt really an issue.alot of petstores sell them in tiny bowls etc and this is just cruel tbh
The betta should be:
Responsive (should react to you picking its container).
Free of any wounds, blisters, parasites, growths.
It might be sluggish, however thats because of less than optimal temperature.
Now the tank.
Min of 2.5 gal tank (with 5 or more being recommended)
Gentle filter (like a sponge filter driven by an air pump)
Heater (they are tropical fish, optimal temp 78-82 degrees Fahrenheit)
You don't need any special kind of gravel, you can even keep a tank barebottomed if you feel like it (however keep in mind betta can become bored if kept in a dull environment).
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Can you cycle a 3-4 gal tank? Yes you can, however remember that smaller tanks' cycles are less stable and easy to overwhelm (by overfeeding for example).
I wanna make clear that just cause bettas can be kept in small cups or bowls DOES NOT mean they are healthy or happy
Betta come in asia so the best temp is 80 F and yes gravel would be nice you wouldn't want to live in a house without flooring XD
The best house for a healthy and happy betta you will need
