Make the World a Betta Place

This is my fish-specific blog, dedicated to educating the people of tumblr about these beautiful fish. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! My aim is to educate and inform, to combat the many myths that exist about bettas. If you want more information about betas, check out http://www.ultimatebettas.com/ and/or http://nippyfish.net/ If you want more informatiomn about bettas check out http://www.ultimatebettas.com/ and/or http://nippyfish.net/

[bettasdeservebetter]

Hello! I have one male veil tail Betta, and I purchased him in a rather bad condition. He's had finrot since I bought him, and it's my intention to nurse him back but this is perhaps the most unusual case I have ever combatted. I'd like your opinion. He is currently in a hospital tank, water changes daily, light and food are monitored. When I got him, he had almost no caudal fin. It has fully regrown, as well as his dorsal and anal fins almost doubling in length. However.....

.... He has relapsed since, and it would seem that nothing can balance things out. I've been treating him with teaspoons of aquarium salt, which has little to no effect. After that failed, I moved to medicating the water, and this too seems to be useless. After so much constant water change, I decided to give him a break and let him fight it out for a few days. This seemed to work, but the trouble is, he seems only to get better for as long as I refrain from water changes.....

... When I change the water again, deterioration resumes. How can I encourage regrowth without introducing ammonia buildup? I'm lost here.

Gosh, I'm really not sure what this could be! Have you ruled out tailbiting as a potential cause? Bettas can be pretty notorious for that. If so, have you checked your pH? It could be that you have hard water that is taking a toll on his fins- if that's the case something like Indian Almond Leaf (or its extract, sometimes available as Atison's betta SPA) could help to soften the water and make things easier for the little guy. I wouldn't keep medicating the water if I were you, or at least not with any harsher medications, because meds can be pretty stressful for a little fish. I'm sorry I can't be of more help! 

[singing4strangers-deactivated20]

I need help figuring out how many gallons this thing is.

I just bought it all for 20 bucks from a guy on craigslist, and it came with a filter, 100 watt heater, all these decorations, working light, extra filter cartridges, and gravel. But I have NO idea how many gallons it is and he didn’t either xD

But my 10 gallon tank is right next to it (if you can see it) and it’s a LOT bigger in person. My tv is underneath it. And I just need to know how many gallons it is because I have three fancy goldfish in it right now, and they’re babies. So if it would be great to be told I don’t have to upgrade again xD

[bettasdeservebetter]

If you measure the tank and then use an aquarium calculator like this one: http://www.angelfish.net/tankvolcalc.php

you should be able to figure it out without too much trouble! (I'm terrible at estimating sizes so I'm just going to give you that link and not even try to guess :P)

[bettasdeservebetter]

So I love bettas, and there's a texts from dog blog out there that always cracks me up, and I figured I would try my hand at combining the two. If you feel inclined to do so, check my blog out and if it made you happy, please share it with your followers! I'd love it if people have as much fun reading it as I am writing about my ridiculous fish.

Sure thing! Followers, check this blog out if it appeals to you :)

[bettasdeservebetter]

As someone who's raised goldfish and bettas for years, bettas need you to put time in, but that's all living things. Once you've done that, it's still the easiest to deal with. Goldfish are poop-machine nightmares. I've had two goldfish for probably 6 years now; bettas are cooler and much easier to take care of.

Yeah, that's definitely true! Although bettas are nowhere near the "put it in a bowl and forget about it" that lots of places seem to think, they are much easier to deal with than goldies! 

[bettasdeservebetter]

Hey everyone, long time no post, I know. I've been both busy and stressed lately, which is why I haven't been as diligent with this blog as I should have been, but I am pleased to announce that I'm back (for now at least) and I'll try to announce next time I take a hiatus. Thanks for continuing to follow me and stuff!

[bettasdeservebetter]

Hi there! I was just wondering if it would be a good idea to put a lamp near my betta bowl for a few hours each day, to warm the water a bit more. Or would the light agitate my baby? Thank you in advance! c:

Hi there! Lights are not a good idea for heating purposes- they heat the water unevenly through, and you can't control the temperature. I would suggest getting a heater, which you can if his bowl is around 2 gallons. If his bowl is smaller, he would probably really appreciate some more room, so if you're able get him a larger tank and a heater :)

hope that helps!

[bettasdeservebetter]

thank you so so much for this blog. I just got a new betta and I'm terrified of killing it but it seems difficult to find good and accurate information about taking care of them

You're very very welcome! Congrats on the new fish!

Another tumblr user to check out would be pooperscoopin- she's a wealth of betta knowledge, and her betta website- bettasplendid.weebly.com has some really great care information :)

I hope you find whatever information you're looking for!

[ohblainers-blog]

I just pimped out my betta’s bowl this douchebag better be grateful.

[ohblainers-blog]

Pretty sure he’s dead.

[ohblainers-blog]

It’s ok he came with a 30 day warranty I can just take him to the store tomorrow and get a new one. Unfortunately this means that I’m going to have a container with a dead fish in it in my car all day.

[bettasdeservebetter]

I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your fish D:

If you haven't already, I highly suggest reading up on bettas and their care- a lot of petstores will give shitty advice, either out of a lack of being informed themselves or out of wanting to sell products that really aren't too good for the animals that will have to live in them.

Bettas need a minimum 1 gallon of water, with bigger being better because they also need heaters, and larger spaces are easier to heat, as well as you won't have to change the water as often.

If you want to check out some care infor for bettas, here are some links, and if you have any questions after reading these caresheets, feel free to send them my way- my ask is always open :)

http://velvetdragon.com/bettas/caresheet.html

http://ultimatebettas.blogspot.ca/2010/04/selecting-appropriate-betta-housing.html

http://nippyfish.net/bettas-101/

http://scalestails.tumblr.com/post/17680649714/betta-care-sheet

Best of luck with your next fish!

[bettasdeservebetter]

I'm thinking about getting two platies for my 12 litre tank, how often would you suggest partial water changes for a tank of this size? Are platies definitely ok for a tank of this size? (The box says so, but it also says that a black moor could live happily in it, which is bull xP ) Also (sorry for all the questions!) for how long should I cycle my tank before adding fish? The info I've found so far is a bit confusing (some say 3 days, some say 8 weeks). I have a fiterstart bacteria starter c:

From a few quick googlings, it seems like the general consensus for platies is a ten gallon tank. Platies aren't my area of expertise though, so I may be wrong, but that seems to be the general opinion. I think the 12 litre (about 3 gallons) would be great for a betta, though!

Cycling takes varying amounts of time- here is a website with a comprehensive guide to cycling.

http://bettasplendid.weebly.com/cycling-for-dummies.html

In a tank that size, you don't really need to cycle. It's possible, but the smaller the tank is the more finicky the whole process is.

If you decide to get a betta, you would do 1-2 100% water changes per week in an uncycled tank, or probably at least 1 50% change once a week if the tank is cycled and planted.

I hope that helps! Thanks for your question :)

[bettasdeservebetter]

What size tank should my baby betta have? (Same person as before)

When I find really tiny bettas at pet stores or whatever I usually go for a 2.5 gallon- lots of room, but not too difficult to manage. Smaller is okay but not for long term.

[bettasdeservebetter]

Help !!! I bought a baby betta at petco out of guilt. I should have thought about it more bc I don't know how to take care of it! I have micro pellets for it. It's is transparent and about 1/2 long. HELP ME ASAP PLEASE I DONT WANT IT TO DIE.

Hello!

So, important things for baby bettas are food, cleanliness, and stability. Make sure you have the little guy/gal in a container with a heater, or one floating inside a larger tank with a heater. I would suggest picking up some baby brine shrimp, maybe some daphnia (frozen) as well as some frozen bloodworms, which you can chop up so the little fish can eat them. You may want to get an eyedropper, if you don't already have one, to make feeding a bit easier. If the micropellets you have are high in protein, they should be fine, if not, maybe look into New Life Spectrum grow formula.

Change the water every 2-3 days, and if you can, use a turkey baster to suck up waste between water changes.

Feed him/her 3 times per day, and keep the water super duper clean, and your fish should be just fine.

[bettasdeservebetter]

Hello! I was just wondering if you had any decorating tips for fish tanks. My betta is happily swimming in a 5 gallon, but I just have a bunch of green silk plants...I'd like to change it up a bit and make some decor that would be more stimulating. Perhaps even getting live plants. Do you have any suggestions?

Hey there!

I really like live plants, personally- there's a list of good low light ones here:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/general-aquarium-plants-discussions/46667-excellent-list-plants-low-light-tanks.html

As for other decor, I like to have themes. I tend to name my fish after characters in books/tv shows/etcetera, so I base the tank on a setting from the fictional world they're in.

Other ideas for a theme include colors, or maybe like a beach/forest stream/other natural area sort of look.

I hope that helps!

[bettasdeservebetter]

I just bought my betta from petsmart and it came in a cup. I'm not sure how to acclimate it to the bowl's water with it in a cup. Do you have any suggestions?

http://bettysplendens.com/articles/page.imp?articleid=1638

here is a pretty good guide. If your fish's cup isn't floating as you'd like it to, you can always transfer him/her to a ziploc baggie.

[blaackbiird]

I’m… actually second guessing getting a betta fish

this is the first fish I’ll be taking care of so I’m not sure a betta fish is the best option

I dunno

I’ll ask someone when I go to PetSmart tomorrow

but until then, anyone have any suggestions?

[bettasdeservebetter]

Bettas aren’t hard to...

[blaackbiird]

Make the World a Betta Place: setphaserstolimp: I’m… actually second guessing getting a betta...

money isn't a problem for me.

My biggest issue is that it's the middle of winter and my room is very cold(well, not very cold, but definitely colder than a tropical fish would like, I'm sure). I'm not sure how well a heater works. If I can get a heater that will get the water to a good temp then I'll probably be good.

I have a fishbowl that holds about 2/2.5 gallons

here's a question, though. Is it only other betta fish they can't get along with or will they fight with all fish?

[bettasdeservebetter]

They'll fight with anything that they think out-pretties them :P

Basically, small, dull coloured critters like snails, feeder or female guppies, or bottomfeeders they can get along with (usually). Anything flashy, and you get a higher chance of problems.That being said, in a 2 gallon, you can't house tankmates. In a 5 gallon, you can have a snail or maybe an african dwarf frog if your betta is not a very aggressive one, but in a 2 gallon it's probably for the best to just have the betta.

If the bowl you have is about two gallons, you can use a 25 watt adjustable heater. There are some heaters that aren't adjustable, but I wouldn't trust those as much as one where you can set the temp to where bettas like it, around 78-80*, and the heater will keep it stable there.

Just a tip as well- I would suggest making/getting a lid for the bowl, if you don't have one already- bettas are notorious for jumping and it would really suck to have a fish be able to get out of the bowl and end up dying.

Hope that helps :)

[blaackbiird]

I’m… actually second guessing getting a betta fish

this is the first fish I’ll be taking care of so I’m not sure a betta fish is the best option

I dunno

I’ll ask someone when I go to PetSmart tomorrow

but until then, anyone have any suggestions?

[bettasdeservebetter]

Bettas aren't hard to take care of, per se, but they aren't as stick-em-in-a-bowl-and-forget-em as people would like you to think.

They require an absolute minimum of one gallon, with 2.5 or more being better, and they need an aquarium heater. Taking care of one properly is also more expensive than most people think (about 40 dollars for a basic set up), so that's something to take into consideration as well.

Bettas are probably the easiest ones to look at- please, please don't trust everything the pet store employees say. They often are misinformed on proper fish care, or just want to sell you something.

Goldfish need 20 gallons each, with a lot of filtration. I don't think they're a very good first time fish because of all the space, waterchanges, and filtration- people who think they've kept them successfully in a bowl probably aren't aware that they can have a lifespan of twenty years, so bragging about having a goldie live for a year is akin to talking about something like a cat living for that length of time.

Here are some links on bettas that may help you out:

http://bettasplendid.weebly.com/your-betta—day-one.html

http://nippyfish.net/bettas-101/

http://velvetdragon.com/bettas/caresheet.html

http://scalestails.tumblr.com/post/17680649714/betta-care-sheet

I would recommend doing some reading up on their care, because it's always best to be prepared before getting a new pet of any kind!

I wish you best of luck with your fish, whatever you decide to get, and if you have any questions feel free to ask me :)

[sinbad-tha-sperm]

AHAHHAHA

“my fish is doing just fine. Thanks!”

SAGUAHWEKGN

whatever.

I won’t be surprised when in a couple months she’ll talk about he’s dead.

BEING PASSIONATE ABOUT FISH JUST MAKES YOU SEEM NUTS TO EVERYONE ELSE.

but man

someone’s gotta care about the fish.

[bettasdeservebetter]

I'm so sorry her reaction was so poor D:

Fish advocacy is a tough thing, as you clearly know! The "it's just a fish" mentality is infuriating, and sometimes it just makes me so angry when people don't do their research before getting a fish.

But I want to applaud you, because you tried to make a difference in the fish's life! Maybe it hasn't sunk in with the owner yet, but maybe it will at some point, or maybe some other person will see your comments and improve the life of their fish. You did a good thing, a difficult thing too, and I think that's awesome.

People who care so much about fish seem few and far between (except on fish related forums and tumblr) but those people are good people and I think the fact that there are any people out there trying to help out fish and their owners is good.

Yeah I don't know what the point of this ramble was but I think you did good by the fish by trying to help him and that's awesome.

[weownedthattown-deactivated2014]

Do you guys recommend sand for the bottom of Betta Fish tanks? I've always used the glass gems but I'm ready for a new look. I have some river rocks that Michaels sells and I bought 5lbs of white sand today from Petco. I'm not sure what I want to use. Any suggestions?

not sure if it matters but my new betta is a double tailed

[bettasdeservebetter]

Personally, I would only use sand in a cycled/filtered tank because it's a pain in the butt to clean out- even in filtered tanks, trying to siphon it is like the way opposite of fun, or so I've heard.

So it would be totally fine for your fish- just harder to clean for you.