Question:I know ALOT about bettas and I decided to give myself a challenge, I told my mom when she went to Wal-Mart to pick me up a betta her choice, I know Wal-Mart fish are not the healthiest fish, and I'd like to hopefully turn this Betta's life around to the point where I could show him, I'm getting a new air pump and have spent a week modifying the tank for him, I was hoping I could get some last minute tips, before he comes home in four or five hours. How to restore his natural majesty and how to introduce him are my only weak points, its a ten gallon tank and he will be the only fish in there, hope I can find out some new things from this, THANKS!
Answers:
well if possible i would get some Nov Aqua since it takes out chloromins and adds a slime coat and to make his scales very nice and to help him restore his fins i would use a dry indian almond leaf. I would STRONGLY reccommend the dry indian almond leaf if u can get it. IT works wonders for bettas
First off, I would get a smaller tank! He doesn't need a 10 gallon tank to himself. I would say a 2 gallon or a 5 gallon tank is great, but not a 10 gallon. I would keep him in his container, and put his container in the water in the tank. I would definately make the tank water tempurature is close to the container's water's temperature. Then, about 1 to 3 hours later, gentaly pull the lid off of his container, or open his bag. This way he will not get sick becuase of the water temp's differences. I would keep a container for him close by, so when you have to change his water, you can put him in the container, and do the same method above. This method is important. Since your tank has a new air pump, you should let your tank and the new air pump work for at least 12 hours before putting your betta into the tank! I HOPE I HELP!!!
if it is a veil tail you cant show him profesionally. U will getlaughed out of the ibc.
But, that doesnt mean he wont be a great pet. Show bettas are not petstore bettas. When your showing against bettas from overseas.
If you plan on showing him locally against otherpetstore bettas than thats fine and he may have a shot at winning.
The best thing to do is just lov him, the only thing you can do to "restore" him would be, clean warm water. bettabio-gold, and a mixture of fresh foods like fresh bloodworms. The clean heated water is a must. Also remembe to exercise him at least 10 minutes a day by letting him look into a mirror. This is a must for extending his finnage.
A 10 gallon is fine for a betta, but I would recommend live plants. Anacharis, java fern, anubias, red wendt, and dwarf chain swords would all look really neat, they will help keep toxins low, and will help the betta to feel secure. You will want a fluorescent light for optimal results.
Ditto the above response. Don't let anyone tell you your tank is too big, as if it's possible to give your fish too big a home - whatever. And as mentioned, plants are important in a larger tank (fake is fine), but you know alot already which means you know they need the security of them.
In a 10 gallon you can add tankmates too if you wish, since you must already know they can be kept with many types of peaceful fish.
You will need to float him in a bag inside the new tank for a while. I ahve even heard of people taking hours doing this. Adding tank water to the bag every hour or so. I on the other hand just float him in the tank for about 30 minutes. I would also advise you to dump out as much water that he came in as you can. You also could add stress coat in with him. I would keep the lights turned off for a while until he settles down and gets used to his new home. Your Betta will be in tip top shape if you keep a tsp of salt per 5 gallons of water. Also a heater set between 78-82 F will do wonders for him. Betta's love bloodworms but I only feed mine these every other day. I feed my Betta's pellets as well as flakes. They also enjoy brine shrimp. Keep the tank clean, do partial water changes weekly, and the temp in the tank warm and you will see your Betta's true personality. Remember to only feed them a small amount of food due to their stomachs being so small. (As big as their eye) Also I want to say I am glad you have done your homework on this fish and supplied him with such a wonderful home!
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