Meet Marley

[TheDukeAnumber1]

If your room temp is good enough, I'd say you don't need a heater. I haven't use a heater for years and I haven't had any fish health issues with what I kept.

 

[NightExplorer96]

If your room temp is good enough, I'd say you don't need a heater. I haven't use a heater for years and I haven't had any fish health issues with what I kept.

Alright!

Also,

I waited 15 mins before adding him to the tank after putting in some conditioner. Was that long enough?

-Alex

 

[Pi R Squared]

Remember that is a tropical fish native to south east Asia, mainly Tailand. If you don't use a heater, make sure your room temp never drops below 72F, I think he would be more comfortable at 76-78.

Alan

 

[brendon7358]

Hi, I see your betta is a crown tail, most people prefer crown tails and they are more expensive usually. I prefer veil tail because I like neatness and all those fins everywhere bother me, I like them to all be together and neat(ish). I have had fish for a long time so let me give you some tips

1. Filter: you should get one. It aerates the water (adds oxygen), as well as cleans the water which keeps you fish in good health. They can be had for a fairly low price ($10-$15), however if you want a better quality one they will run you about $30. I use an aquaclear 30 on my Betta tank but that's because I have other fish in there and it's a 10 gallon tank. An aquaclear 20 would do you well, they are very quiet and easy maintenance.
2. Heater: betta's do best in 75-80 degrees so if room temp is above 75 then great but I suspect it isn't. A betta will survive below 75 just fine but if you want him to thrive then it is recommended. Also if the temperature in your house drops for some random reason then he will be safe. They aren't very expensive. You should get a 25W one, they will run you about $15 on average. It will take some adjusting to get it to the temperature you want with lower quality ones but they will do. You should also get a thermometer, this is what I use (as well as most of my local fish stores) and it works great.
3. Plants: Although this isn't essential, betta's like some plant's to hide in.
4. Food: I don't know what your feeding him but Betta's are carnivores, and as such feeding him tropical flakes (omnivore food), is like feeding a Lion grass. I feed mine these, they are the best you can buy and my Betta loves them. Pellet's are better than flakes for betta's, I don't remember why. Something about their mouth placement causes them to swallow air with flakes but is not the case with pellets, swallowing air can cause their stomach to get damaged or something like that. I'm not sure, you will have to look it up.
5. Maintenance: For optimum health you should change 10% of the water once a week. But a 20-25% water change once a month should be fine. Also replace the filter pad's (only foam part, not biological filtration part), once a month or whenever they get particularly dirty. They only cost a few dollars at most but if you want, you can just wash them off and re-use them a few times.
6. Friends: Yes betta's can have friends but only if you know what your doing. Betta's are territorial so if another fish comes into his territory (the entire tank if he's the only one in there), then he will establish his dominance which may kill them. The best way to do it is to add the other fish to the tank first and then the betta. Since you already have him, an option would be to take him out and change around the tank decorations then put in the new fish, then the betta. He will think its a new tank and will be less likely to attack them. You have to choose the right fish though, refer to this site. I personally have cherry barbs and african dwarf frogs with mine. However I successfully had neon tetra's and ghost shrimp with him in the past. I also have an oto, which is a fish you should definitely get. An oto is a small suckerfish and he cleans the tank. You don't need to feed him once you have algae in the tank (exposing the tank to sunlight will help), until then you can get him algae wafers. He cleans the tank and there is a 98% chance that the betta will leave him alone after the first few minutes you put him in, even if you didn't do what I said you should earlier.

I think I covered everything, sorry it's so long. As for adding the betta to the tank (or any other fish). You should float him in a bag for 15 minutes minimum to get used to the temperature and then add a bit of tank water to his bag every once in awhile to get him used to the water chemistry, after that you can let him out. This is not required, and he would probably be fine if you just dumped him in there but it is the less stressful method and more stess = more likely to get a disease and die.


I have a 10 gallon tank, and a 55 gallon tank (I had a 65 and 90 gallon tank 3 years ago but it was just too much). I keep the temperature at 77 because 7 is my lucky number.

Pictures:


An amazing picture I got of my Betta

10 Gallon Tank

You can see one of the frogs in this picture (bottom left)

55 Gallon Tank

Inside the Cave

Yes, I know the outside of the 10 gallon tank is dirty. The fish told me they don't mind. The water level is low so the frogs don't escape.

If you have a phone with a slow motion camera (such as Iphone 6+), try videotaping him with it, it looks really cool! I personally have a galaxy note 4 and it's a very fun thing to do.
If you read everything then here is a cookie

, enjoy!

 

[NightExplorer96]

@brandon & Pi R

Thank you all for the help! Im trying not to spend much right now, and this 5 Gallon tank which came with a filter, sponge, LED light & net costs me around $25 + $4 for a plant.

I am looking for a cheap heater, not something too expensive, so if you could help me out that would be great!

PS: My room temperature is around 68-72F

-Alex

 

[brendon7358]

Just Amazon 25W aquarium heater. Any one of them will work for the most part. You can get less powerful ones (10W, 7.5W etc) but I don't really think the price is much lower so you might as well go with 25W. You can also look on Craigslist, a lot of the time you can find fish stuff for free or very cheap.

Also I forgot to mention something: If you shine a low power laser in there (so pretty much any one of yours), he will try to eat/chase the dot. It's like playing with a cat. Not all fish will do this though.

 

[NightExplorer96]

Just Amazon 25W aquarium heater. Any one of them will work for the most part. You can get less powerful ones (10W, 7.5W etc) but I don't really think the price is much lower so you might as well go with 25W. You can also look on Craigslist, a lot of the time you can find fish stuff for free or very cheap.

Also I forgot to mention something: If you shine a low power laser in there (so pretty much any one of yours), he will try to eat/chase the dot. It's like playing with a cat. Not all fish will do this though.

Awesome! May need to try that!

I have a few supplies from my old tank but would rather start fresh. I will be buying a heater, then a thermometer!

I thought my betta was a veil???

-Alex

 

[busman2]

Betta's also known as Siamese Fighting Fish are a tropical species so even though he will probably be alright at your room temp he will do Better with a heater. Also remember to change 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank water every week or so and even check the PH every once in awhile. Good luck with your fish and get him some safety glasses!

 

[Pi R Squared]

Don't forget Marley has no safety glasses so be careful. What water conditioner did you use? Just in case you don't know, there is special conditioner for Bettas, probably doesn't matter though if there is no problems with your tap water.

Alan

 

[NightExplorer96]

Don't forget Marley has no safety glasses so be careful. What water conditioner did you use? Just in case you don't know, there is special conditioner for Bettas, probably doesn't matter though if there is no problems with your tap water.

Alan

I know, must not harm him

I used Aqueon Water Conditioner, used about 5 drops of it!

-Alex

 

[TheDukeAnumber1]

I think 15min is plenty of time for the water conditioner to work. Also we can compare them to the wild betta's somewhat but they're a very domesticated fish. A lot of hardiness has been bread into them over the course of the aquarium hobby.

If you want to bump your tanks temp up a few degrees try a reptile heating pad under the tank. I use an 8 watt under my 2.5 gallon tank and I get a 5-10deg F boost, but I just use it to take the edge off for my cold water tank that's in a very cold room of the house.. It heats properly from the bottom up and is concealed nicely under the tank.

 

[brendon7358]

If you look at Marley's tail you will see that it's like a bunch of strings (crown tail), if you look at my betta's tail you will see that it is all connected (veil tail). Water conditioner works within seconds. You should also look up cycling your fish tank. It isn't really a concern for you since a 5 gallon tank is too small to cycle but it's something you should be aware of. The water conditioner you use doesn't matter btw, any one of them will work. The only thing you need to worry about is if your tap water is too high or too low of a pH, but using chemicals to correct that does more harm than good anyways. What is your tap water pH?

 

[USAbro]

They sell $1 thermometers at the pet store suction type. Just get one of those. Btw, I have a 5 gallon aquarium with 10 fish it's pretty croweded though!