Fish Lovers 3.0 [new poll]

[DemureGirl]

Thank you Lonin! That little demekin is quite the looker, I must admit!

The white Ranchu now has a name too. Lemon Sorbet, or Sorbs for short

[eff]

Okay! So, hi guys. I don't know if I've ever been on this thread before or not, but I've never owned a fish before.
I have recently been having a feeling for a new pet but couldn't conclude on what I want.
Something to note: I have never and will never be an impulse buyer.
But I have been really into Betta fish but have done no research so far, and have no idea on how to look after fish.
Any advice for a newbie around these parts?

[DemureGirl]

A Betta is a great fish to start with.

They require a minimum of 5 gallons, but the larger you can get the better! You'll also want your tank to be set up with a running heater and filter for at least a month prior to your new fishy friend moving in. This is because you need for beneficial bacteria to grow in your filter otherwise it won't be able to effectively break down waste products and your fish will be very miserable.

20-30% water changes each week, high quality food (I tend to feed six days a week and fast them on the seventh) and you should be good to go!

They really are super fish. One of my favourite kinds. You can train them to do tricks and all sorts! Be careful though, I started with one and ended up with about 20. And considering the males all need separate tanks... Well, just watch out for that

[eff]

Okay, so if I have this right, I feed the potential beta daily, parting from one day. I saw that people change the water (1/3) every other day. Is that a good thing to do?

Oh. and erm, questions ahoy:

How much does it cost financially to maintain a betta and what do I really need to look out for?
Can I plant real plants into the tank? And how would I do that? And what plants?

[Hime]

Okay, so if I have this right, I feed the potential beta daily, parting from one day. I saw that people change the water (1/3) every other day. Is that a good thing to do?

Also, how much does it cost to maintain a betta and what do I really need to look out for?
And can I plant real plants into the tank? And how would I do that? And what plants?

The amount of water changes you need to do will depend on how big your tank is vs. bioload. So basically how many gallons in ratio to how much waste your fish produce. 30% every other day is bit much imo for average set up, but if they have very small tank, no plants and no filter it might be the only way to go. It's not exactly harmful, but not really practical in most cases. There are also other situations where it might be needed, but on average once a week water change is usually fine. The fastening day is kinda optional. I have a betta with endlers and I tend to feed 2 times a day and don't really have a fastening day.

Maintaining aquariums, assuming all goes well, is actually not that expensive. Bigger the tank the more it's going to cost to run seeing that you dose water conditioner etc by liter/gallon. So if you are really looking to get your money's worth look for products with very small dosing per gallon/liter. Like out of water conditioners Prime is something you need to use only a tiny amount if dosed separately to the new water before it's added into the tank, so for that one a tiny 100ml bottle lasts quite long time even with bigger tank (I use 1ml of it per 40 liter water change lol). Food you won't go through a lot with one betta, so one tiny tub probably last a year. So cost vise maybe 10-20 €/£/$ per year to run a tank depending on the products/local pricing.
What I'd look out for when starting is firstly proper set up and understanding the nitrogen cycle really well and most importantly cycling the tank. Just by cycling the tank well you are going to miss out many beginner problems. One thing I feel like is worth the invest in the beginning are water tests. Drop test may be more expensive to buy, but I've personally found them more accurate than slips. And in the beginning, when they cycle is still bit unstable even though it's established, it's best to be able to catch the smallest changes straight away with the tests and not only when you have a bigger issue at your hands. You don't need all tests. I would say nitrite and nitrate are the most important ones, and ammonia test has it's place when cycling a tank. pH, KH and GH you won't really need unless you want to manipulate your water's natural parameters. Unless you are on a well water you can usually get your tap water parameters (pH, GH etc.) from the water company thingys website for your area, and those values usually stay quite stable unless you add something into the water.
You can certainly add real plants in fact I highly encourage you to try, just stick to the aquatic types. Most plants need to be planted into substrate of some sort much like house plants, so you need sand, gravel or special aquarium plant soil on the bottom and then you just plant the plants. There are also plants that can grow when attached to piece of stone or wood etc., like anubias and java fern. What plants depends on your set up, mostly light to be specific. Anubias and java fern as pretty beginner friendly and don't need ton of light. Hygrophila family has quite few easy ones as well, valisneria is another easy one, crypts... You can check out some that are classified to have pretty low requirements here: https://tropica.com/en/plants/search/?m ... &ori=&use=

[eff]

Thank you!
Is there any plants that I should avoid? And I am looking at getting a 25 litre tank, so a little over the minimum I believe? I think it's about 5 and a half gallons.
Should I get a tank sort of thing, so no heater or filter included or should I get one of those more beginner types that come with everything?
Edit - and can you put snails in to help clean everything up?

[DemureGirl]

Hi again
Personally I would avoid anything that require a lot of co2 light, or, for me perseonally, anything that grows very quickly. Java fern, crypts and anubias are my go-tos when planting a tank. This tank here is made up totally of those three and requires little trimming to keep it neat:


The link that Hime posted will be a great help for finding which plants are high maintenance and which ones don't suit your needs. Especially with a small tank you need to make sure you don't end up with a plant that will grow massive!

That is up to you. It is often cheaper to buy a bundle but if you buy separately you can choose when kit you get. In terms of filters especially it is often better to overfilter. My goldies are in a 120 gallon tank but have the filtration of a 450 gallon. Goldfish are incredibly messy fish though. Your little betta won't need something that extreme XD

Snails are brilliant friends for a betta. Nerites and rabbit snails are probably your best bet. Nerites will not successfully breed in fresh water so you won't end up with a million and rabbits are live bearers who will give birth to one baby (and on rare occasions two) once a month or so so you won't get overrun there either. You can get some pretty funky varieties of both too and mix and match.

[eff]

Thank you for that information!
So, I have the confirmation that I will be getting the betta this year so I am insanely excited. I am looking at earning 100-150 pounds before considering the fish, which isn't a lot, but I can't get a job right now. I think 150 quid will cover the cost of all the expenses nicely. That being said, I still have a lot of research to do and would love any corrections.
What will I need for a betta? So far I think this is all you need(?):


- aquarium (recommendations? ideally under £100 w/ heater, filter, etc.)
- betta food (recommendations?)
- water conditioner (recommendations?)
- real plants (java fern, crypts and anubias)
- substrate (recommendations, considering the plants?)
- a hide (recommendations?)

Am I missing anything?

I was looking for tanks and found this. I really don't know how anyone can think that that is okay, even if you know nothing about fish such as myself. I really didn't know fish were being mistreated this badly.

--

Do I need a light source overhead the tank?
And how do I sex the fish?

[DemureGirl]

It really is awful what people will put fish in. Betta and goldfish are the most abused fish. Goldfish because people don't realise how big they get and Betta because the can survive in little water (survive, but not thrive!)

On the topic of tanks, avoid ones that are taller than than wide. Tall tanks have less swimming space and less surface agitation.
I used to feed mine Betta pro. Great food, but expensesive (I used to breed them so needed high quality). Anything but flake is fine, and if you can get one especially for Betta it's even better.

I'd avoid colourful gravel. It's eye popping but your fish won't really appreciate it and it'll take the focus off your beautiful Betta. Fine gravel or sand is great for plants

With a Betta you'll want to avoid anything with rough edges as they can easily rip their tails on them. I know in pets at home you can get half coconuts with anubias or javafern readily attached. Those are pretty cool. Or you can go heavily planted and let the plants make a natural hide. Or have a look what hides you lecal store has and pick a theme. Their are lots of choices

Yes, a light source will be needed, especially with plants! Most tanks will come with one but they are easy enough to get for a small tank. And the beauty of getting "easy" plants is that you don't have to worry about bulbs and the types of lights they emit!

Betta are fairly easy to sex. For the most part at least.
Males have the long flowing fins and bright colours. They will also be housed on their own.
Fun fact: in the UK it is illegal to keep two male Betta in the same tank. Females in pet stores tend to be quite dull in comparison. Usually brown with a blue/red iridescence. But you can sometimes find colourful ones. However, they will always have short tails.
Wild colour female example:


Of course, there are a variety of Betta called Plakat (my personal favourites) where both male and female have short fins. They're a lot harder to come by though and if you find a colourful short tails Betta in a tank on its own its most likely male!
Plakat male:

[eff]

I think that I will be going for a male because of their looks and I want to start off with him being a solitary fish rather than in a community, especially with a 10gl tank. We're going to Pets At Home soon to register my dog there, so I'll have a check for betta's and supplies.