Betta fish questions

[SegiDream]

Once you have the fish, do you still need to test the water every day? Or can you assume that it's doing its thing?

If you are cycling with a live fish I would test every day to every other day until it is cycled. If you are cycling without a fish you could check as often or as little as you want. After it is cycled I would only test if you suspect a problem or if you are unsure.

Also I don't mean to be rude please don't take this the wrong way but I wouldn't put another fish in with a male betta fish in 10g or less. Even snails are subject to an attack if they catch their attention. I had one male betta that attacked anything that moved. Female betta fish in a 20g you could do that, but it is still not a guarantee. Look at nano fish if you want multiple fish in a small tank. I loved my celestial pearl danios in my planted 10g with cherry shrimp. There's ember tetras, neon blue rasbora, dwarf emerald danio, gertrude rainbowfish..

If you are set on having a betta fish plus other fish perhaps you could look up which species of betta is less aggressive. I think there is one but I forget. Splendens is the one you usually see in the fish stores.

 

[black_cat]

If you are cycling with a live fish I would test every day to every other day until it is cycled. If you are cycling without a fish you could check as often or as little as you want. After it is cycled I would only test if you suspect a problem or if you are unsure.

Also I don't mean to be rude please don't take this the wrong way but I wouldn't put another fish in with a male betta fish in 10g or less. Even snails are subject to an attack if they catch their attention. I had one male betta that attacked anything that moved. Female betta fish in a 20g you could do that, but it is still not a guarantee. Look at nano fish if you want multiple fish in a small tank. I loved my celestial pearl danios in my planted 10g with cherry shrimp. There's ember tetras, neon blue rasbora, dwarf emerald danio, gertrude rainbowfish..

If you are set on having a betta fish plus other fish perhaps you could look up which species of betta is less aggressive. I think there is one but I forget. Splendens is the one you usually see in the fish stores.

If you are cycling with a live fish I would test every day to every other day until it is cycled. If you are cycling without a fish you could check as often or as little as you want. After it is cycled I would only test if you suspect a problem or if you are unsure.
Ok, thanks!
Also I don't mean to be rude please don't take this the wrong way but I wouldn't put another fish in with a male betta fish in 10g or less. Even snails are subject to an attack if they catch their attention. I had one male betta that attacked anything that moved. Female betta fish in a 20g you could do that, but it is still not a guarantee. Look at nano fish if you want multiple fish in a small tank. I loved my celestial pearl danios in my planted 10g with cherry shrimp. There's ember tetras, neon blue rasbora, dwarf emerald danio, gertrude rainbowfish..
You're not being rude, you're offering your educated opinion Even one fish is a while away, and that was just in theory. I probably won't end up adding more, anyway.
If you are set on having a betta fish plus other fish perhaps you could look up which species of betta is less aggressive. I think there is one but I forget. Splendens is the one you usually see in the fish stores.
Not set on it at all, so don't worry. Which species of betta has the biggest tails? Those are the ones I'd like lol
If there'd be a problem, I'd never want to put fish under the stress of being together in either a too small tank for the number or with aggressiveness issues

 

[black_cat]

How do you tell if a betta is healthy when you get it at the pet store? It's hard to see if they're active at all in those little cups.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Ok I looked it up, and the little silver and red ones I was thinking of are called neon tetras.

I wouldn’t get neon tetras. They prefer cooler water than bettas, and are most comfortable in a school of 6+, which would be a little cramped in a 10 gallon. Cardinal tetras like warmer water, but a school would still be too big for a tank that size. Ember tetras are a lot smaller, so you might be able to have a school of them, as long as your betta isn’t murderous (a lot of them are).

How do you tell if a betta is healthy when you get it at the pet store? It's hard to see if they're active at all in those little cups.

If they have nice, vibrant colors, spread fins, the water they’re in is clean, they aren’t struggling to swim, they aren’t laying on their sides or just hovering in one place, and they don’t have any lesions/white patches/discoloration.

 

[black_cat]

If they have nice, vibrant colors, spread fins, the water they’re in is clean, they aren’t struggling to swim, they aren’t laying on their sides or just hovering in one place, and they don’t have any lesions/white patches/discoloration.

A friend said that if you wiggle your finger in front of them and they frill at you, then that's good? or if you had a little mirror and showed it to them? Are those accurate as well?

 

[SegiDream]

A friend said that if you wiggle your finger in front of them and they frill at you, then that's good? or if you had a little mirror and showed it to them? Are those accurate as well?

That's a sign of aggression. Like chickens about to fight how they crouch and spread their neck feathers, same thing.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

A friend said that if you wiggle your finger in front of them and they frill at you, then that's good? or if you had a little mirror and showed it to them? Are those accurate as well?

That would show that they’re alert (and feisty), so yes, it’s good.

 

[NatJ]

Splendens is the one you usually see in the fish stores.
... Which species of betta has the biggest tails? Those are the ones I'd like lol

Betta splendens, usually seen in fish stores, has the biggest tails.
There are a few variations--kind of like breeds--that have different tail shapes.
If it's in a fish store, and doesn't have a ridiculous price and a big sign, it's splendens. (Ridiculous price: might still be splendens.)

 

[SegiDream]

Really struggling to find a filter. They all say "POWER FILTER" and seem way too aggressive for a betta.

Air pump: (you can also buy these at walmart)
https://www.amazon.com/Tetra-Whispe...+pump+and+sponge+filter&qid=1602977448&sr=8-6

Filter that you can attach to the end of the airline. This one also comes with an air valve so you can adjust the strength of it. On the ones I have I can take the sponge part off for rinsing.
https://www.amazon.com/Aquaneat-Aqu...+pump+and+sponge+filter&qid=1602977448&sr=8-8

 

[black_cat]

Do I want a canister filter? Or a not canister filter? Is this one good? https://www.petsmart.com/fish/filte...qua-clear-power-filter-16885.html?cgid=300108