Betta fish questions

[HappyClucker7]

That makes sense-but new forums are scary I'm nervous about joining any new forums, but it makes sense that they'd be very helpful.

I'm on a fish keeping forum called Tropical Fish Forums. Everyone on there is really nice and helpful, and incredibly knowledgeable. It might be good for you to make an account there if you ever need help with anything.

 

[One Lucky Momma]

black_cat, given the timeframe you’ve got figured out, is there any chance you might be gifted some of the items on your list? Holidays coming up and all... just a thought. Sounds like you’re doing some good research and planning.

 

[black_cat]

Anubias and Java Fern can grow in low light. Water Wisteria needs high light. If you go with medium light levels, then you should be able to grow them all together.
One thing you have to know about the anubias and java fern is that they have a rhizome which you can't plant under the substrate. You can plant the roots, but the rhizome must stay above the substrate.



Bettas don't really like other fish. Also, a 10 gallon tank would not be enough space for a big enough school of the neon tetras.
Guppies should not be kept with bettas because bettas often mistake the guppies for other bettas and attack them. Guppies also need hard water and bettas need soft water.



Once your tank is cycled, it's not really necessary to test the water every day. It would be good to test it every once in a while though.



When you look for a betta, get one that is actively swimming about. Hold his cup up to another betta and see if he flares.
Make sure there are no tears in his fins, and that he doesn't have finrot. A betta with finrot will have tattered looking fins.
I know you said you wanted a betta with really long fins, but those are not very healthy. Halfmoon, Rose tail, Feather tail, Over halfmoon, and Super delta tail are all tail types that should be avoided. Because of the long fins, those bettas often nip their own fins, they are more prone to finrot, and the have trouble swimming when they get older.
You should also avoid dragon scale bettas. They can get issues where their scales grow over their eyes and gills. They are also very prone to getting tumors.



A canister filter is overkill for a 10 gallon tank.



A 20 gallon does not need a stand as long as you have something strong and sturdy to put the tank on.

Anubias and Java Fern can grow in low light. Water Wisteria needs high light. If you go with medium light levels, then you should be able to grow them all together.
One thing you have to know about the anubias and java fern is that they have a rhizome which you can't plant under the substrate. You can plant the roots, but the rhizome must stay above the substrate.
Darn. Probably should have done more research. I can try it out! I will see about replacing the light in the kit with a better light thingy.
I had to look up 'rhizome' but I'll make sure to not bury that when doing the plants.


Bettas don't really like other fish. Also, a 10 gallon tank would not be enough space for a big enough school of the neon tetras.
Guppies should not be kept with bettas because bettas often mistake the guppies for other bettas and attack them. Guppies also need hard water and bettas need soft water.



Once your tank is cycled, it's not really necessary to test the water every day. It would be good to test it every once in a while though.
So having a test kit on hand would be good, but I don't need to constantly test?


When you look for a betta, get one that is actively swimming about. Hold his cup up to another betta and see if he flares.
Makes sense.
Make sure there are no tears in his fins, and that he doesn't have finrot. A betta with finrot will have tattered looking fins.

I know you said you wanted a betta with really long fins, but those are not very healthy. Halfmoon, Rose tail, Feather tail, Over halfmoon, and Super delta tail are all tail types that should be avoided. Because of the long fins, those bettas often nip their own fins, they are more prone to finrot, and the have trouble swimming when they get older.
I'll avoid those for those health reasons. I think that a lot of the bettas at my pet store are labeled by color- for example, 'platinum' betta with a picture of an all white betta. How would you know what type that is?
What about butterfly and twintail halfmoon? Are those ones ok?
You should also avoid dragon scale bettas. They can get issues where their scales grow over their eyes and gills. They are also very prone to getting tumors.



A canister filter is overkill for a 10 gallon tank.
I have no idea of how a canister filter differs from a non canister filter but I will not get one.


A 20 gallon does not need a stand as long as you have something strong and sturdy to put the tank on.
That's good-I'm really basing tank size on how large it is when I see it in real life. I *think* that what I'm thinking of is a 10 gallon one, but it may be a 20 gallon.

 

[black_cat]

black_cat, given the timeframe you’ve got figured out, is there any chance you might be gifted some of the items on your list? Holidays coming up and all... just a thought. Sounds like you’re doing some good research and planning.

I would, but I'm aiming for some spring chicks as a christmas present (mostly just permission to get them, I"d still be doing all the care and paying for most things) and the reason I've spaced things out is so that I'm not asking for too much at once. Maybe next christmas though, as that is nearer the time I would bring it up again.
Thank you! I try to do my research with things so I don't end up messing things up, especially with live animals.

 

[HappyClucker7]

So having a test kit on hand would be good, but I don't need to constantly test?

Exactly. You will need a test kit for the cycling process, but after that you would only have to test the water occasionally.

 

[black_cat]

I'm on a fish keeping forum called Tropical Fish Forums. Everyone on there is really nice and helpful, and incredibly knowledgeable. It might be good for you to make an account there if you ever need help with anything.

Maybe I'll go over and make an account.

 

[HappyClucker7]

I'll avoid those for those health reasons. I think that a lot of the bettas at my pet store are labeled by color- for example, 'platinum' betta with a picture of an all white betta. How would you know what type that is?
What about butterfly and twintail halfmoon? Are those ones ok?

You can look up the different betta tail types. There are lots to choose from. Here are a few tail types.

Butterfly is the color pattern. The betta with the delta tail in the picture above has the butterly pattern.
Double tails are okay, but their bodies are shorter than normal bettas which can lead to swim bladder problems. The swim bladder is what allows the fish to swim up and down in the water.

 

[black_cat]

You can look up the different betta tail types. There are lots to choose from. Here are a few tail types.

View attachment 2377627

Butterfly is the color pattern. The betta with the delta tail in the picture above has the butterly pattern.
Double tails are okay, but their bodies are shorter than normal bettas which can lead to swim bladder problems. The swim bladder is what allows the fish to swim up and down in the water.

Why must the pet store label by color! I'll probably end up going, finding one that looks healthy and pretty, and then checking the type myself using google -_-

 

[HappyClucker7]

Why must the pet store label by color! I'll probably end up going, finding one that looks healthy and pretty, and then checking the type myself using google -_-

Yeah, that's probably the best way.

 

[SegiDream]

I wouldn't worry too much about the ph kh and gh levels of your water unless you do a dirted tank and plants or want to grow the super difficult plants. If you buy fish locally chances are they have already been acclimated to the local water. I say this because you start worrying about ph, you start messing with it maybe try chemicals and you start a chain reaction of ups and downs that can be fatal. Also the toxicity of ammonia can differ based on the ph levels. It's safer and easier to learn how to work with what you have IMO.

Now if you do a dirted tank it can soften hard water because of the wood that is usually in organic mixes. The wood releases tannins which softens the ph. Adding a cuttlebone (bird chew) to the water balanced that out naturally as the acidity in the water ate away the cuttlebone and as it dissolves it adds to the alkalinity. This was my way of preventing swings in ph. Other than that I never worried about ph as long as it was stable and I kept both hard water and soft water fish and never did anything differently per fish.

As far as expenses go. Look for used tank setups and make sure they are water proof before you take them. My very first aquarium was a 20g tall with lid, lights, filter, heater and I paid $5 for it used at a garage sale. I got pea gravel at the hardware store for $3-4 for a 50lb bag, black diamond blasting sand was I think $10 for a 50lb bag. $6 for a bag of organic dirt mix. $10 for a 3 pack of LED daylight bulbs. $8 for work lamps w/ clamps. And if all else fails.... Petco normally has a $1 per gallon sale every few months for 10 and 20 gallon tanks or half price for the 40 or 55 gallon tanks. I paid $45 for a 40g breeder. And another $40 for a fluval canister filter from a discount retail store.

I love the sponge filters for smaller tanks because they are inexpensive and it's good to have a backup. For the bigger tanks 20g or larger a canister or Hang on filter is better IMO. The only problem I have with canisters or HOB filters is that it can be more difficult to adjust the flow. For my canister filter I had to buy an extra bar extension so the outflow was evenly dispersed.