# Officially a Betta Owner



## Pigeonfish (Jun 23, 2011)

Don't ask how, but I managed to squeeze in a 5.5 gallon tank in my tiny apartment... It's for a female betta, it belonged to my partner but they couldn't keep it. (due to leaks it's practically raining in their house)

I didn't feel comfortable putting her in my ten gallon with the Platys mainly because, they'd probably nip her fins and the filter produces a pretty strong current.

This gal is old and has been through enough stress. I was pretty worried and I could barely sleep last night. She's being pretty active which is a good sign. I added a sponge from my already established tank. I'm doing water changes in the morning and night. I'm only gonna feed her if the ammonia goes down to 0, last time I checked it was between .25 and .50. Thankfully, I should be expecting some more plants in a couple days.

Here's the setup:

5.5 gallon tank
Red Sea Deco Art Nano Filter
ViaAqua Heater 50W
Fluorescent Daylight Lamp (it's gotta be 6500k or higher, it's really bright)
Eco-Complete Plant Substrate
With some floating driftwood and Anacharis for the moment.

Plants that I should expect:

Amazon Frogbit
Dwarf Baby Tears
I'm probably gonna add more plants, just not sure which.

Once the tank fully cycles, I'm gonna buy a couple Ghost Shrimp and see how the girl treats them. If it goes well, I'll add a couple more.

I would add pictures but, I need to steal my partner's camera... <.<

Any tips or reassurance would be great. :betta:


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Congrats!Any chance we can see pics of the little lady?

5.5 gallons is a great size for a single female,and the filter should be fine for her.Females have less finnage so the flow doesnt bother them as bad,though she will still appreciate a dead spot.The filter is perfect size and the flow should be able to be adjusted so I wouldnt worry too much about that.

Plants I suggest java ferns and crypts.They are slow growers,so they will be fine for her.

Keep her temp at about 84 degrees and that will keep her happy and active and keep from getting ich.


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## Rob72 (Apr 2, 2011)

congrats on new betta pigeon, post some pics of her and the tank


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## Pigeonfish (Jun 23, 2011)

Thanks guys. The tank is at 84 degrees exactly.

Nitrites are already showing up, so the tank seems to be cycling quickly.

Today I added 2 Crypts.

I'll also be adding two Dwarf Sags and 6 Contortion Vals (with the Amazon Frogbit and the Dwarf Baby Tears). I have an Anubias which has started growing two new leaves, I'll probably add that when they get a little bigger. I'll probably do the same with a Java Fern later on. If I find some Java Moss, I'll add a clump.

I'll probably be posting some pics this weekend. :3


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Now I want one......

Can a female betta and RCS get along?


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Gizmo said:


> Now I want one......
> 
> Can a female betta and RCS get along?


Sure theyll get along as long as they dont give her heartburn,lol.You can try it but many bettas even the females see shrimp as a tasty snack.And dont let the girlieness fool you,I have a female who is a male killer.I mean she would take the biggest most aggresive male and rip him to shreds faster than I could get him back out.


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## Pigeonfish (Jun 23, 2011)

Here's the pics I promised:



Added The Contortion Vals, The Dwarf Sag, Dwarf Hairgrass, Dwarf Baby Tears, Amazon Frogbit and Java Moss.

Here's more pics of the girl:


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Pretty!I would keep an eye on "her"as she looks to be a young male to me,though veiltails are getting more finny.An eggspot is not definate way to tell,as the young males will have them sometimes too.

The tank looks perfect too!Very happy fish.


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## Pigeonfish (Jun 23, 2011)

majerah1 said:


> Pretty!I would keep an eye on "her"as she looks to be a young male to me,though veiltails are getting more finny.An eggspot is not definate way to tell,as the young males will have them sometimes too.
> 
> The tank looks perfect too!Very happy fish.


Thanks Bev.

The person we got this Betta from, breeds Bettas told me and my partner that she is an old female. Can't really remember if he used her for breeding... She does have an eggspot though. Hehe, I'll be pretty surprised if she ends up being a boy. *r2


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## MissPisces (Jun 8, 2011)

She's pretty! Congratulations on getting her; hope everything goes well!


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## Pigeonfish (Jun 23, 2011)

My betta dropped a bunch of eggs earlier today, so she's definitely a girly.

Guess she's enjoying the single life now *r2

Do they normally drop their eggs with no male around?

Tank is going through a nitrite spike, no ammonia, been keeping up with water changes and she doesn't look stressed, so I don't think she dropped the eggs because of that...


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

They can.Some absorb them back,and some will build a nest,release them ,and then place in the nest and care for them until they fungus over,lol.


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