# I am getting my first Beta this weekend



## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Excited!!! I am buying my beta from a store that has their own breeding program and I've seen some of their betas - they were gorgeous.

I plan to put mine in a 10 gallon tank with an AC20 filter and submerisble heater with silk plants and gravel.

I plan to seed the filter with some media from an existing tank - like move some seachem matrix over from my oscar tank and then also add some of Dr. Tim's One and Only bacteria in a bottle to get things started.

Let me know if I am missing anything.

Thank you


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Be aware the flow may be too strong for the fish. Guage his swimming and be sure he isnt tossed about


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Yeah i thought of that. I am going to put a sponge over the intakes tube to diminish the flow further. The ac20 is such a small flter though


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

You have 555 posts  I like numbers that repeat them selves. So you have been a fish keeper for over a year, and have never had a betta? That is a bit surprising.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Lol. Ive been keeping various fish for almost 10 years just never had interest in a beta. Just got the beta bug. Will post pic of my beta "Maltida" later. She's a beauty.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

I don't mean to go off topic, but what was your first fish then?


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Believe it or not - my first fish was a Jack Dempsey that was initially kept in a 29 gallon tank. I inherited this from my son who did not take proper care and tired of the fish tank soon after getting it. That was how I got into the hobby.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Here is a picture of my first Beta. I've named her Matilda. Don't really know if its a girl or boy but liked this name. I think she is gorgeous. If any one here can identify her specific name please let me know - all I know is she is a Beta.

I am keeping her in a 10 gallon tank with a small HOB filter and heater.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Beautiful! Matilda is a male betta. Looks to be a superdelta.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

majerah1 said:


> Beautiful! Matilda is a male betta. Looks to be a superdelta.


Yeah that's the concensus I am hearing - she is a he.

It didn't really matter to me although I had my heart set on Matilda for the name.

Now I have pick a new name


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Yes males will usually have the nice long fins. There is a few lines out there of long finned ladies but... they are not in the pet trade just yet. Breeders are holding on to them to make the fins of the boys longer.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I came home tonight to find a bubble nest. What does that mean.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Means he is happy with his setup. Keep his water warm( 82 to 86 degrees F) and clean, with a lid to keep humidity in and he should stay nice and happy.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I thought his temp should be more like 80. His temp has been steady at 80.4.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I need help with how much and how often to feed him.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

80 will work but really ideal is about 82. 

As for feeding his belly is about the size of his eye. I feed once a day a few pellets at a time.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

majerah1 said:


> 80 will work but really ideal is about 82.
> 
> As for feeding his belly is about the size of his eye. I feed once a day a few pellets at a time.


I need to feed my bettas a lot less then.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

It's so hard to kust give them 2 or 3 of teenie tiny pellets and feel like hour not depriving them. 

Given the info I've been given i think i will do 2 pellets in the am and 2 in the pm. My betta is still pretty young. 

Can someone explain the bubble nest to me. I realize its some breeding ritual but do both males and females make them. What am i supposed to do with it - just leave it or remove it???


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

Mostly the males do it. However the females do the bubble nest sometimes. If the male doesn't make a nest up to her standards then she might show him how to do it right by making it herself.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

How often do they make these nests??? Am I supposed to just leave it in there?? 

As far as water parameters for a Betta - I assume I should strive for the same parameters in my other tank as far as 0ppm Ammonia, 0ppm Nitrite, 10ppm Nitrate.

Since this tank is a new setup for me - I plan to do weekly water changes and gravel vacuuming along with my other tanks - does this sound about right??


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

It differs from male to male. Some will make them all the time, some just after a good waterchange. Just leave it be. 

Yes, same parameters, and weekly changes.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

I got my betta on Saturday. I seeded the 10 gallon tank filter with seachem mayrix grom my 120 gallon plus i added 4 capfuls of Dr Tims One and Only. 

4 days later i test my water params and gave .50ppm ammonia. What happened. 

I immediately did a large water change but need some input why this happened.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

No pics?


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## welok (Jul 20, 2015)

I ran into someone at the LFS yesterday with the same problem: used chemicals, still the readings are really high. I know some people have success with the chemicals, but I never have. Could be the bacteria in the bottle died during transit. I would do daily water changes for a week, and put your filter on an established tank for that week to give it the bacteria needed.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I have never trusted the bacteria in a bottle. I would just go about as if it was a fish in cycle, and keep up with your waterchanges and parameters.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

How come the seeded matrix I took from my existing tank didn't cycle the tank for me?? I didn't take much of it since the AC20 bags are only so big but I thought it would do the trick for such a small tank with only one Betta in it.


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

Majareh, Should I vacuum the gravel every day or just drain the water and refill??


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

I disagree that female bettas do not have long fins and that breeders hold back the long finned ones. This is my purple orange cambodian female. I obviously do not know if Matilda is a boy or girl, and it seems he is a boy but, the way to tell whether it is female is to find out if it has an "egg spot" not if it has long fins. Mine is a female and has fins about as long as yours. This female betta was a random little white baby when I got her. No breeder would have known, at that point, how long her fins would have gotten when she grew up. One thing about bettas is that no two are alike.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Egg spot is not a tell tale either. Finding ovaries is though.


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