Angry Fish Inhabit Most Home Aquariums

[ShyMer]

I agree with Kanti about pet stores. Back when I was first getting into fish, I bought a lovely salmon colored veil tail betta, but he turned out to have fin rot and looked pretty sad a couple days later. I went back to the store and they told me he was a crown tail... Fin rot does not equal crown tail.

What's up with stores promoting tiny containers for fish, anyhow? Even my LFS keeps their display bettas in dinky half gallon tanks, and those are the lucky ones. It's like people expect it, and it's cheaper to use smaller spaces, so they don't do the responsible thing. It makes me sad

[mermaidcatherine]

What about dorm room fish owners? (Resident college mer here, lol.) A lot of my friends have betta fish in their room, and I'll have one in my room next year. (I mean it will be my roommates, but still) What's the best, most cost effective way of taking care of fish in a dorm?

[Spindrift]

Does anyone have a good rule of thumb for how much space a fish should have? My friend won a fish at a carnival for me yesterday and I put him in a 10 gallon tank. Online says that Comet Goldfish (I think that's what he is) should be in 30-40 gallon tanks but he's still so small and I am keeping him in my dorm room. I'll be checking ammonia levels often too, so that he doesn't poison himself.

[MerMarla]

Hi Spindrift
The rule of thumb for freshwater fish in an aquarium with filtration is, 1 square inch of surface per linear inch of fish. That's a bare minimum, and doesn't take into account the warmer the water, the higher rate the fish consumes oxygen. A filter and airstone should be used even with a goldfish, monitor the pH (with a liquid test kit, don't use paper test kit) so it doesn't get to acidic, (no less than 6.8). The smaller the aquarium, the more often you will have to do water changes. Goldfish, are notorious for being a "messy" fish, in that they eat lots and poop lots, altho they are very pretty. Water changes of up to 1/2 tank volume, should be done with water that matches temperature in the tank (use a thermometer), and has been allowed to sit overnite to rid of any treatment from the town or city supply, chlorine especially. I've kept goldfish upwards of 5 years in an old fashioned bowl. Now I know that is unhealthy for them, as would be for any fish. We as mers need to care for our home charges, as we would the ones in the wild. Hope this helps, feel free to ask anything else! Mermaid Marla (Weeki Wachee Springs) 1969-1972

[Spindrift]

Thank you! He's still small, but I'll take a look at the 20 gallon tanks at Walmart and see if I can make it work. I don't want to have an unhappy fish :|

[MerMarla]

Hi Mermaidcatherine,

A Betta is a subtropical fish from breeders in south Asia mostly, some come from Japan or Taiwan, or bred locally. I raised Betta's in the 1960's and they, like other tropical fish, need temperature about 78-82 degrees, slow moving water from filter, and also 6.8 to 7.2 pH range. Even tho they are Anabantiods, (labyrinth) surface breathers, you still need to give them swimming (horizontal) room. I would use no less than 2.5 gallons, something like the Aqueon Mini bow Desktop. You could put one algae eater with him/her, like an Oto, would be safe. If you go with a larger tank, you could put in 3-4 cardinals, or neons, but nothing finny like guppies, if you value their beautiful fins. You need a cover, (they jump) with a light (on for 4-5 hours max), a thermometer and heater. There's special dry foods for Bettas, too, or you could really spoil them with live food (seasonal mosquito larvae, brine shrimp nymphs, white worms, grundles...). Just don't succumb to their plea for more food, they can become beggers! They could get swim bladder disease from over eating, nothing cures that. They should only get a tiny (and I mean tiny!) amount of food, 2 times a day. Once a week, peel ONE green pea (canned or frozen, I like frozen it's easier to keep) and feed 1/2 of the pea instead of regular food (helps to keep them "regular"). There are lots of internet sites on keeping Bettas, this is just the tip of the iceberg, but enuf information to get you going. The Aqueon aquarium, I mentioned, on-line at Petco, is on sale for $34.00 (2.5 gal) comes with cover/light/filter. You'd need gravel, and plants (only live or silk plants so your Betta doesn't tear fins), thermometer, heater, and food. Have fun! Bettas are my fave freshwater fish! Any questions, just ask! Mermaid Marla (Weeki Wachee Springs) 1969-72
P.S. A flowing Betta tail would make an awesome template for a mermaid tail!

[MerMarla]

Your welcome! He's gonna LOVE a 20 gal tank! Let me know what you name him! <3

[Spindrift]

My friend whose name is Gary won him for me so I named the fish Gyarados (or if I feel even more punny,"Gary"-dos), after the sea monster Pokemon lol. :3

[Coradion]

Keeping bettas in small cups is pretty standard it's not just a pet store thing. When you breed bettas you separate them out when they start to show aggression by jarring them.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

This whole thread reminds me of a character from the Mutants & Masterminds RPG Hero High book... Flitter the Angry Goldfish!

[Merrow Erie]

I'm late to this party, but here's what I've learned from taking care of bettas at college.

I'm about as poor as they come, but that's no excuse to cram my beautiful baby into a tiny bowl. For about 12 bucks, you can get a three-gallon kritter keeper at petco. It's just plastic, but for a younger betta, it'll be plenty of room.

Don't get gravel, because with a small tank that needs fully changed at least once a week, it's ridiculously hard to clean. Instead, go for the bigger rounded plastic pebbles that you can just grab a handful of and rinse.

Silk plants only!!! They're not literally made of silk, they're just fabric material instead of plastic. Plastic plants will rip your betta's fins to shreds.

Give them somewhere to hide. My halfmoon loves this floating log that's hollowed out inside. He hides in it and usually sleeps in it.

If you stay on top of water changes, you shouldn't need a filter. If you do invest in one, get the weakest kind possible. Also stress coat is a must. Betta-specific stress coat comes in tiny bottles that are pretty much done after three uses, but you DON'T have to buy them. Any freshwater stress coat will do.

You definitely need a heater. Aqueon sells a desktop heater that was phenomenal for my five-gallon tank. Depending on where you live, you might be able to get away without one. But in Ohio sometimes our dorms were kept at 64 degrees in winter, and that will not work.

[Ciesl2ja]

I love to keep aquariums and have a 90, 55, and a 30 gallon up and running as well as a 15 gallon nursery tank. Some species of fish are generally more aggressive than others, such as the African Cichlids I keep and breed. Even with enough space and cover these fish still go after one another, especially when it comes to breeding time. Try not to ever buy fish from chain stores because they all share the same filter. Thats like everyone at the hospital sharing the same needle, which would clearly get everyone sick. Try and support your local fish stores instead of going to chain stores or buying things offline since it is safer and better for your fish. One site I LOVE is Aquabid.com - very fun stuff on there and it is where I have gotten some of my fish. Anyway -endrant- If anyone needs help with fishy things, I'm the mermaid to ask

[Floppus]

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