My new Betta fish MIDNIGHT
Hi, I got a new betta fish. His name is Midnight and he a handsome boy. More than anything else, I love his personality. Like most nouveau fish keepers, I got him a 2 Gallon bowl. It had blue gravel and an air pump. I change some amount of water everyday. Before adding water , I keep the water uncovered overnight or for 24 hours to get rid of chlorine. I also add what is commercially called "Stresscoat" and I find that he does not struggle during water changes. It has only been 1.5 months since I have got him from the pet store and feels like I am doing a 2nd PhD on betta fishes.
I realized quickly that keeping a betta in a bowl is not good. So I went and got him a 15 Gallon aquarium with filter, heater, gravel and 2 thermometers. Check out a youtube video uploaded for him http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqKixzpp66s (copy paste the link it clicking on it does not work) forgive my camera, it is really bad and right now I dont have the money for an SLR.
I am glad that I finally found time to write this blog and I thought that maybe I should do it in parts. Any questions and comments regarding your betta fish will be answered as best as I can and/or after consulting with friends at the International Betta Congress.
FEEDING
Here is a list of things I feed him:
1. Hikari Bio-gold pellets
2. Hikari freeze-dried Brine Shrimp
3. Live Fruitflies
4. Hikari frozen bloodworm
5. Blanched peas
As many of you might know, each food has its own merits and flaws and I thought a combination of many types of food is what will be best for him. If you read some popular blogs, you will understand that live/frozen food is best for your buddy. But I also think it is important to give a variety in his diet. (I am sure I would be unhappy eating one type of food everyday).
TANK SIZE/HABITAT
Unlike what many people think, Bettas are not happy in small bowls. The minimum size home for a betta is a 5 gallon. And the 5 gallon tanks/ Eclipse Hex tanks look so pretty when compared to an ugly round bowl. If you want to provide an ideal home to the little guy who is away from his natural habitat, I would get a long rather than tall rectangular tank. Bettas originate in the shallow waters of Thailand and are used to swimming long distances. Unlike common belief, the rice puddles where they originate are not dirty. On the contrary, these places are great mini ecosystems with a heavy balance of microbes. You might be wondering, how do bettas survive in the fish store in small cups? The simple and honest answer to this is- they DONT. If you go back to the store in 2 weeks, they are not there anymore, because they die. It is true that betta fishes are hardier than many other fishes. This is primarily because, water alone cannot kill them. They have a special lung-like organ called labyrinth which allows them to breathe or take in regular air in addition to dissolved oxygen from water. So if you are thinking about getting a betta, remember, its not just another fish! Our betta is an evolutionary link between water breathers with gills and lung breathers like ourselves!
ONE IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE!! - I have read at least 100 posts online where people say "My betta jumped out of the water!", "I came home from work and found my betta on the floor", or even "While changing water, I dropped my betta in the sink". Once and for all I am going to say this- PLEASE please have a lid on you tank. If disregarding your betta's happiness you are keeping him in a bowl, use a mesh and cover the top! Your betta is a jumper and will jump when given a chance! They have a natural instinct to jump, When the paddy fields are about to dry, they have genes in them which will tell them to jump to a different puddle.
When I got my fish, I asked the pet store guy "Will the fish jump?" And he goes "NO, Not unless he is suicidal". This absolutely wrong! A good rule of tumb is to keep the water level at least 2-3 inches below the top. If you check out my video, you can see that the water level is way below the rim.
TEMPERATURE
I maintain my tank at a constant 81F. The ideal temperature for a betta is "consistency" . Yes, I am serious. Whether you keep his tank at 76F or 80F, it does not matter. You need to be able to keep it consistent. This being said, to be your betta boy active, I would try to keep the temperature between 75 and 82F. Too cold? Your fish's metabolism slows down and he might get constipated and refuse to eat. Too warm? He might be easily susceptible bacterial infections. At the right temperature you can find these funny little "aquatic dogs", if you will, show their true colors.
Until the next post, happy betta keeping.
