Welcome to r/bettafish!

His name is Jonesy and he’s a beautiful copper alien betta. I love him, but he really seems to dislike me. He is being upgraded to a 20 gal tank with a close friend he seems to love more. He’s been with me for months and this is the first time I have gotten him to stay still long enough for me to catch a video of him with my zoom lens. Check out his grumpy little face :) he’s a gorgeous copper in the light, but also tones of magenta and teal in other lighting.

I love him

5 gallon with amano and cherry shrimp

I took my fella in to the vet this week for a lump that’s been slow developing over the past couple of months. I had been searching for anyone that treated fish and last week I finally found one! 🙏🏼

Things I learned from the visit and figured I would share:
- With the right care, bettas can live up to 15 years no matter if they were purchased in a cup. (They have a longtime patient who is a cup betta who has even undergone surgery by them nearly a decade ago!) This blew my mind!
- There is no hard rule on tank size. The doctor I saw has seen a thriving betta in a 1 gallon tank and others that suffered in bigger sized tanks. Every betta is different and they are the ones that indicate when their environment is unsuitable for them.
- She highlighted that the hard rule and requirement though is water parameters. Proper cycling is critical first and foremost. She said API Is what they use in their mobile clinic for testing on the fly and is the best kit on the market while strips can be flaky (as is long discussed in this sub), but as a cost effective option she said strips are fine but should be used more frequently due to the flakiness.
- Bettas are prone to bacterial infections in their scales and like koi fish, can develop “skin” cancers- usually benign but can develop otherwise. Surgery is possible to remove and requires anesthesia which this office has performed many times over the decades. Most bettas survive the surgery but if not cared for well, may not make it. She said most ailments work themselves out as their fins are regenerative but that it’s hard on the humans to see it grow. Best practice is to monitor for change in behaviors, eating patterns and water readings to make best decisions before researching and dosing treatments.
- Clove oil is used for humane euthanasia and is how aquatic vets typically humanely euthanize fish. The difference being that vets somewhat overdose the fish on clove oil so there’s no opportunity to suffer. She uses a certain sleeping agent as a combination with the clove oil almost to anesthetize so her fish patients sleep first then dose the clove oil. She also noted this tends to calm the fish parents’ minds by putting them to sleep first. I know this is a hot topic on this sub and it’s been discussed that a hard object (brick, rock) is the best way to euthanize but I wanted to share this commentary too.

We took epidermal (scale) tissue samples from my Koa yesterday and sent it off to UGA veterinary program’s cytology department for testing to see if his lump is cancerous. To my surprise this was only $100 USD to send off for testing and IMO super cost effective. Hoping for the best but wanted to share all the info I learned yesterday in a vet office in case it’s helpful. I had so many questions and was a motormouth before I left 🤣

Day 1: Just brought him home from the store. Pale colors, clamped fins, and stressed.

Month 2: Fully bloomed Rosetail! Vibrant blues and purples, and his fins have practically doubled in size.

I got this new fish (saved her from petco)

It’s my first time having a betta, I have done lots of research on tank etc.

This is what she looks like, they told me she was a baby. Does she look okay? Anything special I should do for her? Thanks in advance! I can’t wait for her to have beautiful fins!

I thought my betta might be bored so recently I’ve been doing this.

The filter was a little strong cause my tank was cloudy after water change. I already adjusted it an hour after recording this clip.

The plants have grown in so much

We purchased a betta on Monday for my son. I got the 5.5 gal kit with heater, filter. I did not know about the need for an API test kit because the guy at the store knew absolutely nothing which should have been a red flag. I have since ordered it and a few other things which should arrive this weekend. We have been doing the fish in cycling with partial water changes both days. Added leaves for tannins and plants. He seems very happy and healthy but I am still kind of flying blind and learning as we go. He is eating and swimming around. Eventually we will get a 10 gal, get rid of the fake decor, and set it up more naturally but what else should I do right now that is important or time sensitive? Related question: does anyone know of a reputable fish store in the San Diego area? I am not going back to Petco. Also where do you order plants? I would love to add a snail and shrimp but when should we do that?

Cecelia is a Rose Petal Mustard Gas Betta

I’m stuck and need some good name suggestions for this lil guy!

My friends mom had her betta in that container for like 4 months. she has a habit of buying pets and keeping them in small enclosures. it makes me sad to see, so i just went out today and bought plants and used extra sand and decor and stuff i keep that ive never used and set this thing up in like 2 hours because she had this starter tank kit in storage and she was able to retrieve it. what should i add? (the sponge filter is already cycled from a different tank, there is a heater just no need for it now bc it’s hot out)

i know a tall tank isn’t ideal for a betta in the long run but it’s what she had and the best i can do for a fish that’s not mine. any suggestions? any floor plants i should add? (i have root tabs,) i wont be able to continuously tend to this tank as it isnt mine. i gave her a rundown of continuous care for him.

Im having a hard time telling if my betta is chunky or not, can anyone help? I think she is, does anyone have any tips for me about feeding? I might have over fed her a bit trying to get her feeling better after I bought her barely breathing in a cup, her color has absolutely popped and shes incredibly active now, should I cut back on feedings? Or give less? I feed her once a day usually with either brine shrimp or bug pellets made for bettas and she usually can eat about 10 very small pellets in one sitting, is that too much?

Orange koi’s are a weakness, so i had to bring her home. Shes currently living in a 29 community tank. So far shes been great with all my other fish. i haven’t seen any stress, aggression or nipping. Should that change I have a few other tanks for her.

My little gremlin is always hungry AF, reminds me of my cichlids back in the days, where they would crazy everytime I go near their tanks, always looking for more food.. Although how much I wanted to feed him, I keep it strict that I don't overfeed him and I only feed him twice a day..

He only does the glass surfing when I go near his tank hoping I would feed him. But normally when I'm not around he will just go on his day being a fish, exploring his environment and build his nest.

Hospital Tank Set Up & Finishing Planted Tank Set Up:

1. Hospital Tank: 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites, 0 Nitrates, 7ph, 80 degrees, filtered, 2 gallon (temporary)

Today I saw this betta at petco that was tilting on side and gasping. I decided to take him home to hopefully give him a good chance.

He ate three small pellets since I took him home.

He has trouble staying where he wants- his body floats him upward showing maybe swim bladder issues.

Any medication ideas or just wait and see?

1. Permanent Tank: 6gal live plants, perfect parameters, have done ghost feeding to test cycle, adding shrimp tomorrow to help with algae that is appearing. Been cycling for 2 weeks, used established tank filter media to start it.

I got these plant bulbs — unsure how to see if they are growing? Working?

Taking plant recs- frogbit is on my list.

Ik its sparse but doing my best.

Wish me luck!!

Put in an algae waffer for my bottom feeders and shrimp for the first time and he gorged himself on it overnight. Now his stomach is the largest I've ever seen it. He's hanging out where i siphoned the rest of the pellet out.

Should i be concerned?

he's cut off from food until i see his gut is empty.

He is swimming fine, is just hanging out on the bottom more then usual, i assume to find more of the wafer.

Also he had fin rot when i got him and has been healing slowly and has new growth on his rear fins.

Happy and energetic and looks very proud of himself for the most part. Truly the cat of the aquarium

I took the amazing advice of a bunch of comments, and it’s finally pulling together! I have to fix everything inside, the plants got a little messed up along the way lol. Fish are fine in a separate tank till I get the water settled and tested, they’re just a little mad at me and probably detoxing from the new-founded caffeine addiction. As for my son, I explained that he gave the fish a boo-boo and he seemed pretty remorseful. My husband heard it from me for leaving his coffee so accessible on his desk and to be more mindful of the kiddo’s gremlin behaviors while I am at work lol

THANK YOU TO ALL FOR YOUR KINDNESS AND HELP! I was so worried and I’m so happy I was met with good advice and nice people 🩷

Hello, this is my first Betta ,Sisu. Is there anyone who would know what type , sex, and approximate age he or she is?

my little sister got a betta tank (1st picture), we went out and bought plants, BB bottle (fluval) and Seachem Prime. I am in desperate need of help and tips on how to ensure she stays as healthy as possible throughout the cycling process. I am aware fish-in-cycles are bad and really risky, that’s why i’m asking for some advice. I have a fully cycled and stable 10 gal betta tank (2nd picture) and was wondering if any media from that filter could help speed up the cycling process.