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Shonfield
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1 fish
not sure on tank size by im thinking small...
maybe up to 10L?
not sure on tank size by im thinking small...
maybe up to 10L?
euphorion
Very Well-Known Member
www.ausaqua.net everything you need to know, and then some!
fighters are the best little fish, they have so much personality. you'll love them! i got completely addicted and now i breed them too!
if you're after minimum maintenance with maximum visual effect i recommend getting a 20L setup and using a sponge filter (doesnt create a big current) which means you have less work to do each time you clean it.
and as for food, i wouldnt try plain goldfish flakes, use the special betta pellets if you must but they have very little nutrition and i've found that my fish often refuse to eat them (suppose they must be quite bland because they have so little fish meal in them) best foods are live blood worms, mossie wrigglers and brine shrimp.
hope that helps!
fighters are the best little fish, they have so much personality. you'll love them! i got completely addicted and now i breed them too!
if you're after minimum maintenance with maximum visual effect i recommend getting a 20L setup and using a sponge filter (doesnt create a big current) which means you have less work to do each time you clean it.
and as for food, i wouldnt try plain goldfish flakes, use the special betta pellets if you must but they have very little nutrition and i've found that my fish often refuse to eat them (suppose they must be quite bland because they have so little fish meal in them) best foods are live blood worms, mossie wrigglers and brine shrimp.
hope that helps!
bredli_lover
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I don't really know about crickets...but mine eat flies! lol - one flew in there one day and landed in the water and the fish swam up and ate it...
anguskennedy
Active Member
Personally, I think that keeping fighting fish in those glass jars/beer glasses/cups etc should be banned. Sure, they dont need a big space, but those glasses are often the width of the animal and all they can do is turn around, thats not cool!
It is not exactly true that they live in puddles, or that they only occupy and defend a tiny portion of a pond they are living in. For starters, their primary habitat is streams and ponds, where they are active like most other fish. They then migrate (move a reasonable distance) during the breeding season to shallow, quiet and slow habitats such as rice paddy fields and shallow ponds. They then make a nest, breed then head back to where they came from.
So they do move around in the wild, and although they can live in very small spaces (with their very interesting ability to take oxygen from air), it doesnt necessarily make it good for them.
Sorry to rain on the parade!
So IMO, go for it, fighting fish are awesome! But give them a bit of space to move, at least a small tank.
It is not exactly true that they live in puddles, or that they only occupy and defend a tiny portion of a pond they are living in. For starters, their primary habitat is streams and ponds, where they are active like most other fish. They then migrate (move a reasonable distance) during the breeding season to shallow, quiet and slow habitats such as rice paddy fields and shallow ponds. They then make a nest, breed then head back to where they came from.
So they do move around in the wild, and although they can live in very small spaces (with their very interesting ability to take oxygen from air), it doesnt necessarily make it good for them.
Sorry to rain on the parade!
So IMO, go for it, fighting fish are awesome! But give them a bit of space to move, at least a small tank.
NinaPeas
Very Well-Known Member
They are native to Asia and as anguskennedy said, live in rice paddies. It's a warm humid climate, so they do best with heating. You can keep them without a heater, but that would be like keeping a beardy with no heat, it would be very lethargic and unhappy.
And yes, try to keep them in something a bit bigger than a jar or something similar, and if you have lots of plants in there (like they do in the wild) you shouldn't need to clean the tank too often, as the plants will do alot of the work, especially with just one fish. Every month maybe do a 1/3 water change. If you use tap water you need to put a chemical in there to get rid of the chloramine, I think the best is rainwater, as spring/bottled water has no life in it at all. Never get rid of all the water completely, as this will ruin the ecology of the tank.
Good luck!!
And yes, try to keep them in something a bit bigger than a jar or something similar, and if you have lots of plants in there (like they do in the wild) you shouldn't need to clean the tank too often, as the plants will do alot of the work, especially with just one fish. Every month maybe do a 1/3 water change. If you use tap water you need to put a chemical in there to get rid of the chloramine, I think the best is rainwater, as spring/bottled water has no life in it at all. Never get rid of all the water completely, as this will ruin the ecology of the tank.
Good luck!!
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Shonfield
Guest
thanks heaps for the replies everyone
i plan on keeping in it in something that it can atleast move around in! i hate seeing them in pet shops and having about 5cm cube area to live in. they cant do anything in that!
and thanks for the ausaqua link
ive been looking on it and its got heaps of info! thanks!
anyway im going to the pet shop now to look at tanks, filters and that kind of stuff.
im not that experienced with fish keeping, iv kept a few goldfish and some tiny fish that i cant remember the name of a few years ago and a silver shark once but thats about it.
so my last question is do i need to buy a pump? or will this be part of a filter if i get one?
thats about the only thing i dont know because when i had my goldfish i was told i didnt need a filter or pump.
thanks heaps,
sam
i plan on keeping in it in something that it can atleast move around in! i hate seeing them in pet shops and having about 5cm cube area to live in. they cant do anything in that!
and thanks for the ausaqua link
ive been looking on it and its got heaps of info! thanks!
anyway im going to the pet shop now to look at tanks, filters and that kind of stuff.
im not that experienced with fish keeping, iv kept a few goldfish and some tiny fish that i cant remember the name of a few years ago and a silver shark once but thats about it.
so my last question is do i need to buy a pump? or will this be part of a filter if i get one?
thats about the only thing i dont know because when i had my goldfish i was told i didnt need a filter or pump.
thanks heaps,
sam
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Shonfield
Guest
thanks heaps imalizard
thats exactly the kind of setup i had in mind.
do you have a filter or pump in either of them?
thanks heaps,
sam
thats exactly the kind of setup i had in mind.
do you have a filter or pump in either of them?
thanks heaps,
sam
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Shonfield
Guest
alright im off to the pet shop to get me a tank and that suff
thanks heaps for all the info guys and when i get them, which will probably be next week, ill post some pics
thanks again,
sam
thanks heaps for all the info guys and when i get them, which will probably be next week, ill post some pics
thanks again,
sam
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thals
Guest
great setups and info guys! Always wanted some blue fighters myself, might get some soon n post some piccies too
very much a newb to fishies myself as with sam, have only kept goldfish n those teeny small fish which i only later on found out to be canniballistic once i noticed a few missing :shock:
very much a newb to fishies myself as with sam, have only kept goldfish n those teeny small fish which i only later on found out to be canniballistic once i noticed a few missing :shock:
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Shonfield
Guest
my new setup i just bought
the vase was $12 from k-mart
and it looks really small in the photo
but its actually a giant vase lol
the vase was $12 from k-mart
and it looks really small in the photo
but its actually a giant vase lol
Shannidah
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I have two fighting fish and keep them in relatively big tanks, they are pretty active and get very excited when they hear us coming because they think they are going to get fed. They both have ornaments in their tanks so they can hide and generally hide when its dark. I feed them just a tiny amount of betta fighting fish food morning and night. No filters but they don't like their water really cold so I have them in a sunny room that is quite warm. Also there is a fair bit of space between their tanks, as they are both males I have been told they could jump out to attack the other, not so sure if that would happen but don't want to take the chance. I think my two are the most beautiful I have ever seen, a really dark inky blue and a bright red. They are quite impressive when they get stirred up. I'll post some pics in the next few days.
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Shonfield
Guest
ok last question...
can i use a globe to heat the water?
because i have a spare bulb cover and 50w, 75w and 100w bulbs.
can i have these hanging above my tank to heat it?
if yes should i use 50w, 75w or 100w bulbs?
the tank is about 10L
thanks heaps,
sam
can i use a globe to heat the water?
because i have a spare bulb cover and 50w, 75w and 100w bulbs.
can i have these hanging above my tank to heat it?
if yes should i use 50w, 75w or 100w bulbs?
the tank is about 10L
thanks heaps,
sam
reptalica
Very Well-Known Member
Its a common myth that they dont need heating. Ever wonder why fighters in petshops always look dead, sitting on the bottom of the tank? Thats why. They are actually quite an active fish when properly heated and its wonderful to watch. Best temps are around 25-27 degrees.
They also like still water, this means you shouldnt use a fast flowing filter. I dont use a filter at all in my setups, I just use large rocks that I can easily take out and wash (instead of the tiny gravel) , and clean the water once a week. I use rainwater, it sits at the PH they prefer, and then I dont need to worry about dechlorinating.
I also recommend the proper betta food pellets you can buy, it doesnt seem much in the packet they come in but considering they only eat a few a day, it lasts a very long time.
As for tank decorations, anything you prefer really, but give them something they can hide behind if theyre feeling shy
Spot on....
puka777
Not so new Member
aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! not to be rude or to stop you happiness on getting a betta but im afraid youll have to chuck away that vase NOW!betta fish can live up to more then two years around 15 if you keep them properly.
first of all get a bigger tank around 30l then you also need some gravel, a aquarium heater and most importantly a filter, a proper internal filter which comes with both mechanical and biological filtration, if you get a good one you can adjust the flow rate so it wont hurt the betta.
another improtant thing is a dechlorinator that gets rid of the harmful metals in tapwater.
now once youve got it all set it up with the dechlorinatored water and gravel and filter running and now you must not get fish for three weeks becuase youll have to do a fihsless cycle or also known as the nitrogen cycle.
to explain the nitrogen cycle its quite simple a harmful toxin known as ammonia comes from fish waste,moldy dead plants and moldy off food in a fish tank.
this toxin will kill you fish unless there is none in your water so how do you get rid of the ammonia simple you grow a good bacteria in your filter and gravel.
the good bacteria grows by feeding on an ammonia source once it has grown it well convert ammonia into nitrite another bad toxin which can kill you fish but the good bacteria will then convert this nitrite into nitrate a less toxic thing that well only kill you fish at great levels.
then you get rid of the nitrate by doing water changes.
so to do the nitrogen cycle you must find a ammonia souce like putting a pich of fish food as if you were feeding fish.this food will go off and give off the ammonia which will then make the cycle start.
if you foloow these instructions beleive me your fish will be happier and live a longer life.
first of all get a bigger tank around 30l then you also need some gravel, a aquarium heater and most importantly a filter, a proper internal filter which comes with both mechanical and biological filtration, if you get a good one you can adjust the flow rate so it wont hurt the betta.
another improtant thing is a dechlorinator that gets rid of the harmful metals in tapwater.
now once youve got it all set it up with the dechlorinatored water and gravel and filter running and now you must not get fish for three weeks becuase youll have to do a fihsless cycle or also known as the nitrogen cycle.
to explain the nitrogen cycle its quite simple a harmful toxin known as ammonia comes from fish waste,moldy dead plants and moldy off food in a fish tank.
this toxin will kill you fish unless there is none in your water so how do you get rid of the ammonia simple you grow a good bacteria in your filter and gravel.
the good bacteria grows by feeding on an ammonia source once it has grown it well convert ammonia into nitrite another bad toxin which can kill you fish but the good bacteria will then convert this nitrite into nitrate a less toxic thing that well only kill you fish at great levels.
then you get rid of the nitrate by doing water changes.
so to do the nitrogen cycle you must find a ammonia souce like putting a pich of fish food as if you were feeding fish.this food will go off and give off the ammonia which will then make the cycle start.
if you foloow these instructions beleive me your fish will be happier and live a longer life.
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Shonfield
Guest
well i just decided i wanted some other fish aswell as the betta so i just got a really cheap 80L tank with heater, thermostat, lights, filter etc. (everything i need basically) for only $100!
so now im excited about that and had to share haha
going to pick it up around 6 tonight and i will post pics soon
so now im excited about that and had to share haha
going to pick it up around 6 tonight and i will post pics soon
Ned_fisch
Very Well-Known Member
I feed my mine baby cichlid pellets, Alot easier then the normal fighter food. You get more for the cichlid pellets. The last time i saw, it was something like 5-7 bucks.
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