eBetta.com

I just got a new Betta today, his name is Liam. he’s a white veil Betta. (very cute. I’ll have pictures soon! )

Now with the mention of getting a new fish, many people have different ways of setting up their tanks. Here’s my method….

First step: Clean the tank with hot water. no soaps, bleaches, or any chemicals, EVEN if they claim the can be used on your tank. THESE CAN KILL YOUR FISH. If you have algae or gunk, just use a new scrub pad or brush to remove it.

Second step: Wash all new plants and pebbles with hot water, again no soap or chemicals.

Third step: Put room temperature water in your tank, many people claim Betta’s live better in distilled water, personally I use conditioned tap water. I recommend “Splendid Betta complete water conditioner” and “Splendid Betta Bettafix remedy”. I use both together to condition the water and to help with reducing the stress that comes with being in a new environment, it’s hard on a fish to go from a cup in a pet store to a tank.

Forth step: If its conditioned water, let it set the EXACT time it says in the instructions. Some are as little as 3 minutes, some can be upwards of six hours. Mostly depending on tank size and water that you use.

Fifth step: Adding your fish. The way you put your fish in the tank is a vital step in the health and wellbeing of your fish. I recommend trying to drain as much of the water out of the cup/bag that your little guy came in, Betta’s can breath air so don’t worry if you take “too much water out”. When you place him in the water, he will be shocked for a minute or so. Most Betta’s have ammonia poisoning from living in so much of there own waste, that they actually get “scared” by the new water and hide for a little while, maybe even days.

Sixth step: Watch your little guy for a few days, when he gets used to the tank, and his new home he will become much more active and healthy.

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 23rd, 2008 at 4:21 am and is filed under Uncategorized, Tank Maintenance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.