I have $20 to spend on a betta fish. I already have the bowl, but is this enough to buy everything else? (food, water, decorations, pebbles etc.) If not, how much more do I need?
2007-01-21 02:22:30 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
please do not listen to Ncatt, she answer another question about bettas and was also very wrong aobut that, a lot of peopel think just because they follow the directions from a pet store they know everything about these fish. however, if she did any amount of research she's know they ARE TROPICAL fish and need heaters and filters.
no fish is suitable for a bowl, while bettas could live in a large bowl space wise, however ALL FISH need filters, and bettas need heaters. they come from thailand and live in RICE PADDIES not muddy foot prints or puddles. while rice paddies aren't DEEP they are WIDE and provide a LARGE territory for bettas. the temp is water around 75-85F.
in a bowl the water get filthy very easily, and while in the wild their water is murky, it has a whoole ecosystem keeping it balanced that a bowl can't even begin to provide.
keeping a betta in an unheated bowl is like keeping you in a closet kept at around 45F (the average house has room temp water around 65F, about 20F colder than bettas NEED to be healthy) with no place to go to the bathroom but the floor. even if the whomever is keeping you in the closet clean does the "recommended" cleaning three time a week it's not very good living conditions. you'll be cold, cramped, and filthy. you'll quickly be weak and get easily sick.
please provide you betta a proper home. get a tank big enough for a filter and heater, keept he tank at around 75-80F. put lots of plants for it to hise in, I prefer real, but silk plants work also. DO NOT use "regular fish flakes." not only are bettas VERY finicky and most won't eat flakes, but betta sish food exists for reason, "regular fish flakes" don't provide adaquit nutrition. bettas are CARNIVORES and most fish fod has a whoooole bunch of vegetation type ingrediants.
if you have bought the betta already keep it in the bowl for now, but in the warmest place possible. lean the tnak 3 times a week. if you don't have the betta yet, wait.
buy:
a 5-10 tank (about $10 if you buy one without a hood, if you buy one without a hood)
beneficial bacteria (in a bottle)
water conditioner
and a few silk plants
next time you gte more money get these things, as many as you can fford at a time.
a heater (correct size for your tank)
a filter
pebbles for the bottom
put everything together once you have it all, run the tnak for a few days and monitor the temp, once the temp good and stays the same for a day you can add a betta.
if you don't want just one betta to have a whole tank (some peopel see thia as a waste) you should get a 10gallon or bigger, and either add a small school (4-5 fish in a 10gallon) with your male or buy 5 or 6 female bettas, which can be just as colorful as males despite popular belief.
if you can not provide these hings please do not get a fish. fish, no matter how small, are still LIVING THINGS. they are responsibilites not decorations and need deserve proper care. in the wild bettas live for about 10yrs, however in our care the lifeapn is usually no more than 2 yrs and most don't mak eit more than a few months. it's sad when I see people saying 5 months is a good lifespan for a betta.
2007-01-21 03:06:08 · answer #1 · answered by Kylie Anne 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Your Beta fish will be just fine in a bowl. Change about 25% - 50% of the water weekly and don't overfeed. Their stomach is the same size as their eyes! The first thing you must do also is find out if this Beta fish is a male or female. You can't ever put two males together in one bowl! If you do, you'll soon learn why the Beta is also known as the "Chinese Fighting Fish"! You'll only have one fish after the fight is over. For kicks you can hold up a small mirror at the side of the bowl so the Beta can see himself. He'll think there's another Beta fish there and really flare his gills wide and shake all around in an aggressive manner. The Beta doesn't need an air filter because they come to the surface to get any oxygen they desire. Just keep the bowl in a location where the water temperature stays around 72 -78 degrees. Some people even decorate using their Beta fish. You can use a glass vase and use the colored glass "stones" in the bottom of the vase to coordinate your room decor. The Beta is as close to a pet as you can get in the fish family. They are fun to watch! The Beta is a fish that you can become attached to unlike most other fish.
2016-05-24 04:47:31 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hopefully that bowl is at least 2.5 gallons and has a heater and filter with it, otherwise no betta should be in it and you should spend that $20 to get the minimum it needs to thrive. Once you have that then another $20 should be enough to get the food, water conditioner and decor.
2007-01-21 02:53:03 · answer #3 · answered by Nunya Biznis 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
it depends where you get it. $20 should be enough for the basic like food water and a small bag of pebbles but you might have to hold off on the decorations
2007-01-21 02:45:45 · answer #4 · answered by Answerfinder1360 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
there is a whole tank at walmart that includes pebbles and everything. i think is about $15 and betta food is only $3.
2007-01-21 02:30:29 · answer #5 · answered by A.J. 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
well that should be enogh mabey a little more for the decorations but the food is about 3 $ water u can use ur own decorations mabe ten $ peebles about 5 so you should probaly be good but bring a liottle more just in case!
2007-01-21 03:26:13 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
yeah thats more than enough. get a bag of pebbles 2-4 dollars, th beta fish 5 dollars, a few plants 7 dollars, and 5 dollars for the food and ur left with 3 dollars to spare on w/e u want. good luck p.s. with ur fish bowl dont fill it up wayt to the top becaus i did itht and my 20 dollar unqiue chinese fighting fish albino halfmoon fish jymped out of the tank and died. i got so pissed of. anyways goodluck
2007-01-21 13:42:39 · answer #7 · answered by Tae 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yuppers. Have fun with your new fishie. Oh and you dont have to buy the specific Betta food, if you dont have the funds. You can get regular flakes...alot cheaper!
**You do not need a heater for a betta! Do not buy one UNLESS you have prior heater exp.**
***Ok, I get it. I understand why people are stressing the heater issue. Oh, people think there is a betta farm in Thiland that pumps these babies out. Are you crazy?! Again, just remember when you buy them they are in a little plastic cup on a dusty shelf. I dont see air hoses being ran to the cups.
2007-01-21 02:37:44 · answer #8 · answered by Bad Answer Queen 3 · 1⤊ 4⤋
Go to WalMart...they have everthing you need. That is where I got my stuff for my Bettas.
2007-01-21 02:47:23 · answer #9 · answered by deb 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋