Beginner

[u/DommyMommyDestroyer]

So I work at Petsmart, and i rescued a sick betta we had, and decided to keep him. I don’t know much about bettas other than basics, and signs of distress. But i need some extra advice on the best way to care for this sweet boy.

I know he doesn’t have the nicest tank, and i have cats so i cannot have an open lid on the tank. But i made sure to get a filter, a heater, and real plants- i tried to not get painted decor either. I’ve been using a stress enzyme to help and this one leaf i think is called Tannin to help heal the fin rot he had. he looks way better and happier now but i still want to know as much as possible to help this guy live his best life. i’m moving in a few months so i plan to get a 10 gallon instead of the 3 gallon (11.3in x 17.5in) one i have now, since i dont have space for a bigger tank. this was his tank the day i took him home after letting the tank cycle for a week and having him in a small recovery tank my roommate had laying around for her fish. Hes currently on a pellet/ blood worm diet. I’m very new to fish in general, i’ve never worked with them before or had one really. I don’t trust any AI or google search because i prefer actual people telling me. Any advice would help!

[u/automod-neo]

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[u/71stAsteriad]

Hi! It's good to see you're trying to do your best by your new guy right now, and I hope we can help! First: I don't see a heater or a filter; bettas need it pretty warm, 78-82 degrees F is usually where they thrive at, and being kept in room temp tanks outside of tropical environments tends to lead to them having all kinds of illnesses and really poor quality of life. A filter also is gonna be necessary - I would suggest a small cheap sponge filter - in order to help process his waste, and keep the water oxygenated and clean. And make sure you're using a dechlorinator for his new water!.

Second: get the API Master Test Kit when you can, to keep testing for ammonia and nitrites; a week usually isn't enough time to cycle unless you're using old filter media, so you're gonna wanna keep a very close eye on those things to make sure they aren't building up.

The live plant was a good call, but I would suggest a lot more. My personal suggestion would be anacharis, because one shoot will fill up the tank and is super duper effective at processing ammonia/nitrite/nitrates, but anubias like the one you have here as well as java ferns also would be excellent; just be careful not to bury their "stems", the rhizomes, or else they'll die.

And finally, you mentioned tannins! Tannins are actually not plants, but a compound found in plants that bettas really like, and that can help with their stress and serve as a mild antifungal; you can buy indian almond leaves or cassuarina cones that are really excellent for releasing tannins into the water, or you can just throw in some driftwood and oak leaves. They'll tint the water brown, but that's a good thing, you want that; bettas like the darker water

[u/DommyMommyDestroyer → u/71stAsteriad]

i have a heater at 80° F, and a filter. And i do have water tester strips, with a guide attached! i just feel horrible because i see people have such beautiful botanical tanks for theirs and i cannot do that right now. thank you for reassuring me about the Tannin leaves. my friend gave me them so i didn’t know that its actually other plants! i just hope he’s happy, you know what i mean?