betta bowl

[babyblue1977]

i got this betta off someone about a month ago. in the last week its water has turned completly white ive changed the water several times and no change. im not sure if its amonia or what he is not getting overfed so i know that is not what is causing it. but as for the betta hes fine.

[ChilDawg]

Bettas would ideally be kept in a tank with a filter.

[babyblue1977]

is there any kind of fish you could not put it in with, i have a 20 gallon setup with angels and tetras,a gourami, and a pleco.

[ChilDawg]

Gouramies and Angels are two such fish...the Gouramies will attack Bettas and vice versa because of the flowing fins.

Angels may be attacked the same way.

What sort of tetras? Some tetras might do some fin-nipping.

[VoodooChild]

Well, your 20 is very stocked as it is, so I wouldn't put it in there. The angels alone will account for all of the bio mass the tank can handle, and I'd very strongly recommend getting rid of the rest of them. The pleco will get far too large for a 20. What kind of gourami and tetras are they? They should go to, if not to just reduce the amount of fish in your tank. Otherwise, if you were to upgrade, those fish are generally fine with bettas with the following exceptions: Larger gouramis, such as blues (and all of the variations, like opaline and gold) do not get along well with bettas and the tetras, again depending on species, may nip the betta's fins to nothing. Something to watch out for.

[babyblue1977]

well i have a blue gourami, 4 angels, 3 painted tetras, 2 red tetras, a pleco, and a rapheal. ive had this tank set up a year now everythings fine. i just dont know what to do with this betta now,the only other tank i have is for frogs and newts and a saltwaterso no where else to put it.so everything should be fine once the amonia dies down right.alot of people keep them in bowls when i got it it was fine except it was a very small bowl so i got a bigger one.

[OrionGirl]

The white is not ammonia. Sorry, but a high enough concentration that you can see it will kill the fish. Have you tested the water for ammonia/nitrates? How was the fish moved into your possession? What is more likely is a bacteria bloom that resulted from removing the benficial micro fauna that previously grazed on the bacteria. I would take a quart of water from your existing healthy tank and add it to the betta's tank. This should provide some control for the bacteria bloom.

Bettas do need to be kept in adequate tanks. I highly recommend the 2.5-5 gallon tanks available at Walmarts every where. They can support a plant or two, a betta, and some shrimp quite easily.

[babyblue1977]

thanks alot i never thought of that. duh!! anyway i will try and get another setup latter the betta was gave to me because the person bought it for their office and never bought any food for it!! so she said take it. anyway i will get a small tank like you redcomended and try that. but right now the bowl i have it in has some plants and rocks, ill put some water from my other tank in there.thanks again. for everyones help.

[tricksterpup]

I agree with OG a 100%. Walmart has 2 tanks that would be perfect for this guy. Either the small starfish tank, 2 gallon, and the Galaxy/Regent 5 are both nice tanks. I have a set of them here at work. They are both same type of tanks created by eclipse. The only sad thing is the starfish doesnt have a light and I currently keep a paradise fish in mine.
jim

[cpr4cpu]

Walmart also sells 2.5 gallon fruit and candy jars. I keep Bettas in them along with a small $10 heater from Walmart as well. So far so good, going on three years now.

[caz]

what type of plants are in there now? i have read alot about the betas eating the plants roots, and the plants dieing and decomposing and produicing toxins to kill the fish

[ChilDawg]

Myth alert: Bettas do not eat plant roots unless they are starved beyond belief, and maybe not even then.

They might chew on them in search of invertebrates, but you can't rely on plant roots as food...they will die of starvation, which is the place from whence the myth came.