New Betta questions

[greenday04]

Just two quick questions:

I am feeding him Nutrafin Max Betta Food, he eats some of it but the rest goes to the bottom. I am only giving a small pinch. Will he eat it from the bottom and how long should I wait to remove it? Perhaps there is a better food to feed him. We did just get him yesterday, maybe he is still adapting to his 2 gallon home rather than the tiny cup he came in.

Also since the tank is small should I do full water changes weekly? I just don't want the tank to get dirty like it did w/the goldfish which eventually died.

Thanks for your help! :D

[OrionGirl]

Any filter on there? If not, adding one will help. Ditto for a heater. Without a filter, daily partials will be best for the fish. A 'full' weekly water change that doesn't disturb the bacteria colonies is okay, but not ideal since it forces the fish to tolerate poor conditions for several days.

Don't feed more than the fish will eat. Bettas prefer to eat from the surface, so food that goes to the bottom often is ignored. Try puttin in just 1-2 pieces at a time, and remove what's uneaten.

[Kasakato]

Ya I secound the filter and heater. Do you have any gravel in your tank?

[Indigo]

Man, I must have a glutton of a betta, I've busted him rummaging along the bottom trying to get the sunken shrimp pellets off the cories. He'll try and eat anything he can get to, lol.

But yes, he eats at the surface. He just doesn't like to be on a diet. :D

[greenday04]

There is an air pump and gravel. I will try just putting a few pieces at a time. If no full water change, what 50% like it was suggested by someone before? I will definately check the tank everyday for uneaten food and any other changes.

Thanks again

[Kasakato]

You may also want to do graval changes. They will clear up any uneaten food and poo. You should also do 25 to 50% water changes everyday if you dont have a filter. If you get a filter you can do water changes every week. You sould go to your LFS and get: a small filter, a heater, and a thermometer if you dont alreay have them.

[labont865]

I usually only feed my betta 5-6 pieces of food at a time but I feed 3-4 times a day. This seems to work great. The trick is to drop food in the tank sit watch and count how many pieces he eats in 3-4minutes then use that as your portions 2-3 times a day. The heater and pump are not necessary for Bettas they are air breathers therfor dont need the filterand live in slightly cooler water even though they are considered tropical. the filter is only needed if your not willing to do frequent water changes. I do a near full water change once a week(prepare the water for next change at same time). My Betta is in a 2 gallon bowl with nothing and he is 3 years old brightly coloured and very active so, I would say my way has been fairly succesful since Bettas life span in captivity is not usually much longer than 3-4 years.

P.S. I don`t recommend gravel I would use those big glass bead looking things as they are much easier to clean, however they do chip easily if you drop them while doing water changes..

[the_dougie]

Because bettas are rather intelligent fish with unique personalities, each one will react differently to being placed in a new home (almost all of them will become a bit stressed from the transport and new tank). My guy layed at the bottom for almost a full week, only coming up for air or food, and he would spit it out quite a bit as well, along with not eating much. Give him time to settle and he'll soon come about, eating like a little piggy, and swimming actively.
*edit*aye i misread. they're mouthes are curved upward, which means they feed off the water surface. they CAN eat food if it's on the bottom but they will have difficulty. best to remove the food after about two minutes. Gravel vacs would be a good idea to remove any pooh or food thats in the bottom.*edit*