Poor Betta

[fishycat]

You dint have to break it, altho I'd be careful someone else had their betta get his head stuck in the hole of the flower pot.

I soaked my pot in water for a few hours. Set it bottom up on a folded towel. Set a flathead screwdriver into the bottom hole (big enough head so the driver sits on the hole or barely in it). Tap with a mallet a few times. This will pop out the entire bottom of the pot. Then lay the pot oh it's side & tap it again with the screwdriver & mallet. You could score the side (the terra cotta gets soft) to try & make a nice break. I didn't & mine mostly broke into two halves. You can then prop it up against one side of the hex (or an ornament/rock) for a shelter that takes up less space.

 

[fishycat]

Looking good!

 

[Rbishop]

Use a hacksaw....works fine everytime....

 

[EOD]

I think I'll start by knocking out the bottom of the pot, getting a lower flow filter, and maybe a betta bulb? Also, this hex comes with a light and an acrylic piece of plastic that blocks the intense heat from the lamp from heating up the water. When I put that huge filter in that tank I tried to cut the acrylic cover and ruined it. Any ideas on interesting creative things I could do to the top area of the tank if I take the light/cover out of the equation? Any DiY ideas?

Posted on mobile.aquariacentral.com

 

[Ratlova30]

Bettas are a tropical species so I'm sure he wouldn't mind have his water heated by the bulb.

 

[EOD]

It's really hot. The water in my kitchen in both tanks is usually around 78. How hot would he want to tolerate?

 

[BettaFishMommy]

if you don't have live plants and your betta's tank is in a well lit area (like the kitchen), then you don't really need a light for the tank. i wouldn't use an incandescent bulb over a small tank, since the water can heat very quickly, even with a plastic or glass lid in between the bulb and the water.

bettas prefer their water to be around 78 to 80 degrees. higher temps will speed up metabolism and shorten life span, lower temps could cause fish to be sluggish and prone to stress related disease.

 

[EOD]

Thanks. I think the light looks cruddy and it does get VERY HOT. I went ahead and took a hammer/flathead to the pot and did my thing. I also bought a low flow filter and 3 betta bulbs. Check it out!

and just for fun here is a picture of my daredevil

I call him daredevil because he likes to hang upside down on these fake plants.

 

[EOD]

Also, can I put another betta in there with that one or no? If I can, could it be of an opposite sex? What sex is my betta? lol

 

[BettaFishMommy]

firstly, due to tank size you cannot put anything else fish-wise in there (although a couple ramshorn snails or shrimp might work - totally dependent on your betta's personality though). secondly, male and female bettas should only be housed together for breeding/spawning. thirdly, it's a bit hard to tell if your betta is a male or female from your photos, but i would say male, just from the amount of finnage left after the fights.

look on the underside of your betta, right near the base of the ventral fins (the 2 short little ones on the front half of its tummy). if you see a little white nub/bump on the tummy in that area then you have a female. this is the ovipositor spot, part of the female betta's sexual anatomy.