Tell me about. . . caring for fish.

[big D]

Its unlikely that she has a female betta because they aren't as nicely colored and they have short fins. I think all of the ones you see in the store are typically males.

For a small tank, if you're not interested in anything sophisticated, an Eclipse tank is def. the way to go. As a starting small tank I think your best bet is a 10 gallon glass tank and one of these eclipse hoods

http://www.amazon.com/Eclipse-Lighti.../dp/B0002APZU8
I know the eclipse tank is more expensive than getting a tank, filter, and cheap light, but you'll wind up with a much nicer looking tank when its done instead of wires and crap hanging all over the place.

[T.J. Combo]

Update: Bought the Puffer Fish today after letting the gravel and water set and let the filter system run for 2 days.

Screwing around with the saltwater mix and using the gauge to make brackish water was a real headache, but I finally got it up and running and he's in there.

He's stayed alive for about 3 hours now so I'm assuming I did not kill him due to shock or screwing up his salt levels.

P.S. He puffed up when the store owner scooped him out. It was pretty awesome looking.

[john voight]

pictures would greatly enhance this thread.

[AlexSem]

You need to cycle your tank.

Go to www.about.com and search for aquariums... Then for "cycling".

I'd like to add that Puffers are tough fish to keep alive and um.... you need to really really do your homewor kon this.

[T.J. Combo]

[ QUOTE ]
You need to cycle your tank.

Go to www.about.com and search for aquariums... Then for "cycling".

I'd like to add that Puffers are tough fish to keep alive and um.... you need to really really do your homewor kon this.

[/ QUOTE ]

I woke up today and he was hugging the bottom of his tank lookin' real sick and not moving much. I changed the water and now he's swimming around happily. Not sure if it was because he was trying to take a nap or if it was because there was a dangerous level of toxins in the water.

Please explain more on the cycling business. For a small tank, should I just go ahead and do a full water change every few days for the next couple weeks?

That link said that I should take out 10-15% of the water and put it back in. Is that just for larger tanks or is there a reason I want to keep some of the old water in there?

[Syberduh]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
beta's are also called fighting fish, and i'm pretty sure you can't keep them together at all.


[/ QUOTE ]

how do they reproduce if a male and a female cant be kept together without a duel to the death?

[/ QUOTE ]

Erm ... fish, at least most species, don't have teh secks. The females release eggs and the males typically come along later to spawn.

[wslee00]

[ QUOTE ]
how sick would it be to bet on beta fights? Like you raise and train your beta, and then you play like 100$ UH games till death.

or 100$ SNGS where last beta gets the 8 or 9 BI prizepool.

[/ QUOTE ]
this is an awesome idea

[Spota]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You need to cycle your tank.

Go to www.about.com and search for aquariums... Then for "cycling".

I'd like to add that Puffers are tough fish to keep alive and um.... you need to really really do your homewor kon this.

[/ QUOTE ]

I woke up today and he was hugging the bottom of his tank lookin' real sick and not moving much. I changed the water and now he's swimming around happily. Not sure if it was because he was trying to take a nap or if it was because there was a dangerous level of toxins in the water.

Please explain more on the cycling business. For a small tank, should I just go ahead and do a full water change every few days for the next couple weeks?

That link said that I should take out 10-15% of the water and put it back in. Is that just for larger tanks or is there a reason I want to keep some of the old water in there?

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats for all tanks. You will want to siphon out 10-20% of the water 2x per month. If you remove too much, your nitrates and nitrites will get out of balance and the ammonia levels will shoot up and may kill your fish.

I have had aquariums for ~15 yrs and currently have 94g bow front corner w\ a 30g tank for a aump in my basement.

[suzzer99]

GIGANTIC TIP: Use distilled water. Seriously.

I have a 60 gal. tank. I used to have all kinds of problems with ick, the fish gasping, balances off etc. Then I started buying distilled water everytime I changed the tank and have been almost problem-free for 2 years. Those chemicals used to treat tap water cause a lot of stress to the fish and throw off the other balances in the tank.

[qdmcg]

don't tap the glass