Beta help . . . should have though this through before!

[Newyork]

i'm leaving for five days. it's too late to find someone to babysit. how do i feed my beta while i'm gone. he's in a small bowl. thanks for the help!

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

drop 3 pellets in and then he should be fine while you're away

 

[Mushroom Spore]

drop 3 pellets in and then he should be fine while you're away

Don't do this. If uneaten food rots in a bowl (fish REALLY need something with a filter), it can do a lot of harm. The fish will not starve, I've read they can go as long as a week without eating if necessary - just don't make a habit of it.

Also if the fish goes a few days without eating, he also won't be producing as much waste. In an unfiltered bowl with no one around to change the water, this is a good thing.

 

[calum]

yeah, you shoudln't have any problems. I would try to get the betta into a filtered tank, they don't do well in bowls.

 

[Bird Man]

He'll be fine, Bettas can go very long periods of time without food. Most people I know say they tried to kill theirs by starving them, and they wouldn't die after weeks and weeks, only to end up giving them away. But yes it's important to keep it in a filtered tank. They can even be kept in a tank with community fish, as long as it's only 1 per tank.

 

[Newyork]

Thanks for the help. we might be able to get a friend to come in for one of the days so with luck they can feed the fish.

and as for the filtered tank i've already tried to have the fish moved but it's my dads not mine so it's care isn't really my decision.

 

[Snuggles]

He'll be fine, Bettas can go very long periods of time without food.

This is true.

I have four bettas and usually always keep this many. Just for the future, this is a decent product that I have used (available at Petco, also)...http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/23415/product.web

 

[mouse]

when i had fish i used those shaped white blocks from the petshop you drop into the tank that will release food for about a week. they also have those for bettas, i bought them, for when i went to a friends house for the week end. they came ( i think) 4 to a pack and were good for a week each, cost only around 3$ or something like that.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Those vacation feeders can pollute your tank, though. And again this fish doesn't have a filter. Excess food fouling a tank is bad news, and there won't be anybody there to change the water. Most fishkeeping hobbyists sites I've seen tell you not to use those, and I agree.

 

[mrbonzai211]

I tried those once and I came back to find my 20L tank with a white haze and all my fish were covered in a thick furry mold. I lost $120 worth of fish to those things (because I only keep rare fish species). It surprised the heck out of me because I was running a filter meant for a tank 3 times the size.

 

[bigdog999]

my 2 cents...bettas love clean filtered water, but they breathe air so if the water is poor they will still survive. I have mine in a community tank with three newts in a cold water tank. Feed it, don't feed it, don't think it matters. Its only five days.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

my 2 cents...bettas love clean filtered water, but they breathe air so if the water is poor they will still survive.

That doesn't mean they're healthy. Also they breathe air IN ADDITION to using their gills, and can die from living in filth just as easily as any other fish. Then there's ammonia poisoning, which can burn their gills and burn scales right off.

I have mine in a community tank with three newts in a cold water tank.

...bettas are warm-water tropical fish. I'm not even touching the newt thing.

 

[bigdog999]

Two years now and no problems. If a beta can survive in a non-heated bowl, what's the difference between a non-heated filtered ten gallon tank. The newts have shown no interest in him or the snail at all.

 

[mouse]

myy sister has her male betta in the same tank with her other fish. mostly guppies, they get along fine (exept those pesky baby guppies would chase him sometimes). he never attacked like everybody said they do. maby they are only aggressive towards other bettas. to be on the safe side mine only had an aquatic snail as a tank mate.

 

[Amelia]

Keeping them in cool water messes with their digestion and metabolism. They THRIVE in warmer temps, but are usually okay at room temp... unless you live in an icebox.

If I had the choice, I would pick room temp and filtered over non-filtered.

I love Bettas, they are cheap to buy, and cheap to make very happy. I sacrifice my visibility and keep mine in 5+ gallon tupperware tub things. I either keep them alone, or with ghost shrimp, flower shrimp, snails, and my female gets along well with a loach.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Don't do this. If uneaten food rots in a bowl (fish REALLY need something with a filter), it can do a lot of harm. The fish will not starve, I've read they can go as long as a week without eating if necessary - just don't make a habit of it.

Also if the fish goes a few days without eating, he also won't be producing as much waste. In an unfiltered bowl with no one around to change the water, this is a good thing.

it's 3 of the tiniest pellets in the world...a properly fed betta eats them right when they hit the water.

 

[dtknow]

You can leave a betta for a week with no problem. Longer if you want to but you will come back to a skinnier fish. It is far better to come back to a very hungry fish in clean water than a fat one in dirty water.

They do best in clean, warm water. Cool water is fine as long as the betta is used to it(most important part!) Temp swings are bad. Overfeeding is worse.

The only food I would suggest leaving with a betta would be mosquito larvae, or (good quality) blackworms. They will survive fine in the tank with the betta until eaten. Though again, many bettas will simply stuff themselves silly. So no food is best.

This coming from someone who's done quite a bit of betta care/breeding.

 

[GartenSpinnen]

I have had the same betta for over 4 years.... anyone that knows anything about bettas will tell you that is a VERY long time for a betta to live. I have a theory as to why that is.... i think that most people way overfeed their bettas. I feed mine once every 3-4 days. Your betta should be fine for 5 days without food, just try to make sure he gets a good feeding BEFORE you leave, and all the uneaten food is taken out. I think when it comes to these guys less is sometimes more....


-Nate

 

[LeilaNami]

Two years now and no problems. If a beta can survive in a non-heated bowl, what's the difference between a non-heated filtered ten gallon tank. The newts have shown no interest in him or the snail at all.

This is why: http://newt150.tripod.com/setup2.shtml

It's dangerous for the newts and it's dangerous for your betta. Not to mention the betta is now in an environment it shouldn't be in (prime example is the cold water) I would never keep a betta in cold water. Would go grab your goldfish (not in a bowl please :wall: ) and heat your water to 80F and leave? Not advisable. "Being used to it" has nothing to do with it. Many of us have reptiles and we see what cold temps do to metabolisms in animals that need warmer. Please do not jump on the reptile/fish comparison because it is irrelevant and I know the difference between a fish and a herp. Thanks.

 

[dtknow]

I have had the same betta for over 4 years.... anyone that knows anything about bettas will tell you that is a VERY long time for a betta to live. I have a theory as to why that is.... i think that most people way overfeed their bettas. I feed mine once every 3-4 days. Your betta should be fine for 5 days without food, just try to make sure he gets a good feeding BEFORE you leave, and all the uneaten food is taken out. I think when it comes to these guys less is sometimes more....


-Nate

Indeed, quite impressive(I've heard of 5 years, however). 2-3 years seems about average for most. What temps is yours kept at?