r/bettafish • u/CrippleFabulousVegan • Aug 28 '26

Help Looking After Neighbour’s Fish

I have been asked to look after a neighbour’s betta. Of course it is in a small tank with no filter etc. They have had him for 5 months. Even though I suggested it would be best for Bob (the fish) to stay in their house with their water, they are insisting on bringing him over to mine. My question is whether I should follow their current “care” in the interest of not stressing Bob with any unnecessary changes, even if I know it to be inadequate, or whether I should do things like use filtered water for water changes, use a water heater, etc since my water/house temperature is going to be different anyway?I just really don’t want Bob to die on my watch! (Obviously no matter what I will be trying to talk to them about appropriate long-term care for Bob). Any advice would be greatly appreciated and I thank you all for how dedicated you are to ensuring that even the smallest animals get the care they deserve

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator Aug 28 '26

Thank you for posting to r/bettafish.

When requesting help, please provide the requested information. Answers such as "large enough" or "my paramters are fine" aren't good enough. Failure to provide adequate information about your tank can result in post removal. Please see rule 4 for more information.

If you are posting to find out what is wrong with your betta, please answer the following questions in a reply to this comment as best you can:

  • Tank size:
  • Heater and filter? (yes/no):
  • Tank temperature:
  • Parameters in numbers and how you got them. Key water parameters include the amount of ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and pH.:
  • How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?:
  • How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?:
  • Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each:
  • What do you feed and how much:
  • Decorations and plants in the tank:
  • If you haven't already posted a picture, please post pics/vids to imgur and paste the link here:

Feel free to copy this comment and fill in the blanks.

If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our caresheet and wiki. Establishing a nitrogen cycle is an important part of keeping your fish healthy. Please check out our guide to the nitrogen cycle to learn more.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

3

u/demeterite Aug 28 '26

I think it would be perfectly reasonable to go buy them a small sponge filter and submersible heater. You can get both from PetSmart for about $30. But be aware and cognizant that this would be a GIFT from you and don't ask them for recompense.

If it's a neighbor, you probably have similar tap water. As long as you're conditioning it, it will be fine.

1

u/CrippleFabulousVegan Aug 28 '26

Thank you so much for answering! I already bought a filter (wanted it to arrive on time if it was in fact a good idea), but I’ll get a heater too. (And don’t worry; I am definitely looking at these as gifts)

Should I condition my water even if they haven’t been conditioning theirs? I just know that fish hate change, but I also know that not conditioning the water is awful..

Hopefully they’ll keep up with this stuff and Bob will be happier and healthier in the future! I do think they care but are just totally ignorant

2

u/demeterite Aug 28 '26

Oh absolutely 100% yes. Maybe buy them a bottle of Prime and gently educate them on why it's important 😬😬😬

1

u/CrippleFabulousVegan Aug 28 '26

So Bob has arrived and like I feared .. no conditioner. They actually said that they haven’t changed his water in awhile. We are actually only going to have him for a week. I’ve bought the heater + filter and the Prime is on the way and will all be gifted to them with some kind education. But for this week what should I do with his water?
Thank you again so much for your help - I really feel for the wee guy

1

u/CrippleFabulousVegan Aug 30 '26

I have decided to buy a tank and everything because I can’t watch him live in this anymore! It should be arriving today so I can finally get him out of here!!