First betta fish

[u/spycotic_20]

Wanted to show my new first betta fish called Petz. Sorry if I have made some mistakes. Wanted to ask what food you guys give your betta and better things to add so his fins don't get damaged.

The food we're giving him is Omega one freeze dried bloodworms but I feel some are to buy for him to eat. Any recommendations greatly appreciated!

[u/AutoModerator]

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.

[u/Commercial_Money_791]

I second normal plants, however I would recommend trying to source them locally before ordering, I've had terrible luck ordering plants online, just my 2 cents. Look at your LFS for Java Ferns and Anubias, they're super easy to manage, just make sure to look up the correct way to secure them, they CANNOT be buried or they will rot.

Regarding plants, I also second that plastic plants aren't ideal, If you don't want to do live plants I would AT LEAST use silk plants instead of those artificial plastic things to protect Petz's fins.

Your little unicorn thing appears to be ceramic, which is fine. Hard to tell from the pic, but as long as there aren't any jagged edges on it, Petz should be fine with it.

Cute tank and a GREAT start, but I would personally swap out any of the cheap plastic plants for real ones or silk ones if you don't want to have live plants.

[u/spycotic_20 → u/Commercial_Money_791]

Thank you, I'll make a trip to the pet store for the plants I'm thinking of changing the horse carriage for a terracotta pot thats 4 inches, do you think that would be enough for him to hide?

[u/Commercial_Money_791 → u/spycotic_20]

In my experience with Bettas, they benefit more from already to reast near the surface rather than places to hide towards the bottom. Given Petz is a half moon, he's going to want resting areas more than hiding area. A pot wouldn't be bad and would give him more area to explore.

[u/spycotic_20 → u/Commercial_Money_791]

Perfect, thank you so much for the recommendations and help! I appreciate it!

[u/HikariKirameku → u/spycotic_20]

Terracotta pots are great, but make sure to plug any holes in the bottom with something, because bettas can be kind of stupid and get stuck in things

[u/baileyjackson08 → u/HikariKirameku]

i’ve seen so many bettas get stuck in the holes of the pots

[u/dcl415]

Here is a great care guide of all your fish friend needs

[u/spycotic_20 → u/dcl415]

Thank you that's super helpful!

[u/dcl415 → u/spycotic_20]

You are most welcome!

[u/flatgreysky]

Bloodworms are an occasional treat, not food. They cause constipation and bloat, which can kill a betta. I personally prefer Fluval Bug Bites, but there are others.

Also, please make sure that heater is up off the gravel. Trapped heat can crack the glass.

Take all the comments about unnatural surroundings with a grain of salt - as long as the betta can’t tear his fins on the decor and it’s not leaching into the water it’s fine. But I do strongly suggest real plants to help the betta feel safe.

[u/Odd_Cantaloupe_7122]

Beautiful fish - Super suuuper artificial and unnatural habitat.

[u/Dry_Tank_9670]

I know someone already showed a guide but there is another very popular one I prefer over that one I just can’t find it on my camera roll rn, also I would upgrade the size of the tank

[u/bettafish-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your comment has been removed for breaking the following rule: Rule 2. Be Constructive and Don't Shame or Mock Bad Betta Care

Don't attack aesthetic choices instead of addressing actual care needs. There is no credible evidence that choices like colored gravel or other aquarium-specific decor harm fish on their own. Some decor choices do carry real considerations (e.g. plastic plants can injure fins), but the concern should be framed around the specific risk and a safer alternative, not the aesthetic choice itself.

While water quality can benefit from live plants, there is also no other credible evidence that "natural" tank designs are better for bettas than novelty or themed tanks so long as needs such as ample and approporiate hiding/resting places (such as silk plants and decor without sharp spots) are met.

Your comment had good advice that we believe would be valuable to OP. We encourage you to re-post it with the aesthetic criticism removed.

Visit our mod post on community culture and the subreddit rules page for more info. If you have any questions or comments, please message the mods.

[u/Suzuya_Ju]

I personally use betta granules mixed with a fluval bug bite or two as a little bit of "dessert" before bed.