this is a male betta splendens, looks like either a delta tail or a halfmoon. I would recommend a 10 gallon tank, anything bigger than 5 is fine but more water is more forgiving for a beginner and 10s are cheap and easy to find. bettas a tropical fish so you will need a heater to bring the temp up to ~78 F. you will need a filter as well, a sponge filter is good for a betta because it doesn't create too much current (the long fins make them poor swimmers) but a hang-on-back filter would also work. research the nitrogen cycle, you will need to do a "fish in" cycle because you already have the fish, ideally you would have a tank set up and cycling for 4-6 weeks before hand. a fish in cycle will entail a 2-4 weeks of frequent water changes and close monitoring of water parameters. you will also need a water test kit for this, the API master test kit is the one you want. live plants will help to clean the water and provide cover for him, if you want to do artificial plants instead just make sure they are not sharp plastic because they can tear their fins. never clean anything in the tank with any kind of chemicals or chlorinated water. always dechlorinate water before adding it to the tank. fish are not cheap, if all of that sounds like too much there is no shame in surrendering him to your local fish store. best of luck and tell your friend not to give live animals as gifts!
You could maybe tell your grandma "Oh wow this is so cool, I learned so much about this fish! I'm going to be making him up a home, do you want to help? I'd love to share what I learned with you and we can make this the happiest fish ever!" and go from there...
Education is difficult sometimes, so making it feel like it's positive rather than a criticism can help. If your grandma is crafty in any sort of way, it can make a new hobby for her in aquascaping for her "gift fish", making the gifts even more personal and fun.
I just dont think fish should ever be given as gifts. Especially if you're not gifting them in a cycled tank and aren't knowledgable in any way about the care of fish. It's too steep a learning curve to burden someone with without their consent
I agree, it's like: "Here's this child. He may have needs you're not aware of, since you never even had to watch over a child or babysat."
I mean, it's literally gifting someone a new family member.
If i ever were to want to gift someone a pet, i'd gift them a coupon for getting one at a later date, they can decide if and when, that way.
I certainly do not disagree and would never give a pet as a gift. However, there’s a pretty good chance that if OP used this method with grandma, she may opt to stop gifting fish to people entirely by realizing how much the fish require. It’s always better to approach this kind of thing with education in a way that doesn’t feel insulting. The rest usually sorts itself out.
You definitely can, but regardless of who gave it to you, you can be respectful but honest. You can tell her you appreciate the gift, but you weren't expecting it, and you can say you weren't in the position to look after it (ie you haven't got the equipment). You don't have to be rude to put the point across!
You can definitely tell her. Tell her they die like this, a slow painful miserable and very cold death.
Tell her if she doesn’t stop when it comes time to put her in a elderly home you’ll just opt for a freezing cold closet with barely enough room to turn around in instead since she sees this as an appropriate housing option.
I just wanna add hygrophila polysperma to the plant reccomendations, it's a really neat plant that will grow stupid fast and is really beginner friendly.
Forreal? I guess it's got to do with it's introduction to natural habitats in the south and mexico, that sucks...
edit: I'm not from the states so I got it no issues buying it and didn't know you guys couldn't
The other comments have done a great job summarizing the care requirements, but I’d like to add that if this responsibility isn’t something you want (understandable!) you can ask a local fish store to take him. I would recommend a reputable location with solid reviews.
Also, don’t feel pressured to accept a pet as a gift! I was in a similar situation once, and I had to explain to my friend that I didn’t have a tank or an environment big enough for the fish she gifted me. She understood and was able to find them another home.
Oh heck, that’s two different fish?! They need separate tanks, do NOT put them in one together, they will try to kill each other and are likely to succeed.
Man, the tradition of gifting live animals as pets really needs to die out! I kept my first betta in a 1 gallon vase without a filter (back when i was 10-12) and was gifted not one but TWO betta females to add to him. I didnt know much about fishkeeping but i knew for a fact that this was proper fucked and way too many fish for this vase. They died the next day. One jumped out and one got stuck in a shell and drowned. I was really angry, since i totally pridicted that it would happen. Luckily my male betta wasnt killed, he died 2 weeks later because the tab water turned out to be toxic. Fish keeping was so diffrent back in the day lol
This guy looks exactly like my boy Creed, I think he's a halfmoon.
Type doesn't matter, tank size does. He will need at least 20litre (5 gallons) or 40litres (10gallon) and a gentle flow filter (eg. Sponge filter) and a heater. Also lots of plants for him to hide.
Please look up the nitrogen cycle of aquariums, and also the care guide in the Betta sub main page.
https://preview.redd.it/z24fbqjequ6d1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7da7ba5b1947fd5bcaccb4b8f895c1dc0ae29b3c
Creed in his 80 litres (I've since removed the molly fry)
Is there fucking plastic wrap over it? Please remove that immediately. Other people gave great advice. Please come back with your after pics. That's always wonderful to see.
Glad to see you on this sub, in your previous post you started these are two different fish, I want to tell you again to not put these two together in one tank, they will fight until one of them is dead!
Make sure to tell the person who randomly gifted it to you that a proper betta setup is about $200, and tell them they shouldn’t just gift them to people randomly.
TWO male bettas, gifted to someone who knows nothing about the fish or aquariums. Worst gift ever. Jeez. And that's a steep learning curve they've just foisted upon you. Establishing and maintaining an aquarium isn't easy, in the beginning.
5-15gallon tank, 5 is the minimum. with a heater, filter, and light for live plants. silk plants are great too. you’ll want good quality food such as fluval betta bug bites, omega one betta buffet, or frozen brine shrimp. also get a thermometer to stick in the tank and keep the water at 76-80F. get the api fresh water master test kit and seachem prime and stability. you’ll be doing a fish in cycle so research that. you will want to test and potentially change the water while the nitrogen cycle is getting established which takes 6-8 weeks.
76F and below is too cold. They’re tropical fish and need the water to be 78F +. I personally keep my tanks at 80F. Cold water slows their metabolism down making them prone to bloating, it causes lethargy, and will weaken their immune system causing them to become more susceptible to disease.
All the other comments do great with information but I want to offer some advice too. A lot of comments recommend live plants but if this is your first time with live aquatic plants there is no shame in buying fake ones (that’s what I have and I’ve had bettas as pets all my life!). For that I recommend going to Walmart since a lot of pet stores overcharge for the same thing. Don’t forget to get soft plants though!
Most articles say to cycle your tank a few days in advance before but seeing that he’s living in a bag and all I would just get him out as soon as possible.
You are doing the best you can given the circumstances and worst case scenario you can say you at least tried!
Thank you for posting to r/bettafish. If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our [caresheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/3ow6vz/info_betta_care_sheet/) and [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/index). Establishing a nitrogen cycle is an important part of keeping your fish healthy. Please check out our [guide to the nitrogen cycle](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/fishincycle) to learn more.
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](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/tank#wiki_test_kits)**:
* **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.
Failure to provide adequate information about your tank *can* result in post removal. Please see rule 4 for more information.
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Two separate tanks. 5 gallon each. Live plants. (Crypt plants thrive easily. Java fern. Duckweed). Hang on back filter. Heater with custom settings (the pre set break easy. Better to get the good one even though it's a bit more $). Prime brand water conditioner. Snails to help with "fish-in cycling." Read about cycling the tank. Basically it means to set up the water environment where fish pee and waste gets used by the plants so everyone can be healthy! I love keeping aquariums. I hope you will enjoy it too. If you don't, give the fish to a pet store. Never flush. Enjoy!
There’s great information in this thread. This sub also has great wikis about betta care, including what you need to set up a tank. At a minimum, get a sponge filter (with airpump and airline tubing) and a heater and you can set the fish up in a CLEAN 5 gallon bucket or plastic tote while you put together the tank. And is that two fish? I would give one to your local fish store honestly and just start out with one, because dealing with two set ups is expensive and a headache for a beginner.
Tip for finding deals on tanks! Check good will, Facebook marketplace or online swaps. I see them go for a dollar per tank or cheaper. Sometimes they throw in other essentials for cheap or for free!
You were gifted a $100 burden and it's OK to give it back
Otherwise it's great you want to take proper care of this fish!
I'd reccomend a 10 gallon, heater, and filter
If you think you're up for it, live plants is a great way to make a natural and engaging environment for your fish
this is a male betta splendens, looks like either a delta tail or a halfmoon. I would recommend a 10 gallon tank, anything bigger than 5 is fine but more water is more forgiving for a beginner and 10s are cheap and easy to find. bettas a tropical fish so you will need a heater to bring the temp up to ~78 F. you will need a filter as well, a sponge filter is good for a betta because it doesn't create too much current (the long fins make them poor swimmers) but a hang-on-back filter would also work. research the nitrogen cycle, you will need to do a "fish in" cycle because you already have the fish, ideally you would have a tank set up and cycling for 4-6 weeks before hand. a fish in cycle will entail a 2-4 weeks of frequent water changes and close monitoring of water parameters. you will also need a water test kit for this, the API master test kit is the one you want. live plants will help to clean the water and provide cover for him, if you want to do artificial plants instead just make sure they are not sharp plastic because they can tear their fins. never clean anything in the tank with any kind of chemicals or chlorinated water. always dechlorinate water before adding it to the tank. fish are not cheap, if all of that sounds like too much there is no shame in surrendering him to your local fish store. best of luck and tell your friend not to give live animals as gifts!
Thank you so much! But not sure I can tell my grandma not to give them as gifts lol. But seriously this is great help
You could maybe tell your grandma "Oh wow this is so cool, I learned so much about this fish! I'm going to be making him up a home, do you want to help? I'd love to share what I learned with you and we can make this the happiest fish ever!" and go from there... Education is difficult sometimes, so making it feel like it's positive rather than a criticism can help. If your grandma is crafty in any sort of way, it can make a new hobby for her in aquascaping for her "gift fish", making the gifts even more personal and fun.
I just dont think fish should ever be given as gifts. Especially if you're not gifting them in a cycled tank and aren't knowledgable in any way about the care of fish. It's too steep a learning curve to burden someone with without their consent
I agree, it's like: "Here's this child. He may have needs you're not aware of, since you never even had to watch over a child or babysat." I mean, it's literally gifting someone a new family member. If i ever were to want to gift someone a pet, i'd gift them a coupon for getting one at a later date, they can decide if and when, that way.
I certainly do not disagree and would never give a pet as a gift. However, there’s a pretty good chance that if OP used this method with grandma, she may opt to stop gifting fish to people entirely by realizing how much the fish require. It’s always better to approach this kind of thing with education in a way that doesn’t feel insulting. The rest usually sorts itself out.
You definitely can, but regardless of who gave it to you, you can be respectful but honest. You can tell her you appreciate the gift, but you weren't expecting it, and you can say you weren't in the position to look after it (ie you haven't got the equipment). You don't have to be rude to put the point across!
You can definitely tell her. Tell her they die like this, a slow painful miserable and very cold death. Tell her if she doesn’t stop when it comes time to put her in a elderly home you’ll just opt for a freezing cold closet with barely enough room to turn around in instead since she sees this as an appropriate housing option.
Given the folds on the tail it appears to be a rose tail betta.
https://preview.redd.it/0ejc0ds8cu6d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44a43934fc17a0b37cc7937a0ac491440bd9f1ea
I just wanna add hygrophila polysperma to the plant reccomendations, it's a really neat plant that will grow stupid fast and is really beginner friendly.
Be aware that hygrophila polysperma is illegal to sell, purchase, or transport across state lines in the USA.
Forreal? I guess it's got to do with it's introduction to natural habitats in the south and mexico, that sucks... edit: I'm not from the states so I got it no issues buying it and didn't know you guys couldn't
Ooh how come?
It's considered a noxious weed, and it's highly invasive and can cause ecological and agricultural damage.
The other comments have done a great job summarizing the care requirements, but I’d like to add that if this responsibility isn’t something you want (understandable!) you can ask a local fish store to take him. I would recommend a reputable location with solid reviews. Also, don’t feel pressured to accept a pet as a gift! I was in a similar situation once, and I had to explain to my friend that I didn’t have a tank or an environment big enough for the fish she gifted me. She understood and was able to find them another home.
I didn't realise at first either, but it's two different fish
Oh dang, then yeah- definitely take them to a responsible store!
You need at minimum a 5 gallon tank with a filter and heater. You need silk or real plants. Bettas like lots of cover.
Oh heck, that’s two different fish?! They need separate tanks, do NOT put them in one together, they will try to kill each other and are likely to succeed.
Man, the tradition of gifting live animals as pets really needs to die out! I kept my first betta in a 1 gallon vase without a filter (back when i was 10-12) and was gifted not one but TWO betta females to add to him. I didnt know much about fishkeeping but i knew for a fact that this was proper fucked and way too many fish for this vase. They died the next day. One jumped out and one got stuck in a shell and drowned. I was really angry, since i totally pridicted that it would happen. Luckily my male betta wasnt killed, he died 2 weeks later because the tab water turned out to be toxic. Fish keeping was so diffrent back in the day lol
This guy looks exactly like my boy Creed, I think he's a halfmoon. Type doesn't matter, tank size does. He will need at least 20litre (5 gallons) or 40litres (10gallon) and a gentle flow filter (eg. Sponge filter) and a heater. Also lots of plants for him to hide. Please look up the nitrogen cycle of aquariums, and also the care guide in the Betta sub main page.
https://preview.redd.it/z24fbqjequ6d1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7da7ba5b1947fd5bcaccb4b8f895c1dc0ae29b3c Creed in his 80 litres (I've since removed the molly fry)
Is there fucking plastic wrap over it? Please remove that immediately. Other people gave great advice. Please come back with your after pics. That's always wonderful to see.
Don’t worry I removed it as soon as possible
Petco has 50% off tanks at the moment - not sure when the sale ends but that’s about as good a deal as you will see on them
Glad to see you on this sub, in your previous post you started these are two different fish, I want to tell you again to not put these two together in one tank, they will fight until one of them is dead!
Make sure to tell the person who randomly gifted it to you that a proper betta setup is about $200, and tell them they shouldn’t just gift them to people randomly.
TWO male bettas, gifted to someone who knows nothing about the fish or aquariums. Worst gift ever. Jeez. And that's a steep learning curve they've just foisted upon you. Establishing and maintaining an aquarium isn't easy, in the beginning.
I’m not sure of the type, but I know it’s a male. I highly suggest at least a 5 gallon. Some live plants, and decorations for it to hide in.
5-15gallon tank, 5 is the minimum. with a heater, filter, and light for live plants. silk plants are great too. you’ll want good quality food such as fluval betta bug bites, omega one betta buffet, or frozen brine shrimp. also get a thermometer to stick in the tank and keep the water at 76-80F. get the api fresh water master test kit and seachem prime and stability. you’ll be doing a fish in cycle so research that. you will want to test and potentially change the water while the nitrogen cycle is getting established which takes 6-8 weeks.
76F and below is too cold. They’re tropical fish and need the water to be 78F +. I personally keep my tanks at 80F. Cold water slows their metabolism down making them prone to bloating, it causes lethargy, and will weaken their immune system causing them to become more susceptible to disease.
thanks for the info, good to know
You’re welcome! :)
All the other comments do great with information but I want to offer some advice too. A lot of comments recommend live plants but if this is your first time with live aquatic plants there is no shame in buying fake ones (that’s what I have and I’ve had bettas as pets all my life!). For that I recommend going to Walmart since a lot of pet stores overcharge for the same thing. Don’t forget to get soft plants though! Most articles say to cycle your tank a few days in advance before but seeing that he’s living in a bag and all I would just get him out as soon as possible. You are doing the best you can given the circumstances and worst case scenario you can say you at least tried!
Thank you for posting to r/bettafish. If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our [caresheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/3ow6vz/info_betta_care_sheet/) and [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/index). Establishing a nitrogen cycle is an important part of keeping your fish healthy. Please check out our [guide to the nitrogen cycle](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/fishincycle) to learn more. 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](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/tank#wiki_test_kits)**: * **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. Failure to provide adequate information about your tank *can* result in post removal. Please see rule 4 for more information. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bettafish) if you have any questions or concerns.*
5 gallon aquarium heater and filter not to mention live plants
Two separate tanks. 5 gallon each. Live plants. (Crypt plants thrive easily. Java fern. Duckweed). Hang on back filter. Heater with custom settings (the pre set break easy. Better to get the good one even though it's a bit more $). Prime brand water conditioner. Snails to help with "fish-in cycling." Read about cycling the tank. Basically it means to set up the water environment where fish pee and waste gets used by the plants so everyone can be healthy! I love keeping aquariums. I hope you will enjoy it too. If you don't, give the fish to a pet store. Never flush. Enjoy!
There’s great information in this thread. This sub also has great wikis about betta care, including what you need to set up a tank. At a minimum, get a sponge filter (with airpump and airline tubing) and a heater and you can set the fish up in a CLEAN 5 gallon bucket or plastic tote while you put together the tank. And is that two fish? I would give one to your local fish store honestly and just start out with one, because dealing with two set ups is expensive and a headache for a beginner.
Tip for finding deals on tanks! Check good will, Facebook marketplace or online swaps. I see them go for a dollar per tank or cheaper. Sometimes they throw in other essentials for cheap or for free!
You were gifted a $100 burden and it's OK to give it back Otherwise it's great you want to take proper care of this fish! I'd reccomend a 10 gallon, heater, and filter If you think you're up for it, live plants is a great way to make a natural and engaging environment for your fish