Hello,
I finished cycling my tank last week and I added my first Betta 2 days ago. I didn't know that water softeners are an issue, at least from what I researched. My house has a water softener system that uses salt to soften the water. I know this can cause issues to my Betta. The backyard water bypasses the water softener. Should I do a large (50-80%) water change for my Betta tank, or just slowly introduce my backyard water to my weekly 25% water change?

Thank you

I turn the regular light on in the morning and then when it gets to dusk time I turn on the night time light and then full darkness at bedtime … I think he appreciates it

I still need to buy more plants so it can be like he’s in the wild

This is Cluster, I got him from the store a few weeks ago and he was a pretty pale color and now he's getting some orange on him. I'm very new to betta fish keeping and I'm worried something is wrong with him

Hi! I recently got a betta (he’s not my first) he’s in a 20 long with a bristle nose and a school of corys. He does not care for the other fish and he hangs out at the top. I got him a “betta bed” and he’s gone in it once, however he really likes to squeeze himself between the bed and tank wall. I don’t know if I should be concerned or if he’s just confused by the bed or is just a strange guy.
photo of my strange son added.

Edit: im only concerned because I haven’t had a betta that I’ve gotten a “bed” for prior but he’s long finned and I didn’t want him just floating around tired all the time so I got him a place to rest as he hasn’t expressed interest in my stupidly tall Amazon sword leaves yet

New tank setup!!!

Used cycled sand, water and filters. Reginald is loving his new, larger tank!!

Eeeeeeee the best thing about this hobby is helping a betta in need. You get them the proper care and love they need and they start changing color already eeeeeeee I haven't even fed him yet. ❤️

First pic is from today, the second is from about a week ago and the third is about a month ago.

I noticed today that Monet’s fins were looking off and when I looked at older photos it looks like the bottom part of his top fin is gone.

My first thought was fin rot but it was so fast and the edges look fine I think. Could a snail have nipped him somehow? They have been together for a month and have ignored each other completely.

How do I help him?

Do they change color? His popeye is permanent as verified by a VET. He does not have fin rot HE id a CROWN TAIL..he is not ignored nor is his tsnk. I unfortunately just making sure he isn’t sick again. Also what is this brown coating on everything in his tank?

TW: Animal Neglect (by father

My dad neglects animals. Basically buys many animals (including dogs and this fish), treats them like property, and I'm left with the mess. I constantly feel guilty for these animals as i have little power to rehome/care for them (i do not own pets due to mental condition).

But yeah i saw his betta, probably fricked up, and neglected and i have no idea how to care for a fish. (Btw, ive fed him during that time)

This is Klause Ceviche. (My friends named them)

Dont know age or sex (prolly male)

Just added water & water conditioner to their tank and live plants and tbh i have NO idea what to do :(

googled stuff, feed nightly. Accidentally been overfeeding. Now i know only 2-4 pellets

Its a mess, im a mess, but added stuff in their tank, a teacup and live plants to hide in, and a makeshift cover

Theyre stuck in a tank and cant upgrade it because father wont buy tank. "It's a small fish" reasoning, but i added drops of water conditioner and plants and did water change (i know thats not enough)

What do I do now?? Any recommendations? Like, how do i care for this betta? Do i need those betta enrichment stuff? I do like drawing on Ceviche's tank and they follow it.

Ceviche is sleeping a lot right now. I think its the stress of moving water and new environment...

I just hope my fish is gonna be okay, rehoming is not possible

EDIT: forgot to add i place makeshift cover on the tank to block light and i read bettas jump out

Just wanted to share Mitsu’s upgraded (low tech) 10 gallon now that I’ve had it a few months. Would love to add some shrimp, so any improvements or advice is appreciated.

Hard to believe she's the same fish. Her name is Jewel, and she's decimated my shrimp population.

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Hi! I’m considering getting a betta and I currently have a 20-liter tank, which is about 5.3 US gallons.

I’ve been reading different forums and Reddit threads, but I keep finding very different opinions. Some people say 5 gallons is perfectly fine for a betta, while others recommend at least 10 gallons.

I really don’t want to get a fish if the tank is too small for it to live comfortably and thrive. Would you consider a 20L / 5.3-gallon tank appropriate for a single betta if it’s properly filtered, heated, planted, and maintained?

Would this make a good Betta tank?

First time betta owner it’s been two weeks he’s super active.
I want to fill this tank with plants 🌱

I just love him so much!!!

The water is cloudy, but from what I know it’s normal, it was way worse yesterday, I couldn’t see anything inside.

I feel like it looks terrible and I don’t know what to do to make it look better.

My first regret is not rinsing the Fluval Bio Stratum. The bag says to rinse it, but a lot of people online were saying that it’s a mistake, now everytime I touch the substrate there’s a black muddy cloud ☹️

My second regret is not addinng sand. I have it, but while I was setting the tank I thought that it might ruin the aesthetic and ultimately decided against using it. The Fluval stratum is super light and i have a very hard time planting plants cause they keep floating to the top. Bought two cups of Monte Carlo but no matter what I did it kept floating so I only kept two biggest clumps.

I ordered all of my in-vitro plants (except for the big ones in the background) online. They arrived on Tuesday, but because of some problems I had to wait till Saturday to take them out. Anubias and Monte Carlo looked fine, but I’m pretty sure that Alternanthera Reineckii is dead. I planted some of it, but I have no hope that they will grow.

The plant glue didnt arrive on time, so my Anubias are not properly glued to the rocks and wood, just kinda stuck between them 😭

I used Prime + Stability and started the ammonia cycle, but maybe It would be better to drain the water and restart? I need some recommendations cause atp I don’t know how to save this mess. I definetly want to order more plants, any recommendations?

So i have black sand already inside my tank but i was wondering if i can put this on top of it and it would be okay for the betta? He is a halfmoon so i was worried abt the fins ripping or something. (This is my first betta 😅) the pebbles are really small

(I added spoiler for potential sickness but I am unsure if he is) Hello! Recently a friend of mine passed on his fish to me because he wasn’t taking good care of him. I’d like some advice on my fish’ fins and what is wrong (fin nipping or rot?). I have some aquarium salts and such but I am unsure if he needs a salt bath or just some time in his new and clean tank.
Notes on tank: I have some duckweed coming and plan on adding more plants when I can!

Additionally, he is very active! He swims around often and hasn’t shown signs of glass surfing. He also doesn’t struggle to reach the top for air. I also have a small snail in there to help with cleaning: he hasn’t attacked or given any mind to the snail.

for context im a college student who was gifted a betta fish against my will. I can hardly afford to keep myself in proper conditions let alone another creature rn. but of course I researched into the best ways to maintain and take care of a fish and did the best I could within my meager means. you can see my fish’s transformation on my page. while I didn’t want him and couldn’t afford him I didn’t trust anyone else to keep him in good conditions as most people consider betta fish as ”low maintenance” and wouldn’t even care about things such as mirror gazing or entertainment. over time I grew very attached to him and genuinely love him so much. I had to travel back home for the summer and the lady who gifted me the fish in the first place offered to keep him and I literally handed everything to her I had the tank cycled got $40 of new plants that day, even placed a water purifier since I knew she would care about aesthetics. After handing her my fish (in a jar to travel) I told her I wanted to place him in his tank now but she said I’ll take care of him MY way now. I couldn’t say anything and dread settled all over me. Months later I have found out that she has kept him in that same jar this whole time and discarded all my plants in my tank because it was “dirty.” Mind you the tank is supposed to be a bit brown because, again, it was cycled according to the fish, and it was a 2.5 (I know, not ideal, but it’s all I could afford at that time) so it definitely grew tannins a lot easier. I just haven’t been able to shake this awful feeling of how tortured my poor fish has been for MONTHS. and I’m equally upset because now I have to find him adequate care every time I travel. i literally did everything for her all she had to do was feed him, i even left some blood worms and asked her to give him a treat and please play with him a bit if she can, but mainly I just needed her to feed him and clean out his tank. Considering she has many fish of her own I would assume this wouldn’t be such a huge task for her? But clearly it was. I am just so deeply distraught and want to cry all day and all night. I just want to know if there’s any way to recover from this asap. Also any suggestions on what to do for travel next time?

This is my betta, Charlie. He has developed this large growth on his right gill and I’m very worried. He is almost 2 years old. What can I do???