He’s beautiful! But aren’t bubbles on things usually a sign of a tank not being cycles? Might not be true, just what I’ve heard, best of luck in fish keeping!
Hi! Regarding your filter, I have the same type of filter and have been worried about similar problems (HOBs are a pain in the butt lol). The filter should have an adjustment knob so you can control the flow, but in my experience even with it at the lowest flow level the filter flow is still too powerful. There are many fixes for this on the internet, but I would recommend getting a filter intake strainer sponge (they basically help slow the flow of the filter AND work as extra filter material)- which can be purchased off of Amazon.
Also, I would recommend adding live plants to your setup - trust me your betta will absolutely love some live plants. Floaters are very beneficial and easy to care for, however, from personal experience I would recommend adjusting the filter flow before getting floaters so that the current isn't too strong. If the current is very strong it will potentially kill off the floaters. I would specifically recommend duckweed, amazon frogbit, red root floaters or salvinia if you choose to proceed with floating plants. Other live plants that are low maintenance would be Anubias, Java Fern, Amazon Swords, and Hornwort.
Good luck with your aquarium and fish :)
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Tank doesn’t look cycled. I’d do plenty of research on the nitrogen cycle and do a fish-in cycle.
Filter is probably too strong, if possible I’d get something like a sponge filter for a gentler flow. If not, using decor and/or floating plants might help break it up.
I’d try and give him a sheltered area to go hide away if he’s feeling shy, like a terracotta pot or a thicket of plants :)
I’d also be careful with the artificial sign, some fake decor can leech paint/toxins into the water. If you notice any signs of sickness, I’d remove the sign (as well as treating him for whatever it may be).
Good luck with your new baby!
Edit: As a side note, his scales look somewhat thick. I can’t tell for sure, but if he’s a dragonscale betta, prepare for him to go blind eventually.
(He might not be a dragonscale! I can’t tell all that well with the pictures, just thought to give a heads-up in case)
I used to have a cheap HOB filter and it was a nightmare for me. Opt for a sponge filter with a fitted air stone instead but while I was using the HOB I did a couple things that helped.
First I stuck a piece of sponge filter pad at the intake of the filter. Your betta has long fins which can get damaged by the intake pipe.
Secondly, the waterfall part might be a bit too strong for your betta. Make sure the water level never drops below the waterfall and you can look online for more HOB tips to make the current less strong for your betta.
Once again, I think sponge filters are the best for bettas because they're gentler.
I have a planted tank myself! I use root tabs and liquid fertilizer. Some good starting plants that are low maintenance are anubias. Don't stick them in the substrate but attach them to logs or rocks. Same thing with java fern which are very nice plants to start with.
I also have frogbit for floating plants. They grow rapidly where you'll have to trim the roots and remove some occasionally as they might take over the surface but over time, if you cut their roots regularly enough, they won't grow as long (mine took a year to only grow as short as 6in max). I also added a pothos cutting, those are great for clearing out nitrates in the water. Plants are an integral part of the nitrogen cycle so they are great for cycling your tank.
If you haven't cycled your tank yet, you def should look into that but since you have the fish already I wouldn't stress out too much. He looks healthy right now but you should add some beneficial bacteria asap and some live plants. I use API quick start and check water parameters regularly when I first start my tanks.
Water test strips are not as accurate as the drops. A popular test kit is the API master kit (last time I checked it was $60) but I mainly only check ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates regularly so if you have a smaller budget I'd recommend prioritizing those three.
You're doing great for a starting tank! Keep up the good work and don't forget to have fun!
I recommend buying seachem stability and Stressguard since you’re going to be doing a fish in cycle. As for the filter, there should be a knob on the top part that lets you adjust the flow rate. Also, fill up the aquarium completely, the more water your friend gets, the happier they will be :)
He’s beautiful! But aren’t bubbles on things usually a sign of a tank not being cycles? Might not be true, just what I’ve heard, best of luck in fish keeping!
Hi! Regarding your filter, I have the same type of filter and have been worried about similar problems (HOBs are a pain in the butt lol). The filter should have an adjustment knob so you can control the flow, but in my experience even with it at the lowest flow level the filter flow is still too powerful. There are many fixes for this on the internet, but I would recommend getting a filter intake strainer sponge (they basically help slow the flow of the filter AND work as extra filter material)- which can be purchased off of Amazon. Also, I would recommend adding live plants to your setup - trust me your betta will absolutely love some live plants. Floaters are very beneficial and easy to care for, however, from personal experience I would recommend adjusting the filter flow before getting floaters so that the current isn't too strong. If the current is very strong it will potentially kill off the floaters. I would specifically recommend duckweed, amazon frogbit, red root floaters or salvinia if you choose to proceed with floating plants. Other live plants that are low maintenance would be Anubias, Java Fern, Amazon Swords, and Hornwort. Good luck with your aquarium and fish :)
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.*
Tank doesn’t look cycled. I’d do plenty of research on the nitrogen cycle and do a fish-in cycle. Filter is probably too strong, if possible I’d get something like a sponge filter for a gentler flow. If not, using decor and/or floating plants might help break it up. I’d try and give him a sheltered area to go hide away if he’s feeling shy, like a terracotta pot or a thicket of plants :) I’d also be careful with the artificial sign, some fake decor can leech paint/toxins into the water. If you notice any signs of sickness, I’d remove the sign (as well as treating him for whatever it may be). Good luck with your new baby! Edit: As a side note, his scales look somewhat thick. I can’t tell for sure, but if he’s a dragonscale betta, prepare for him to go blind eventually. (He might not be a dragonscale! I can’t tell all that well with the pictures, just thought to give a heads-up in case)
I used to have a cheap HOB filter and it was a nightmare for me. Opt for a sponge filter with a fitted air stone instead but while I was using the HOB I did a couple things that helped. First I stuck a piece of sponge filter pad at the intake of the filter. Your betta has long fins which can get damaged by the intake pipe. Secondly, the waterfall part might be a bit too strong for your betta. Make sure the water level never drops below the waterfall and you can look online for more HOB tips to make the current less strong for your betta. Once again, I think sponge filters are the best for bettas because they're gentler. I have a planted tank myself! I use root tabs and liquid fertilizer. Some good starting plants that are low maintenance are anubias. Don't stick them in the substrate but attach them to logs or rocks. Same thing with java fern which are very nice plants to start with. I also have frogbit for floating plants. They grow rapidly where you'll have to trim the roots and remove some occasionally as they might take over the surface but over time, if you cut their roots regularly enough, they won't grow as long (mine took a year to only grow as short as 6in max). I also added a pothos cutting, those are great for clearing out nitrates in the water. Plants are an integral part of the nitrogen cycle so they are great for cycling your tank. If you haven't cycled your tank yet, you def should look into that but since you have the fish already I wouldn't stress out too much. He looks healthy right now but you should add some beneficial bacteria asap and some live plants. I use API quick start and check water parameters regularly when I first start my tanks. Water test strips are not as accurate as the drops. A popular test kit is the API master kit (last time I checked it was $60) but I mainly only check ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates regularly so if you have a smaller budget I'd recommend prioritizing those three. You're doing great for a starting tank! Keep up the good work and don't forget to have fun!
I recommend buying seachem stability and Stressguard since you’re going to be doing a fish in cycle. As for the filter, there should be a knob on the top part that lets you adjust the flow rate. Also, fill up the aquarium completely, the more water your friend gets, the happier they will be :)