when to turn my light on my new baby betta

[muleman]

i saved my little guy from walmart.. got him a 5gal tank and heater.. it has a UV light on it also, my question is if i turn his light on at night say around 9pm and leave it on all night till about 7am is this too much light for him.. he really gets wild while the light is on seems to love it.. the temp goes up to around 80 with the light on and drops to around 76-78 with it off guess this is why he gets a little wilder.. this is my first post so any other info is loved thanks...

[BettaLu&Meg]

Hey Muleman, i'm Bettalu&meg, i'm the breeder on this forum and want to welcome you, now for your question,

Ok the Uv light i haven't worked with that type of light but u have to be carfull with the heat produced by that. a water heater is safer and turns off when a set temp is reached. As for the light question in general, i leave my light on all day and night. they rest whether the light is on or not. and i keep it on because i'm a breeder and like to see everything they do. Ideal temp for bettas since they are tropical fish is between 74-82degreesF. so anything between there is good!

As for the size of the tank thats perfect for the little guy. Idealy you it is recommended that each betta/fish should have 2 gallons per. This will give your betta the room to explore and to excersise. So your five gallon is perfect for him. Now if your thinking about getting some tankmates for him i would advice 1 more thats compatable with it, anymore or over population would lead to poor water quality and greater the risk for sicknesses!

Now for cleaning the tank, do you have a filter? If not i recommend it! in that size tank you don't want something to strong to throw water back in like normal out of tank filters, what breeders like my self use, and what keepers use for small tanks less than 5 gallons is a sponge filter, heres the link [Registered users only can see links. ] .

Water changes are a Must once a week! if you don't have a filter 75-80% water change is needed and replaced with conditioned water!
also purchase water conditioner! this removes chlorine and chloromines and metals in the water that is harmful for your betta/fish!
Now if you have a filter 50% should be good!
Never clean out 100% persent of the water, this will remove any beneficial bacteria needed in your water to keep it healthy and balanced!

To clean out the water, you dont have to take out your betta, simply suck the water out with a gravel tube. or turkey baster! i have both and it stresses the bettas alot less then taking them out of the water like the net does!

Now for the feeding! You want to feed your betta a VARIETY of food, feeding them the same diet WILL lead to swim bladder disorders and/or constipation. Hikari brands are the best! its what i use and like other breeders. heres the link for the types of foods [Registered users only can see links. ] Betta pellets and flakes should be there set diet! 2x a day one at a time. For the pellets your want to feed them 3-4 per betta. and you want to presoak for 5 minutes so they can soften and rehydrate! it doesnt say to do this but take it from me, its easier for them to chew and easier on there stomachs. Also for the flakes a pinch each feeding is enough for them. Now

ANY FOOD NOT EATEN IN AFTER 5MIN REMOVE, failure to do so will lead to poor water qualitiy, bacteria blooms, and overfeeding thus leading to sicknesses. Bloodworms and Brine shrimp whether freezed dried or frozen are good for snacks inbetween meals, Careful to thaw out the frozen and make sure their are not still cold!
Check out my links below for further knowledge on these little guys and read up on them, the more you know the better they'll be! if you have other questions feel free to ask! i will help out the best i can, also FishMomma is good with tank&health too!
Check out my other Posts and threads to learn more, and check out my vids of my collection and my crosbred fry!

[FishMomma]

Thanks, BettaLu&Meg! You just saved me a lot of typing since that's normally all that I say. One thing I'll add about the light, though, is if you start having problems with algae, turn off your light more. Algae loves light and also grows in new tanks commonly. Keep your tank out of direct sunlight, too, and this will help keep the algae under better control. If it gets out of control, you can always get a little apple snail and they a fantastic job of keeping your tank clean. Here is a good website on apple snails: [Registered users only can see links. ].

If this is your first Betta or fish for that matter, let us know if we can answer any other questions and we'll be happy to help! Good luck and congrats on your new fella!

[BettaLu&Meg]

Yes thats correct Golden apple snails i use in all my tanks and does a great job cleaning up! EVEN WITH THE FRY!

[muleman]

for all the info.. my tank does have a filter and it is not real strong, i will have to get some blood worms, and would like to get like a little cat fish or something to put in with him. i will have to do a little checking to see what does good with him.. this is the first fish i have ever owned and i really like him.. thanks again...

[BettaLu&Meg]

ok here's a tank compatability chart for you to start you off on what to get for your buddy, now remember the recommedations about room and population 1 betta/fish for 2 gallons. Remember what i said about the variety in food also, bloodworms and brine shrimps are treats. Cory cats are good for cleaning up, but snails are better, cories eat the extra food, while snails eat the extra food, algea and pretty much anything in there path. there keep algea and ammonia levels down to there very good for your tank. Golden apple snails i use for my communitly tank and my breeding tank. you should really consider them other than the cory.
Also depending on YOUR betta, there mostly are compatable with some, but if each betta has a personalilty of there own, and might not like the intrusion of another fish, watch your betta carefully if you still want more fish in there to see how harrassments are. He will harrass and show who's boss in the tank, but constant harrassments of other fish can lead to stress in him and the other tankmates, thus leading to complications and death in the other fish. so supervise closely to see how he reacts after while sharing HIS tank with others!
If your filter isn't doing a good job i would recommend returning it or purchasing another one a bit stronger

[muleman]

should i just get one or can i get two of them.. my tank is 5gal.. thanks.

[FishMomma]

If you are looking at the cory cat, I would just get 1 because of the size of your tank. You don't want to overload your tank with too many fish and too much waste. I personally don't like the cory cats when it comes to cleaning; I think the apple snails do a much better job! When I was at Petsma*t the other day, I noticed the golden snails were on sale for $1.99. The Bettas won't bother them, either. Every once in awhile, I hear of a Betta even going after the Cory cat so if you do get one, watch them carefully. When adding new fish to your tank (not really the snails), change around the decor in the tank first. This will make each of the new fish and your Betta included be able to stake out their territory without having had the Betta already claim it. It just puts everyone on equal playing ground and sometimes makes your Betta not so aggressive. Be sure you have lots of hiding places for both fish so that they have a place to "get away" from any stressors, too!

There is a compatibility chart below my signature if you'd like to take a look at it. If you have specific questions about what fish to get, ask me and I'll be happy to help!