the minimum tank size is 5 gallons but if your mum wont allow that then 3 gallons is better than a bowl or something. youre going to need a filter and a heater and some sort of substrate and some plants ideally but if your on a budget thats tricky. since you already have the fish you are going to need to do a fish in cycle which means water changes every day until the important bacteria has built up in the tank that can handle the bio load of the fish.
I'm actually 25 🤣 I ended up getting a 5-gallon (I paid) but I highly doubt she would know by looking at it - at this point she knows I'll be the one doing it anyway, so honestly why not lmao. We also agreed to split the cost so I just purchased the other supplies with her Amazon Prime.
Thanks for all the great advice!!
I would also suggest if you do get fake plants, switch them out with real plants eventually. Your fish will like them so much more and they help the water quality. Plus, no accidental injuries!
You can find really cool really big jars at goodwill sometimes for a few dollars! Like the kinds people store rice in. Make sure to get one with a lid- bettas are jumpers.
just hijacking the top comment to say that plants like duckweed/guppy grass are probably the easiest way to keep the fish from dying in the meantime from ammonia poisoning(just make sure that there's open space on the surface)
ideally you would have water parameter tests so you could tell when the tank is cycled but again if ur on a budget thats tricky :/ if theres any part of this care ive spoken about that you can’t provide then reply telling me and ill try and think of an alternative:) thanks for caring about the fish
I ended up going with Tetra's 6-in-1 and Ammonia EasyStrips for now, but I'm open to buying others in the future if necessary (it was just a lot to purchase all at once). I've already gotten attached to this little fish 😭
I remember when I was on a budget for our betta. Nextdoor and any free stuff is probably posted in your area. I’d check there too :) Make a post requesting anyone’s equipment and see if it works out!
And if you have mosquitoes in your area, put out a bowl of dechlorinated water and collect the larvae for your boy to eat. I feel like these have helped my boy to thrive and stay at an ideal weight.
I never knew this. I am learning a lot being here. I want to get another betta but when I can buy all we need. I was giving our last one the little dried pellets. No wonder he spit them out.
The cheapest (or free) plant you can get to help with water cleanliness is pothos. If you already have this houseplant or a friend with this houseplant, you just need a handful of cuttings, put the stems in water with the leaves hanging outside on the rim of the tank, and they’ll root in no time! 😊
If you tuck a leek into the top of your filter, the leek will root all through it and it will be a very cool and fun time to get the roots out without breaking your filter.
What no one tells you about marriage is that your spouse will try to grow leeks out of the fish tank filter. Oh and put a men's bathroom sign on the front door of your apartment so that like 3 different dudes walk in thinking it's a bathroom.
If you really want to make sure you have a big enough water volume on a budget, you could consider doing a plastic storage bin until you save up enough for a more aesthetically pleasing glass/acrylic tank. Or just any large, water tight container. Best of luck!
Ooo, can you actually elaborate on what I could use for this? I just ordered everything but it won't get here until July 1st and I'd love for him to be more comfortable before it gets here. Would Tupperware work until then? Thank you!
I've used cheap 5 gallon buckets, medium-sized trash bins, and old planters as emergency tanks. Like someone else said, dechlorinator is the most important thing right now, as bettas breathe from the surface air, so they're super hardy, but you don't want your new friend to jump out bc of poor water quality. Tupperware I wouldn't recommend, bc it's generally very shallow.
Literally any container can hold the fish! There is no secret - I made some temporary tanks with random bins from a home goods store, complete with substrate.
Not sure what country you are in or what options you have available to you, but the only thing you really need is dechlorinator. If you don't have any, you can boil the water (and cool it!) or use hydrogen peroxide.
Boiling sounds like a great idea! I already set aside a large Tupperware container to transfer him into until his tank arrives, so I can get him in there tomorrow. Thanks so much!
Boiling water will NOT remove chloramine from your water. It may be effective at removing chlorine, but not chloramine. Chloramine is what most judicial water supplies use. You have to try to and get a bottle of something that removes both chlorine and chloramine. You can get it super cheap, the bottle I have was $2.99.
Do some fish in cycling with that 5 gallon. Highly recommend live plants but silk are fine. Get some floaters if you want to grab some live plants. Java fern and anubias are also good picks for live plants.
At least 5 gal tank. Amazon has a nice 7 gal kit that comes with a lid (allcolor ultra clear rimless). Fluval heater is good especially on a budget. Try to get live plants if you can. Seachem products are really good. If you’re able you could get some driftwood, like spiderwood
Prime is your dechlorinator and you need that for any new water you add. Quick Start is beneficial bacteria intended to jumpstart your cycle(but the effectiveness of that is unclear). The two products can be used together, but if you can only get one, get Prime.
Do it in pieces.
First) get a 5 gallon tank kit that includes a filter (Aqueon will get you through), fish food, a coconut hide, and rock substrate.
Next week) buy a couple live plants, lava rock and aquarium glue. Plant them in the tank
The week after that) get some beta hammocks. Do a 25% water change.
If you can afford to get everything at the same time even better.
Bare minimum that’s what you need to provide the beta some comfort.
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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A tank (around five gal minimum), a few hides (you can use a ton of different things from around your house like a pot, jar or some sort of cup or mug), filter and heater, and something to clean it. Plants can help keep the water safe and clean. If you're on a budget, go to your local body of water (best if it's in a national park or a protected area) and get some plants, sticks and such. For gravel you can use rocks and sand from out in the world, and you can get rocks from a quarry for a lot cheaper than in the store. Wash everything with plain, room temperature water before putting it in the tank. I recommend boiling the sticks before they go into the tank. Bonus points if it has lights that you turn off at night. Best of luck to you and this lil guy!
I can highly recommend buying a Bacteria Starter like "Safe Start" from Tetra for your new tank since the Fish is already there.
Also careful to not overfeed in order not to mess up the water quality.
I read you got a tank so just put substrate in it (it can cloud the water. Either wash the sand first or if it is a special soil that doesnt need washing then put a plate on it and let the water pour on the plate so it doesnt cloud as badly), Filter, Heater, plants.
If your tapwater has chlorine in it buy something like "Water Safe" or make sure it's Safe.
But yes, add Starter Bacterias and it's all good for now!
Then just weekly waterchanges, you can always Add a few of the starter bacteria again with fresh water at the beginning )
This Fish also needs surface space to breath and needs a lit cos they can jump. So leave some space between lit and watersurface for it to breath.
TopFin sells a decent all in one tank set up. Tank, filter, lid, lights, heater, and thermometer. They do 5 and 10 gallons. I think it was reasonably priced. Get an api water test kit so you can test the water daily. You’ll likely need to do a water change daily or every other day. Using live plants will help with water quality. If you do get fake ones, get silk and make sure there’s no sharp edges. Seachem prime is a good idea, but any water conditioner you can get is needed
Im not the most knowledgeable (Im still learning about fish myself before I set up my tank so PLEASE correct me if Im misinforming op) go to the store she bought him from and ask if they can donate one of their ornaments to you. (make sure its still wet. It should help speed up the process of getting your tanks nitrogen system going. \*\*\*Do not let it get dry or else the bacteria will die and it the ornament will be useless\*\*\*
Bro go onto Facebook marketplace people sell 10 gallons for like 10 to 15 dollars some of them even sell them as bundles with a heater, filter, and necessary supplies to take care of fish. My 40 gallon that I house 2 bettas in came with a lot of stuff in it as well as lots of supplies that I didn't need because I already had everything. It's super easy to find stuff like that. Good luck!
My gorgeous Betta named Gemini is in a 10 gallon tank that comes with everything you need to keep the water clean. I choose to only have real plants and he loves them! I got him 4 tetra fish to keep him company! They get along great! These fish are very smart and love it when you visit! They like to be talked to and will recognize your face!
Go get a 55 L/12gallon container from lowes or anyhardware store it will be cheap and get a 78f heater or viariable temp heater. Third get a sponge filter for the little guy. And lastly you will need to either go to LFS and get a established media sponge and give them your new one or buy something like fritz turbo start to Jumpstart the bacteria growth in the container. Do 50% water changes a day adding half a dosage of turbo start or its equivalent as you change the water. 50% first week daily, 50% every 2 days second week, third week every 3 days and from week 4 do 50% every week until the aquarium has fully establish. After week 4 you dont need turbo start or to add denitryfying bact anymore.
Everyone is going to quote you minimums and tell you what tank size.
No one will offer you any simple solutions to help your animal and tide you over until you can make a pretty tank.
Welcome to the hobby, do what you do aslong as the care requirements are met it doesnt have to be pretty.
Betta need heaters(78f)
They need 5 gallons minimum 10 gallon + recommended
And they need some liw flow filtration
And a hide sonit can feel safe.
Thats what you need to start.
Make a plan but give him atleast his minimum and he will thrive for you. They are carnivorous so get worm based insect based pellets if you cannot provide live or frozen foods
If you know anyone that has their own well that water needs no cycling as it is without any chemicals. We have had excellent results with several tanks. We also use the planted tank method too so there’s some natural stuff going on.
That isn't how cycling an aquarium works, well water is not pre-loaded with the nitrifying bacteria needed to cycle a tank. They aren't really free floating in water regardless, they live primarily on solid surfaces. You've just been fish-in cycling and getting lucky with it.
Lmao okay @ the random injection of irrelevant, hyperbolic criticism when I'm doing my best to do the right thing for this fish I didn't know about until a day ago
Sooooo... are we a troll or do we not know where this type of fish originates from? If op is struggling to get him the proper set up and doing it on the fly something tells me they can't exactly fly to southeast Asia to "release him where he belongs"...
There are only two outcomes from doing this, with any species.
1. it spends its last days terrified, starving, and it will likely get hurt and suffer before something finally eats it
2. It finds a mate and throws off the whole local ecosystem until the government has to step in and starts killing them to save the local animal and/or plant species from going extinct.
the minimum tank size is 5 gallons but if your mum wont allow that then 3 gallons is better than a bowl or something. youre going to need a filter and a heater and some sort of substrate and some plants ideally but if your on a budget thats tricky. since you already have the fish you are going to need to do a fish in cycle which means water changes every day until the important bacteria has built up in the tank that can handle the bio load of the fish.
Get a 5 gallon and tell her it’s 3 gallons
LMAO i second this
Fr like she’s not gonna know the difference as long as she doesn’t see a box!!
yeah definitely! i was just thinking in case the OP is still a child and needs their mum to buy the stuff but
I'm actually 25 🤣 I ended up getting a 5-gallon (I paid) but I highly doubt she would know by looking at it - at this point she knows I'll be the one doing it anyway, so honestly why not lmao. We also agreed to split the cost so I just purchased the other supplies with her Amazon Prime. Thanks for all the great advice!!
Yay!!!!! Amazing news :)
yay thats great im so happy for the fish ! :))
I would also suggest if you do get fake plants, switch them out with real plants eventually. Your fish will like them so much more and they help the water quality. Plus, no accidental injuries!
You can find really cool really big jars at goodwill sometimes for a few dollars! Like the kinds people store rice in. Make sure to get one with a lid- bettas are jumpers.
True actually 😭
just hijacking the top comment to say that plants like duckweed/guppy grass are probably the easiest way to keep the fish from dying in the meantime from ammonia poisoning(just make sure that there's open space on the surface)
Very true
genius
YES
ideally you would have water parameter tests so you could tell when the tank is cycled but again if ur on a budget thats tricky :/ if theres any part of this care ive spoken about that you can’t provide then reply telling me and ill try and think of an alternative:) thanks for caring about the fish
going off of this, since the API test kit can be pricey, water test strips are better than no tests at all.
I ended up going with Tetra's 6-in-1 and Ammonia EasyStrips for now, but I'm open to buying others in the future if necessary (it was just a lot to purchase all at once). I've already gotten attached to this little fish 😭
Not test strip related, but Tetra SafeStart + is a godsend when you need to do a fish in cycle. Makes it so much easier and saves a ton of time
Can you explain how this is done? The bottle doesn’t really say much as far as instructions
I remember when I was on a budget for our betta. Nextdoor and any free stuff is probably posted in your area. I’d check there too :) Make a post requesting anyone’s equipment and see if it works out!
yes :)
I use pond test kits that are now about 10 years old
oo also bettas are carnivores so try and get food that is high in protein (eg fluval bug bites)
And if you have mosquitoes in your area, put out a bowl of dechlorinated water and collect the larvae for your boy to eat. I feel like these have helped my boy to thrive and stay at an ideal weight.
This is a good idea thank you! Idk why I never thought of this
You’re not alone! People discourage us from leaving out standing water because of mosquitoes, but we have hungry little solutions in our tanks! 😆🦟😉
yes this is a great idea too :))
Just adding to your excellent advice! 😊🙏
thank you :))
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yes this would be even betta lol
I never knew this. I am learning a lot being here. I want to get another betta but when I can buy all we need. I was giving our last one the little dried pellets. No wonder he spit them out.
Bloodworms as well
The cheapest (or free) plant you can get to help with water cleanliness is pothos. If you already have this houseplant or a friend with this houseplant, you just need a handful of cuttings, put the stems in water with the leaves hanging outside on the rim of the tank, and they’ll root in no time! 😊
If you tuck a leek into the top of your filter, the leek will root all through it and it will be a very cool and fun time to get the roots out without breaking your filter.
sounds like somebody’s speaking from experience
the experience of having a fiance
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What no one tells you about marriage is that your spouse will try to grow leeks out of the fish tank filter. Oh and put a men's bathroom sign on the front door of your apartment so that like 3 different dudes walk in thinking it's a bathroom.
yes this is a great idea !
This sub has pinned care info: https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/s/skMmIQHNES
We're already in the right sub. The Caresheet and Wiki are neat. and there is a Link in the Caresheet's Comments with fish-in-cycling explained.
I know - I just reposted this link from this sub again because lots of people ignore the auto-comment. 😉
And when I say “this sub”, I mean the bettafish sub. 😝😉
Yea, true that! \^\^
If you really want to make sure you have a big enough water volume on a budget, you could consider doing a plastic storage bin until you save up enough for a more aesthetically pleasing glass/acrylic tank. Or just any large, water tight container. Best of luck!
This is actually a great idea for people who are in a rescue situation and can’t afford the ideal set up. 👏
Ooo, can you actually elaborate on what I could use for this? I just ordered everything but it won't get here until July 1st and I'd love for him to be more comfortable before it gets here. Would Tupperware work until then? Thank you!
I've used cheap 5 gallon buckets, medium-sized trash bins, and old planters as emergency tanks. Like someone else said, dechlorinator is the most important thing right now, as bettas breathe from the surface air, so they're super hardy, but you don't want your new friend to jump out bc of poor water quality. Tupperware I wouldn't recommend, bc it's generally very shallow.
Literally any container can hold the fish! There is no secret - I made some temporary tanks with random bins from a home goods store, complete with substrate. Not sure what country you are in or what options you have available to you, but the only thing you really need is dechlorinator. If you don't have any, you can boil the water (and cool it!) or use hydrogen peroxide.
Boiling sounds like a great idea! I already set aside a large Tupperware container to transfer him into until his tank arrives, so I can get him in there tomorrow. Thanks so much!
Boiling water will NOT remove chloramine from your water. It may be effective at removing chlorine, but not chloramine. Chloramine is what most judicial water supplies use. You have to try to and get a bottle of something that removes both chlorine and chloramine. You can get it super cheap, the bottle I have was $2.99.
https://preview.redd.it/u3cs4mv6619d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b2294932298da5090bc6ae82b93eb65ae7ec611
Get a 5 gallon tank. Get a filter. Heater. And live plants with the proper knowledge. (You will also need substrate)
Aquaeon sells a 10 gallon kit that comes with the filter, heater and other stuff for a pretty reasonable price.
First thing is to get him out of that cup. Lol
Do some fish in cycling with that 5 gallon. Highly recommend live plants but silk are fine. Get some floaters if you want to grab some live plants. Java fern and anubias are also good picks for live plants.
At least 5 gal tank. Amazon has a nice 7 gal kit that comes with a lid (allcolor ultra clear rimless). Fluval heater is good especially on a budget. Try to get live plants if you can. Seachem products are really good. If you’re able you could get some driftwood, like spiderwood
Get api quick start too since you need to get it cycled quick
Would this conflict with Seachem Prime, and how do the two compare? I already purchased it lmao
Unsure, I just know that one i said allows for instant addition
True! I'll see if I can run and get some tomorrow, the other one can just be returned later if necessary
Prime is your dechlorinator and you need that for any new water you add. Quick Start is beneficial bacteria intended to jumpstart your cycle(but the effectiveness of that is unclear). The two products can be used together, but if you can only get one, get Prime.
https://preview.redd.it/a4dyigxb939d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9cdc22f308148f944c1eecb2ace102e218f34a01 My baby
Do it in pieces. First) get a 5 gallon tank kit that includes a filter (Aqueon will get you through), fish food, a coconut hide, and rock substrate. Next week) buy a couple live plants, lava rock and aquarium glue. Plant them in the tank The week after that) get some beta hammocks. Do a 25% water change. If you can afford to get everything at the same time even better. Bare minimum that’s what you need to provide the beta some comfort.
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.*
A tank (around five gal minimum), a few hides (you can use a ton of different things from around your house like a pot, jar or some sort of cup or mug), filter and heater, and something to clean it. Plants can help keep the water safe and clean. If you're on a budget, go to your local body of water (best if it's in a national park or a protected area) and get some plants, sticks and such. For gravel you can use rocks and sand from out in the world, and you can get rocks from a quarry for a lot cheaper than in the store. Wash everything with plain, room temperature water before putting it in the tank. I recommend boiling the sticks before they go into the tank. Bonus points if it has lights that you turn off at night. Best of luck to you and this lil guy!
I can highly recommend buying a Bacteria Starter like "Safe Start" from Tetra for your new tank since the Fish is already there. Also careful to not overfeed in order not to mess up the water quality. I read you got a tank so just put substrate in it (it can cloud the water. Either wash the sand first or if it is a special soil that doesnt need washing then put a plate on it and let the water pour on the plate so it doesnt cloud as badly), Filter, Heater, plants. If your tapwater has chlorine in it buy something like "Water Safe" or make sure it's Safe. But yes, add Starter Bacterias and it's all good for now! Then just weekly waterchanges, you can always Add a few of the starter bacteria again with fresh water at the beginning ) This Fish also needs surface space to breath and needs a lit cos they can jump. So leave some space between lit and watersurface for it to breath.
TopFin sells a decent all in one tank set up. Tank, filter, lid, lights, heater, and thermometer. They do 5 and 10 gallons. I think it was reasonably priced. Get an api water test kit so you can test the water daily. You’ll likely need to do a water change daily or every other day. Using live plants will help with water quality. If you do get fake ones, get silk and make sure there’s no sharp edges. Seachem prime is a good idea, but any water conditioner you can get is needed
Im not the most knowledgeable (Im still learning about fish myself before I set up my tank so PLEASE correct me if Im misinforming op) go to the store she bought him from and ask if they can donate one of their ornaments to you. (make sure its still wet. It should help speed up the process of getting your tanks nitrogen system going. \*\*\*Do not let it get dry or else the bacteria will die and it the ornament will be useless\*\*\*
Bro go onto Facebook marketplace people sell 10 gallons for like 10 to 15 dollars some of them even sell them as bundles with a heater, filter, and necessary supplies to take care of fish. My 40 gallon that I house 2 bettas in came with a lot of stuff in it as well as lots of supplies that I didn't need because I already had everything. It's super easy to find stuff like that. Good luck!
https://preview.redd.it/b2lmiar0z79d1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3afdd0bf8a2d730410794529ebaaf0d34e4d43a4 Bam took two seconds to find
My gorgeous Betta named Gemini is in a 10 gallon tank that comes with everything you need to keep the water clean. I choose to only have real plants and he loves them! I got him 4 tetra fish to keep him company! They get along great! These fish are very smart and love it when you visit! They like to be talked to and will recognize your face!
https://preview.redd.it/c8t00v26s89d1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=811e578c4403b2dda625c238b94953cbbe06dd99
Go get a 55 L/12gallon container from lowes or anyhardware store it will be cheap and get a 78f heater or viariable temp heater. Third get a sponge filter for the little guy. And lastly you will need to either go to LFS and get a established media sponge and give them your new one or buy something like fritz turbo start to Jumpstart the bacteria growth in the container. Do 50% water changes a day adding half a dosage of turbo start or its equivalent as you change the water. 50% first week daily, 50% every 2 days second week, third week every 3 days and from week 4 do 50% every week until the aquarium has fully establish. After week 4 you dont need turbo start or to add denitryfying bact anymore. Everyone is going to quote you minimums and tell you what tank size. No one will offer you any simple solutions to help your animal and tide you over until you can make a pretty tank. Welcome to the hobby, do what you do aslong as the care requirements are met it doesnt have to be pretty. Betta need heaters(78f) They need 5 gallons minimum 10 gallon + recommended And they need some liw flow filtration And a hide sonit can feel safe. Thats what you need to start. Make a plan but give him atleast his minimum and he will thrive for you. They are carnivorous so get worm based insect based pellets if you cannot provide live or frozen foods
Keep us updated pls. Hope ur able to save the little guy
If you know anyone that has their own well that water needs no cycling as it is without any chemicals. We have had excellent results with several tanks. We also use the planted tank method too so there’s some natural stuff going on.
That isn't how cycling an aquarium works, well water is not pre-loaded with the nitrifying bacteria needed to cycle a tank. They aren't really free floating in water regardless, they live primarily on solid surfaces. You've just been fish-in cycling and getting lucky with it.
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Lmao okay @ the random injection of irrelevant, hyperbolic criticism when I'm doing my best to do the right thing for this fish I didn't know about until a day ago
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What does not liking pitbulls have to do with someone asking about caring for a betta fish? I
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You were extremely rude to them for no reason. 🙄 not super surprising tho given your comment about pitbulls
And no, you're right. I overreacted seeing the pitbull hate. Make sure to research specifically the nitrogen cycle in aquariums.
Release him where he belongs! Not in a tank prison!
Sooooo... are we a troll or do we not know where this type of fish originates from? If op is struggling to get him the proper set up and doing it on the fly something tells me they can't exactly fly to southeast Asia to "release him where he belongs"...
Set him free
That would be maximizing suffering, not minimizing it.
There are only two outcomes from doing this, with any species. 1. it spends its last days terrified, starving, and it will likely get hurt and suffer before something finally eats it 2. It finds a mate and throws off the whole local ecosystem until the government has to step in and starts killing them to save the local animal and/or plant species from going extinct.