Fish bros, hear my call: I love animals. Always have, always

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My apologies for the sideways pictures I'm taking these on my phone. Here's the dude. He seems okay. Also that plastic shit is because the filter current was too strong I think so I slowed it down and directed the current down so he can relax and not have to fight it 24/7. He went in his house a second ago so I think he's just checking shit out.

Next week I'm gonna get 3-4 small non-nipping fish that can chill in there with him. I don't wanna wait too long because I don't want him to get territorial.

>>2283095
I'd've gotten a 10 gal for the money, but 5.5 is a fine size for him.
Why isn't the tank filled all the way and why is the lid taken off?
Adjustable heaters tend to be better in case you ever need to increase the temp to treat disease. A 25W heater is sufficient, but the smallest PetSmart sells is 50W.
Are the bloodworms frozen or freeze dried? If you're going to feed dried food, pellets are better than flakes. Dried bloodworms are okay, but you want to soak them beforehand.
PH and whatnot aren't that important. You should have some way of checking the ammonia and nitrite, though. At least for the first 6-8 weeks, you should feed him very lightly (he only needs 2 or 3 mouthfuls of food a day) and change the water out regularly (25% once a week or so), so the levels shouldn't get out of control.

>>2283112
You're probably right about the 10 gallon. I initially was going to but the bitch at the store talked me out of it. I took some water out of the tank because the waterfall from the filter would be submerged otherwise but I can add more if that's fine. The worms and stuff are dried. Thanks for the tips. I'll get something to test the ammonia and nitrate levels. The top was off for pics only.

Also she tried to talk me out of a heater but I knew it didn't sound right so I bought it anyway. Animal instinct says animals always need a hiding place, a resting place, and a heater. I may not know dick about fish but I've had tons of snakes.

>>2283116
Yeah, pet store workers can be like that. I don't get it. Maybe if this goes well you can upgrade him to a 29 or something and get him some buds.
As long as the filter is moving the water surface, it's fine.
You can take some water to the store and they'll test it for free using Tetra strips. If you're going to buy a kit yourself, the API Freshwater Master Test Kit is the amateur favorite for water tests. A lot more accurate than the strips, though the strips will work in a pinch.
Side note: don't worry too much about the ammonia and nitrite readings if the betta looks fine and is behaving normally. For reasons I don't really want to get into, ammonia isn't as bad as it looks on the surface. Just try and keep them low on the scale and watch out for signs of illness (white spots like salt grains, fuzzy growths, bloat, lethargy, loss of appetite).

[spoiler]I really want you to hook up an air pump to the house [/spoiler]

>>2283120
I live in a loft downtown so I don't know how possible it would be to hook up anything extra up. Do you think I should look into any live plants to raise the oxygen levels a bit?

>>2283132
An air pump just plugs into the wall. Don't worry about it, I was being facetious (mostly). I talked about plants in the other thread >>2283155.

Sage to contain this to /aq/.

>>2283095
>live animal for not only a gift exchange, but a random gift exchange where you don't even know who will end up with your gift

Wow, I hate people. Thank you for taking care of the fish anon.

>>2283095
I hope you didn't just spend $100+ on a 5 gallon.

Thanks for doing right for this little creature, anon. Does he have a name?

I had a childhood beta that jumped out of his bowl and died, so maybe you need a lid for your tank. I don't know much about fish though. Haven't really had one since hildhood.

Just dropping by some basic info on Betta keeping. Many years ago I was given a Betta and it kickstarted my entire interest in aquaria, and associated biology.

Betta will most likely attack other fish/vertibrea you try to introduce to the tank.

Betta are native to tropical puddles and do best in water with little to no current, filters blasting their return into the water column can make it hard for them to swim.

Being puddle dwelling fish, they have the ability to jump from puddle to puddle, it may be a wise move to cover the tank.

Even under healthy water conditions Betta are susceptible to 'fin rot' any time their fins are damaged, and this may be the most common issue you will have to treat.

If you want to learn more about aquarium keeping the most important beginner lesson would be understanding the nitrogen cycle and how it can initially affect your fishes overall well-being when starting a new tank.

>>2284370
>Betta will most likely attack other fish/vertibrea you try to introduce to the tank.
>Betta are native to tropical puddles
Why even bother posting?

>$166 on his ass at PetSmart today. The tank is 5.5 gallons.
You fucked up bad

>>2284377

I was baiting the experts out to share their knowledge, thanks for your contribution.

I thought i told you to throw your decor and gravel into the trash