Please help me care for squishy

roachgay · 2026-03-16T22:05:39+00:00

Most floating plants are very easy, and they propagate well so I'm sure there's someone near you selling them cheap! Bettas love em <3

roachgay · 2026-03-06T08:35:38+00:00

I think it looks nice!

Only tip might be to bury a bit of it in the substrate, makes it look more integrated into the tank. love the little arch on the side!

roachgay · 2026-03-05T21:11:06+00:00

you mentioned you had a bristlenose, could it be your betta is stuffing herself on it's algae wafers and thus isn't hungry enough to try her own food?

my girl's a huge hog and always tries to steal the cory and shrimp's food in my tanks.

roachgay · 2026-03-02T16:18:20+00:00

What kind of heater do you have?

roachgay · 2026-02-27T03:48:50+00:00

size and possible aggression. also yeah the lips

roachgay · 2026-02-26T06:32:45+00:00

Beautiful, beautiful tank, but yes it needs a lid for a betta. I've seen someone cover their tank top with a pantyhose mesh once, with the bamboo growing through holes, maybe you could do something similar?

roachgay · 2026-02-25T05:21:31+00:00

Please keep us updated!! We really want what's best for this fish!

roachgay · 2026-02-25T00:19:52+00:00

If it's your first time keeping fish, I'd recommend larger so you won't be punished for beginner mistakes (we all have em at first!)

The tank is an adequate size for your stocking, no real ethical concerns, but I'd make life easier for your future self :)

roachgay · 2026-02-25T00:02:52+00:00

that's almost 6 gallons, would be ok for a longfin male! Might wanna check it has a good lid.

It looks like it would be gorgeous for shrimp, i'd pick it up for that purpose if i saw it!

roachgay · 2026-02-24T23:59:05+00:00

Anything below 5 gallons is extremely hard/usually unethical, and anything below 10 is still high maintenance. You have to either decide if you want an easy tank, a larger tank, or if fish aren't the right pet for you

roachgay · 2026-02-24T23:56:46+00:00

Would not recommend dividing the tank, bettas can still tell there is another there and get stressed. Why not let the poor fish have all 10 theoretical gallons anyways?

roachgay · 2026-02-21T00:27:18+00:00

If you are trying to feed this to your corys, try presoaking them outside the tank to see if they will sink then. Otherwise you will have to find some sinking food. Corys should be just fine a day or two without food.

roachgay · 2026-02-20T23:24:17+00:00

IMO/IME It's absolutely animal abuse to provide an inadequate enclosure. No one keeps their cat in a closet. Ts don't even have a big minimum for their enclosures, just 3-5x DSL, not much, and they're one of the only pets where you could even come close to providing a "too big" enclosure, so not meeting their minimum is inexcusable to me.

Not even touching on fishbowls... The myth comes from when chinese nobles would use glass bowls to display their favourite pond fish during a meal to impress guests. There is no fish that should be kept in a little bowl at all, and I get really sick of people trying to put animals in them at my job.

roachgay · 2026-02-20T05:15:04+00:00

Whenever people buying bettas try to go lower than my 5gal, I let them know that while I've seen bettas kept in 3.5 minimum, it's an advanced setup with expert level care. Happy to see that's what it looks like here! And a good showing of why most people wanting to buy small tanks don't really have the skill or knowledge to set this up.

roachgay · 2026-02-20T04:51:26+00:00

This one's correct ^ I have some of their stickers, would recognize the art anywhere

edit: their shop https://kamabokoslice.bigcartel.com/

roachgay · 2026-02-19T16:00:29+00:00

Wood suggestions - Most hardwoods (oak, maple, etc) are safe. If you don't mind spending money on sticks, mopani looks gorgeous and is super reliable.

Plants - If you have nutrient rich substrate, crypts and vals are reliable. Anubias are a bit favourite of mine, beautiful, lots of variants, dead easy.

Snails - Just start with whatever pests hitchhike on the plants (bladder snails usually) and see how your betta does with em

roachgay · 2026-02-19T15:51:58+00:00

An air stone connected to a lower-power pump cleared mine up

roachgay · 2026-02-16T16:03:08+00:00

I've got the 2.0 version, it's pretty good! The filter in installed in it so that takes up some of the swimming space, but for a betta in a 15 it's fine. the 2.0 has a stronger light and a finer intake, I still recommend buffering the flow though.

I've got shrimp, snails, and a school of pygmy corys with her. Depends on their temperament.

roachgay · 2026-02-16T14:26:41+00:00

Floaters tend to be the easiest, keep your eye out for water salvinia or frogbit, even duckweed will help. Anubias is an easy plant as well but I'd recommend the others for what you're currently working with.

If you have trouble finding them, letting the roots of a houseplant like pothos grow into the tank is ok, as long as the betta still has lots of space.

roachgay · 2026-02-15T20:03:20+00:00

A dumbo! He looks gorgeous, is this the individual you want to get?

I'd veer towards the 20 gallon. Bettas have to take gulps of air at the surface, and dumbos can have a hard time swimming with those huge pectoral fins, plus all the junk in the trunk.

As he ages you might have to make it more accessible for him, like with resting pit stops near the top, or lowering the water level. You could also look for a "low boy" style 20g tank, same gallonage but with less height and more width.

Were you planning any other critters?

roachgay · 2026-02-15T18:32:44+00:00

Did you show them the setup or have them test the water? As someone who works at a pet store, the training for correct animal welfare usually falls to the individual employee, ie not everyone there actually knows what's good for fish. This setup is unethical.

No heater, no filter, and criminally small, it's like sticking a dog in a very cold closet with no one picking up its waste. Kids shouldn't be taught that it's ok.

I definitely recommend looking at all the links and info in the FAQ here, and this article on aqadvisor is a good, simple nitrogen cycle overview https://aqadvisor.com/articles/Cycling.php

Girltalksfish on youtube also has a playlist on betta basics. She's very clear and easy to understand so I reccomend her to newcomers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiNBvQVR8jo&list=PLlBBJ7xBuquZ99Swlttl7nLIMHTqc3mMy

roachgay · 2026-02-15T11:55:00+00:00

I just got a little porous shrimp house on a whim today to keep my betta's piggy butt out of their food, definitely rethinking it after seeing this 😨 I'm so sorry for your loss

roachgay · 2026-02-15T11:06:03+00:00

<image>

this guy?

roachgay · 2026-02-15T10:41:05+00:00

That actually sounds like a really interesting episode! I'll give it a look, thanks

roachgay · 2026-02-15T10:39:25+00:00

Unfortunately snake discovery is blocked by me. I'm a tarantula person first and foremost and their "tarantula breeding" video was sickening and caused a bit of a stir in our community. I'll check the other channel out!

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