Help a newbie with a betta please?

[Sushiandunagi]

My son decided he wanted a betta. I’ be never had fish before I have no idea what these are like! We went to the shop and bought a 25l tank for it, the shop assistant said we should run the tank for 10 days prior to getting fish and gave us some water conditioner and bio-boost. I also got some sand. Is it right that you need to wait for 10 days before getting a betta so that the tank can have the right conditions? Do I need to get plans as well? The tank we chose doesn’t have a lid and I’ve just read that Bettas like to jump? Basically, what do we need to keep fish safe and happy please?

You need a significantly bigger tank for a start. You need to research too as it’s unfair to just get fish with no Idea how to care for them.

A tiny, empty tank sounds like a miserable life for a fish.

You need to cycle the tank before you put a fish in it otherwise, good chance it will die. https://fishlab.com/how-to-cycle-aquarium/

Cycling the tank means the water contains all the good bacteria etc to deal with the waste that a fish will produce - eg poo!

Betta's can jump so yes - try get a lid. 25L is a little small but as long as you don't put more fish in, it should be fine for a single Betta and a couple of snails. The males are solitary. You'll also need plants - either real or plastic.

There's alot to know about keeping fish. Tank needs to be cycled, tou need to buy some water testing strips to check water conditions. If you see nitrates in the water you'll need to do water change.
Also you'll need a filter, and a heater for the tank.
They are lovely fish, can get them in some lovely colours. I have one who is light blue.

@Twynklebell @Curlymam88 thanks so much for your replies! The aquarium we bought had a heater, filter and a light. But I’m going to exchange it tomorrow for the one with a lid.
Yup, betta is going to be there by himself well, him and a couple of snails probably. The video on cycling was very helpful, thanks 🙏

Get a decent water test kit as well - they're not cheap initially but will save a lot of hassle and they last ages. Its also a great way of teaching kids about chemisty as you can see the progression of the changes in the water. Good luck!

Actually betta fish are happy in a smallish tank.
Op, you’d need longer than 10 days to cycle the tank. Did you buy all the water testing stuff?

@LegalAlienated yup, now have all the equipment! The tank is all set up and running, it’s actually pretty exciting 🥰

@Sushiandunagi How are you getting on?

Not too bad thank you @LegalAlienated. Our little beta seem to be a happy little chappy. I think I definitely underestimated how much work cleaning the aquarium is going to be and I'm learning as I’m going along. My DS is very happy with his new pet, spends ages watching him swim so that’s all that matters really.

I thought mine was dead this week. But I think he was just sleeping. He was really still and wasn't moving when I tapped the glass. When I went in to what I thought was to scoop him out dead he came to life. Frightened me 😰
I also saw him yawning this week which I've not seen him do before but I read that it's to do with him washing his gills?
Anyone else's betta do the same things?

@Curlymam88 when fish sleep they are pretty still. Is your betta flaring gills? If so it could be territorial or your fish might be stressed. Are water parameters ok? Temp, ammonia, etc?

@Sushiandunagi nope I don't think its territorial, he's a pretty chilled fish. First thing I did was check water for nitrates etc and I bought a separate ammonia testing kit just incase. But all fine. I have a thermometer at the top of my tank that I've blue tacked to the top of the lid so I can keep a constant check on temperature. But he must have just been having a really good sleep and didn't want to wake up quite yet. Frightened me though 😆

@Sushiandunagi what colour betta did you get?

An API freshwater test kit is a must. Any issues your betta may have will be caused by high ammonia 99.99% of the time. Cycles crash and ammonia can spike out of the blue.

Unfortunately those bottled bacteria don’t instantly cycle your tank, you still have to provide the bacteria with an ammonia source, wait for them to colonise and produce nitrites, and then wait even for longer for colonies that produce nitrates.

Bettas are like puppies, you will love yours. It’s gut-wrenching to watch them suffer in poor water parameters, get the test kit!

@2men3eyebrows not sure if you've read all the posts tidy but we all have the testing kits here. We were just general chit chatting about things. No fish on here is suffering from poor water parameters.

Whoops, didn’t read the full thread. Thought this was a beginner looking for advice. Apologies OP!

Could we have a pic pleas OP?
I love bettas!