How do you move a betta fish from a bowl to a tank?

6 Responses to “How do you move a betta fish from a bowl to a tank?”

1. Lizzii says:

   May 10, 2009 at 7:26 pm

   How many gallons is the aquarium, and do you have a light, filter, and heater?
   You must have at least five gallons for a betta, make or female.

   How do you move him in there? Set up the tank and the filter and run it for about 2wks.
   What do I have to have prepared? Cycling, hiding spot, live plants (no fake, their fins are fragile and fake may hurt them)
   Yes you can add other fish. I'd add them before. You can add things such as mystery or apple snails, neon tetras, and cory cats.
   You can mate them, but it's hard because the male will kill the female because all the male wants is to mate and not share the babies. If you put the female in there without the male having a bubble nest, they will fight to the death. I hope you know mating bettas make a lot of male and female bettas which will eventually fight.
   References :
2. jccarson89 says:

   May 10, 2009 at 8:11 pm

   well pour him along with the water he is currently in into a plastic baggy try to match the temperature of the water in the new tank with that of the bowl after u fill the tank take the bag with your fish in it and place it in the new tank so he can adjust to the water temperature for atleast 12 hours. u HAVE to do this because the littlest difference in temp can cause him to go into shock and die. I made that mistake =(.
   i dont know about other fish i would out him in alone firs the gradually add more. Im sure that he and a femaile would mate because thats the circle of life haha.
   References :
   RIP Prilly
3. gremlin says:

   May 10, 2009 at 8:22 pm

   Set up the new tank with a filter and heater. Move some of the media from the current filter or some of the gravel from the current "bowl" into the new tank to start the bacterial colony. Let the tank run for a couple of days with no fish. Put a very small piece of food in twice a day to feed your bacterial colony. This will allow them to become somewhat established so they can handle the ammonia from the fish waste when you put in the fish. Move your male betta into the new tank. You can carefully pour the water and fish from the bowl over. You can also move the rest of the gravel over to add the bacteria from the current bowl to the colony in the larger tank. Make sure the water temps are within a couple of degrees of each other. I would be very careful what other fish you put in with your betta. Not so much because the betta will eat them, but because a lot of tropical fish will nip at the betta's fins. If you want to try other fish with your betta, make sure you have a back up tank in case they don't work out. As for breeding, it is not a good idea to have any other fish in with a breeding pair of bettas. The other fish will possibly eat the eggs of the bettas. Here is a link to a web site that has good information on bettas and other tropical fish. http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-Betta.htm
   References :
4. Mrs. Irwin says:

   May 10, 2009 at 8:53 pm

   Really all you need to do to move him over to the other tank, is to use the majority of his water and add it to the other tank. (have the tank set up and filter (if you have one) running already. He will be fine

   However, if you plan to add fish, I would wait atleast 24 hours before you add any other fish. That way your aquarium has the chance to make a compleltley cycle through. I would chose wisely when getting fish to put with him. You have to be careful that the fish arent too colorful, and dont have long fins (he will be mistaken as another betta, and your current betta will attack him) You also have to be sure not to pair your betta with fish who have a reputation of being "fin nippers" because they will find your betta irresistible.

   The best fish to match with your betta is going to be:
   - White Clouds (in the pet store they dont look like much they are really nice)
   - Snails (which will clean the sides of the tank)
   - Cory Catfish (albino would be the best, but the others are fine as well – a great bottom feeder)
   - Ghost Shrimp (good cleaners, however make sure they arent too small or they will be mistaken as food)
   - Khuli Loach
   - Zebra Danios

   All do fine with a betta. You can mate a male with a female betta, but it is a very precise process.

   You have to make sure your tank has a lot of plantation on the top to anchor a nest too (floatinf plants)You have to float the female in the males tank for a period of 2 – 4 days. Once the male constructs a bubble nest, you can release the female. If she doesnt respond to him, he will kill her. However, if she does they will mate, she will lay her eggs and as they fall to the bottom the male will collect them and put them up in the bubble nest. Once the mating is done you need to seperate them both again to heal and then leave them apart.
   References :
5. Jessica:) says:

   May 10, 2009 at 9:19 pm

   I have a betta fish too. He is in a one gallon but im probabily going to upgrade him to 2.5 gallon

   but anyways, here is how you move them, and some other stuffs.

   —-Moving The Betta—-

   1. Get a plastic cup and fill it with water from the fish bowl. (I saved the cup i bought him in so when i clean his tank i put him in that with the lid on so he doesn't jump out).
   2. take a fish net and scoop up your betta out of his bowl and put him into the cup.
   3. perpare the fish tank. (make sure to condition the water).some say its good to leave it running a day or two before so it is cycling.
   *make sure to leave some space in the aquarium for the water in the cup when you put in your fish, i forgot once and overfilled my tank and fish water got all over my floor:(.
   4. take the cup with the betta and float it on the top of the water so he gets used to the water and isn't just thrown in.
   5. after 10-15 minutes, stick one finger in the cup, and one in the tank. if they are about the same tempature then proseed to the next step, if not wait a few more minutes and try again.
   6.Slowly turn the cup and lower it so the betta fish can swim out.
   7. wait a day or two to get more fish after you put him in. He will be under stress when he is moved so he could be agressive to other fish coming into his "teritory".

   —-Preperation stuff—-
   1. have a fish net
   2. have water purifier
   3. aquaric plants to help start the algee grow.
   4. the statues and silk plants you plan on using in the tank.
   5. also look into having a thermometer in the tank.

   —-Breeding Bettas—-
   If you are going to breed betta fish you need a seperate 10 gallon tank. You will have to have a girl. It is very hard to accomplish because they can sometimes fight and kill one another so i wouldn't recomend it. But here's some info. http://www.oneworldinternetcafe.com/betta/breeding_betta_fish.html
   *and you cant have other fish in the tank if you are going to breed bettas.

   —-Fish I recomend—-
   Cory catfish. they clean the bottom of the tank
   Plecos. clean the glass of algee that would block your view
   Mollies. pretty:)
   Guppies. colorful males

   Compadability Chart:
   http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/freshwater_compatibility_chart.php
   If you know of a fish you may like to add, check this chart to see if they get along with bettas, or any other fish you have.
   References :
   Used to have alot of fish.
6. ham300274 says:

   May 10, 2009 at 10:09 pm

   Take the fish, get the new tank started and getting it running for about 24 hours, than just try to scoop it into the other tank/the tank
   References :
   zike, work with fish, i have done this before