Yes, my name is Benny....don't think its advisable to use rain water as it contains all sorts of dirt(try collecting rain water and let it settle for a day or 2, you will know what i mean...there will be a thick black layer of dirt at the bottom) I have not seen shops selling mosquito larvae...if you want to focus on show quality bettas, i would recommend you to keep it as simple as possible...if you want to plant plants, then you will have to focus on something like a planted tank(which costs a bomb) in order for the plant to grow...

for more pretty photos, check out www.aquabid.com, careful though, it's in USD.

I had use rain water before but i only collect when theres a real big rain...do not collect it when it just start to rain..let say 1hr later if the rain is still there then u may collect it & use those water..but i will also make sure no tiny debris inside my water..

but now with those superb home filter..i will rather use those + age them

if you're still insisting to use rain water, make sure the water goes through a mechanical filter (to filter out dirt and debris) and a UV filter to kill germs/bacteria before using the water on your fish.

Hello!

Benny>
Nice to meet you! XD You know, actually last time I used to use rain water for the fish but like you said, memang dangerous oso! As for the tap water... I'm having quite a debate with my father currently. He says according to his breeder friend, NO NEED to use anti-chlorine.... just leave the water overnight then next day no more chlorine adi.... I read that ppl leave tap water overnight because they wan the water to be room temperature so can sesuai for the fish. I read that leaving tap water overnight makes it aged water, right? Actually both ways oso can pakai right?

I know you already answered this question but my dad still INSISTS from with a tip from his breeder friend that algae is good for betta even after this. What I know is the fish can kena skin infection from algae... izzit Columnaris? Or lic?? I check on the net and all the website says that algae is bad for fish unless it's those DBKL fish la.... I would love to end this argument with my dad. LOL

And I did read up about aquatic plants... aquascaping more precisely... memang hard to maintain and cost a bomb. T__T I think I will go ask Slippery Little Suckers how to jaga the plants. Haha.

Will having plants in the aquarium compromise the quality of bettas?? Like if I want to raise mine to be a show betta. I thought bettas can jadi depress one if the bottle empty and nothing to do? Or izzit big aquariums can stress them? Cuz I also read that somewhere... in MAC forum, I think. Now I'm confused. Haha.

Thanks.

Inv>
Hey, thanks for the link again. The price... yes... it's USD... T_T What is a reasonable price for a nice HM?? My budget around RM20-40...

Thanks for the advise on rain water.

Newbiebetta>
LOL Nice to meet you! Thanks for the aged water tip. Do you keep your betta in an aquarium with plants since you mentioned home filter? If ya, pls tell me more cuz I would like to learn about it. XD Thanks again!

if i'm not wrong, algae/green water bloom increases ph levels. and it's also a tell-tale sign that there are A LOT of nutrients (read: nitrite/nitrate) in the water and that's not good for any fish. it may be good for fry because green water usually also means infusorians (i.e. fry food)

a good HM will not come cheap. most local breeders will only release on RM50 onwards (up to RM200+ a pair). RM20-RM40 can only get you the short tail version. just remember, most of the time, u get what u paid for if you buy from home breeders, different story if from shops although SLS's pricing is quite reasonable. Do read up on show standards before committing, it can be quite saddening to find out later that the betta that you bought for RM100+ does not even meet the show standard. caveat emptor

for show standards, a quite in-depth guide has been posted in www.bettas4all.nl and therefore the local society didn't think of posting a separate one (maybe i should convince them to post one up) ANYWAY either of these sites -> www.bettas4all.nl / www.bettakakis.com has a good write up on show standards for various tail-types. bettas4all.nl would be a better choice imho.

btw, i use aged tap water too. usually for 24 hours. i'll only use anti-chlorine if there's emergency (like forgot to fill up aged water tank).

fyi, all my bettas live in bare, 6x6inch jars.

This post has been edited by inv: Feb 13 2008, 02:10 PM

Inv>
Thanks again. XD About the nitrate level and stuff, this Java Moss ( http://www.bettatalk.com/java_moss.htm ) + Java Fern - http://www.bettatalk.com/buy_supplies.htm#plants (need to scroll down a bit hehe!) will makan the nitrat and fish tahi. But just too bad kenot order from that site... dun take international order... they got so many nice betta there oso...

Looks like I must up my budget if want a good HM adi... T__T Good bye ang pow money!!

Just curious, how many bettas do you own? Got pics??

This post has been edited by cirebonbetta: Feb 13 2008, 03:39 PM

u can get both java moss and java fern locally. i think SLS carries some.

currently, i have about 20-odd jarred betta, mostly of the dragon variety and pictures can be found at the BSM website under show betta and under threads started by minghan (my name btw).

Recently just bought some of the female betta to play with, although i dunno wat kind of variety is it, since it just stated female betta...
Dunno why the first eye i saw it, it was beautiful, then i didn't think much & grab few of them back..
Sorry for the blurr picture, as my cam. is just those normal cam, hard to capture movement pics.

This post has been edited by Foxngn: Feb 13 2008, 04:10 PM


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Inv>
I was just reading up BMS foruming and wondering who this Ming Han dude was. Rupa-rupanya it's YOU!!! LOL XD

Just registered. Checking it out.

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Added on February 13, 2008, 4:12 pmFoxngn>
Cute betta. I'm a newbie so dun mind me asking for educational purpose LOL, why got horizontal lines on the betta in the middle pic? Izzit stress ka? Or izzit just the pattern?

This post has been edited by cirebonbetta: Feb 13 2008, 04:12 PM

I'm newbie too la ..
Is their pattern, wild plakat..

I wonder if i use this type of betta to breed, can i choose those usual male betta to breed together with it ?

This post has been edited by Foxngn: Feb 13 2008, 04:22 PM

home filter is those big filter like diamond or nesh & those rocket like filter..lol..not aquarium type..i dint keep any betta anymore..

Ming Han,

Actually from my observation of my colleagues betta (they decorate the tank with plants, pebbles and ornaments), the betta is more active and somehow happier than our empty jars.

I wish I could give them that luxury but imagine the trouble during WC!

So to the newbie: if you want to decorate, go ahead. But if you have many bettas (like 20 plus), you will know what I mean about trouble during WC.

Fox>
Oh! XD Thank you for the enlightment! LOL

NewbieBetta>
LOLOL!! Sorry I salah sangka about the filter. HAHA. XD My bad. But eh, why never keep betta adi? Too mah fan?

Ivan>
Ya. If I am betta, I oso jadi happier if got plants inside. Keke. But for Ming Han, he keep 20 bettas... want to keep plant summore... kenot la... so tiring to clean up. XD I only thinking of keepin 2 bettas at the most so I think can jaga the plants la.

Come to think of it... it's not the price of the bottle/betta that will cost the bomb... it's the maintenance... especially if wan cantik aquarium + super healthy betta.

Sorry, n00b moment again, tapi apa itu WC?? LOL

WC = water changes

my betta keep on dying..expensive betta from Thai I bought all die 1 by 1 cause by fin rot..

tried ageing the water also same..so better stop..maybe its due to the water in my area..not very sure..haha

i got keep plants wad!!!! HAIR ALGAE FTW!!!

dont blame the water in your area j/k j/k...
i used to "give" my bettas fin rot also on a regular basis!! changed the way i aged water....i used to keep the indian almond leaf in the aged water...and apparently, you are not supposed to soak the leaf too long as it will start to become mouldy(grow fungus).

LOL!! XD

Ming Han>
Ei, dun la terasa. Hahahah. HAIR ALGAE?? VERY SMARTTTT. ROFL

NewbieBetta>
Wow. So sad one. T__T Like Benny said... maybe it's the way you aged the water or something something got to do with that??

Benny>
You mean kenot simply just aged the water kah? I know must put Seachem in the water to hapuskan the chloramine la... but other than that? boleh ajar any other technique on how to aged water and how to prevent the bettas from kena fin rot? And Indian almond leaf (ketapang) soak in water is good right? So you recommend how long to soak? 2 days??

cirebon,

if you use seachem, don't need to age your water already.
Seachem is a good and expensive water conditioner.
Just put 1 drop into your jar and you can put your betta in 5 minutes.

There is also no hard and fast rule about aging water, if you want to do it.
Some people soak the ketapang for a few hours, some leave it in the entire time.
What I normally do is leave it in. If it grows moldy, I throw everything away and do a complete WC.
Some people add salt, some people don't.
Some people use special ingredients, some people don't.
Some people age a minimum of 2 days, some people age a minimum of 1.

The best thing I learnt from another hobbyist is this:
Don't become a slave to your betta. They are there for your enjoyment. Do whatever that is most convenient for you.

So in short, whatever makes you happy, can already.

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Added on February 14, 2008, 11:40 ammuahahahha! Don't be so humble lah.
Got other types of algae bloom in your tank.
Then last time got water lettuce also, kakakka!

Eh, want to try putting java moss ka?



This post has been edited by ivanlim: Feb 14 2008, 11:40 AM