Queenslander joining :)

[jasper the fish]

Good evening everyone

My name is Chantelle, I just turned 21 and I'm from Cairns QLD. I have only just recently gotten into the hobby of fish keeping. When I was little, my parents had a huge aquarium full of goldfish, fantails, snails, some other interesting breeds and what not. After they had to sell the tank when I was 13, I didn't think much of it until I suddenly really want to keep fish again. They sold it because it was a very very large tank, and with everyone growing up they found hardly any time to keep maintaining it with their busy schedules.

I really needed a friend I could raise and be with (I love pets). But I decided that with my university life, I couldn't have the time to keep a dog or a cat or a bird, since these animals need almost 24-hour-attention to keep them happy and they hate being left alone during the day. At first I decided on getting a fantail fish, but after reading on what fantails like, I found that they hate small spaces and love to go swimming in big tanks. I can't maintain a big tank, and I have a small 13L fish bowl that a lady at the pet store suggested to me for goldfish. Terrible, I know! I don't think I trust what many pet stores say anymore, because I learned that pretty much all fish hate something so small!!

I still really wanted something in this tiny tank and I had to think that there must be something I can keep in this bowl. I thought maybe just raise snails by themselves. But then someone suggested a Betta fish and I loved the idea. I think 13L is still a small bowl, and I know that at some point, Betta must love big spaces too. But this is all I have for now and I think the betta fish I rescued from the pet store jar is happy with his new home. I'm sorry if I don't sound experienced, because I'm not, but I really love this hobby, and I hope that when I'm finished with school I can maintain a bigger tank than this little bowl! This little betta is just my start . The bowl itself had been cycling for probably 2 months, because it took me a really long time to decide on what I actually wanted in there.

The pet store that we have in my area is pretty bad with it's betta fish. Almost all of them looked sickly and sad! There were only two in particular that looked extremely healthy (tails flaring up in a nicer way, good colour, good shape, good swimming in the little space they had). There was a small red betta that caught my eye and it was very curious towards me. I decided to get this betta, even though that even as a beginner I could definitely tell there was something sickly about this fish. I wanted to get him out of that small dirty jar and see if he would get better if I treat him. That's also why I decided to join this forum because I've been reading a lot about betta fin rot and other illnesses that I wanted opinions on! I bought this fish 5 days ago and since then I have had to change the water 100% twice, with aquarium salt and conditioner for the water. I haven't yet decided on a fin rot medicine product to use, since some people have been telling me that it is not fin rot, but that's for another thread. The temperature of the water has been naturally warm from the climate of my house so there is no heater yet (I might use one in winter when it drops to 18*c)

Anyway I'll save all that for another time. Sorry for the super long intro, I just really love my fish. In case you didn't recognize from my name, his name is Jasper. I really want him to live long and healthy and I want to help him with his fins. Nice to meet everyone, if someone as inexperienced as myself is welcome here, that is.

[maddzvk]

long intros are good! means we know more about you.
i spose after goldfish 13L seems tiny but for a betta that's actually quite a nice tank size though
definately better than what 99% of shops keep them in
if he is a bit sick salt and regular water changes will always help and the swimming room as well will help keep water quality better for longer and will also give him some space to exercise his fins and things swimming
plenty of infos around here and plenty of fish as well
good luck

[jasper the fish]

thank you! i'm happy i found the right kind of fish to keep in this tank size and i was really surprised that my betta was so smart too. they are the best