Questions about Betta's?

this is my answer for a similar question reworded where needed.

I've have had many bettas and currently have 15. they do NOT "like" to be in those tiny bowls, they survive in them, but not thrive. besides the fact that they're tiny they're also darn near impossible to keep heated without frying the fish. and yes, bettas are tropical fish and room temp is just to cold for them, when kept at room temp they become weak and more prone to diseases. think about it this way... would you rather be kept in a tiny cold closet or a nice big comfy house with furniture and decorations and a toilet?

bettas live in rice paddies and slow moving streams naturally. they have their own LARGE but shallow territory. during the dry season the paddies dry up to large puddles (hence the myth they live in muddy puddles, which turned into other ones like a wet hoofprint of an ox, ect) (I don't don't know where on earth the guy above got the idea that they are NATURALLY found in whiskey bottles... no fish is naturally found in a bottle).

for optimum betta health (and believe me I've tried a lot of things):

1. a filtered (I'm not a huge fan of sponge filters, but they work for some people) and heated tank of at least 2.5gallons with a few silk plants (if you get a filter you never need to do full water changes)

2. feed your betta 4-6 pellets a day. best if done 2-3 twice a day. feed a pea (thaw a frozen pea in hot water until room temp, peal of the skin and feed the insides to your betta) once or twice a month to pervent constipation.

4. a variety of foods is good, if you can fined frozen(not freeze dried, freeze dried has very little nutrients left and should only be used as a treat) or live foods.

5. anything 2 gallons or less without a filter needs to have full water changes twice a week. anything 3-5 gallons without a filter should have full water changes once a week.

6. temps of about 78°F to 82°F are ideal, but make sure you're keeping it at least 72°F

7. males can't be kept with other bettas, but make great additions to community tanks with peaceful tropicals.

8. females can be housed with other females if they're in groups of at least 3 but preferably 5 with 2 gallons for every fish. females can also work in a community tank.

if you have any farther questions feel free to email me:

some things that are in my tank are one plant ( the number of plants u have depends on the size of ur tank), any brand, some rocks/pebbels, and special water! The water can be regullar water but first u have to condition it with is (i perfer) "BETTA plus Bowl Conditioner" made by "NUTRAFIN"!!! This makes the water more sufficiant for the betta to breath in!!! I use blood worms (freeze dried) manufactured by AquaSelect!! My fish loves it!!! And bettas do not need filtering because they have special air sacks in them to help them breath w/o a filter!!!! So u dont need to worry about that!!! And also, please dont put another betta in there (im sure u already no), male bettas fight to the death and the male, after mating, will KILL the female and then take care of the babies(eggs/guppies)!!! Right now the betta i have is sorta boering but i have had many i have loved alot and were really fun!!!! Also remember that bettas like room to swim and dont really like being crowded w/ plants and other things!!! Also u will need a net because when ur water gets dirty u will need a net to capture ur fish and put him into a bowl full of the CONDITIONED water!! u will have to/should clean the bowl about 1-2 times a month depending on how dirty ur water gets!!!

Bettas are very nice fish, and very easy to raise. They can go for a month without feeding.

Actually, filtration/oxygen is completely optional, because bettas have labyrinths inside their bodies that let them 'breathe' air directly from the surface of the water.

For my betta, I have simply betta bites and some freeze-dried bloodworms. Bettas are pretty hardy, so don't worry. Just know that they ARE aggressive fish, and will go after other bettas (NEVER buy 2 and put them in the same tank without a barrier between) and will tear up the tails of goldfish or other fish with flashy tails.

Otherwise, try to keep the temperature of the fish tank warm. Bettas are tropical fish, and fish are cold blooded, so your betta will get pretty sluggish if the water's too cold.

Not much more to it! Happy fish-keeping!

Bettas are really great. Go get yourself a 3-5g marineland eclipse system tank. Some fabric plants and a cave or hidey hole. Buy some Hikari Gold pellets and some freeze dried bloodworms.

The eclipse systems have a bio filter and carbon filter. All my bettas are housed in these tanks and they love it.

Best part is I can have small corys and ghost shrimp in the tank for cleanup.

Please remember its 1 male betta per tank.

I had a Betta named mouse. He was one of my best friends. They really are good pets to have. They don't require that much care. You'll need:

food (brands don't matter that much although Mouse liked the pellets better than flakes)

net

bowl

water conditioner

a plant or rocks (optional but festive)

I think that's about it. You don't need to use a filter. Most people don't. My sister uses one, but I don't. It shouldn't make a difference.

aaah , bettas . my specialty

there are 2 types of popular males to start off with

the basic long tail and the crowntail (crowntail looks better and more firce)

Next:lots of people like to keep them in small jars and stuff , Dont do that! it seams cruel to me and think about it , would u like to live in a cramped jar? keep them in a descent size tank , even a 1 gallon tank is good.you dont need a filter or bubbler .they are low maintenance fish. I keep my beta(s), there babies, in a 10 gallon fishtank with a filter and i make my own food.i get a bunch of food and i grind it by hand into almost powder.(only because thier young).betta pellets are made allready to feed adult bettas.bettas like plants so swim in and rub against.NEVER PUT TWO ADULT MALES TOGETHER OR THEY WILL FIGHT AND PROBABLY KILL EACHOTHER AND IF THEY DO SURVIVE THEY WILL LOOK HORRABLE.bettas,male and female,will go with any other fish as long as there arent 2 males together .you can have any amount of females together tho.anyother questions , email me at lallyplayad@yahoo.com and i will get back to you.happy "bettaing" (what i call it) lol. congrats

for betas all you need is a small tank some marbles or gravel in the bottom of the tank and some kind of floating vegetation (we use a small part of a aquarium plant that fell off) that is absolutely all you need. My kids have 2 apiece and they have been doin fine for years now

i have a betta called DRG. He doesn't seem to need much...

-food (he likes pellets)

-a tank (he has a small one)

-conditioner

-some fake plants (he hides in them)

yeah...i also put gravel underneath to anchor the "trees"... DRG doesn't seem to care much about it...

we have a betta "Rocky" and i pretty much keep it simple. he is in a fish bowl with pretty blue stones, (he's blue). i change his water quite often and he prefers flakes not pellets. i think it depends on the fish what they will eat. i don't think they really need a huge fish tank. but i guess that would work

Their natural habitat in Thailand is old whiskey bottles. This is recycling the bottles, good for the environment!

I go to Thailand about once a year. I can buy a betta for about 5 Bhat (16¢) and take him to the fights. Not like bettas exported to USA. Short fins and far meaner. I have won much money fighting bettas. I plan to retire there and go pro with betta fighting.