what do you need to know for bettas?

- First of all, males should be kept solitary. You cannot keep males and males together, or males and females. Females can be kept together under certain conditions.

- There are a lot of myths surrounding bettas, such as that they prefer smaller spaces, dirty water, etc. These are 100 percent false. You want to get a tank of at least a gallon, preferably at least 2.5 gallons, and 5 would be even better. A 1 gallon tank will have to be changed every 3 days to keep your betta healthy, a 2.5 changed once a week, etc.

- Bettas are tropical fish, and do best at temperatures of 76-80 degrees. Below that, they can become sluggish, dull, and inactive. You may have to get a small heater for your betta if your room temperature isn't warm enough.

- Bettas have a special organ called a labyrinth. This organ allows them to breath air from the surface. Because of this, they don't require any additional aeration in their tanks.

- Bettas can and do jump! No matter what tank you end up getting, make sure it has a lid. Even a small gap can be jumped through - I once lost a betta after he jumped through a crack between the edge of his tank and his lid that was 1/2 an inch big.

- Bettas should be fed twice a day, small meals morning and night. It's advisable to skip a day of feeding once a week to help prevent constipation. Get a good pellet food, such as Hikari Bio-Gold - most bettas don't like flakes.

- Make sure you add water conditioner to your betta's water with each water change. The water conditioner removes harmful chemicals such as chlorine which can kill your fish very quickly.

That's pretty much it for basic information. If you want to learn more, feel free to e-mail me or check out some of the sites I've included.

Good luck! Bettas make great little pets given proper care and conditons...they have such wonderful little personalities!

Hi. The only other thing I can add to what's already been said is to not change the water too often. It can cause shock to their systems and actually kill them. That can also happen if the water's too hot. I learned that the hard way with my first pair of bettas, Alpha and Beta. My new ones, Abbott and Costello, are doing very well. They're in a 2.5 gal tank. I change the water once every 1 1/2 to 2 weeks, and they seem happy with that. I've had them for 4 months now. Also, keep a thermometer in the tank. Hot water straight from the tap can reach 90 degrees plus. Don't forget the water conditioner. Oh, and filters aren't actually necessary. In fact, the noise and bubbles from filters can actually disturb some bettas.

Well for one, yes they are fighting fish, but, there are also some exceptions that they can get along with some other fish. You should at last keep them in a 1 gallon tank. =D

http://www.ultimatebettas.com/index.php?showtopic=...

That right there is everything you would need to know.

The absolute minimum size tank for a betta is 1 gallon but really something larger than 2 gallons should be used.

You don't need a filter but you will have to do lots of water changes than to keep your bettas healthy.

Bettas eat a varied and carnivorus diet that should include a good staple like prepared pellets and than other treats thrown in regularly like bloodworms and brine shrimp.

You can't keep males in the same tank but females may be house in schools of 5+ if housed in a tank larger than 20 gallons.

Anything else you would need to know is listed on that caresheet. Its a great resource and I highly reccomend it.

they are tropical fish and should be kept with a heater

a 5 gallon tank would be nice with some live plants and a filter

Just like everyone else said, they fight a lot. They will sometimes kill each other. Keep them in separate tanks.

males don't mix or will fight to death.

They can live in tiny jars

with mating take great caution

they can get a lot of diseases