Betta Fighting Fish? Help, please!?

First of all, while they are relatively easy to care for, they are a living thing with needs. I hope you have been testing the water for at least Ammonia and Nitrites.

Temperature - you want upper 70's and you want a consistent temperature. It is easier to do this actually with a larger tank. Large temperature swings stress the fish.

Tank size... Go for as big as is practical. Bigger tanks are easier to keep at a constant temperature as well as need less care since it can be closer to an actual ecosystem, as well as giving you time before water problems become bad. 15 does sound like a bit much for one fish. My guess is this advice was for putting him in a community aquarium, which can be problematic.

Water changes. You have two choices here. Option one - change it all and you take care of all the wastes. Option two - have some form of a biological filter to take care of the ammonia and other fish wastes. Either option can work. Water changes do stress the fish, but no where near as much as swimming in toxic wastes. Swimming against a current from a filter is also stressful though.

Food. For a day in, day out food, a betta pellet would be better than bloodworms, but he will love the treat of the bloodworms. Try for a variety.

Dead and decaying biomatter (fallen leaves, etc.) adds to the bioload for the tank and will create ammonia which is toxic. If you have an active biofilter, it will probably raise your Nitrates and make you want to do more water changes.

I will try to respond to each important issue

Question

For a good guide to follow choose one book guide preferably which you can buy in a pet store usually and stick to it.

They are said to be extremely hardy, and do not need much care. this is true generally

to maintain the temperature firstly you should buy a thermometer which will tell you how big the fluctuations actually are and if you need a heater for your particular situation.

moving the tank around wil also cause stress, so if you can afford a larger tank (I recommend 5-10 gallons) Larger tanks require less maintenance and water changes, and temperature does not change so much inside. you can also keep your betta with mollies and platys and they will usually get along but avoid barbs and tetras that like to nip fins remember one inch of fish body length to one gallon of tank water.

set it up where you want it and your fish should be fine. if you choose your bedroom, a heater with a thermostat to keep the temp at a certain level and a full hood will solve your cat and aircondition problems most likely, but avoid putting the tank in direct sun or directly under the A/C unit

I feed it betta pellets, 3 tiny pellets twice daily, do I need to feed it the freeze-dried bloodworms/ flakes etc? This is fine but if you do offer the blood worms do it once in awhile with the other food, changing between them could cause constipation or make the fish like one and not eat the other.

And I do a complete water change once a week. NO, NEVER CHANGE ALL THE WATER, if you have a bigger tank you will have to change it less (10 gallons 1/2 once a month with about 7 inches of fish)

I have two live plants in the tank, and gravel, and the fragments of fallen leaves are always present in the tank, even when I just clean out the tank. Is this harmful for the fish? not in small amounts, also if you purchase a corydoras or some crabs they will eat the fallen leaves. consult your local pet shop.

Thank you so much for taking up your time to read my long question, answers are much appreciated! Thank you!!

You are very welcome. good luck.

How big is your tank? a tiny heater would be an excellent idea for a Betta. You won't have to worry about drafts, or AC. Keep the temperature between 75 and 80 degrees. 5 gallons is a great idea for one Betta, but I have kept in a Betta in a 3 gallon successfully. Of course the 3 gallon tank was heated and had a nano filter in it. Anything smaller than 3 gallons is not very advisable.

I strongly recommend that you get a filter for your tank. 100% weekly water changes can be stressful for your fish like you have noticed already. Plus it can be a pain for you to do. With a filter you only need to change 20 % of the water weekly. Your little fellow will be less stressed.

About the food, the Betta's stomach is ONLY the size of his eye which means he doesn't need more than 4 pellets daily. In fact it would be a good idea if you don't feed him at all one day, so he can regulate his digestive track. He doesn't need frozen foods but you can feed him some very sporadically as a treat.

Regarding the dying leafs... remove them. They are decaying organic matter and they will increase the levels of ammonia in the tank, which is quite harmful for your fish.

Betta are tropical fish. They need a 5 gallon space (to themselves, because a LOT of other fish or frogs will damage their fins), an UNDER gravel filter (because they don't like the current in their water), a heater (water should be around 78 degrees at ALL times), a thermometer ( to make sure the temp. is right, of course), gravel or glass stones (preferably glass stones because they are smoother), a tank hood with a light (they need 12 hours of the light per day) silk or real plants (because those plastic ones that come in all kinds of colors can cut up their fins), and a small cave (one that doesn't have any kind of tiny ares they can get their fins caught). They should be fed betta pellets (3-5 per day) for 5 days (can be swapped with blood worms one day), half a shelled pea the 6th day, and nothing on the 7th day so that they can digest correctly.

Temperature for fish is always a crucial point. When I got my beta, the instructions said I should use room temperature water and not faucet water. I really don't know the average temperature for a beta should be, but you have to keep in mind that during regular circumstances, temperature will go up and down. What you should do is check the temperature of the beta's water when the air conditioner is on, and again when it's off. Take the temperature of the water when the beta is in the toilet at night, and when it's in the sunlight. You're probably going to have to let the beta sit in the different elements for a little while and then take the temp. After you have all the temperatures, go to your local pet store and ask them if the different temperature fluctuations is bad for your pet.

As for a happy fish...I've never heared of a little itty bitty fish needing five gallons of water. Sure, their natural habitat is an ocean, but I doubt your beta would know what a swamp was even if he saw one from a distance.

I'm not so sure about the food though. I fed my beta the red flakes and he seemed just fine with them.

You're going to also have to check with your local pet store about the real plants and leaf debris.

Hi ..congrats on getting your betta...yes bettas need a heater..temp should be 78-80. Sunlight touching the tank can really heat it up to much and then going into a cooler room can really make the tank temp fluctuate which is not good for the fish either...2.5-5 gallons is a good size tank for a betta...with a filter and a heater ...silk plants as plastic can tear fins. change 25 % of the water once a week and make sure you use same temp water as is in the tank and a good declor. 3 pellets 2 times a day sounds good. Blood worms can be fed as a treat and small peices of thawed peas are good once or twice a week also....good luck.

yup they are tropical fish you need a heater

yup you need a tank at least 3vgallons but 5 is better

if you did not do a nitrogen cycle on your tank you will need to do 100% water changes weeklly

when you get your new tank also get a low power filter and cycle your aquarium

http://www.ehow.com/how_7595_cycle-new-aquarium.ht...

then you only have to do 20% water changes weekly.

you should not of accepted a fish without doing research

I have a male betta fish, so i know a bit about them.

#1. DO NOT KEEP 1 FISH IN A TANK! that is stupid and to much work.

#2. DO NOT PUT THE FISH ANYWEAR NEAR ANOTHER FISH OR NEAR A MIRROR HE WILL TRY 2 ATTACK AND EVENTUALLY DIE!!!

I have a good sized fish bowl, i clean it every 1-2 weeks. i have a fake plastic plant and i just baut some rocks for the bottom. I dont have a heater or anything. I keep my fish on my desk, he is not near a window, but the light does shine on him a little in the day. dont move him around alot, he could die. Keep him in one sake non dark (exept 4 in the night) place with a window, but dont put him near the window. Dont 4 get 2 feed him.

i give my betta fish (nick) 2-4 peices of betta pellets (tiny) per meal and i feed him 2 times a day. once in the morning once in the night. DONT OVER FEED HIM!!! If i were u i would stick with betta pellets, nothing to big!

have fun and good luck!!

bout changing the water completely you need to keep some of the old water so your fish is happy if you change the water completely then its like new shoes to them they need to break it in so don't do a complete water change.

I used to always have them growing up and they always lived for years in the tiny little tanks that are made for betas. I don't know where I got the info from but I always thought that they liked smaller tanks and they liked water on the murky side. Longest living fish I ever had...