What's the longest you've ever had a Beta fish live in your fish tank?

Question

If longer than 2 years, did you do anything special to help it live longer. Beta are also known as Siamese Fighting Fish.

Mine lived for two years only.

Answer 1

Most Bettas live about 3 years, and are about 6 months to a year old when you buy them. As a kid I had one in a bowl that lived for 3 years, but I know people who have had them last as long as 7 years. It really varies on the condition they are kept, and misadventure.

The trick I find with them is to make sure they are kept warm, and have regular water changes. Make sure they aren't being overfed, and are fed food that is healthy for them. (IE made from worms, insects, or fish.) Also be sure to keep them active with enough space to move about, and occasional stimulation mirrors, changes to their environment, different food... (I move my betta tanks together every so often, and let them flare for a half hour. They always seem more frisky for days afterwards.)

Personally I house my male bettas in (gently) filtered 5 gallon hex tanks, and they seem more active, brighter colored and healthier for it. Honestly that just because I'm lazy, and don't enjoy mid week partial, and weekend full water changes. A heated 2.5 gallon bowl that gets regular water changes. The tap is fine as long as you dechlorinate it.

Personally I use a pair of water buckets filled from tap, and leave them out for a week. (I use 1.6 of the buckets on my main tank, and the rest for the bettas.) I remove about .5-1 gallon while vacuuming the gravel. (As I'm paranoid I have a cheap plastic gravel vacuum for each tank.) Once a month I remove 50% of the water, and add a bit of Prime. (It removes ammonia, and chlorine from the water. As the monthly changes require more than my normal supply of aged water, and to deal with any excess ammonia) I generally check the PH, ammonia level once a month as well. Just keep in mind I majored in biology in college, and I go a bit overboard with fish.

Answer 2

about 2 years.

Answer 3

I had a Beta Fish that live up to 2 1/2 years. Yes, I did something special to help it live longer. Change the water every week, feed it twice a day, and check if it have any skin disease or skin problems (etc.) because it could die easily. Good Luck !

Answer 4

I had 2 live almost 5 years. I got them both around the same time, maybe a week apart. I kept them both in their own tank, fed them everyday and did a full water change every week. They both passed a couple years ago but I just recently got another one and so far I have had it for about 6 months.

Answer 5

Mine lived about 2-3 yrs. Not sure exactly. I just feed him 3 times a day and his food was just the cheap kind of fish food. Nothing special though.

Answer 6

4-5 years!!

Answer 7

Mine lived for two years..all I did was keep it clean and change his food out every three months because that's the shelf life. He was just a healthy fish I guess.

Answer 8

We've had three or four of them and each one lived at last a year. We had one for nearly three years. We didn't do anything special; just kept the tank filtered and such.

Answer 9

5 years but he played dead alot, i cleaned his tank once a week used a couple rocks from a stream in my yard and when i cleaned his tank i put him in my pool, i used regular tap water and fed him what ever was on sale at the petstore i heard city water isnt good for them (i have a well)

Answer 10

3 years before the cat "fished" it out one time too many!