ive recently obtained interest in betta fish, anything on care or setup for the fish?

Question

just any info would help, people seem to be stingy with their "secret" ways and what not. i just want a healthy fish that wont go dyen on me. any info would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Hi!
Just make sure you only keep 1 per bowl and that they arn't by anything that could have them see themselvs or they will get aggressive. Oh and DO NOT BUY THEM @ WALMART!!!!!!
I bought 3 there ; 1 lasted 2 days, 1 lasted 1 days and 1 lasted 2 HOURS!!
Hope this helps you out!
~Misty

Answer 2

Personally, I think that keeping them in a tiny bowl is cruel! There is no reason that you cannot give the fish a little room. The betta that I had I kept in a 45 gallon tank with some other fish. You can keep them with other fish that are calm and do NOT have a similar look. Most bettas know that a similar looking fish is NOT another male betta, but better not to take a chance. Anyway, give the fish some room even if it is just a larger bowl. Make sure you keep the water clean, often times bettas are left in their bowls until the water smells bad. I feed all my fish a small amount twice a day, it allows the fish to eat more of the food and results in less waste in the tank.

Keep a close eye on the fins, long fin fish are more prone to fin and tail rot. If you keep the betta with other fish, make sure the other fish are not nipping and biting on it's fins.

And remember...male bettas spend a fair amount of time laying on the bottom of their tank/bowl, but that does not mean they don't also like to have room to move around. And...if the fish is always laying around, it may be sick so when you go to pick one out at the pet store, smell the water in the bowl. Look closely at the fish for fin trouble and spots. Keep the fish out of direct sunlight.

You should do fine!

Answer 3

alright!

first--know your beta is a fighting fish. you shouldn't place the tank near any mirrors or anything where it can see it's reflection, because this can irritate the fish, and even cause it to ram into too-hard-for-his-head objects.

now, no matter what you may have heard, bettas actually love to swim. you can go down to wal*mart, and for less than $20, get a 5-gallon tank, which will probably come with a small filter. this will help keep the water clean for you, as well as help the betta breath. don't worry about lights or a heater--bettas are pretty well-to-do fish.

the only other things you may want to get would be:
-a small plant (availible at most pet stores for a coupe bucks--they help the fish breathe, and since bettas are shy fish, will give it somewhere to hide if it feels threatened)
-a small cleaning hose ($5 at any pet store--to clean the gunk off of the bottom of the tank with ease)
-some betta food (obviously; $3 anywhere--usually bettas prefure little "balls" off food instead of the flakes)

basically, taking care of your betta should be a piece of cake once you buy those three things. you may also want to get some rocks for the bottom of the tank, just to make it look nice / keep the plant grounded. once ever other week, use the small hose (the instructions are idiot-proof on the back) to clean about 1/3 of the water. this will not only save you some time, but more importantly keep the good bacteria in the tank for the betta. feed it a couple "pellets" once or twice a day, and that's about it!

the only thing you may have to worry about is scale-rot, which looks like the name would imply. if you see his scales falling out / becoming fuzzy, go down to any pet store and find the meds. they're cheap, and all you have to do is squirt it in once or twice a day! (instructions on the back will help you farther)

again, those things will just keep your fish living long, but besides that bettas are really low-matenance fish!

Answer 4

Fish should not be kept in bowls. In the environment they live in small amounts of shallow water. BUT there are natural filters- the plants, the soil. The water moves with the wind or small currents. This provides them with clean moving water. A bowl is dirty, stagnant water- a toilet.

We can simulate the natural environment by keeping them in a 5 gallon with a filter. You will have a much happier,healthier fish. Bettas are also tropical fish- when they are in a bowl the water is not warm enough. In a tank, the light of a five gallon will keep your water nice and warm.

Bettas are compatible with a lot of fish (males are aggressive to other males). In a five gallon you can keep them with 3 zebra danios maybe a couple of cory cats. Tetras are an option but they are more delicate. If you had a ten gallon their would be even more options for tank mates.

Water Changes: The tank will have a natural filter- bacteria. The bacteria will destroy the waste that the fish produce. In the beginning you will not have any of this bacteria- this means you will have to do water changes more often. Every 3-5 days. Once the tank is done cycling then you can reduce that to every two weeks or so. To do a proper water change remove 25% of the water. You may want to stir up the gravel a bit to remove large debris. If you remove more than that the you will remove too much of the bacteria- your tank will go through cycling again.

some cories- i have pandas
http://www.liveaquaria.com/search/?Ntt=cory%20cat&Nao=0&Ntk=all&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=3&Nty=1

tetras- check out sizes- some get big
http://www.liveaquaria.com/search/default.cfm

danios
http://www.bayfish.com.au/category9_1.htm

why bettas should not be in a vase
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/bettacar1/l/blqa2061.htm

Have fun! Good luck!!!

Answer 5

Okay, most people would say, "Oh, you can keep a betta in a bowl, it doesn't need a filter or anything," but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Bettas actually need room to swim around (it's best to have it in a tank around 5 gallons), and they do need a filter and heater. They're tropical fish, so the temp should stay between 75 and 80 degrees F. They do like to have a plant in their tank, whether it's real or artificial. Personally, I feed my betta anywhere between 5 and 8 pellets once a day, although you can feed them 5 pellets in the morning and about 3 in the evening. They shouldn't be around any reflective surface, nor should they be around a tank with another betta, because flaring up causes a lot of stress to them, and it actually can cause them to die faster. Their normal life expectancy is around 2 years, although there have been some that lived for about 5 or even 6 years.

Best of luck to you!

Answer 6

Don't get a bowl or tiny tank - for about the same price get a nice ten gallon tank. Your betta will be much happier and you can add a couple other small compatible fish with as well - no goldfish - little cory cats or white clouds maybe. Dont fall for the "bettas live in mud puddles" line - those mud puddles are rice paddies and are pretty shallow - a couple feet deep - and cover acres - so bettas do need some space to swim around in.

They are tropical fish and do need a heater and a filter. You need to cycle the tank first or use Biospira. Here is an article on how to cycle your tank - http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/misc/fishlesscycling.html

Answer 7

There's a LOT of misinformation out there re: bettas. They are good community fish, I don't care what others say. Males and females get along great. Females get along great. Just don't put two males together. They WILL fight. Other than that, they're pretty much ordinary fish. Enjoy them!

Betta are 'bubble nesters'. That means the males will try to blow bubbles to make a nest if there's a female around. If you want this, you'll need to seperate it from the filtration system. Otherwise, the nest will never form. It needs 'quiet' water.

Answer 8

Bettas need to be kept separated if you have more than one. Also nothing reflective by their tank or they will fight the image they see.Bettas seem pretty easy to take care of. My daughter has one in an old flower vase, we change his water every 3-4 days and he is doing fine. We feed the fish food you can buy, this guys likes the little dried shrimp in his food. I hope this helps. If you need more info I found a site , all you have to do is type in Betta fish and it takes you to a page where you have multiple sites to go to.

Answer 9

I recommend a proper aquarium set up with 1 male and several females , a hood and light set up, filter and heater. Those little vases are cruel. I have successfully kept and bred betta splendens for over 11 years. They are a beautiful fresh water tropical fish breed that will thrive and breed readily in the proper surroundings.

Answer 10

Oh, I've got one. They're super easy to care for. Just put it in one of those little bowls and change it's water once a week. Put a drop of stress coat in when you change it's water. Feed it four betta pellets every other day. Mine didn't eat for a while. At first he wouldn't touch 'em, and then he started spitting them out. I think he was just getting comfortable, so don't worry too much if yours doesn't eat at first. Umm, if you need to touch him, make sure your hands are wet.

Also, it's a common misconception that they can't be with other fish. They just can't be with other betta fish. And I wouldn't put them in with fish that can fit in their mouth XD. And obviously not with agressive fish that'll eat them. Just use your common sense and ask at the fish store.