I am asking this to see how many people actually know about bettas...?

Question

1.) How big of a tank do they need?

2.) What foods do they like and what do they hate?

3.) Can bettas be with any other fish, besides other bettas?

4.) Exactly, how big are the rice patties that they live in?

Answer all these correct, and YOU GET TEN POINTS!!!! This is also a quiz to see how much people know about bettas.

And this is a real question...

I used to have two bettas in clear plastic vases. They were males. But they never flared at each other. Same thing with my friend. But then why do they say "Never put two male bettas in a divider tank together," if they don't always exactly flare up? And at petstores, all the containers of bettas sit next to eachother. THEY NEVER FLARE UP! Do they really only flare if they are in the same tank? EXPLAIN ALL THESE CORRECTLY, GET 10 POINTS!!!!!!

Answer 1

(1) Bettas (pronounced bet-tah, not bay-tah) should be kept in a heated and filtered tank of at least 3 gallons. They are tropical and need at least 76-80 degrees.

(2) Bettas are carnivores and need high protein food. They especially like live black worms and live brine shrimp. They hate other male bettas.

(3) Bettas can be with many other fish as long as the other fish are not agressive and or fin nippers. Bettas are actually not very agressive where other fish are concerned. The only bettas that can be together are the females, any number of them can be housed together as long as the tank is large enough.

(4) Rice patties are the things you eat if you are on a diet, rice paddys are the places that bettas can live in Southeast Asia. The paddys themselves are large and expansive, but the puddles the bettas live in are fairly shallow, but lots of surface area. Hence the bettas' adaptation to breathing out of the atmosphere (the anabantoid chamber). Male bettas are territorial and defend a small area of the surface where they plan to build their bubblenest. In the wild, the other males would just leave the area and look for another spot to call their own. In a small aquarium, they will fight to the death if left together long enough.

The real answer: Bettas do not always flare at each other. However, if they NEVER flare at each other there is something wrong. It may be water quality, do you do regular (weekly) paartial (25-30%) water changes? I have three crowntails right now that each have their own net in a 30 gallon tank that flare at each other even though they cannot see each other clearly.

I have also seen bettas flare in the pet stores when the small containers are placed next to each other. One store even has a sign asking people to not put them close together. The constant flaring causes a lot of stress on the fish.

Answer 2

1. The minimum tank size for a betta (Siamese Fighting Fish) is 1 gallon---recommended size is 2.5 gallons or so. They can be kept in larger tanks though. Many people erroneously believe that since a betta lives in 'puddles' in the wild, that it's OK to house them in tiny little bowls---this is not the case---slow moving does not equal non-moving. Bettas are tropical fish---they need a constant temperature of 74-82 degrees. They do not tolerate strong currents well, but a small filtration system is good. Though bettas CAN breath the air (and do), that's not to say they don't also breath the oxygen in the water the same as any other fish---they DO. So it's important the water is getting aerated via filtration (plus it keeps the tank clean!).

2. Bettas love brine shrimp and bloodworms. The best thing to feed them, however, is the premade betta 'pellets' you can buy at most stores which sell fish supplies. They're cheap and they are well balanced, containing all the essential vitamins and minerals your fish needs to remain vibrantly colored and healthy.

3. Bettas can actually be housed with PEACEFUL community tropical fish like Tetras and Platies. Bettas generally leave peaceful fish alone and have nothing to do with them...in fact more often than not, the betta is the one who gets bullied because it is slow moving (because of its fins) compared to other fish species.

4. There is no exact answer. A puddle is a puddle, and they vary. No puddle is exactly the same size as another, nor will it ever remain the same size (evaporation of water and all).

As for your other question.... Bettas get used to seeing other males in the pet stores, which is why you don't see them flare. When the bettas are FIRST put side-by-side they flare and act aggressively. Eventually they 'give up' with the posturing and realize they can't get to the other betta anymore than it can get to them. If you replaced the cup with a different betta, they would both flare and try to fight. It is true that betta (male) cannot be put together---they are highly territorial and fight to the death.

Answer 3

1.) How big of a tank do they need? Def bigger than what they come in. Those cups sold at pet stores are only meant for temporary living conditions. A bigger tank 1 or 2 gallon would be perfect. As you know bettas are not extremely active so I dont think any bigger would be necessary. Bettas will live in the small cups but in a bigger tank they live longer.

2.) What foods do they like and what do they hate? I have owned many Bettas and I have one now. I feed it Wardley Premium Betta Food. They are the little pellets which I find are a lot better than flakes. He loves them. Blood worms are good aswell as treats every once in a while. But should not be the main source of food.

3.) Can bettas be with any other fish, besides other bettas? Bettas can live with other fish but these fish must NOT be agressive or nip at its fins. They will attack. They are unpredictable though when other fish so most pet stores just say "dont do it" just incase. If you try this make sure the fish are supposed to be in the same ph water (an aquarium expert can help you out) because if the ph is uncomfortable for one fish it may stress it out and it can die or become ill. Also I would suggest being present when introducing fish and observe for a while and make sure you stay around just incase you need to intervene. If the betta feels threatened he will attack. SO just get 1 other fish just incase.

4.) Exactly, how big are the rice patties that they live in? The rice patties Bettas live in can be pretty small. Course the are not exactly a specific size so I have heard. But they can live in minimal water but of course more water and more space is better so dont let this make you think its ok to let your fish live in 3 inches of water. lol

My Betta used to not flare up at all. Till he got older. Noe if I look in he flares up. The Bettas in petshops do flare up when first placed in front of eachother then after a few times of doing it and not reaching the other fish they get used to it. Your fish are probably well used to the fact that there is another fish there. If you are planning on putting both of them together I would suggest introdicing them with one in a plastic bag making sure they see eachother. If all goes well try taking one out. but keep a net handy incase things get ugly. I would not suggest this but trying wont hurt as long as you are there to stop it quickly. Trying this is only up to you.

Answer 4

1.) Bettas don't need too much space, but I have a Betta and I like keeping him in a 5 gallon mini aquarium with a light, and a small filter. It looks like he enjoys having a lot of space, he's more active and playful. I also put some fake plants and he hides behind it sometimes. But when buying plants for Bettas make sure they are not rough because it might hurt them. Before you place a plant in the tank you can try running a pantyhose next to it, if it rips, it might be too rough for the fishy. Also every time I change the water I put AquaSafe which makes tap water safe for fish.

2.) Bettas love dried shrimps and pellets. They hate the foods that come in flakes.

3.) Yes they can be with other fish, mine shares his space with a goldfish and two tiger fish. I honestly never tried putting another male Betta in there because I'm scared but one day i will try.

4.) They are usually small to medium size but they all vary.

If two bettas are next to each other all of the time, they will get tired of flaring at each other. It actually aggravates them after a while and it can also stress them. I put a mirror right in front of my betta, outside of the tank, and he always flares, but i only do it once a day for like 5 minutes and I can tell he has fun. But like i said if you do it for too long they can get stressed. If you put 2 bettas in the same tank I think they will flare up also but they will fight as well.

Answer 5

1) In my opinion, at the very VERY least, is a 2.5-gallon tank with filtration and a heater. Ideally, at least five gallons.

2) Hate flake food, love live/frozen foods and anything meat-based. Tolerate freeze-dried but caution needs to be taken as too much freeze-dried tends to cause constipation/swim bladder disorder.

3) Ayep. As long as the other fish aren't brightly colored with long, flowing fins, and everyone is housed in a large enough tank. I have one of my bettas in a 55-gallon community tank with 20-some other fish and 3 frogs.

4) http://www.bettadreams.com/ricepaddies.html
In other words, really freakin' huge.

Some bettas will flare at the sight of other bettas - yours may have just been exposed to each other for so long that they got used to seeing each other and realized the other posed no threat. That, and they were in separate tanks - they knew they had their own territories and the other couldn't encroach theirs.

Answer 6

1.) 2 gallons is the minimum, but 5 (at least) is ideal.

2.) They like live food, like daphnia and brine shrump, but they can adapt to flake food, or Betta pellets. I've never actually had a Betta hate any food I've offered, but they definitely prefer live or frozen to flake food.

3.) You can have a single Betta in a tank with docile fish of similar size. You should, however, stay away from fin-nippers like certain kinds of tetra if you have a male Betta, because they like to bite long flowing fins.

4.) Decent sized. It varies of course, you can't expect all rice patties to be one uniform size. Now I have to go, because Grey's Anatomy is on. :-P

Answer 7

NEVER put two betta's in a a tank together b/c they WILL fight no matter what. if you've seen national eographic or animal planet, it should explain where they come from and in china it's a sport to see them fight. trust me i have had fish b4 not a god idea to put them 2gether.
1) tank size: not too big or too samll. 1-3 gal should be fine
2) food: just basically got to the pet store and buy BETTA food. it
3) NO! no other fish should be wit bettas. they WILL fight.
4) i'm not sure but you can go the pet store and they'll help. trust me :)

in pet stores they wont flare b/c they probably know their boundaries. same tank: for how long? sometimes it takes time.

Answer 8

1. the tank that i use is 15cm x 15cm x 20cm (i have more than 250 tank like this ;P)
2. they like life food and frozen but dont like pellet
3. better put them in solitary tank , you can put them together with other fish such as goldfish but sometimes betta will bite the other fishes.
4. betta is a solitary fish

for the real question
put a separation between their tank they will flare if they re healthy
if they still dont want to flare
put them in a dark place maybe below your bed and put them 24 hours and dont feed them
i think the last way wil make them flare again

Answer 9

They're not flaring because they're miserable sitting in a bowl of cold water that probably hasn't been changed in God knows how long.

Answer 10

I think people here ask questions cos they DON'T know stuff. And if they really wanna get those 10 points, they would rather just copy paste from a site.