Betta fish...?

Question

I live in an apartment, and the only type of pet I can have is fish. I know I want a betta or two. They are beautiful. I know you cant have two males in one tank, so Im hoping to get two females, since I am not wanting baby bettas.

I have a couple of questions though.

I want an aquarium (tank), not a bowl... but Iv read that moving water is bad for bettas. Is this true? Or could I have a water filter? If so, would I need to find a slow moving one?

Whats the best size tank for two bettas? I dont want a ten gallon. I need as small as I can get without sacrificing the fish health.

I know this one will sound dumb, but does the shape of the tank matter?

Whats the best type of food (reasonably priced) for their diet?

Also, do they like plant life? If so, should I get real plant life (and what kind)? Or would plastic be sufficent?

Thanks so much for your help!

Answer 1

Hi

I'm a Betta breeder and have had a lifetime 's worth of enjoyment from my Bettas. I have read the other answers here and most people are on the right track. I want to cover a few basics for you just to clarify a few of the answers posted here.

1) Two females in a tank

This can be done without a lot of problems except that you will have a hard time getting female bettas from a pet store. You will likely have to contact a breeder. Females do not sell well compared to the males. Females are short finned and have dull colouration compared to the males. The males are generally long finned with very vibrant colourings, notably the Crown Tail, Half Moon and Delta Tail varieties, though some varieties like the Half Moon Plakat and Short Tail (Plakat) have small fins like the females.

If you see a short finned betta in a store it is likely one of the male varieties.

You definately don't want two males in a tank together unless its a large tank and you use a special divider that keeps the two apart and does not let them see each other. Seperating them is not enough as they will flare non stop if they see each other. ( Flaring is ok for short periods but can stress them over time and this causes disease - if you want to see a male flare just put a mirror in front of him and watch the display - absolutely beautiful.

Do not put female bettas in with a male - this is only done when breeding and only after they have been properly introduced to each other. The male will torment the female.

2) Aquarium size

The only rule is 1 gallon of water for every inch of fish. Bettas are generally 3 inches long so if you want two fish you should look at a minimum of 6 gallons. I realize that this is an odd size but you are likely to end up with two males and your best to get two small tanks for them.

You can use a five gallon tank with a divider but this is a bit cramped.

3) Filter

If you are not planning on having different species of fish then you don't need a filter for Bettas. It is true that they do not like fast moving water as they live in rice paddies and small ponds in their native Thailand and these waters are slow moving. The fins and tails can be damaged if they are thrown about by the current. There are exceptions to this though as I have had a few bettas who love the filters and amuse themselves in the flow. Like people Bettas do have diverse personalities.

4) Plants

You can use live or plastic and I won't go into detail as some of the other answers give you lots to go on. Plastic plants have the advantage of being easier to clean but live plants do less damage to your fish and are beneficial when it comes to bacteria and such. It comes down to your choice really. How much work do you want?

5) Food

Betta fish are meat eaters. In nature Bettas subsist almost exclusively on insects and insect larvae.This might be hard to achieve with a pet Betta but the more you can replicate the Betta fish's natural diet the better off your fish will be.

They can eat flake foods and frozen and freeze dried foods. If live food is not available you can feed your Betta Tubifex, Brine shrimp, Daphnia, Plankton, Glassworms and Beef Heart. These can all be found frozen or freeze dried. If flake food is fed, it should be supplemented with frozen and freeze-dried foods, and always, if possible, live foods.

6) Water temperature should be kept at about 78 to 80 degrees. This can be done with a light bulb located near the tank during the day. You can turn it off at night. It is important that you do not allow the temperature to fluctuate as this will cause stress and eventually disease. Water must be changed using aged water which is simply water left at room temp for 24 hours.

One last thing I would like to mention. The tank shape is not important normally but the greater the surface area the better. Bettas do not breath the same as other fish. Bettas have a special labyrinth organ that allows them to breath air directly from the surface. In fact they have to do so. Experiments have shown that when the labyrinth organ is removed, the fish dies from suffocation even though the water is saturated with oxygen. Ultimately Bettas have to breath air from the atmosphere and need access to the water surface to do so.

Oh... make sure you have a cover for your tank as Bettas love to jump and you might find them on the floor.

Good luck and I know you will love your Bettas - they are perky little rascals and like to show off.

You can find pictures and more detailed info on my hobby site if you need more help.

http://oneworldinternetcafe.com/betta/index.html

Answer 2

As long as the flow isn't so strong it sweeps the fish around, the bettas should be fine. I have kept bettas in a regular community tank setting, filter and all, with no incident. They actually seem happier.

Ten gallons would be nice, bigger is better when it comes to aquaria; however, five gallons may suffice. Bettas are extremely hardy fish once established. Shape is quite irrelevant, although having a wider tank will help provide more oxygen and water exchange.

Hikari makes a great line of betta food. The betta bio-gold pellets are inexpensive and lasts quite some time. As with feeding any pet, a varied diet is best.

They would be ok with plants. Plants help consume detritus(bio junk) from the gravel and oxygenate the water. A plastic plant wouldn't do the same but it is much less maintenance (no trimming or picking out dying leaves).

Remember to use room temperature conditioned tap water or dechlorinated bottled water. Acclimate the fish by floating or introducing a quarter cup of tank water into the bag/container they come home in for at least 15 minutes. Hope that helps, have fun!

Answer 3

you dont have to buy another tank just go to walmart or petsmart and buy a gold fish bowl and she would be happy that way she can eat and don't worry about gettin attacked! If a female that wasn’t ripe, or ready for spawning, would have entered a males tank, it’s possible that she would’ve been attacked, as non-ripe females are not tolerated within the vicinity of the nest. By not fleeing, a female indicates her readiness to spawn. Yes, some times if you are not careful when trying too breed bettas, the male will attack the female and he can injure the female, the females are much smaller than the males. A Male and a Female: In the wild, females stay clear of males, except during mating. When cohabiting in tanks, males might kill females, and are generally kept apart unless (a) they are juvenile siblings, (b) they are breeding, (c) there is a partition, or (d) the tank is large enough for the female to escape attack. Often, before breeding, breeders use such a container to allow female display without risking harm by the male. Two or more Females: Bettas are not schooling fish, but in a large tank with many hiding spaces, female bettas can cohabit. When two females share a tank, one usually bullies the other, however, four or more females will establish a hierarchy allowing peaceful co-existence, nevertheless, females living in community must be monitored for aggressive females.

Answer 4

Yes, you can have two FEMALES in the same tank. You were right about not the two males. You can keep them in a filtered tank, that won't hurt them at all. That's how most pet stores are keeping them now. The oxygen is good for them. Yes, you can have a filter. Any kind will do, but I would recommed one that is the correct size for your tank. The shape doesn't matter. There is specialized betta food, and it is very reasonablely priced. Any brand should be ok, they are all about the same. You can give them bloodworms too as a treat. They love them. Yes they like plants, anarchris is good, but plastic is fine too. The live ones will add more (good) bacteria for your fishy to snack on.
Hope this helps!

Answer 5

You can go for a 5 gallon. You can also use a regular filter or a sponge filter. I don't think that I have read anything in regards to water flow one way or another for Betta's. Get real plants, I find that plastic or silk tend to rip up their fins (though more with males). You can do gravel as it helps with building good bacteria, but make sure to get a water conditioner to remove chlorine as well as a maintenance chemical. Regular Betta pellets are good. I have found that the flakes make the water dirtier faster. Don't get a plastic tank as you can't heat it, they will do better in 75 to 82 degree water. Get a small stick on thermometer so you don't fry them. Finally, make sure that you are actually getting a female. Although it is very rare to find them in pet stores there are some male Betta's that have the short fins, just make sure to ask. See links below.

Answer 6

You can have a filtered tank. I have had Betta's in a filtered tank with no problems. I would use plastic plants. You can buy food made for Betta's at Petco its not expensive. The shape of the tank isn't important, mine is octagon and only 5 gallons. The water temp is important, any big change in temp can cause the fish to get sick.

Answer 7

At my local pet store, there are up to 10 female Betta's in one 10 gallon tank.


i had a 2.5 gallon breeders tank for my two bettas, that way i could put a male and female together, as long as i had my divider in.



You can put a filter in with the fish, best for a small tank is a weaker small filter, especially with only 1 or 2 fish. any more than 3 in a small tank would be over populating it...


bettas like freeze dried blood worms, at my local pet store it was only about 3 dollars, very small parts, a lot of them also. a very reasonable price.


good luck with your soon-to-be fish.

Answer 8

1 betta per tank. Small is ok. We have a betta in a fish bowl probably just a gallon. They like a small space with still water. They have betta food its like little pellets very reasonably priced. you can either have a plastic plant or they make some plants that actually grow in the water and are food for the fish and the fish fertilizes the plant. Great fish very low maintence and a lot of personality

Answer 9

I have had like three betas when I was a kid and you cant even buy females only males and if you get two tanks make sure you seperate them all the way across the room, or at least so they can not see each other because if they do they will want to fight.And all you need is a bowl(not a tank beta's are easy) filled with rocks, as long as they can not see there own reflection the shape doesnt matter. And lastely food for them is cheap and sold at all most every pet store.

Answer 10

hey you aren't doing everything backwards?!

ok -- heres the best advice i can give. bettas home of choice would cover as much space as possible. this makes the best home an old fashioned rectangular tank. they come in 2 1/2 and 5 1/2 gallon sizes so you are in luck. the acrylic ones (like bowfronts) are an acceptable second choice and more eye catching. for some reason my bettas in bowfronts like to hang out in the front of the tank in the bow part. i don't quite understand it. i think it has something to do with internal reflection. down the list would be hexagons and anything taller with less bottom. i like a tank with a light so you can see your fish well. it also helps grow low light plants too.

while on the topic of plants plants will work like low grade filters for you. good plant choices for small tanks are anubias nana, anubias lanceolota, java fern, java moss (one of the best filters made), and cryptocorynes. starting with big leafed artifical silks are better. seldom can you buy mature plants and bettas -- even females -- are territorial and like claiming a plant for their own. they will hang out on them and i have one that even likes to go to the top and lay out and catch some rays from the light on his favorite fake amazon sword leaf. buy them dispraportionate to the tank. bigger is better. if they stick out the top its even better. they can chill under leaves. the seagarden brand plants are great in medium and large sizes.

food -- most bettas will eat hikari pellets. they are 2.00 at walmart -- 3.00 at most pet stores. you feed them like six a day if they have a hearty appetite so a package will last you forever. frozen food is also a big bonus for happy bettas. mine get frozen bloodworms for 2 1/2 days. the other 1/2 day is a dinner of peas. peas are fiber to help your betta easily pass all that overly healthy food.

on the subject of filters -- if you have extremely nice bettas (like male half moons) they can ruin their fins in filters. shredding fins can invite bacteria in so i am iffy on filters and don't use them. if you choose to use a filter i would strongly recommend the 5 gallon aqua tech tank at walmart. 40 bucks gets you a filter/tank/light and its a very good filter. if you are keeping multiple females in one tank this might be your best option.