Male Betta?

Question

I just got a new male Betta fish from Petco, and the salesperson told me to change the water every week and feed it once a day about 3 little balls of food. and also, he said i should keep it in a fish bowl and fill it up with water as high as possible.Is this information correct? On the thing that i got the fish in it says to change the water with unbleached or sspring water. would that be like regular drinking water (water bottles)? any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanx~

Oh, and what temperature should the water be at?

Answer 1

Congrats on your new friend.
First things first; some bettas often like different foods than other bettas. If you notice your betta taking the food in and then spitting it out buy flake food for bettas (I found out the hard way)
Second, the more water you put in his bowl the better as it will disperse the fish waste on a wider level so he won't get sick from the amonia levels being too high.
Third, bottled water is fine but if you really want to make your friend happy and healthy use treated tap water- by treated I mean use a water conditioner that will remove any harmful minerals as well as chlorine.
You may also want to get Slime Coat. This wil help your fishie to maintain the natural slime coating that protects him from bacteria. Only a few drops with each water change is good. Also, when you change the water try using a cup to scoop him out along with a good portion of the water. Using a net can damage his sensitive "skin" which can lead to infection.
When you make the water change be sure it is the same temp as the water in the cup- use your finger to judge the temp. when you're ready to put him back in the bowl cock the cup sideways and kinda scoop him gently into his bowl.
Oh, when you change his water make sure to swish the gravel around to get all the waste out. Don't ever use a sponge on the bowl. If the inside needs cleaning use a paper towel and just water.
Get some aquarium salt also. The reason for this is there is no such thing as a truely "fresh water" fish. All the water these pets live in has some salt in it. This can also help in boosting their immune system. Just a tiny half pinch per gallon of water.
Sorry to make this longer but I just read some of the comments above that are incorrect.

Bettas come to the surface and breathe air like us so don't worry about the oxygen in the water.
Also, your betta will do much better if there is no fllter- moving water and bettas are a bad mix- the water should be still.
Only put a mirror up if you want to stress your pet out. It's natural instinct is to fight other bettas so that's why they get excited- they are stressed.
Another thing, you may notice blobbs of bubbles forming on the top of the water. This is a good thing. It means your baby is happy enough to feel safe to mate. Normally what would happen is the male betta would take the eggs from the female and place them is the bubble sacks.
However, if instead of bubbles you notice a film- kinda gunky on the surface of the water-like pudding skin, remove it immediately and make sure the water gets warmed up. When this happens it is the bettas way of insulating the water like a blanket because the water is too cool. The problem with this is it becomes harder for them to breathe air from the surface.

Answer 2

Betta fish are known for being able to live in a shoe print of water in the wild so they are very hardy fish, You don't want to give it any chance to die however so you do need to look after it.
The water does need to be changed at least once a week and make sure that if you're using normal tap water/drinking water that a conditioner is used so that there is no chlorine to kill the fish. chlorine and ammonia will kill any fish that it comes in contact with. A really good product is A.C.E. sold in most pet shops that works fast and effectively.
You will learn how much your fish eats but generally 3 little balls of food is correct, some fish will eat more or less. As long as food is not left in the tank they should be fine. A guide is to feed only as much as the fish can eat in a few minutes, any left over should be taken out.
The water doesn't have to be as high as possible but the more water, the more room the fish has so its a personal choice. Most people keep bettas in little tiny vases so they're not too fussed.
If it says spring water that would be the same as bottled water but that could be an expensive way to go!
Hope everything goes well with your fish.

Answer 3

To answer your question , its best to have a Betta in a 1 gallon bowl. You should feed it more like 7 Little balls of food and get some ghost shrimp as cleaners and snacks and they only cost 20 cents! Make sure you have CULTURED gravel cause the gravel is going to be the filter in your bowl. You could also get a small aquarium for your Betta like i did. You could add tap conditioned water in there. Betta's are lazy fish so they are not like a school of Danios.You should change 50% of the water each week and clean it once a moth.( don't ever clean the gravel in the bowl).You should fill the tank or bowl to1 cm form the top and make sure the fish is not a jumper.( i have never had jumpy fish only fry, but if yours is a jumper)If it does like to jump, add some roof to the bowl or tank.Last , Petco has the worst workers, but the best products.Make sure the water is form 75 -82 degrees F

Answer 4

You should use a water treatment solution when you change the water. Ask about it at the pet supply store. The solution makes water safe for your fish. Yes, keep your fish in a regular fish bowl. Most Betta bowls have lids on them, because bettas are apt to jump. I have never had a problem with a betta jumping out. But if you are concerned yes... keep a cover on your betta's bowl... but make sure you leave a small amount uncovered for air! This is a good site to get you up to speed on Betta care: www.bettatalk.com

Have fun with your Betta! Take care!

Answer 5

Male Bettas are beautiful fish. You do want to change their water once a week, minimum. The bowls they are kept in are so small that they breathe all the oxygen out and can suffocate if left in the stagnant water. Also, their own waste has much less water to diffuse in, so they are floating in a much high content than fish in a larger tank. Since Betas are in such a small space, bottled water is best for them. Tap water has too many minerals for a fish that is forcibly confined to a small space. And yes, it's 3 or 4 tiny pellets a day.

The reason Betas are kept in such small tanks is because their fins are extremely delicate. If they are put in a larger tank the beautiful fins can get broken up and look less attractive. They can also be extremely aggressive with other fish and kill them pretty quickly. We have had Male Betas swimming in a 50 tank with other fish, but we had acclimated them for 6 months before release in Beta Condos. Their fins did get a lot smaller, but I like to think they were happier being able to swim rather than simply hover in place.

Answer 6

Actually, I was told with my fish that tap water is fine (it depends on your city's drinking water). Also, don't fill the bowl as high as possible, fill the bowl up to 7 cm (2.5 inch) bellow the rim of the bowl. Otherwise, your fish could jum out! Also, place a mirror infront of your betta's tank for about 5 min. It will try to fight it's reflection, and give it excercise. The temperature should also be between 25 - 28 C (78 - 82 F). The rest of this information is correct. Goodluck! :]
P.S. I knew someone who changed her fish's water to often and it died!

Answer 7

I have a 10 gallon tank with 2 male guppies and 3 (now 2, found one finless thismorning.) females. I can't figure out if my Betta is ripping my guppies fins or the males are fighting. The females were perfect until this morning. My betta never looks aggresive towards the guppies and all the 'attacks' happen at night when I turn the light off. So I don't know who the culprit is.

Answer 8

I have all my bettas in 3-5g covered tanks with filters and lights. I change the water everyweek, about 50% at a time. Bettas are tropical and should be kept around 75-80.

Most cities have tap water that is fine for them, just remember to treat the water with a condiioner that removes chlorine, Aquasafe is easy to find.

Bowls tend to lead to early death for bettas unless you keep up with the ewater changes, roughly every 3 days for a 1g bowl.

Answer 9

If you are going to keep him in a bowl you'll need to change the water more often than that. I would suggest every 2-3 days. In a filtered aquarium, about 25% of the water once a week. The feeding rate is ok, I usually feed twice a day, but once is fine too.

There is usually no need to use bottled water. Tap water with dechlorinating drops is just fine in most every case. They may tell you bottled water ( who knows why) but they use tap water.

Here's a great site with lots of info about bettas, far more than I could ever type here.:

http://www.bettatalk.com/

Best of luck with him and welcome to the hobby!

MM

Answer 10

You can use spring water, as I did (my Betta lived for five years), or purchase Betta Tap. As for Betta Tap, I have little experience, so I can't tell you if it's reliable or safe. However, if you do buy it, be sure to wait at least five minutes before you add your Betta to let the Betta Tap to dissolve into the water -- very important!