Does anyone have any tips on raising Betta fish?

Question

I'm thinking about getting a new betta fish. My last one only lived a year before he died. I have no idea what I did wrong, so does anyone have any other tips? Thanks!

Answer 1

I have owned a lot of bettas and, in times of great need, my advice has proved to not be the best-ever. However, my ultimate source of betta help that I can turn to whenever anything goes wrong is www.bettatalk.com. The lady that runs this site knows practically everything there is to know about bettas.

So, without further ado, I'll post a link that talks especially about taking care of bettas.

http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_care.htm

Happy betta-ing!

Answer 2

I breed Betta's and also have cared for them for many years. I think most people will agree with me when I say all fish need to be in a filtered tank. Betta's are tropical fish and need to be in water that is between 76-82F. That means you will have to purchase a heater. A Betta will do well in a tank from 2.5 gallons to much larger tanks. They eat Betta pellets, flakes, bloodworms, brine shrimp, and many other kinds of live food. They do best with a variety of foods rich in protein. I feed my Betta's twice a day, only a small amount. Their stomach is as big as their eye. A little aquarium salt will also help them thrive. 1 tsp per 5 gallons is what I use. They also like plants in the tank so they can hide or lounge on them. Make sure anything you place in the tank with him is smooth. Their fins can get caught on a sharp object and can cause a infection. You can also house a male with other fish as long as the fish are peaceful community fish. Try to avoid fin nippers that could stress the Betta out. Betta's tend to get constipated easily, if you have noticed that he hasn't went for a while or if his tummy looks big you should fast him for a day and feed him a softened shelled pea cut into pieces. Most Betta's can live 4-7 years if taken care of properly.

Answer 3

First off, just because your betta only lived for a year doesn't mean you did something wrong. Although they can live longer than that, fish are fragile creatures and yours might have already been old before you got it.

Now that I've said that, let's go over the basics. What size tank was your betta in? Were there other fish? Did it have a filter? How often did you change the water? Did you keep the water within acceptable pH (close to neutral) and temperature (75-80 F) parameters? How much did you feed your betta? Was it in a high-traffic area (it could get stressed)?

Answer 4

House your fish in a heated, filtered tank of at least 2.5 gallons. Do regular weekly 25% water changes and clean the filter once a month. Feed him a good pellet or flake as a staple and several tiems a week give him some frozen food as an added part of his diet. Doing these things will go far to insure you Betta lives a long and healthy life.

MM

Answer 5

ok,in the beginning ,the priority is the bowl,no longer you.He desires a minimum of a 5 gallon tank,yet a 10 gallon tank would be a lot extra beneficial area,for slightly extra funds.And no Steph,they should not be saved interior eye-shot with yet another betta or mirror via fact it stresses them out.additionally,with that extensive tank you have,you could have plant life(stay or fake)tunnels to swim by using(like driftwood) and a heated tank.i do no longer think in filters via fact Betta's easily hate currents!I incredibly have a 5 gallon tank with all of that extra beneficial stuff and extra and my betta fish patrols the tank all day! Btw,say you feed it pellets,or betta bites invariably,you could replace its weight loss software around slightly.Get some blood-worms as a handle each and every so in many circumstances.in basic terms like us human beings,Betta's elect sort of their weight loss software.

Answer 6

We had a Betta fish who lived for 4 years now I don't know if this was just luck or what but heres what we did we had him in a gold fish bowl and had metallic fish gravel in the bottom we had three fake plants in there too and cleaned his bowle every 2 weeks we feed him every night but not two much. And that was about it good luck!

Answer 7

You didn't do anything wrong, the fish you get at local fish stores are usually older fish and have ich or some form of illness/disease. If you were to buy from a breeder you'd be guaranteed youth.

Answer 8

Yes - a few things.
Get a tank that can have a heater and a filter in it. Your Betta will be so much happier with water that stays the same temperature, and stays cleaner thanks to the filter. You can find small filters and heaters here:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9821&Ntt=small%20filter&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1
and
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12087&Ntt=small%20heater%20tank&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1

There are a few sites that have Betta care info published - here's my favorite:

http://www.bettatalk.com/

Good luck!