Perfect Betta Environment. (Calling All Betta Experts!)?

Question

Just wanted to know what I could do with a 10 gallon tank for a single male Betta.

Companions, Decoration, Toys, Plants (Live or Fake, if Live specify), Substrate, Temperature, Heater, Filter and anything else you guys can think of to make my Betta feel ever so comfortable in his very roomy new tank.

I know I asked some questions before, but I'd like to hear more opinions. Thanks to all who did answer previous questions.

Also instructions on keeping my Betta's tank cleanliness, and what supplies needed.

I forgot what live foods to feed em (freeze-dried).

Also tell me if it would be better to raise them myself, or keep buying freeze dried, also how to prepare them for my Betta.

Answer 1

Firstly that is a great size tank for your betta congrats on ignoring rumours they can be kept in vases.

with your tank there are many options you can play with.
Ill try and answer in order of the questions asked.

companions - in a 10 gal you can have a variety of companions I would suggest some bottom feeders such as cory cats. however there is another option you could divide your 10 gal into two 5 gals and put another male betta next to him this will give him company and someone to flare at which will keep him fit and healthy!

Decoration - you can use anything you want here. in my betta tank I have a large stone from my garden boiled and cleaned throughly. there are many availiable in shops however you can makes your own. pieces of driftwood cleaned well make gorgeous decorations and betta love things like logs that they can hide in.

Toys - These aren't really needed. however apparently you can teach bettas to swim through hoops.

Plants - this depends again on your preference. I wouldn't recommend plastic plants as they can be sharp and catch your bettas tails. silk or live plants are your best option and there are hundreds of types to choose from!

substrate - anything you want, some people use none and have a bare base, I have seen marbles used as a substrate however I prefer gravel as a substrate. When you are choosing a substrate choose something that wont fit in the bettas mouth as some bettas will eat their food off the floor!

Temp/heater/filter - temp needs to be around 80*, A 50 w heater should be sufficient for a 10gal tank to maintain the 80* temp. The filter depends on your fish some bettas like a stronger current while others like a gentle current. your best bet is to buy a filter that sticks on the side of your tank. many have adjustable filter speeds however if it is stills to strong for your betta you can cover the outflow with the end of some tights tied with a band to decrease the speed of the water flow.

An over tank light wont make your betta happier however it means you have a better view of your fish so makes the whole fish owning experience even better.

Food - this depends on your fish there are many betta foods out there, pellets/flakes and of course freeze dried food.
I advise to buy freeze-dried blood worms as my bettas love these. however live foods shouldn't be the main diet your fish is on I recommend feeding this as an occasional treat. Peas are also a fab treat for your beta and help prevent swimbladder.
to prepare the freeze-dried I find it best to break off a small corner of the block and defrost it in some water before adding it to the tank.

with a filter and the size of your tank a partial water change should only be requried once a week. however if you remove any eaten food after each feed this will help keep your tank cleaner.

Supplies - aquarium salt, water dechlorinator, water parameter testers, net for water changes, betta food, betta fix/melafix (in case of illness)

Hope you enjoy owning a betta the following link is a great forum full of people who love bettas it is flame free and people are always willing to help with any questions you might have!!!

http://z6.invisionfree.com/TheBettaBug/index.php?act=idx

Answer 2

I was in petco the other day and all of their "tanks" designed just for bettas are completely wrong. They sell these tiny "betta bowls" and these designer tanks that don't even have a lid. They also have this thing where you can make it all pretty with rocks and lights and in the end you would just stress your betta out and kill it. No wonder people are so stupid. When they see these betta products they're going to think "oh, this was made for a betta, it must be the best thing" but its not. It sickens me to think of the countless bettas that jump from their designer tanks and die or are left in tiny little bowls. People, for the most part, buy bettas because they're pretty. however unhappy, sad, cold bettas are not pretty. If a betta is in a large warm tank his colors will be a thousand times prettier and he will be much more active and entertaining to watch.

Answer 3

Well I have a Crowntail betta and have have two regualar mutt bettas and this is what they all prefered.

My betta normally likes a large live plant in a corner by the heater and away from the filter. He loves to sleep on the little leaves and loves to hide in it. Also make sure you have open gravel so they can sink to the bottom and rest. My betta hates pointy or rough objects. I have a smooth house that he sleeps on a few times a day. Also they like live plants and a lot of them! Also live food is a must! Mine liked to eat spiders that I catch for them. Also they like heaters. They are tropical fish and like to be warm. Also they love brine shrimp and blood worms. And baby fish...baby guppies and baby mollies they go crazy over! My betta fish also likes other fish with him like mollies and other comunity fish. NO gouramis! They fight with them! Also clean your tank about every 3 to 5 weeks with a sucker you can buy at the store like walmart or petsmart. It is a big tube with a long small flexable tube connected to it.

Answer 4

well, bettas are actually very easy fish to keep!
you won't need much filtration, bettas prefer calm water.

they'll also need some dense planted area and rocks for them to hide if threatened.

for the species of plants, first stop would go to java fern, then java moss, the cabombas also works best around the background since these are quite large.

toys? no, they don't need any toys. heater might be fine but only if its too cold.
having plants and rocks to hide IS enough to keep him comfortable.

if you want to keep the tank clean, try getting ghost shrimp for its companion, or 3-4 otocinclus, these are small suckermouth that doesn't harm your plants, but they need to shoal.

bloodworms would do fine as a freeze dried food.
it'll be better if you bought them from the store. rather than raising them yourself.
to prepare freeze dried food for betta, you don't need much spesification. my fish love nibbling it. nothing much is needed.

Answer 5

I keep mine with silk plants or live (there are some low light species that work great with just a tank light - Anubias (banana plant) is one I like because it produces some floating leaves that my males use to anchor their bubble nests. I don't care for plastic, because these can have sharp points or stiff jagged edges than can catch bettas fins and rip them. I fyou use plastic, look them over carefully before you use them. Some like hiding spots, so a "cave" or piece of smooth driftwood the can swim under. I just use a natural colored pea gravel for the substrate. Sand can also be used, especially if you pair them with bottom fish like corydoras. Temps should be 76-86o, I keep mine at 76-80o unless breeding. The filter and heater should be chosen for size of the tank - I already gave you the one filter model in another answer. As far as heater midels, I like the Visitherm, because you set these to a specific temperature, rather than turning the knob to + or -. Don't buy the cheapest (you get what you pay for!), but try to get one that is completely submersible and where the temperature can be adjusted (not a preset temperature).

I've kept my bettas with Malaysian trumpet snails (they take the higher temperature better), African dwarf frogs, and corydoras catfish most successfully. I tried ghost shrimp, but that betta kept picking on them, so I had to move them to a different tank. Any fish that stays small, is peaceful, and doesn't resemble another betta could be used.

Do partial water changes of 25% once a week, using a gravel vacuum to clean the top of the substrate over the entire tank, and 1/3 of the substrate deeply if gravel. You'll need the gravel vac itself, plus a bucket to collect the water. You should also have an algae scraper.

The best staple food is a good quality betta pellet, but you can give treats of bloodworms or daphnia (I, and my bettas, prefer frozen to freeze dried), blackworms (purchased live if you can find them, give 1-2 per feeding), or live mosquito larvae (net them out of the water their in, rinse them in dechlorinated water, them feed them to the fish). The only thing you should be careful of with the mosquito larvae is to get them from a clean water source. I have a few ponds at my house, plus some barrels to collect rainwater, so I use these sources. Most other live foods other than mosquito larvae and brine shrimp aren't practical to raise yourself, and brine shrimp should only be given soon after hatching because they lose their nutritional value rather quickly. If you can find a culture of live blackworms, these are fairly easy to raise yourself once you have the starter. You can find directions on this link: http://www.carolina.com/tips/worm/worm.asp

Answer 6

male betta get along with most fish except for other bettas. But avoid fish that are prone to fin nipping. Decorations and stuff is entirely up to your likes. Live plants will need sunlight, but sunlight makes algae grow so plastic plants would prolly be better. Betta can have unheated tank or slight heating. too hot tanks doesnt allow oxygen to be dissolved in the water well.

Answer 7

I have a betta right now and they need many thing to keep them happy and healthy. You've already got a nicely sized tank. You need gravel for the bottom, and some plants [no sharp edges, they'll tear his fins.] I would reccomend no companions, they may tear at his fins. The temperature shouldn't go over 80 or below 65. He should have a varied diet, freeze dried blood worms with hikari betta bio gold food. My betta likes things to swim inside of and through, thatwas the first thing he did when I got him out of his little petstore cup.

Answer 8

Well, I can give you an answer to the food question. Freeze dried bloodworms seem to be a hit amongst Bettas. I wouldn't suggest feeding live, though.

Answer 9

Betta's like very warm water, so you need a heater in the tank. Keep it at about 92 Degrees.
I'm sure your Betta would love some frozen bloodworms. Betta's also like a nice rock to rest on, mine use to sit in my hand when I would put it in the tank. You might get a small algae eater to help keep the tank clean (not a common pleco though). Find a breed that stays small. You can put a few guppies , neons, or tetra in there with him if you like, not garenteeing anything though with companions.