How do you look after a betta?

Question

They look like they are tropical, are they?

Can you feed them goldfish flakes?

How big do they grow?

Nobodies answered the most important question - are they tropical?

I know they fight, I don't need to be told that, what I DO need is whether they are tropical or cold water.

Answer 1

Most common bettas (at your pet store you'll most likely find Betta Splenda) won't grow much bigger than two inches. The body size of males and females will be similar but males will display longer, more decorative finnage (again this is strictly directed at the bettas most commonly found in pet stores you can find short fin males and giant bettas so don't apply this to every betta, everywhere).

Tropical fish simply implies temperature and yes bettas fall in this category they can live at room temperature so long as you don't keep your house cooler than about 76 degrees (though they'd be much happier and healthier about 78-82 degrees).

Goldfish flakes are designed to meet the needs of a goldfish's diet, even if the betta did take the flakes (many won't eat flakes) it wouldn't be very good for them. I'd suggest feeling bloodworms (life, freeze-dried or frozen) and/or betta pellets.

You can put a betta in a smaller tank (less than a gallon even) but the smaller it is the more often it needs clean. My bettas in 1/4 gallon kritter keeps get cleaner 1 to 2 times a week.

If you'd rather not have to do maintenance every week get a 10 gallon tank or larger. Most bettas display aggression only towards their own species so they mix well with community fish. However long fin males are a prime target for fin nippers the beautiful finnage that we so admire makes them slow swimmers. So with a long fin male good tank mates would include neons, platties, o-cats, and/or rasboras. Betta yet find yourself a short fin male (Plakat, in all honesty I find these guys just as if not more gorgeous than their long fin brothers) or a female. They can go with a wider variety of fish, I've got a very nice looking female in a 40 gallon with angels, rasboras, platties, sword tails, a rope fish and a pleco.

Answer 2

A minimum of 5 gallons should be kept for your betta. The aquarium should include a filter and heater. Do 20% water changes every week. Refill your aquarium with dechlorinated water. Feed it twice a day as much as it can eat within several minutes then remove any excess food.

EDIT:

Your betta can get along with other fish, just not fish that are similar in shape and size, but then you'll need more than 5 gallons to house more fish.

Answer 3

Betta fish, or other wise known as Japanese fighting fish, are some of the most beautiful and common fish. You will need to get at least a 1g tank for them. Yes, they can be held in smaller bowls and tanks but they won't be happy. Male bettas get about 3-4 inches long.. Females are only about 1.5-2.5 inches long. The correct diet for bettas would be betta pellets with freeze-dried or live blood worms once a week.

Below is an excellent site for Betta beginners:
http://www.bettatalk.com/basic_care.htm

Answer 4

sorry nobody answered your initial question

yes they're tropical and do best in temperatures around 76-82 degrees

The best home for a start is a 2.5 gallon tank with a filter and heater as well as a liveplant

The bowls IMO should be forbidden

Get the tank cycled before you actually buy your betta

The ammonia and nitrite are suppose to be at 0 when it's cycled and you should have nitrates about 25

Do partial waterchanges of 25% weekly with a small gravel siphon and refill with conditioned water

Keep the light on for 10-12 hours during the day and turn it off at night for 12-14 hours

Feed him twice a day 3-4 pellets at each feeding and change up his diet with bloodworms instead of pellets 2-3 times a week

Also fast him for 1 day out of the week, that way you prevent constipation


Hope that helps
Good luck


EB
http://fishlesscycling.com/articles.html

Answer 5

Bettas are fairly easy to look after.Clean it's tank about twice a week or else it will get very cloudy and smelly.I don't think you can feed them goldfish food,I tried it once and my betta just let it rot in the bottom of his tank,I guess he didn't like it. Feed it regular betta food,it's about three dollars at walmart. Usually males get about two to three inches long,females get about one and a half.They need fairly large tanks.They don't get along with other fish,they are very territorial animals and are usually best when kept alone.If you get a tank with a filter make sure it is a very soft filter because they have long fins that can be torn apart by a strong filter.(on the other hand,if you have a filter then you don't have to clean it yourself)Bettas come originally from warm rice paddies,so they like a temperature maintained at about 70 to 75 degrees farenheit,but never put their tanks in direct sunlight as they will get too hot and die.Bettas are beautiful creatures and love to have plants and rocks in their tank to play with.If properly cared for,they should live about three to four years. If you do decide to get a betta of your own,good luck!

Answer 6

betta fish need their own food not goldfish flakes. u can't keep ur fish in a tiny bowl, betta's need space, and u can't keep him with other fish or he'll kill them. don't keep him in direct sunlight and ur going to need to feed him twice a day too. Betta's are also pretty tough cause I forgot to feed him for about 3 days and he's still alive. oh and also they don't grow that large at least not as big as a goldfish.

Answer 7

yes, you can feed them fish flakes, but its a certain kind. if you go to your local pet store they can tell you exactly what kind. also, they dont grow much, well. mine didnt.

oh, and you cant put them in a tank with another fish. theyll kill eachouther. betta fish are fighting fishh.

Answer 8

Sabrina Bryan!

Answer 9

this has a lot of information on how to care for a betta

http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Care-of-a-Betta-Fish

Edit: if you fully read the link i gave you, it answered ALL of your questions. I'm assuming you didn't read it.

Answer 10

feed them, when you buy them from the store thats probably as big as they will get.




-DFK