My Betta Fish

[heidiho]

Is it true,they like small tanks????Is it true they can go a week without eating????? I feel bad i think his tank is to small,but she showed me on the internet where it said they are a nervous fish and like smaller tanks,and COULD go a week without eating...What is true????

[Lucky Rescue]

Bettas are fish like any other, and like to eat every day. What size container is he in? I would not keep a betta in less than one gallon, and it should be cleaned frequently. The water should also be very warm - over 80 degrees.

[GsdDiamond]

Betta Fish, also known as Siamese Fighting Fish, are as LR said...like any other fish. There are certain rules, however, when keeping Betta Fish.

Always remember:
More than one female per tank: OK
More than one male per tank: NO
Male and female in same tank: NO, unless you know how to breed them and they're ready.
Most people don't own a tank big enough to support 2 male or 1 male / 1 female without them wanting to kill each other.

As they're labyrinth fish, they don't require an aeration system, but do require a heater. The favorite diet is blood worms, which can either be fed dried or fresh frozen. They don't eat the roots off of plants in the bowl they're captive in.

Oh, I could go on and on. I've owned males and females in the past, and had a bit of success breeding them. If you have any questions, feel free to pick my brain!

What color is your little guy?

[heidiho]

He is red.I have had him for about 5 months...I will have to look at the box the tank came in,not sure how many gallons it is..I did get another fish that they said i could put in there with him about 2 months ago,he died like two days later,every time i looked at him he was like freakin out in the tank...I cant remember what kind he was,he was white and like his middle part was round...See i was told dont clean the tank alot..

[GsdDiamond]

Once a week you should do a 25% water change by using a syphoning tube to clean debris from the bottom of the tank. If you don't clean the tank, you're allowing your fish to swim in poluted water. His own feces can kill him.

If you're going to reuse a tank, wash it before hand using a bleach/water combination. BEFORE you put the fish in though, wash it again, MULTIPLE times with salt (to neutralize the bleach) and then vinegar, then salt, then rinse, rinse, rinse. I would then get a tank cleaning solution from the pet store. The bleach will kill any bacteria from the previous tenants, preventing your Betta from getting sick. If the tank is big enough, you can put one fish in, to create a bacterial culture in the water, then put your beloved Betta in. Any other fish will require aeration, so if you get another kind of fish to seed the tank, make sure to get a filter with an air stone. Clean your charcoal when you clean your tank each week. Also change the batting in the filter.

[heidiho]

Thanks for all the info,i appreciate it...

[GsdDiamond]

Glad to help! I can't wait until I get a nice tank going again. I just love the hobby of tank keeping. My ideal goal is to get a 20 gal or slightly larger for the rec room.

[heidiho]

Yeah that would be nice, i am thiking mine is like 8 gallons....I would love salt water,but way to high maintence

[GsdDiamond]

Yeah. But don't salt water tanks have the nicest looking fish?

[Rottimom]

I once had a beautiful purple male betta who lived about 3 years. I had him in a 25 gallon tank with other community fish (no other bettas) and he thrived. I also had a dwarf frog, and my betta seemed to love the frog. I would often find him snuggled (for lack of a better word) against the frog. It was cute and they lived harmoniously for a long time. I had another betta at the day care where I worked. When I left the day care, they called me after a few weeks because he wouldnt eat and was doing poorly. I brought him home where he thrived (in his own tank) and lived a few more years. I find them to be quite personable fish; they always responded to my presence. I'm no expert; I dont know what the best living conditions are for them, but I've tried it both ways (alone in a smaller unheated tank, and in a large, filtered, heated community tank)and they all lived long healthy fish lives. And I always fed them 1 or 2X/day, and cleaned the tank 1X/wk. Oh and one more interesting thing, I had yet another betta who I thought had died. He was lifeless at the bottom of his bowl. As I was preparing to flush him into fish heaven, he came to life! I have heard that sharks can faint and be mistaken for dead, but I guess bettas can too!

[Bugsy]

I have a betta as well. She's white (Ariel). I know this sounds nuts but, when I walk in the room...she "runs" to my side of the bowl and knocks. I think she figured out that unless she makes her presence known, I may forget to feed her

GSDiamond how can I tell the difference between a male & female?

Hiediho Do this...hold a mirror up to the bowl & watch what happens

[GsdDiamond]

Originally Posted by Bugsy

I have a betta as well. She's white (Ariel). I know this sounds nuts but, when I walk in the room...she "runs" to my side of the bowl and knocks. I think she figured out that unless she makes her presence known, I may forget to feed her

GSDiamond how can I tell the difference between a male & female?

Hiediho Do this...hold a mirror up to the bowl & watch what happens

The male Betta fish is the one you'll find at the pet store in a little bowl, all by itself. They will be brilliantly colored with long fan-like fins and a flowing tail.

The female, by comparison, is very plain looking, and come in dull colors. Most pet stores will have them in community tanks so you may not notice them at first. Ask the store clerk if they have any. Some stores carry 5 or more, hidden in different tanks.

Here is a picture of a red male and a drab female.

[heidiho]

Mine must be male,he looks just like the red one..And that is so funny,when i come home he just starts fluttering around and like his gil s fan out,i told my friend she thinks i am nuts,but when i walk in he just starts waving his little fins.Ok the mirror thing i cant wait to do that what will happen?????I think i am gonna get a little frog for the tank..

[GsdDiamond]

Heidi - holding the mirror to the tank will make the male think there's another male. He'll do his posturing to try and scare the other male away. Their fins look so beautiful and full when they do that.

I can't wait until I get my tank all set up. I'll get a female for the large tank and set up a small 5 gallon one for the male. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and he'll want to mate the female! Oooo....baby bettas.

[heidiho]

Oh how cool is that,cant wait to get home and try that........

[heidiho]

I did the mirror thing that is so funny..One more question,this will sound stupid but,when i go to work i open the blinds so it is not dark in my apt all day,do fish see like that,i just feeel bad dont want him to be in the dark all day???

[GsdDiamond]

It's not a stupid quesiton.
Fish use daylight to set their own feeding and sleeping schedule (yes, fish do sleep!). Without proper daylight/nighttime lighting, a fish can get very confused.
I knew someone who owned a Black Knife Fish. They're nocturnal and only hunt at night. If the aquarium lights weren't turned off, the fish would never eat. The reverse is true if the lights are never on...the fish would think it was night all the time, and the stress of staying up all the time would kill it prematurly.

The same goes for a betta fish. The only time the lights should be kept on all the time, is if the male is tending a nest of babies. Other than that, regular daylight hours would be perfect for it. Just watch for algea buildup in the tank. Don't put it in direct sunlight.

[heidiho]

Thanks,i leave the tank light off when i go to work and just open the living room blinds..Then at night i put on the tank light til i go to bed...His tank is on my kitchen bar counter....I keep forgetting to look at the box and see how many gallons it is,i will today and let you know monday,want to be sure it is the right size.Thanks again for all the help...So you think one of those little frogs would be ok in there??? Just wondering when it came time to cleaning the tank how woudl i get a frog out???

[Bugsy]

Ok ...now I have to rename the fish :sad:

LOL

[heidiho]

My fishes name is Gil..Ever see the movie What About Bob????

[GsdDiamond]

For such a little tank, I wouldn't get a frog. Contrary to popular belief, frogs actually do need land to sit on occasionally. I think your little guy will be fine by himself. Or, if you can, move him near a TV. The motion of the characters moving about will give him distraction from everyday humdrum. And TVs don't really use that much hydro, so it wouldn't be a huge expense.

LOL at Bugsy! Thought you had a girl huh?

[heidiho]

I just dont him to be lonely in there

[Sneaky2006]

There's a fish named Gil in Finding Nemo too.

[GsdDiamond]

Heidi, he won't be lonely. Males are more suited to solitary life than the females. If you had a female, I'd suggest getting her company. But a male is perfectly fine on it's own.

I was never able to name my fish. I had way too many of them!

[heidiho]

OK...........i WILL LEAVE HIM ALONE

[Rottimom]

heidiho when I had my betta and dwarf frog together they were both in a large, heated, filtered well maintained community tank. (the aquarium store had recommended to me that the frogs need those conditions). male bettas are always alone in the stores, in tiny bottles. I have heard that in the wild they are known to live in puddles, so that's why they prefer smaller living spaces. I too think they look lonely, thats why i had put mine in the community tank. He did well but it's not really recommended. They're more likely to pick up diseases from the other fish and even friendly community fish (tetras, guppies etc.) are apt to nip at the betta's colourful flowing fins. My bettas have always responded to my presence in the room, and have always done better with lots of attention from me. ( I know they're just fish, but it's true!!)

If you ever do get a larger tank and want to get a dwarf froggie they are adorable. I named mine Piglet! Just one warning, mine seemed to "shed" his skin occasionally, so I would find this slimy thing floating around

[Bugsy]

GSDiamond

LOL

Ok guys... can't think of a name. Ariel and Dory are out of the question for obvious reasons. Nemo wanted out of the bowl. The fish in Dr Seuss was simply Fish. If there where 2 i'd go with Thing 1 & Thing 2.
Jaws.. seems well, over the top & for some reason I have that famous line from Austin Powers, "I shall call him .. MINI-ME", in my head...

Gonna go with the latter.

Hiediho
Gil is a great name
.

[onecatandonedog]

i had a a betta once. it lasted for a long time in fish years and he was easy to take care of compared to other fish. you can put them together with certain types of other fish too sometimes. i had tetras with him and they never got eaten by him once.

[heidiho]

Thanks you guys,i got himn some blood worms today,he loved it..I do believe also hegets excited when he sees me,his fins just start going..But what does it mean when his face gets all puffy?????

[Sneaky2006]

Bugsy... I think Dory is such a cool name for a fish though! What about coral??

Heidi... I was looking on the net about Betta fish, they flare out their fins and open their gils as wide as they can... I believe they call it flaring and normally they do this when a male sees another male, like a dominance thing. Like the same thing GSD said about the mirror. Seems weird he would do that when he sees you, unless it's a totally different thing he does?