Betta fish questions

[orloffer]

When I looked it up it said that for each beta you need at least 5 gallons, but after my poor chickie babies had to live in a tiny coop, my goal is that all of my pets have more space than they need. (they've moved coops to a palace don't worry). After some very quick googling, female betas lack the 'wow' factor with the fancy long fins and tails. Apparently betas are happy on their own with lots of enrichment-lots of caves and things to hid in, go through, and swim around.

Ten gallons would be great for a betta fish! Keep in mind that the water changes are more labor-intensive for larger tanks, though.

 

[CIuck]

It is a possibility that I may get a betta fish. I am adding up costs and when I try to find a filter I see a lot of filter cartridges or refills but very few actual filters. What filters have you had success with for your betta?

I actually only don't have a filter, I only have 1 fish in a small bowl. They have lived for a 1+ so far. I have a small 5 gallon that I clean every week. enjoy your new fish!

 

[cluckmecoop7]

@cluckmecoop7 , you keep bettas, right?

Yes, I do keep betta fish, although I'm not very experienced and still learning myself! I know nothing about filters that would help you, but still - good luck!

 

[EverythingDucks]

I've never had bettas but I do know a bit about them.
A lot of people say they are hard to keep alive but often it's because they are kept in small bowls without the right things in it.
I would go with a 10 gallon or larger. A 10 gallon would be great though. They need lots of room to swim despite often being kept in a small bowl.
I would definitely get a filter too.
I've heard that hard plastic plants can hurt them but I'm not sure if that's true. either way lots of live plants not only look great, but help the water stay clear!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Just wanted to warn you all the betta fish my sister has had have died, my mom says all betas are hard to keep alive, they sure are pretty though

Everything has a life cycle and dies eventually.. Betta's is not extremely long.. but they ARE extremely hardy fish in my experience! And we never did things quite proper.. information used to be found at the library or given by the less than informed pet store keepers.. back in the day. They usually for for at least a couple years +.. even in those small bowls. Not saying it was ideal or they thrived.. but they did survive in southern California on a desk.

@black_cat With a larger tank.. use a gravel vacuum to do water changes.. easy and affordable. In my current location.. heater is absolutely required for any tropical fish. I prefer fully submersible type.. but have not looked at them in a very long time..

The following site sometimes has great information on possible tank mates, parameters, etc..
https://www.liveaquaria.com/category/832/bettas-siamese-fighting-fish?c=830+832&r=

 

[Devyn Nagy]

It is a possibility that I may get a betta fish. I am adding up costs and when I try to find a filter I see a lot of filter cartridges or refills but very few actual filters. What filters have you had success with for your betta?

What size tank? I have a 10 gallon tank with a betta and 5 guppies and I use a Topfin 10-gallon silentstream filter.

 

[black_cat]

A 10 gallon tank is perfect. You can never keep a fish in a tank that is too big.
Since bettas don't like a lot of flow in their tanks, you have to be careful with what filter you buy. The best type of filter is a Hang-on-back filter, or HOB. It's also good to find one where you can adjust the flow. Aquaclear filters are good, especially because you can fill them with your own filter media, and not waste money on useless cartridges.

I had read that bettas need a low flow because of their fins-all of the filters that were recommended for bettas that I saw on the petco website had poor reviews, saying that they broke easily and were noisy. I will look at these type of filters! What filter media would you recommend?

You will also need a heater for the tank. A 50 Watt heater is best. The temperature should be set to 78 degrees Fahrenheit.
You'll also need a thermometer to monitor the temperature in the tank.

Does this heater look good?

The tank will also need a lid. Bettas are jumpers, so a secure lid is very important. If you buy a tank kit, it will come with a lid and a light. If you don't buy a kit, then you will have to get a lid and light separately.
The glass lids sold at petco are fine.

I had read that because of the air sucky thing that they do, you need to leave about an inch between water level and lid. Is this true? Is there a risk of the betta trying to jump and throwing its self against the lid?
I didn't want to get a kit because all the ones I can find are much smaller than I'd like them to be.

For lights, it depends on if you're going to grow live plants in the tank (which you really should as your betta will love them).

I feel like I would mess up growing live plants-are the fake ones ok? I had read that they need to have the ones made of silk, not plastic, because of their delicate fins and tails. I think that live plants may be biting off a bit more than I can chew. Do they need lights on the tank if you're not growing live plants?

You will also need an aquarium vacuum, to do your weekly water changes and vacuum the substrate.

You also need a dechlorinator to dechlorinate the water before putting it in your tank. This is not necessary if you are using well water.

We do not use well water-I had read that you can dechlorinate water by just letting it sit out on the counter for a few days?

For substrate, this again depends on if you want to grow plants, and what plants you want to grow. You can get a nutrient rich substrate if you want to grow plants like crypts, pearlweed, anything that takes the nutrients from the roots. If you want to grow things like anacharis, java fern, anubias, anything that takes its nutrients from the water column, you won't need nutritious substrate,
If you don't take nutritious substrate, you can get some gravel or sand from the pet store.

I was thinking about some of the gravel from the pet store. I had read that to properly place and hold fake plants, you need it about an inch deep-true? false?

When you're aquascaping your tank (arranging your decorations, wood, rocks, etc.) keep in mind that bettas like things that they can hid in. They also like tight spaces. Don't put in anything so tight that your betta would get stuck, just something where he can feel nice and secure.

Aquascaping is definitely the part I'd be most excited to do, aside from getting the fish! I was thinking some fake plants, some wood, and a couple of hidey type things. I'd probably pick out specifics at a pet store to look at sizes of things, and make sure that the tank is good for fish and good looking for humans.

So, after you have set up your tank, you have to cycle it before adding a fish. You can look up how to cycle your aquarium using the fish-less cycle method.
Once your tank is cycled, you can get your fish.

I am not sure what this means but if I end up getting one I will make sure to look this up and do it properly.

Also, make sure that you get your fish a variety of good quality fish foods. Hikari, OmegaOne, New Life Spectrum, and Bug Bites are all good brands. Make sure you get the betta pellets, as bettas need a lot of protein in their diet, unlike most tropical fish species. You should also feed your fish some kind of frozen food, like bloodworms or brine shrimp.

Thank you so much for the specific brands! I will make sure to get the betta ones. Do they need the variety or is one brand every time fine? If variety is needed how do you mix things/switch them up?

Also, do you know the PH, KH, and GH of your water? The GH is the most important, as this will tell you how hard your water is. Bettas are soft water fish, and living in hard water will kill them.
I know this is a really long post, and I'm sure it's kind of daunting, but I want to make sure you know everything about betta care before you get your fish.

I do not know any of those-how would I find out/test them? Am I able to look it up using my location? How would I change them if any are too high or too low?
Thank you so much! This has been such a great post! I don't know when, if ever, I'm getting a betta, ( I need to save up, and also might go with a hermit crab) but thank you so much for all of the information.

 

[black_cat]

I have heard of two male bettas being kept together successfully. You would need a massive tank though, and a truckload of plants to break the line of sight.
But, there are a few wild betta species where males can live together just fine.

I think that I'm fine with just one to start.

 

[black_cat]

Everything has a life cycle and dies eventually.. Betta's is not extremely long.. but they ARE extremely hardy fish in my experience! And we never did things quite proper.. information used to be found at the library or given by the less than informed pet store keepers.. back in the day. They usually for for at least a couple years +.. even in those small bowls. Not saying it was ideal or they thrived.. but they did survive in southern California on a desk.

@black_cat With a larger tank.. use a gravel vacuum to do water changes.. easy and affordable. In my current location.. heater is absolutely required for any tropical fish. I prefer fully submersible type.. but have not looked at them in a very long time..

The following site sometimes has great information on possible tank mates, parameters, etc..
https://www.liveaquaria.com/category/832/bettas-siamese-fighting-fish?c=830+832&r=

I'm not expecting this potential fish to live forever, don't worry. I know that fish have shorter lifespans than some pets.
How often do you change the water?
Thanks for the link! I"ll check it out!

 

[black_cat]

What size tank? I have a 10 gallon tank with a betta and 5 guppies and I use a Topfin 10-gallon silentstream filter.

I'd be using a 10 gallon tank.