Betta fish questions

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Is a 10 gallon tank too big for one? That's what I was thinking I might use. Do females need other fish with them? I was thinking male. I was thinking a beta because they are beautiful and you only need one. I don't have a budget in mind-this is still all theoretical. Parents said that they are open to the possibility of a beta fish or a hermit crab if I'm the one paying for EVERYTHING, including continued foot and maintenance, which I haven't done before. I'd be doing all the care, obviously. My current budget is that I don't want to spend ridiculous amounts of money while putting together a good habitat for betta or hermit crab-because there's no set timeframe on this, the I can probably save up a good deal of money.

10 gallons is a good size. Though it may require some more maintenance due to its size, the water parameters will be more stable than a smaller tank. Female bettas don’t need other fish for company.
This link details the nitrogen cycle, which is an important part of starting up an aquarium: https://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm.

They are beautiful, wavy and dreamy, incredibly graceful. They deserve to come with their own background music.

A ten gallon tank certainly sounds like a huge improvement over the little round vases you see them in sometimes. But if you have more than one male, they fight, right? Is a single fish in a tank happy being by itself?

Yes, the males will fight. Females will often fight too (unless in a big enough tank with the right fish and plenty of decor/plants). Bettas are happy by themselves, though it usually doesn’t hurt to have some larger shrimp or snails with them if you want.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

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!

50% water changes per week are usually recommended, though if you miss a few you should be fine. For a betta, you’d really only need 25% weekly water changes, or 50% every other week, but it doesn’t hurt to do more.
Also, you might want to check out sponge filters, if you can’t find anything else. The problem with them is that they don’t suck up debris.

 

[EverythingDucks]

Oh and also, I wouldn't get one from pet smart or petco. I would go to a fish store or sometimes exotic pet shops have them.
Petco and petsmart pets are not treated well and come from places where they aren't bred well so they often die and you would be supporting unethical breeding.
That's what I would do at least. Some fish from there do just fine though.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

How often do you change the water?

I think the preference is about 10% each week, 30% every other week.. or 50% once per month..

But with only 1 fish in a 10 gallon aquarium with a filter... you should be able to go slightly less often..

I'm not sure where roosters are awesome comes up with the suggestions made.. but like with chicken keeping.. there are many ways to achieve a good environment and personal factors are always at play..

Extreme water changes.. as in 50% can throw a fish into shock.. it's not really what I would recommend but if you do go that route take precautions like temping the water and such.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I had a betta for years, and goldfish, and worked with a lot of fish. Sister had tropical fish. Thought about getting into saltwater but that is EXPENSIVE.

The rule of thumb for tropical fish and bettas is one gallon per inch of fish. Since bettas are a bit tall they need a bit more so 1.5-2 gallons is a good amount for a betta even with a filter IMO - it's a huge step up from the "Betta cups" they're sold in, and even in a 10gal they don't move around a ton. Mine was in a 10 gallon and just frankly didn't utilize it. He liked to hide in about 3 spots and that was it. With a 10 gallon you only need to do a moderate (%25-%50) water change every month, whereas a smaller tank would need it weekly. More fish = more water changes.

Technically you don't need a filter but I'd suggest a whisper hang on back filter for a betta. My preference for filters is Penguin brand but Penguin brand filters are really expensive and noisy and strong - they're just too much for a betta. The whisper brand filter are quieter and gentler, but if you ever get into messier fish like goldfish they don't work well.

Bettas are super easy to care for and very pretty but it can be frustrating having only one fish in a tank IMO. If I did it again I'd put in two partitions and keep 3 bettas.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

50% water changes per week are usually recommended, though if you miss a few you should be fine. For a betta, you’d really only need 25% weekly water changes, or 50% every other week, but it doesn’t hurt to do more.
Also, you might want to check out sponge filters, if you can’t find anything else. The problem with them is that they don’t suck up debris.

Just to clarify, by “50% water changes per week” I mean, for example, taking 5 gallons out of a 10 gallon per week and replacing it with new dechlorinated water.
With bettas you could probably even get away with 25% every other week, though I tried that with a shrimp tank (shrimp have very low bioloads) and I ended up with a LOT of algae.

 

[orloffer]

Oh and also, I wouldn't get one from pet smart or petco. I would go to a fish store or sometimes exotic pet shops have them.
Petco and petsmart pets are not treated well and come from places where they aren't bred well so they often die and you would be supporting unethical breeding.
That's what I would do at least. Some fish from there do just fine though.

I agree, the conditions at most pet stores are nothing near desirable. I got my betta as a young fish from Petco, though, and if my calculations are correct, he is over 2 years old now.

 

[swampfox440]

If you just want one a 1gallon fish bowl is plenty fill about 3/4 of the way and you can add elodea for oxygenating the water .

Didn't mean to offend anyone the round jars the sell in the store are 1 qt. 1 gallon is 4 qts. that's four times the area of the those jars in the store . For 1 Male betta sorry

 

[chickenlittle21]

I have two female betta fish. One of them is big and lazy so I have her in a 10 gallon fish tank with assorted live and fake plants with 12 small tetra fish and 3 shrimp.

My other female betta fish is smaller but is more curious and aggressive. Shes in a 10 gallon tank with assorted live and fake plants with 4 scissortail rasbora fish.

For both of the 10 gallon tanks I use a petco brand filter but if you are willing to pay more for something better then do it. Also, the my betta fishes fins will sometimes get caught on the suction part of the filter. @black_cat.

 

[HappyClucker7]

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

Oh, definitely. Keeping two male bettas in the same tank is incredibly risky and takes a lot of knowledge and experience.

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!

You should do a 40%-50% water change every week, including vacuuming the gravel. So, for a 10 gallon tank, you would take 4-5 gallons out every week, and replace it with fresh, dechlorinated water.