Bettas .......

chevyrulzs2010

chevyrulzs2010

Member
So i just got a new betta fish. He lives in a 1.5 gallon glass jar, with a few live plants. I keep him in my kitchen where he gets plenty of natural, but not direct sunlight. Does anyone here keep bettas? If you do what set ups do you use with them?
 
S

smartorl

Guest
Originally Posted by chevyrulzs2010
http:///forum/post/3018180
So i just got a new betta fish. He lives in a 1.5 gallon glass jar, with a few live plants. I keep him in my kitchen where he gets plenty of natural, but not direct sunlight. Does anyone here keep bettas? If you do what set ups do you use with them?
I bred them for a short while. My fry were beautiful but never reached the size of the parents and housing them all was a nighmare so having more batches to work out the kinks was a huge undertaking.
They love warmer water. I lived in Florida and kept them out in my sunroom. I had small one gallon breeding tanks, several grow out 10 gallon tanks, one 20 gallon where I housed and conditioned the females, large jars for the males, and hundreds of jars for the fry once they needed to be seperated out of the grow tanks.
 
chevyrulzs2010

chevyrulzs2010

Member
Nice,
My little guy seems to like his home, he might be a little cold in his water, but i think he is ok. I came home today and he was just laying on the bottom but i went to look at him and he perked right up. He seems to really like me, like he is very social. Everytime im in the room he is at the front of his jar, and he seems to watch me, and if i come over, he swims to the back, then pokes through the live plans i have and comes right to where i am and swims against the glass. I hope he is happy, im goin to buy him some brineshrimp and bloodworms today so he can have a little treat. (also forgot to buy a net so i will be picking one of them up too!)
 
mantisman51

mantisman51

Active Member
Bettas tend to only live 1-2 years, at most. I always kept mine in my 55g community tank. I would put them in a seperator for a week or two, until they lost their aggressiveness. I never had a betta cause any problems when I did this and they lived an average of 3-4 years, probably due to the better water conditions from a larger tank.
 
chevyrulzs2010

chevyrulzs2010

Member
I have heard anywhere from 1-4 years, depending on how well you take care of them. Bettas are a very hardy fish. I hear people say keeping them in a little jar or vase is in humane but i disagree. Ignoring them is inhumane, he has room to swim. I feed him, and let him socialize with himself, and me. I gave him plants to rest on, and will be buying him some small decorations to explore such as a cave. Im planning weekly water changes. I even give him blood worms for treats in place of pellets. My boss at petsmart has had hers in a vase for 3 years and he is still going strong. It really is how well you care for them.
P.S.
Im looking for a little tank mate for him such as a snail or crab, but i dont know what to get him, a snail could crawl out of the tank and im afraid a crab would nip his fins. But i want something that will help with cleaning the gravel and waste. Any suggestions? Would a hermit be to big and be mean?
 
K

kikithemermaid

Guest
I've had a betta named Butter for two years...my mother in law to be has had her betta for five.
 
S

smartorl

Guest
I had my tanks outside in Florida (In August) and my eggs actually hatched ealier than expected, due to the warmer temperatures. They tend to be more sluggish in colder water. Unless the water was warm, I had a hard time getting the males interested in breeding. For the amount of fry I got, over 100, the amount of work keeping them fed, coupled with the fact that I kept having to keep seperating the males out as they started to show aggression and house them seperately, it wasn't worth the effort to me. I enjoyed the experience but it wasn't like you ended up with a few fish to rehome. Some of the males are highly aggressive at very young age. Given enough space, they would have laid down territories as they would do in the wild, but I didn't have that much space to dedicate to that many.
 
S

smartorl

Guest
I found it! I don't think this is a competitor in any way so here goes:
http://www.bettatalk.com/stock_for_sale.htm
She only deals in bettas. Here stock is amazing, the pairs are chosen, brother and sister usually to breed true to the type and color. She also offers great breeding advice!
 
chevyrulzs2010

chevyrulzs2010

Member
Ya, im not looking to breed. Just talk to people who have them. Also they should have a freshwater section in here. I have some freshwater questions, such as what invert could i put with a betta to assist in cleaning
 
S

smartorl

Guest
You can try snails. Keep in mind that bettas are meat eaters and I have had them pick at and ultimately kill partially eat the snails. Ideally, a small heater or depending on where you live outside, keeping the temp between 78 and 80 degrees is ideal. Also, don't overfeed. Water changes are a must, I usually did 1/3 of the tank volume weekly. By not overfeeding and keeping the water changes on schedule, you really don't need a CUC.
If you want a more balanced system, maybe think of upgrading to a pico or nano tank with filtration where you can add an algae eater and some other small fish. Bettas love larger tanks as well, although they can thrive in the smaller ones, just try to work on keeping the temp up!
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
i have a betta named turnpike. he's not that old, maybe 6 months or so. he's alright i guess, not that into freshwater. i take good care of him and all, and he's pretty active for a betta.
 
chevyrulzs2010

chevyrulzs2010

Member
Well i need to get a picture, but im not going to stress him out anymore tonight. I just added a little roman column thing in there and another plant. Im testing my water, and most is good. Will post further updates. I also changed up his food today, im feeding bloodworms that a thaw in warm water. He doesnt seem to realize its food. Is this normal for him to let them sink and eat them later?
 
chevyrulzs2010

chevyrulzs2010

Member
Well i just did my first water change yesturday. He seemed happy to be in a clean tank. I also added a new plant and gave him more room to swim, by moving his decoration forward and the plants back. He seem to be rather happy!
 
S

smartorl

Guest
They love Java moss. It's a good mix for these guys because the plant has low light requirements so it's less likely to foul the water with die off. It is similar and has alot of the same qualities as chaeto in saltwater tanks without being as messy.
 
chevyrulzs2010

chevyrulzs2010

Member
Originally Posted by smartorl
http:///forum/post/3023218
They love Java moss. It's a good mix for these guys because the plant has low light requirements so it's less likely to foul the water with die off. It is similar and has alot of the same qualities as chaeto in saltwater tanks without being as messy.
I would like to add a fresh water crab to my tank, kinda as a CUC, and a little more life. Would this be a wise choise? Would the crab nip at the bettas fins?
 
keri

keri

Active Member
Originally Posted by Squidward
http:///forum/post/3019781
I used to have some...fun for fighting.

Sorry, but that's just stupid. It may not be dog fighting but it's that same mentality - those fish get hurt and die all the same.
Originally Posted by smartorl
http:///forum/post/3023218
They love Java moss. It's a good mix for these guys because the plant has low light requirements so it's less likely to foul the water with die off. It is similar and has alot of the same qualities as chaeto in saltwater tanks without being as messy.
I agree :) Javamoss is almost impossible to kill and provides a natural hide for you betta. Java fern is great also.
Originally Posted by chevyrulzs2010
http:///forum/post/3023506
I would like to add a fresh water crab to my tank, kinda as a CUC, and a little more life. Would this be a wise choise? Would the crab nip at the bettas fins?
All crabs are jerks at heart and your bettas beautiful fins wouldn't last long at all with a crab eating them :( Despite the name "fighting fish" I've yet to see one really defend itself from fin-nippers.
Unfortunately at that size of enclosure you are limited to what you can keep with him, *maybe* a very small pond snail (don't get an apple snail they gut HUGE!) because with no filter the ammonia builds up FAST. or you could get a bigger tank, 10 gallon kits are dirt cheap, with a small heater and have a beautiful school of neons or other small, nonagressive tetras in with your betta. Cory catfish also make good nonagressive companions.
I've had a betta live 4 years at the longest but I think my average was only 2 or so years. I currently have a Plakat (short-finned) black metallic betta in my heavily planted 55g community tank and he's doing fabulously.
Do you have any pics of your little guy? I'd love to see them!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top