betta care

[flyjawn]

can someone recommend a good site for betta care?

years ago when i kept bettas i did a bit of online research and ended up with BAD information and my bettas didn't get the best care. they lived a long time (3+ years) but i doubt they were as comfortable as they should have been.

this time around i'd like to do a better job but i don't know where to get GOOD information...

tia.

 

[Esra]

Why not this site?
Plenty of people here own Betta, myself included.

What do you need advice on?

 

[richiestang_78]

Well Bettas are one of the most beautiful and easy to care for fish you can have. I have one right now in my 10gal with some neons and a few shrimps.

As far as what you need for them its pretty straight foward.

Tank: 2gal is plenty but I like 5 or 10 cause then you can put some other fish in there
Heater is always a good idea cause betts do well with low temps but still should keep a temp regular for the fishes health
Maybe a small filter nothing fancy jsut somethign to move the water and provide some mechanical filtration.

Dont need much more then that and the other basics gravel,some decor, and a few live or fake plants if you want. All you need to do is keep the water free of Ammonia and Nitrites and keep the nitrates low. Also keep any fish that may nip or just bother the betta out like Barbs.

 

[joannde]

More info on the plants: be sure to use silk plants (rather than plastic) since the hard edges of the plastic plants can rip your betta's fins.

On feeding: its best to presoak your bettas food. This will help avoid bloat. Its also a tasty and healthy treat to feed your betta 1/2 of a boiled and skinned green pea once a week. Cut the pea into small pieces and feed one piece at a time. The pea acts as a sort of laxative, cleaning out his system. Trust me, bettas LOVE peas (I was shocked when I tried it and they begged for more).

Here's a great place to find more info:
http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_care.htm

I love my bettas and I'm sure you're going to enjoy your new friend also

 

[JeffreyL]

a

To expand a bit on what Joannde said, also look hardat any decor you are considering. I almost put a piece of driftwood with sharp points in with our Bruce. The little idiot would have shredded his fins. He still shows a bit of damage from the heater, since moved to the bottom of the tank minus suction cups. In other words if they can possibly get in trouble with something ....... they eventually will. Good luck with the little darlings.

edit: Just thought of another possible, (but not too likely in a small tank) problem. When he was in a 'holding' tank during a move our betta got himself stuck against the intake screen of an Emperor 400 HOB filter. His big fins were plastered on the screen like intake & he could not go to the surface to breath. Luckily I saw him in time. And then the little idiot tried to do the same thing again, playing around the intake. Again not too likely with a smaller filter, or even a different design, but it can happen. BTW, Bruce The Idiot (his official name after that) is still fine, if a touch ragged. lol