Betta's

[NovaWo1f]

Ok, I think i'm gonna use this little 2 gallon and put a nice betta in there. I've been looking up info on betta's on the web, and they say that the ones sold in pet stores are just some veil tail or something? And not very, well, dunno, good i guess? Anyway, I was thinking, where would i get any other kind of betta? Saw a few places selling them online, but, gee, i don't feel good buying fish online. Just curious. I guess those petstore betta's aren't too bad...

 

[justDIY]

I believe the bettas sold in stores are the easiest to breed and tend to be the most durable.

Several mail-order houses sell a large variety of different kinds and colors of betta (more than just the red and blue we see at Walmart)

I don't think it's too dangerous to buy fish online, just research the seller before plunking down the cash ... look for reviews on this site or on google, someone has probably shared their experience buying from a place you might be considering.

 

[NovaWo1f]

Wal-Mart? Who would buy fish from wal-mart? That would be just plane insane.. every fish i have ever got from wal-mart died within a week. I always go to PetsMart. Anyway, i don't wanna breed yet. Seems like too much trouble, having to seperate every single male and all. Ick, that'd be alot of tanks Besides, the $20 price tags on some of those fish are pretty big for a little fish.

 

[RogerMcAllen]

Look for a place that keeps betas well. Petsmart has them all sitting in bowls, whereas my LFS has something else. It is basically a rack for beta tanks something like 6 wide and 6 tall. Each of the small beta tanks is hooked up to a larger filtration system so the water quality is kept high.

 

[NovaWo1f]

The only other fish place near me, is a little aquarium store in a strip mall, and (last i checked, awhile ago) they kept their betta's on a shelf, in little jars. So, doubt that's any better than a cup I can't beleive i used to keep my betta's in those little hexagonal tanks that hold like, an ounce of water or something. How horrible that must be for the fish!

 

[d9hp]

Well, not to be rude or mean. But bettas really dont require a lot of swimming room. They just kinda sit on the top of the water and breathe. Granted a larger tank might be better, tanks that are less than one gallon are not too bad for the fish...

 

[NovaWo1f]

Yeah, but i like betta's, want him to be happy. Plus, i'm gonna put real plants in, see if i can get 'em growing. A nice pretty betta swimming amongst the live plants has to be nice to look at.

 

[d9hp]

Well, dont want to spoil your thoughts (sounds peaceful, but bettas dont really swim around too much) but live plants need adequate lighting, that may not be hard to put on a 1 gallon tank, but it does need to be enough, and a good spectrum

 

[RogerMcAllen]

Hahaha, spectrum? I had some small tetras in a jar with an underwater plant and it did great. I used my "reading light" occasionally and the plant did fine. Not sure what the plant is called. It is one that everyone carries, tall and skinny with small leaves growing all the way up and around the stem .

 

[d9hp]

Sounds like anacharis, and I truly think that would grow in a toilet....

 

[justDIY]

well, I don't know about a toilet, but they are used to treat sewage ... some areas grow anacharis in settling resivors to help control the stink

 

[tkos]

Well, not to be rude or mean. But bettas really dont require a lot of swimming room. They just kinda sit on the top of the water and breathe

Well that is kind of short sighted. Of course they just sit on the top and breath. Where would you go in a little jar. I keep my single betta in his own 5 gallon planted tank and he is just beautiful. He swims the length of the tank, snaking in and out of the plants.

In the wild these guys live in rice paddies that occasionally dry up but normally are massive in size. They have the ability to adapt to small tanks like cups of water but do much better in a larger size.

You could grow some Java Fern in that small tank with little light.

 

[bettacove]

If its your first betta then get it from a petstore. If you are just keeping it for a pet then there is no use spending a lot of money on one. Veils are the ones in petstores and, ya are not good for breeding/showing but are fine for pets.
Bettas will swim around are are active if givin the right conditions.

ashley

 

[NovaWo1f]

Its not my first, i've had others, my last one (a long time ago) i got tired of seeing him in that little cup, so i put him in my 10gal with other fishies. He got along pretty well. Beat up my red-tailed black shark, and took over his cave. Pretty funny...anyways. I have been looking at that java fern, and it looks ok for the background, but is there any kind of bush-type plant that i could put in the middle? something that needs little light and doesnt get very tall, like two or three inches?

 

[tkos]

Most bushy plants need higher light. You could try java moss on a piece of drift wood. It can look very nice, though doesn't grow very tall.

 

[NovaWo1f]

My goodness, java fern, java moss, all i'd need a little java mocha and i'd be set.
Would i have to use driftwood? It won't grow in the ground?

 

[Stephanie]

Well, dont want to spoil your thoughts (sounds peaceful, but bettas dont really swim around too much)

Not true. I have three bettas. Two have 3 gallon tanks, one has a 10 gallon all to himself, and he is in betta heaven. He swims non-stop. It may depend on the individual fish's personality, but most bettas enjoy space and like as much room as you can give them. Its very sad that they are so misunderstood and placed in such confined spaces. I'm not saying that every betta needs 10 gallons, as my fish is an unusually spirited betta. But if you give your betta at least 2.5 gallons, his personality will come alive.

 

[nugrad2005]

Veils are the ones in petstores and, ya are not good for breeding/showing but are fine for pets.

Surprisingly i bought a couple bettas at petco and they bred. Now i've got a bowl of about a million little bettas who are growing up just fine...But i know you said that you weren't interested in breeding.

Anyway, bettas are bettas, big or small they will live and be as happy as a fish in water.

I was under the impression that bettas loved to feast on live plants, must have heard that wrong.

-Dan

 

[lmw80]

I have a betta in my 46g community tank....he loves it! He swims all around...he has his little place...a spot in the corner top of the tank where there is a lot of foliage....but he swims all over.

 

[lmw80]

oh yeah, nugrad, what are the conditions for breeding bettas? Anything special required, or just a male and a female, lol