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championbullies, charcoalcharlie, jmentna

New Family Member ~ Japanese Fighting Fish (Beta)
need information...
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Found [21] Posts :: Page 1 of 2
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Posted: 1:59:12 PM 6/11/2005
I'm getting a beta today and i have not owned one in over two years and i kinda forgot the basics. Here are the questions i have. also anyother info would be appreciated

~Do they like cold, warm, or hot water?

~What do you reccomend as far as food goes?

~Do you agree with the whole living in a vase and plant on top thing?

~Do the different colors mean anything...like i heard that the white betas dont live long

~What types of disease do the betas get?

~What should i look for when picking out a beta?


those are all the questions i have for now..thanks
Posted: 2:19:08 PM 6/11/2005
They're warm water fish- but need to be acclimated to water temp you keep his bowl or tank at slowly, like any fish. They're carnivores- and need MEAT in their diets- I like Hikari Betta-Bio-Gold. Just a couple of pellets a day. Betta in a vase? &*$# NO! They are NOT vegetarians. Those were invented by idiots who knew nothing about the fish they were selling in them. See: http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_in_a_vase.htm

Different colors mean little when you're talking petshop variety. Ordering a specialty fish is more complicated- but I doubt that's what you're talking about.

Remember the second "T"- it's BETTA- and you'll have an easier time googling info on them. ;)

Have fun- they are pretty little things.
Posted: 2:23:32 PM 6/11/2005
Thanks very much for the info longdogs

When i got my first betta i had it in a vase and it lived for about a year and half. Then i put it in a tank and it died after about a week...it was very strange. then i got two more after words with this huge tank and it died after a week...i dont have luck with these things..hopefully i will this time.
Posted: 6:09:17 PM 6/11/2005
Ok, something a little cruel, but it is so funny to watch. I did this by complete accident once. We received a beta for our son and I put it on the shelf, in front of a mirror. He just started puffing up and going at his image in the mirror. Guess that's why they are called fighting fish-they do not like others! It was pretty funny.
Posted: 6:25:24 PM 6/11/2005
I love bettas. I had one a few years ago. I didn't have any other pet at the time, so I guess I was attached to him. His name was Dragon and everytime I stuck the tip of my finger in the water, he'd wiggle up against it - like a cat. Maybe I was hallucinating, but he always got excited when I came near - of course, it could be that he wanted to fight me or something. LOL. When I put my finger to the glass, he would follow it everywhere my finger went. I loved that fish. He had a gill disease - I can't remember what it was. I was TDY in the military and my ex husband (we were married at the time) was supposed to clean out his tank, but never did. By the time I got home, everything was green - and he was kind of jumping out of the water, like he was trying to suck in air. Then, he would just sink to the bottom and lay on his side. I thought he was going to die, so I looked the info up on the internet and he had a gill disease. So, I went to the pet store, bought him some medicine. For about two weeks, his water was medicated, but he lived through it.
Sorry if I told you that loooong story about Dragon - I'm just really happy for you and I hope that yours lives a long and happy life - Dragon lived for 3 years. He got pretty big too.
I liked feeding him the BioGold. For treats, I gave him those dried worms. He loved those.
Have fun!

p.s., myshadow - you're so silly! My tank had a light in it and when the light was on, the reflections of the glass (it was an octagon shape) would drive him nuts and he would just bang away at it! I had to have him live a life without a tank light.

***Edited By: cecile on 6/11/2005 6:26:51 PM***
Reason: add
Posted: 6:26:12 PM 6/11/2005
Myshadow, I had a friend once and she had two betas in different bowls. When they first got them they put the two bowls next to one another and the fish had a fit. They seperated the bowls after that :)

About a plant in the bowl. I am no fish expert, I admit, I have killed many goldfish in my day and have never had a betta. That said, it is my understanding that having a plant growing in the water would be a good thing. It would help to oxygenate the water, whether the fish ate plants or not wouldn't it also provide a little bit of a nice environment for the fish to live it, offer some place to hide- much more interesting then a plain old glass cup in my opinion. I think that Bettas have evolved to live in small wading pools in their natural habitat so they do not need particularly oxygenated water which is why they survive well in small bowls without a pump system but I don't think that a plant could hurt, so long as they can access the surface of the water.
Posted: 6:30:21 PM 6/11/2005
You are not supposed to put them in anything large because any current the tank can have is bad for them. I've had them live fine in smaller tanks but never anything over five gallon. I think a goldfish bowl too about a 2.5 gallon is best. I always want to rescue them from wal mart but of course I cna't have more than one in a tank so Its a little pointless. And they are gorgoues when they flare up if you put a miror by them. You just are not supposed to do it constantly because it can stress them out. Thats why the double tanks are bad.
Posted: 6:54:37 PM 6/11/2005
I have four. All in vases, but they are very large vases. If you put a plant in the water will stay clean a lot longer. My oldest one is 4 years old. I put tap water in the vase at let is sit for at least 24 hours before adding the fish. They definately need betta food, they cannot live off the plants and you can only use certain types of plants. I have never put one of those covers over the top. I've had very good luck. Don't feed them too often or they will die. My oldest fish has moved with me to two different offices at work and is now at home as the center piece on my dining room table. He's huge. Also, if you go to Walmart you can get a very large vase for less than 8.00 and you can buy a bag full of marble looking rocks for 1.00 each. Much easier to clean than gravel. Also buy a gallon or two of distilled water and keep it in the same area as the fish so the water will remain the same temp and you can use it to add to the water as it evaporates and also when you clean the bowl/vase/tank whatever your water will be ready for you. Good luck. Oh, I use peace lillies for my plants because I know they are safe, just make sure not to get a little bitty vase or bowl. Even though it's just one fish they need some room. When you bring him home in the little container let it sit next to the bowl for 24 hours while the water temp adjusts. As far as the colors I have no idea but I have a red and blue one, a bright blue one, and a dark blue one with red that blends together and looks purple, and one that is several colors but very light.
Posted: 7:04:18 PM 6/11/2005
Oh ya, about colour. My friend's betta lived for years (3-4 maybe), so I guess that it was a good healthy fish. If I remember correctly, it was red with a little bit of blue on it, all of a sudden, it turned all purpley-blue and then it died. Not sure what happened- it was old though :(
Posted: 7:05:29 PM 6/11/2005
I've been told Bob is unusually old for a Betta. I don't know but hopefully the other three which I just got in the past year will do as well.
Posted: 7:19:46 PM 6/11/2005
Actually, the above posters are correct in saying that smaller bowls/vases are better for the Betta. In nature, they live in small pond areas, where the water is very shallow and there is a lot of vegetation around, so the plant would be good for the fish. Like one poster said, it would help give him a place to "hide" and keep it looking pretty. I believe Gina also said that it helps to keep the water cleaner, longer, which is true as well.

Bettas love living in smaller water areas. I had a Betta for about 2 years in one of those large (oversized) margarita glasses. Stupid me, should have put some sort of lid on it though, because one day he decided to commit suicide by jumping out of his tank.

I have always fed them the betta pellet food, easily found at Wal-mart or any petstore.

They hate being in the tank with other fish, they will attack one another if there are 2 males and eventually rip their fins to shreds and die. I usually cleaned my water out about once a week..but with a plant, it wouldn't need it as often as that. Just make sure you don't over feed them, otherwise, whatever they don't eat, will turn the water very mucky.

Very cool fish...and I've always been told that the very colorful, bright ones are males and the lighter colored ones that aren't as fancy looking are females.

Enjoy him, they are fun to watch, even if you do stick your finger near the top of the tank or a mirror to watch them get mad :o)
Posted: 7:38:58 PM 6/11/2005
I've asked this question before too. On a fish forum and boy do they get mad when they find out someone has their fish in a vase or tiny bowl rice patty farms I beleive is where they live and when you see a rice farm they are not tiny. They can jump on over to the next big pool of water. They supposedly nedd biger like 5 gallons is better. I had bought a two gallon and thought I did good and was told even bigger is better.
Posted: 9:19:47 PM 6/11/2005
I just got back from the store and the bettas they had i did not like. I go to that store often and they usually have them in the large tanks with the other fish but the betta has its own little separated space. When i usually go they usually have one in each tank...so thats about 15.....but today they only had 3..figures. plus i did not like them they all looked the same (blue with a bit of red on the tip of the fins) and they had a white one that was just floating there dead. Gosh i hate when they just leave the dead fish there...then the others eat them...well at least its food..lol...well next week there will be more to choose from...gives me more time to learn. As far as tanks go they had you typical fish bowl, then they had these high tech fish bowl looking thinf that looked like 2 plates stuck together with an opening. It was very cool...I dont know if i should get that or a mini tank that they had with a little filtration device. W/e i get i want it to match my fish. So if i get a red fish i want red stones...ill take pics when i get it and you all can see....thanks for the replies.
Posted: 9:46:41 PM 6/11/2005
A word of caution about the tanks with filtration systems. I had one of those and ended up taking the betta out and putting it in a large bowl because the part of the filter that sucks the water in to filter it would suck the fishes fin up in it. Just something to consider.

Good luck and let us know what you end up getting.

Oh and I hate it when places leave dead fish in the water too. Gross.
Posted: 9:53:36 PM 6/11/2005
Is there a fish-only shop in your area. I know we have one here and they have really nice fish. They take good care of them so they are probably healthier. They also know A LOT about the fish so they can tell you all about how to care for them and what is best for them to live in and stuff.
Posted: 10:40:33 PM 6/11/2005
Once again- the "water lilies" idea is NOT a good one- these are NOT vegetarian fish- if they nibble on the roots, they are darn hungry! And a plant does NOT help clean a tank when it's simply hanging over it- in fact, it will use up valuble air-water axchange area, debris from it will drop and rot in the tank, and those long fins can get torn by the roots.

Bettas do BEST in completely emtpy, smallish, still, warm, and often cleaned (once a week- at least) tanks or jars. They can live fine in a tank- some are actually good community tank inhabitants when they have enough space and their fish buddies aren't flashy or bossy.

I was in a rush when I posted- but here are some other great info sites:
http://www.cbsbettas.org/petbetta.html
http://www.healthybetta.com/downloads/Betta_Care_Sheet.pdf
^ Printable PDF
http://www.petfish.net/betta_care.htm
http://www.bettacentral.com/care.htm
http://www.thebettabubble.com/pgs/cares.html

They are such popular things- there's tons of info on the web. Just PLEASE stay clear of those totally incorrect lily vase sites. ;)

And yup- whoever suggested an aquarium store is right on- they will always have the best stock. My last betta, though- little BubbleButt- lived for 3 years (and was an adult at purchase)- from a Wal-mart store (fishy rescue- they were going to flush him!). Good luck finding a healthy betta- and keeping him so.
Posted: 11:10:56 PM 6/11/2005
I had a betta for a few years. I wanted to keep it in the kitchen but didn't want a fishbowl there. I actually found a blender fishtank at Spencer's. It looks real but the parts don't work. When you push the buttons...it sounds like the blender comes on and the fish is saying "hey, what are you doing"....second button is faster and then "Hey Knock it off!"...third button is crushed ice and then you hear "What the (beeep)" and the sound of a fish exploding! What more do you expect from Spencer's?
I always kept it in room temperature water. When I changed the tank, I would put some Stress Coat in the water to protect the fish and remove chlorine from the water. I liked the betta pellets better than the flakes. The flakes make the water dirty faster.
Posted: 12:10:41 AM 6/12/2005
I have had my betta for almost 2 years. I guess that is getting old. But I just keep him in a gold fish bowl, i feed him once a day, and I change his water once a week. I thnk he is pretty happy. And I think he even likes me.
Posted: 12:53:59 AM 6/12/2005
They like warm water, around room temperature

As far as food i'd recommend BioGold as well

I don't really know if i agree with the vase thing....but i have been told quite a lot that smaller cages are better....like those little betta kits you can buy at walmart

i've also heard that white bettas don't live as long...but as for any other colors i haven't heard anything...

i don't know about any diseases

when picking out a betta you want to look for one thats obviously moving...lol, but one that seems pretty active. you also want to look at their fins, if they have full long fins (won't be really long if it's young) then it's healthy. but if you look and its fins look jagged (all different sizes, like someone cut some) that shows that it's not too healthy


Posted: 1:37:15 AM 6/12/2005
Hi! It has been a while, but my dad and I used to reproduce these fish! My dad was into fish and got me into it as a child. I had so many beta's. I had them in small bowls, I also had them in the vase with a plant. They have also been in with other fish in a larger 15 gallon tank. You can put them in a vase with a plant it will not hurt your fish. The fish is just swimming around the roots like as if in the water swimming around plants. You need to keep the roots cut short so they don't take up the whole vase. You also need to leave room at the top for air and you still need to feed it betta food. I put my plant in a plastic cup and put a straw in it to let air in and that is also where I fed the betta and it worked fine. He lived for a good few years, so it is possible. You can put some decorative marbles or gravel at the bottom and in the cup that hold the plant. It really makes it look nice. My brother and his wife still have theirs today and he has been around for a few years also! When the betta makes bubbles at the top of the water that is where the male puts the fish from the female. I forget all the technical words for it though it has been to long! Oh and a mirror in front of them will get them to put out their gills and fight they think they are looking at another fish, they make also do this if you put your finger in the bowl, but they wont hurt you! Sorry for not knowing all the technical words, but I hope you have fun with them! I liked getting the females they have a shorter tail not as fancy as the males. I never had a problem with a white male though? So I am not sure about that. For the males I like the red ones!
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