Am I Being Stupid?

[marktank03]

it may be me, bein a complete mongoose, but most of the pics of the bettas on here show them in small unfiltred bowls, can they live like this? or do they need filter, heater etc, cuz i would love to have 2+ different bettas, but have no room in my tank, and i know u can only have one male.

Any advise?

 

[Rediahs]

Yes. Bettas have a labrynth lung, which means they can breathe air from the surface rather than depending on the oxygen in the water through their gills. They can also tolerate bad water conditions a good deal better than other fish. That's why you always see them sold in stores in tiny cups that are just about the same size as the fish.

With that said, it is unethical to keep a betta in less than 1 gallon of water. But that's really all a betta needs. 1 gallon of water, changed frequently to avoid the buildup of wastes, and a fairly stable temperature between 70 and 85 degrees. Most reccomend a temperature of 78-80. So you might want a small heater. But it's not required.

Also, most people are in agreement that the bigger the living space, the happier the betta, and larger containers need less water changes anyway. Bettas love horizontal space. Vertical isn't as important, I've found, since they don't hang out in the middle - they either rest on the bottom or hang out at the top. But they love to zip back and forth across their tank! Personally, I used to keep my betta in a 1 gallon jar, but found it to be too small, so I upgraded to a 3.5 gallon critter keeper and it is excellent!

Oh they will also need a lid with airholes unless you keep the water level quite low. They do jump.

 

[marktank03]

so i can use my old food containers then lol!!

i never knew than, i used to have one in my old tank, but that ended in disaster, i was a nebie to fish and the LFS sold me a betta and tiger barbs at the same time, dumbass!!

well this has intrigued me now, i may look in to havin a few bettas around the house, would make the place look great

thanks all

 

[Rediahs]

Food containers definitely work, as long as they are well cleaned and in the gallon-or-greater size! I suspect that eventually you will want to upgrade though, to something prettier and larger - almost everyone does.

 

[marktank03]

i already upgraded once to a 30gal, iv got a spare 20gal not being used, but was looking to breed sumthing in that one.

il have to go to the supermarket and see what i can find!!!


should i use water from my current tank to fill smaller tanks for new bettas, or can i use fresh water and put water conditioner in?

 

[Rediahs]

Well, it doesn't matter. If you're at a 1 gallon size you ought to be changing the water at least once a week. 100% water change. Every couple days is a good thing but you might not be prepared for that kind of work but that's okay. If it's bigger, like 2 or 3 gallons, I'd say once a week or maybe couple of weeks is good.

I think you can use water from your old tank.. as long as nobody's sick in there! Just to be safe if I were you I'd probably use fresh water.

 

[marktank03]

sounds good 2me, kinda sounds like lookin after a gd ol goldfish bowl really!!!

i never knew bettas were so easy!!! i wud of had them sooner!!

Thanks Chrissi

 

[Rediahs]

They are pretty easy - but don't ever underestimate the importance of having clean water for them! That's the best way to keep them healthy and happy.

 

[marktank03]

i wnt neglect them dnt worry, i do regular water changes on my larger tank, in between feeding and cleaning my birds, and feeding, cleaning bathing and handling my lizard.

im suprised iv got time to go to work anymore!!!

are they relatively easy to breed? cuz that wud also interest me

 

[Rediahs]

I'm not a breeder, but here's what I know about breeding, since I seem to be the only one here right now

First off it's a bad idea to breed pet shop bettas or any bad quality bettas. Betta breeders are trying to improve the lines, and breeding bad bettas would just go right against their intentions. Pick high quality stock with a good fin shape, not veiltail. In other words... buy your breeding fish from a real breeder. You'll know then when you see them. Think aquabid or a member of the IBC. Breeders often ship you free females with an order of a male! That's nice isn't it?

You need a large tank, 10g+. 20g would be nice I think. And you need lots of jars for the males and agressive females once they start to nip the other fish. It's rare but they can have up to 500 fry, or even more! An average spawn is probably 100 though.

The breeding tank should be heavily planted, so that the female can hide from the male. Allow the male to become accustomed to the tank for a few days or even maybe a week. Introduce the female in a container so that they cannot contact each other. A cup or a chimney. Let them see each other for a few days. Then you release the female, and if they are interested they should start to mate within a day. This is where the heavily planted tank comes in - once the mating is over and the eggs are in the bubble nest, the male will probably chase the female, seeing her as an intruder. He might kill her. Remove her once you see that they are done and the female is hiding away.

The male will take care of the eggs for a few days and... voila! Fry! There are mixed opinions on what to feed the fry, they sell formulas in stores, you can make your own cultures, or there's this thing I heard about, which sounds a lot easier - hard-boil an egg, then mix the hard egg yolk with water so that it's a runny paste. Then drop that in there sometimes. It's a bit messy but they like it and it's nutritious.

Very important to keep the water very clean or the fish won't grow up very well. That means looking after it daily and removing any uneaten food and waste, all the time.

Woo.. that was longer than I intended it to be, but there is a lot to know about breeding, and that isn't even a detailed guide - definitely dont' go out and try to breed using the information I told you, it's just a starter, and remember I'm not even a real breeder, this is just stuff I've read.

 

[marktank03]

every comments appreciated, thanks alot, maybe i wnt go tryin to breed right now. But thats definately something id be interested in, sounds like gd fun.

If u werent here Chrissi id be lost by now, in my crazy little world

Thanks

 

[Rediahs]

Haha, you're quite welcome I'm just bored at work right now, I'm glad I can help.

 

[marktank03]

hey im at work 2!!! its gd to slack off, much more important things to be doing on here!!

 

[Rediahs]

Wow, you work late I presume? (your location says england, it's got to be 7 PM over there!)

I'm just waiting for today to end so that I can go visit my parents and see the new bettas I bought for them!! I haven't seen them yet and I'm quite excited.

 

[marktank03]

yep it is 7pm, gd old shift work means im here until 11pm, yay!!!!