Could Use Input On This Betta Please!

[lilirish]

Does anyone else's place of employment have a monthly themed raffle?

Well, mine does. Everyone puts in a dollar, their name is put on a ticket, and at the end of the month prizes are raffled off.
And the person who chooses the prizes is apparently an idiot. What a better prize then a "Monster" Betta for Halloween!


I didn't win the betta, but a coworker I am friendly with did and sold it to me for $5. She has zero interest in fish but asked if she could keep the vase it came in - I had no problem with that!

So I took the betta home with me and now am trying to figure him out. He is going in a spare 10 gallon at the moment while I figure out his particulars.

Cycled filter is already in place- but can you lovely betta people tell me more about his care requirements? I have a feeling it is different than the standard splendid betta, correct?


Here are a few admittedly poor photos of him in a kritter keeper I had him in, but he is lovely in person. His body is blue/green with red tipped fins.

 

[sausagewinkle]

To me he looks like a standard VT betta splenden with very bad fins.
Does he have a heater?

 

[lilirish]

He is a king betta - he is huge! def not a standard betta

 

[Poseidons_daughter]

Congratulations on your raffle win!! What an exciting place to work.. As for Bettas.. they ARE beautiful type of hearty freshwater fish that are relatively low-maintenance. Their origin stems from the warm waters of Thailand and other Southeastern countries and they thrive in warmer water temperatures that are above 75-degrees F. So, be sure to monitor the water temperature regularly to make sure that it doesn't drop below 75-degrees. Regardless of whether you house him in a Betta fish tank bowl, vase or a community tank with appropriate fish, it is important that it is cleaned routinely and properly maintained. If housing your Betta in an aquarium (opposed to an open air bowl), be sure to allow him to reach the surface of the water to breathe. Bettas have a special organ on top of their heads that allow them to breathe.Good luck to you and congrats on your colorful little fish friend!!!

 

[Syphoniera]

I know this is thread necrophilia on a VERY old thread, but, in case of new-to-betta readers who might not yet have worked through what bettas need yet, I wanted to add that even regular sized bettas need swim room and should have plants to swim between, around and through, so that they aren't bored silly and get some exercise.

I have always believed that constipation in bettas (Splendens, at any rate - many wild types have different needs and that may include preferring cooler temps. than the 78-80 degrees betta's seem to do so well in) is often caused not only by too-cool tanks but by lack of swim room - virtually every animal has to move around to maintain normal bowel function and I don't expect that bettas are any exception.

A 5 gallon works just fine, if a ten can't be managed, but the footprint determines actual space for most fish, so a wider tank is generally preferable to a tall one with less actual 'side-to-side-to-side-to-side' swimming area, although I have kept a few small (stunted, I think - they were all from the same source and all had parasites) betta Splendens bought as 'rescues' in 3 gallon 'emergency'(heated, filtered) tanks which were otherwise suitable only for shrimp or perhaps some Endlers or very tiny nano-fish, but which were also much cheaper to treat their various issues in.

That size of tank wouldn't be my first pick, although I find them very handy for keeping plants floating in while in quarantine.

Please don't keep bettas in little bowls or vases!