Experienced Betta Owners!!!! Advice Needed!!!

[wherestoad]

Hi all! So a little bit of background, I have a 20 gallon community tank with zebra danios, neon tetras, corydoras, a purple glow fish I got from a friend, and a pleco. I was thinking about getting another tank and getting a betta. However I know very little about them and want to learn everything before considering getting one. I’ve only had my tank for a little over 6 months now so I’m still very very new to the hobby. I have some questions that I’ll list below but I’m looking for some experienced betta owners to give me advice as well as a basic “lesson” on their care.

1) Is it too early to start another tank?
2) What are just the basic necessities for a betta? Tank size? Water parameters?
3) Filter? (what kind is best)
4) What kind of environment? Like decor? Planted? Gravel or sand?
5) Potential tank mates? Or is that a bad idea?
6) Everything else?

Any and all advice is appreciated!!

 

[Essjay]

1) Is it too early to start another tank?
It's never too early to start another tank You can kick start a cycle using some media from your current tank, but as that's only 6 months old keep an eye on ammonia and nitrite to make sure they stay at zero if you do steal some media.

2) What are just the basic necessities for a betta? Tank size? Water parameters?
The minimum tank size is 5 gallons, though bigger is better. A 10 gallon is a nice size for a betta.
Bettas are soft water fish, though they can tolerate hard water if it's not extremely hard, and they like the temperature slightly higher than most fish, but only a degree or two.

3) Filter? (what kind is best)
Sponge filters powered by an air pump are ideal for bettas as they don't like a lot of water flow with those long fins. Other filters are OK as long as the flow can be turned down. Or get a short finned betta.

4) What kind of environment? Like decor? Planted? Gravel or sand?
Substrate is not important to a betta, but live plants do well in sand and I find it easier to clean than gravel.
Decor should be smooth as sharp bits can tear their fins. Check with an old pair of pantyhose - if they snag, so will his fins. Either don't use that decor, or sand down the rough bits. If you go with fake plants, use silk as plastic can have sharp edges.
Live plants are best, including floating plants. If you use live plants, set up the tank, plant it then wait until they are growing well and not about to die and then get your betta.

5) Potential tank mates? Or is that a bad idea?
Bettas are not community fish and are best kept alone.

6) Everything else?
When you go fish shopping, make sure the fish is healthy. Are his fins intact or do they show fin rot? Is he perky - if you hold your finger end on in front of the tank/cup, does he react to it? ('Pointing' at him looks a bit like another betta so if he reacts it's a good sign)

 

[biofish]

1. I started my second tank a month after my first one, so your in good company LOL

2. Betta fish should be kept in at least a 5 gallon. They’re a pretty lazy fish all things considered, so they like to lay down, so I would recommend sand substrate to help prevent their tail from being hurt.

They prefer water ph between 6.5-7.5 and temp between 75-80°F. On my experience, the most important parameter here is the temp. While they can tolerate a wide range of conditions, they do not tolerate cold water as well.

And, if your betta is accumulated properly, they can tolerate some pretty harsh water conditions. The ph in my betta’s tank is like 8…. Not great but I’ve had him for 7 months now and he keeps derping around.

3. Filter…. Betta prefer slow water because they are actually really bad swimmers. That large tail? Imagine swimming through a pool with a large ball gown on. But I would definitely look into sponge filters.

4. Definitely planted. Their natural environment has lots of plants, so the more the merrier. They also like to use plants as hammocks to nap on and it’s quite lovely. I have java ferns and anubius in mine. And make sure to have a small cave! Of the three bettas I’ve had over the last couple years, they’ve all had wildly different uses. One used it religiously and the other stuck a middle fin to it. And as mentioned before, sand substrate to protect their tail.

5. Fat no on this one. If, and it’s a big if, you got a bigger tank, like at least a 20 gallon, you might be able to get away with a fast moving tetra school. I put a female betta in a 15 gallon with guppies and cories and she ripped the eye out of one of the cories….. it’s just a ticking time bomb. Just about the only companion I recommend is a large snail. One of mine liked to rip small snails off the glass. So make sure it’s big enough to not fit in his mouth.

6. Invest in a dry erase marker or something. Since bettas are solitary fish they can and will get bored. So every now and then, draw him a doodle on the tank. Mine flares his fins at it, but it keeps him active. My first betta who I had for over a year, started tail biting from boredom….

Edit: I could recommend floating pellets for food! Betta fish don’t need an air stones since they can take air from the surface themselves. And the floating pellets replicates their natural hunt patterns. They hover just beneath the surface of the water and jump out at unsuspecting bugs
Plus the pellets tend to keep the tank cleaner cause there’s less change of the betta missing it LOL

 

[biofish]

Live plants are best, including floating plants. If you use live plants, set up the tank, plant it then wait until they are growing well and not about to die and then get your betta.

Funnily enough, I think my the floating plants I added to my bettas tank is more confusing for him LOL. He’s a little bit of a dummy and when I sprinkle in his food he’s just as likely to lunge up and wrangle the closest floating plant and miss the pellet completely…

 

[Essjay]

I cut the top off a polystyrene cup and left that floating among the plants to drop my betta's food in. I still use it now it's a shrimp tank.

Forgot about the food - I agree, bettas do best with floating pellets. It is not unknown for bettas to refuse to eat what you feed them at first if the shop uses something different. Just remove any uneaten food and feed the same again next day. he won't starve, he'll soon realise it's food.

 

[wherestoad]

This is extremely helpful! Thank you guys so much!!! I have a lot to think about. I’ll probably continue doing research into it too. I do have one more question though. What kind of betta should I get? Let me know your favorite kinds and why too!!!

 

[biofish]

I would recommend avoiding one with an especially big tail. Through selective breeding bettas tail have gotten much too big.

I mentioned tail biting in my first post, and the bigger the tail of your betta the more likely it is to be an issue. It’s like nail biting in humans, but a bit more harmful. They might do it if they’re bored, but they might also do it “reduce the weight” and help them swim better. Which isn’t great, because no it doesn’t help them swim better and leads to quite the health issues.

I’ve always gotten blue bettas: one mustard gas male, one blue female, and one blue male who I thought was white with blue accents when I brought him home LMAOOO.

But I’ve always loved koi bettas even though they’re a bit pricey. And they have nice contained fins lol, as do most betta females. And I’ve always really loved the pink orchid coloring but I’ve never found one outside of petsmart which I don’t buy fish from.

My friend has a crown tail betta and he’s extremely lovely.

My female betta fish was a firecracker and never liked sitting still like the two males I’ve had. Might have been her personality or might’ve been since she had short fins and didn’t have much issue swimming.

Just look around and find one that matches your aesthetic or one unexpectedly steals your heart~

 

[wherestoad]

I would recommend avoiding one with an especially big tail. Through selective breeding bettas tail have gotten much too big.

I mentioned tail biting in my first post, and the bigger the tail of your betta the more likely it is to be an issue. It’s like nail biting in humans, but a bit more harmful. They might do it if they’re bored, but they might also do it “reduce the weight” and help them swim better. Which isn’t great, because no it doesn’t help them swim better and leads to quite the health issues.

I’ve always gotten blue bettas: one mustard gas male, one blue female, and one blue male who I thought was white with blue accents when I brought him home LMAOOO.

But I’ve always loved koi bettas even though they’re a bit pricey. And they have nice contained fins lol, as do most betta females. And I’ve always really loved the pink orchid coloring but I’ve never found one outside of petsmart which I don’t buy fish from.

My friend has a crown tail betta and he’s extremely lovely.

My female betta fish was a firecracker and never liked sitting still like the two males I’ve had. Might have been her personality or might’ve been since she had short fins and didn’t have much issue swimming.

Just look around and find one that matches your aesthetic or one unexpectedly steals your heart~

I like that idea. I think I’ll just look around and once I find one that steals my heart I’ll adopt. Thank you so much!