betta fish

K-TRAIN

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 7, 2006
Messages
359
i just "rescued" a betta today. someone was selling them and african clawed frogs at a flea market, and they didnt really know what they were doing. (they told me the african clawed frogs were bullfrogs) so i bought a betta, a small tank and some food.
i have looked into how to care for them before but i dont know everything about them so, could anyone help me?

-is a small container alright to keep them in? (the one i bought is about 6 in. high and 4 in. wide.)

- they dont need filters or anything? i read that they breath from the surface.

- how often should i feed them?

- how can you tell males from females? most of the bettas i've seen are marked male or female, but the one i bought isnt.

thanks in advanced for your help.
 

Kendar

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 22, 2007
Messages
60
Most of the bettas sold are males. You can tell the difference because the males have a lot longer fins and tails, females look like them, but short fins and tails. They will do good in a small container, they are from Thailand and they live in puddles, they jump back and forth from these puddles to find food and a mate. BUT, do not mix 2 males, they will fight to the death, hence "siamese fighting fish".
Don't feed it for the first 1-2 days because over feeding can cause stress. You can feed them 1-2 pellets every 3 days. :) Hope that helps
 

K-TRAIN

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 7, 2006
Messages
359
thanks. i never had luck with fish, but hopefully i can keep this one:rolleyes:
 

AneesasMuse

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 31, 2006
Messages
838
I used to breed Betta splendens, both long finned and short (or Plakad). I didn't keep any of them in anything smaller than a 1g tank or bowl with 2-3x weekly 100% water changes. Regardless of the stories of them living in rice paddies... which are HUGE, btw... they thrive in space and clean water.

You don't need a filter on a small tank, but if you can get a 5g or even a 10g, it would be better and easier to cycle. Anything less than 5g is very difficult to cycle and you can just do 100% water changes.

Bettas do have labyrinths, but they will perish in poorly kept water parameters... ie. high ammonia, nitrites and nitrates... so it's best to offer conditioned, clean water. The toxins can damage them internally, besides.. and you'll end up with a very ill or dead fish in very little time.

Try not to overfeed your new fish.. just what he or she can eat in a 5 minute time frame... ONCE a day! No matter how they beg.. once is fine. You can even fast them once or twice a week... it gives them time to clean out their system.

Determining sex can be very easy with long finned Bettas, as already mentioned... males have the longer, flowing fins and females have short ones; but if the Betta is a Plakad, or short finned, then you'll need to look for an "egg spot" or ovipositor on the underside of the fish. It's a little tiny white tube... will look like a little white nubby... between the ventral fins on HER belly. Ventral fins are the 2 pointy ones that hang down under and just behind their gills. (Don't mistake the ovipositor for a "poop shoot" {D )

A varied diet is also good for them. Pellets and various freeze dried foods, along with the occasional live treat or frozen and thawed... this will make your Betta a very happy and healthy fish! Also, they do respond to interaction... a few seconds with a mirror facing them, pointing your finger or a shiny pen/pencil at them, or a ping pong ball even. "Play" with them in moderation, though... don't ever leave the mirror near their tank/bowl, as it can cause them to harm themselves (busted face/lip, damaged fins from all the "flaring", etc. )

Oh.. and if you happen to see some bubbles forming on top of the water.... it isn't likely soap, but your happy fish preparing a bubblenest. (And don't be fooled... females have been known to do this too.)

If you have any other questions about them, I'm glad to help.

~Aminah
 

bugmankeith

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 4, 2006
Messages
2,730
I heard they like frozen bloodworms and live brine shrimp, but not too many in one feeding like only 5 brine shrmip.
 

TNeal

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 11, 2006
Messages
211
The bloodworms are far more nutritious then the brine shrimp. Feed the bloodworms as a staple along with betta pellets. Use the brine shrimp as a treat.

One thing nobody ever remembers to tell people is to keep your betta warm. To be in the best of health they need to be in at least 75F. They can tolerate quite easily temperatures into the upper 80's F.

Tom
 

AneesasMuse

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 31, 2006
Messages
838
The bloodworms are far more nutritious then the brine shrimp. Feed the bloodworms as a staple along with betta pellets. Use the brine shrimp as a treat.

One thing nobody ever remembers to tell people is to keep your betta warm. To be in the best of health they need to be in at least 75F. They can tolerate quite easily temperatures into the upper 80's F.

Tom

You're absolutely correct! :D I often forget to mention the importance of temps, but in my mind... that's a given. Thailand... rice paddies... WARM! I should elaborate on that more.. thanks for the reminder! :)
 
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