Oh, Boy! A Beta fish for a gift...WTF do I do NOW???

[BiggJawn]

A friend gave me a Beta for a gift. Now, I can raise Feeder goldfish to incredible sizes, but this is a new thing for me.

I got more questions than a Radio Shack customer...

Can it live in a general population tank? (keeping in mind that the "Gran Dam" of the tank is a 2 pound, 7-y-o goldfish)

Does it require warm water? Filtration? Water changes?

Does it need more room than those little shot glasses they come in?

Tropicals are not my strong suit...

[Cat Atomic]

1. Do you have a Foreman Grill?

A light snack, to be sure. But a snack nonetheless.

[radwriter0555]

33. He should butter the grill, rub some garlic on it; betas tend to be a bit

tasteless.

Touch of sea salt and SMACK those lips.

[Robb]

2. Put him in the fridge

He'll keep longer. :evilgrin:

Just kidding, of course. I have no idea. :)

[VelmaD]

3. From a friend who has had a Beta

No - you cannot put it in the general population tank. It will eat the other fish. Betas are mean. Their other name is Siamese Fighting Fish.

Yes - they have to stay in a little container. In nature where they live is in little pockets of water in rice paddies.

No - they don't need filtration.

Yes - change the water out and clean the bowl every 10 days to 2 weeks.

Hope that helps.

[BiggJawn]

4. Sure does!

Thanks, Velma...
What about water temp? I keep it as warm as I can afford to in here (55 when I'm not home, 60 when I am) the goldfish groove on it, but I'm not sure about the beta....

[VelmaD]

6. needs to be warmer...

my best friend kept hers under a light at work...probably around 70-75 degrees F.

[Shakespeare]

9. Differ with a couple of points...

I'm a long-time betta owner. They're fascinating fish, and have loads of personality (yes, really).

Most bettas CAN be kept with other fish as long as they don't resemble bettas. In other words, keep them away from other big, bright fish, such as male guppies. Also keep them away from aggressive fin-nippers like tiger barbs. I keep mine in a tank with algae eaters and african dwarf frogs, and everybody gets along just fine.

I also have one on my desk at work in a fishbowl, so yes, they can do okay without a filtration system. HOWEVER--do NOT keep them in the tiny cup the pet store sells them in. That's just cruel. The wild bettas may be used to swimming in rice paddies, but rice paddies have WAY more room than a six-ounce cup of water.

They depend on a protein-rich diet, so buy a food that is specifically made for bettas. The fad a few years ago of keeping bettas in a vase with a plant was exceedingly cruel--bettas are not plant eaters, and they die a slow starvation death if kept in such a container.

[VelmaD]

12. Oh, totally agree about space...

I didn't mean to imply that it was ok to keep them in the teeny tiny cups they're sold in. But a nice little bowl all their own usually works.

[Bertha Venation]

15. Were fish-buyers honestly told "the betta will eat the roots?"

I've never heard that. A woman at work makes these vase & plant w/ betta things as gifts (she breeds bettas). She sells each one with detailed instructions for feeding -- betta bits & bloodworms, NOT the roots of the plant -- water changes, cleaning, pruning the roots, etc.

Now: that said, is it not safe, just fine, to keep a betta in such a vase? My Boomer Fish is fine this way. He hangs out in the roots sometimes.

[Shakespeare]

28. Yup, that's how they were marketed.

As I recall, the ASPCA came down pretty hard on one of the 1-800 flower companies, who were marketing them as such.

As long as yours is getting betta food, he should do just fine living with the plant. :-)

[Tinoire]

20. How little of a container? Mine are

2 of them in vases of 8" diameter

and one in a 12 x 6 tank


I hate to see any fish in a tiny container so I'm curious as to how small you mean.

On edit: just saw your other posts... ok

[VelmaD]

23. my friend kept hers...

in a bowl the size of a drinking glass and it was perfectly happy and lived for over a year. Probably a little smaller than the 8" diameter but not by much I'd think.

[THUNDER HANDS]

5. feeding them can be fun

I never liked those little pellets they give you to feed them with. I always liked buying a bag of sea monkeys and feeding them to my beta.

Of course, my betas never lasted longer than 2 months, so I might not be the best person to ask. :D

[davidinalameda]

7. my partner just said--no carbs it's within the Adkins

SUSHI!!!!!

[scarlet_owl]

8. Now a message from my husband--fish expert. Kind of long.

Betta's are a warm water fish preferring temperatures of about 77-80 degrees farenheit. They prefer smaller shallower conditions with still water. So ideally a small 3 gallon tank with a really weak heater would be good, but in smaller set ups the aquarium light bulb gives the water enough heat. I know people who don't worry about the temperature at all and keep them in small bowls, and the fish seem to do fine. Mixed population tanks are possible. However Bettas can get their fins chewed on by more aggressive fish and become succeptable to bacterial infection. A good pet store could advise you about what kinds of fish you could mix them with. Just be careful, usually your Betta will be a bully, or become a bully instead. Food wise the sell Betta food, but tropical fish flakes will also suffice. Please, please, please, do NOT go buy one of those ridiculous vase things with the plant on top. Bettas do have gill slits, but they primarily breathe air so whatever you put them in make sure you have an inch or two of air on the tank surface as it will move to the surface to breathe. I hope all this helps.

[Bertha Venation]

26. great post, owl's husband and thanks -- please see mine

about the plants....??

[Lady Freedom]

10. 1. Do ot put it with another Bete!

Other fish are fine. But with another bete,well... lets say WWE Smack Down!!! They will fight to the death!

2. water temp should be just below human body temp. Think Baby Bottle.

3.watch your feedings!!! They can eat themselves to death!

[Lady Freedom]

11. P.S

They do enjoy 1/2 gal. tanks!! Alone!!

[Lady Freedom]

13. Filtration can be a plus!

Depending on size of tank because they hate to be bothered!!!

[Deja Q]

24. One male can coexist with any number of female bettas...

Now some breeders HAVE bred females to look as colorful as males, even with funky fin designs. Why more don't do this is beyond me... the females are nowhere near as vicious yet have the colored splendor that compare only to African Cichids...

Of course, if the male gets horny and wants to make some baby bettas, then you'd want to make sure all the females (barring the one he likes) are removed, along with the female of choice after spawning ends so he won't kill her. (of course, if the tank is large and wide enough, this isn't an issue...)

And when the hatchlings start to show finnage, that's when you want to separate all the males. Any later than that and they'll happily kill each other.

[Tinoire]

25. Not all other fish though

I had one of mine in a tang with 2 mollies and a goldfish but eventually had to separate them because the mollies were having their fins eaten off (maybe it wasn't the beta though?). Even the pet store told me that might not work but I was determined to have one in a tank with others. I was told that you can't have them in with any fish that move too quickly.

[jmowreader]

14. It can't live in a Goldfish tank

Goldfish are coldwater fish, bettas are tropicals.

Anyone who tells you Bettas can't be kept in community tanks is a damn liar; I keep Bettas in community tanks all the time and they love it. For about six hours I kept one in my 55-gallon cichlid/pleco tank with no damage to either the Betta, the cichlids or the pleco. They'll chase small cichlids around, but they get bored with it after a while. (However, this pleco did kill a betta once. I was trying to move the pleco to a larger tank, he didn't want to go, and in his scrambling to get away he managed to squish the betta against the wall of the aquarium. At least it was a quick, painless death...)

It needs warm water--about 75 degrees is where I keep mine. Needs filtration. Needs water changes. Should have a 20-gallon aquarium minimum but can deal with a 10.

I have one 29-gallon tank that has an Eheim canister filter on it, and there's a betta in the tank. Eheims put a lot of water out of the spraybar; the betta's favorite thing to do is to swim up to the spraybar and just tumble around in the blast for a few minutes. I guess it's like a carnival ride to him. After he's had his thrills, he just swims off, no worse for wear.

[Lady Freedom]

17. Yes they can.

Many believe this, but they can and do coexist. For best results with both fish use the baby bottle method!

[OldSoldier]

32. The Betta lives longer if it's kept warm

Which is why it should be kept in a tropical aquarium, not a goldfish aquarium.

[gator_in_Ontario]

16. I have had Betas

they are beautiful. I never had a problem keeping one with other fish...just NEVER another male beta.

[carols]

18. Whatever you do, don't try to take it on an airplane

The fish that threatened national security
"Mr. Supervisor was causing a grand scene, marshaling the full authority of the TSA to refuse me. Now, I know my fish is a terrorist (Osama Fin Laden we used to call him back at school), but doesn't it strike you as funny that, with all the commotion my little security threat was causing, by now engaging the full attention of the TSA at LaGuardia, that someone who posed a real threat to passenger safety might be conveniently slipping by?

By this time, I was in tears. The supervisor furiously told me to dispose of the fish. Dispose of my fish?! What did he want me to do, throw him away? He told me to go outside and give him to whomever I came to the airport with. When I explained I was a college student, alone in New York City (save for boyfriend Trey), he brushed me off and said that was not his problem."

[wickerwoman]

22. I tried to take 2 bettas through Newark airport in '98.

I didn't have any problems with security except there was a blizzard and I was stuck at the airport for 2 days with a leaky bag. Poor fish died...

[Tinoire]

19. Get a cat

;) Just joking. I have three betas and the cats aren't even remotely interested.

Enjoy it!

[Deja Q]

21. Some butter, garlic, get out the fry pan and fillet knife...

Just kidding!

As long as the other fish in the community tank are not Angel fish or other male bettas, you'll be fine. Bettas will attack other males or fish they PERCEIVE as being a male betta. Not all male bettas would see an Angel fish as being another male betta, but I have seen that happen in the past.

Also, if the community tank has TIGER BARBS, please do not put the betta in the tank! The tiger barbs will act like little pirahnas and nibble at those fins until the fins are eaten. The betta then dies.

While bettas breathe normal air (which is why you never want to transport one of these fish in a totally sealed container!), it is good to keep it in a filtered tank, with all the precautions and maintenance of a regular tank. Bettas are sold in small cups (shot glasses, LOL :D ), which is not a problem in terms of mobility as bettas generally hover in one spot anyway - they are not active fish - they still excrete ammonia, which is deadly. I don't like the shot glasses because ammonia quickly builds up. Even those kits with the plants on top aren't all that great. Keep the fish in a tank with a good filtering system (mechanical/biological).
Good luck!

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

27. A Beta Fish? When does version 1.0 come out. I don't do beta

testing.

Seriously though... I have a Beta living peacefully with my goldfish and he is going to turn 2 soon. He is getting a little slower, and does not mess with the alpha goldfish like he used to, but I still like little red.

[BiggJawn]

29. Thanks, everyone!

I'll not put him in with the goldfish because they groove on the cold, so a small tank with heat and lots of surface area and "exotic" food (I didn't figure he could eat Wardley's pond pells like the others do)

I did read that they're fairly short-lived, like 3 years max...Bummer...

[slackdude]

30. Get another Beta...

Put them in the tank together and watch them fight!

[Virginian]

31. I kept mine in a 3 gallon tank to breed it.

Betas are labyrinth breathers. They need the surface air and don't require air dissolved in water as other fish do. They come to the surface and take a gulp of air periodically.
Male betas are fond of mirrors. They entertain themselves by displaying their beautiful fins for the other male fish in the mirror.

Back in the days when I was still in college, I had an aquarium. Nothing expensive, just the standard ten gallon with filter, hood, heater, gravel, plants, snails and live-bearing fish. Then I got a male beta. I started out putting him in the tank with my other fish, guppies, mollies, swordfish.
He liked the female swordfish the best because she looked like a female beta. He would fluff up his fins and head toward her and then, as soon as he realized she wasn't his species, he would pass by her with "never mind," as if he knew all along and was just kidding.
One day the fish store had some female betas, so I brought one home and kept her in the ten gallon tank. I moved him to a 3 gallon still water tank and watched him make a gooey mess on the water surface with his bubble nest. When the female showed signs of having eggs, I put her in with the male. The mating ritual was awesome. He pretended to squeeze the eggs out and then catch them in his mouth and blow them into his bubble nest.
I rescued the female and put her back into the general population tank where the male swordfish, mollies and even the guppies kept trying to mate with her. Dumb horny fish.
He tended the eggs until they hatched and then he tended his tiny offspring. When they would fall out of the bubble nest, he would catch them in his mouth and blow them back into the nest.
I can't remember why I thought it was time to separate them, but I put them in clear plastic cups all lined up on the window sill. Don't do that. A small container of water in direct sunlight is not good for your fish.
Then I got cats.

[ewagner]

34. Our Beta is almost 3 years old

We were given him as a gift in a vase with a plant, but we didn't believe that he didn't need to be fed. We transferred him to a 2-gallon tank with a filter and heater and he's doing okay but getting a little lethargic. Maybe he's just getting old. My wife read that they only have a life-span of 2-1/2 - 3 years. Is that true/