September 2011
54 posts
How big do bettas tanks need to be?
Many people will all give different answers to this question. There’s a difference between surviving and thriving when it comes to space. A betta can technically survive in a very small amount of water.. but a small tank lacks space for enrichment and safe water levels. Larger tanks are actually easier to maintain since you can add a filter and do partial water changes instead of changing the entire tank.
My belief is that a betta should not be kept in anything smaller than two gallons, but others each have their own opinions and experiences. My bettas have always been kept in five gallons or larger. :)
I currently have 4 bettas. Three males and one female. I have had my one male, Draco, the longest. I have had him for over a year at least, maybe longer. He was always very friendly and loved coming to the glass to say hello. (He is in a 3 gal tank.) But lately I've noticed his fins are a bit shorter (not fin rot, biting?) and he darts around his tank and almost seems to get scared when I walk by. He's eating normally, though. Any ideas what's wrong?
Has anything changed in or around his tank? Sometimes a change in the environment can cause a betta to start biting. If nothing has changed, try moving something around inside of his tank or interacting with him more. I’ve found with some fish that ping pong balls will keep them occupied for a little. Boredom can also cause tail biting.
Some bettas can develop it as a neurotic habit and you just have to keep an eye on them to make sure the biting doesn’t turn into an infection. Hopefully you can alleviate your betta’s biting by providing some things to do. (:
On another side note, if you have plants or decorations in the tank just make sure that none of them developed sharp edges. Even a slight snag can tear fins apart.
how does this work ?
How does what work? :O
Is it weird that my betta does not react when I show him his reflection? The only time I've ever seen him flare was at a ghost shrimp. He is the least aggressive betta I've ever seen.
Not totally weird, I had a male that was actually frightened of himself and would flee from a mirror. Some are very aggressive, others such as yours are more docile.
Honestly, I have a betta that has had "fin rot" for months. What it actually is, is dead tissue at the end of his tail. His tail has grown out considerably since I bought him. He is a VT, so he has very long fins. But the old skin is still there. The infection is cured. The clean water + aquarium salt method works well to let them heal on their own. If it looks like new fins are growing, then you've probably cured the actual "rot"
Help! My betta has fin rot. I bought Tetra Lifeguard but when I looked at the labeling later, it said it's "non-antibiotic" Does this mean it won't work? And are there any home remedies I can try?
For fin rot, I’ve always found that clean, warm water and aquarium salt works the best. People have mixed reviews on MelaFix (or BettaFix), but I frown upon it because it is made Melaleuca oil and can damage the fish’s labyrinth organ.
If the rot isn’t too far progressed, try doing daily water changes and using some aquarium salt. It may take a little longer than using an antibiotic, but if you can avoid giving the bacteria something to become resistant to, you’re better off. :)
And we’re back! I apologize for any inconveniences, it took almost a week for us to get internet in our apartment. I’ll be filling up the queue and answering everything in the inbox today, thanks everyone for your patience. :)
Hi guys! I apologize that nothing has been in the queue.. I move out today and into my new place tomorrow, so once everything is settled I’ll have some time to fill up the queue again. :) Thanks everyone for your patience in the meanwhile.
Also, I apologize to everyone that submitted something within the last couple days, for some reason I never got a notification that anyone had sent anything, I just saw them now. o.O
Hey, the Anon here who was looking for comfort on some impulse buys. I just want to thank everyone who made me feel better and say that the two new boys (delta tails) are no longer causing me buyer's regret. I'm very much looking forward to getting them set up in their tank and naming them. I love this community, thank you all! : )
Common Misconceptions About Betta Splendens
I thought I’d take a moment to jot down what some of the commonest mistakes and misconceptions about Betta Splendens I know of. If anyone has more to add, please reblog and do so. Otherwise, I will add more as I come across them.
Betta like living in small containers/small containers are similar to their natural habitats. —keeping betta in tiny cups is cruel, don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise. The ammonia from their waste builds up faster in smaller containers which is why most of them don’t live longer than a year.
You can keep a male betta with a female betta and they won’t fight. —A male betta can never be with ANY OTHER BETTA unless you are mating a male with a female, which should not be attempted by amateurs. FEMALES on the other hand, CAN live together in groups fairly peacefully.
Betta need shallow water to live in/betta will die in deep water. —I don’t know where this one started. It probably has to do with the fact that they DO need to surface for air. But I’ve seen betta thrive in “deep” water. They need shallow water to BREED, not live.
Betta don’t need a heater. —This is true in tropical climates that stay above 76f, but at temps below 76, their digestion starts to fail and they can die of intestinal complications. This is actually why some fish die soon after coming from the pet store. Big chain pet stores are air conditioned, unlike many small LFS who are known to keep their stores in the upper 70’s so they DON’T have to heat all their tanks. Living in a cold, cramped cup for a long time makes them sick, as does keeping them at home in an unheated bowl.
Betta can survive eating plant roots. —Actually, they are carnivores like cats. Their natural diet consists mainly of insects. They also eat tiny fish, crustaceans, or carrion. They do NOT eat plants, algae, OR peas. If you see one eating plant matter, they are probably starving or sick.
You can keep a betta in a community tank. —Yes and no. Many fish are aggressive to betta, and betta are aggressive to many fish. Strong currents are a bane to all betta, even short finned ones, as they live in slow-moving bodies of water in the wild and aren’t designed for swift currents. They may seem to do ok for a while, but they will slowly waste away from exhaustion fighting even small currents (or territorial fish) if they cannot avoid them in their tank.
As far as I'm concerned, everyone who's answered so far is well within the "I'm not crazy, I'm enthusiastic!" range. At my highest, I had 105 (yes, one hundred and five) bettas. Only 15 of them were sorority girls.
For anon: I too am guilty of buying a lot of betta. My guilt isn't in buying too many fish, but in owning too many fish tanks. (I am up to 6) Getting females and having a sorority helps with the issues of finding places to put all those betta, btw ;3
To the anon about being addicted, I definitely feel you on that front. I have 13 individual filtered tanks for all my lil guys and gals. I don't think ever is too many if you take good care of them all!
I just bought two more betta (bringing my total to five), as well as everything to take care of them. I really shouldn't have, but I'm addicted. However, that doesn't stop the buyers regret. Does anyone else end up getting them despite their better judgement? I just don't want to feel aloooone.
I’ve done this on more than one occasion. :) As long as each of them is still being well-cared for, don’t feel bad! The only problem is when you take on more than you have time for.
