When you say that freeze dried food is bad for them, then does that mean this food is bad
aswell?:http://www.seapets.co.uk/product-details/stkcode/661975.html

What is the ideal water dept for a Betta?

Regarding tank size - does anyone know why fish shops are marketing fighting fish as 'great for your desk or bedside table' and selling containers that would hold no more than 750 mls that are specifically made for Betta's?
I am feeling awful about being sucked in and having one of these little containers..

A lot of people consider 1 gallon sufficient for a betta. Just keep up the water changes. I have 4 1.1 gallon tanks, but they probably only 850mls of water.

1 gallon is about 4 litres = 4000ml.

Sorry, made an error my 1.1 Gallon tanks can hold about 3400-3600ml (not 850ml) of water with the water being 1 inch from the top.

I keep my bettas in 1 gallon bowls too. I leave about an inch from the top also otherwise they might jump out of there.

I'm not sure if there were on there because I'm really, really tired and not reading straight, but about the lady bettas..

- Don't house male and female bettas together, especially if you have them in anything less than 10 gallons; more often than not, they will hasstle each other and even fight. I know a lot of people think males and females would get along just fine, but really once the mating is done, they don't much want anything to do with one another.
- On that note... DO NOT breed your bettas unless you know what you are doing. Chances are your average pet store fish might not have the best genetics, and may be related to the mate you've selected if you're buying from the same store. They have TONS of babies, and if they hatch, you must take into consideration how you will home the fish, what to keep them in until they are mature, where to put all the boys once they get to an age when they will exhibit agression, and so fourth. Besides, too many female bettas have been beat up and killed because ignorant owners left her in too long, put her in when she wasn't ready, or simply chose a male that was far too agressive.
- Female bettas can sometimes be just as agressive as the males; most sites I've seen suggest keeping several females in a large tank instead of two in a smaller tank as they will pick on each other on a one-to-one basis. You really need to evaluate your female's temperament before getting her a tankmate, and I suggest removing both fish and changing the tank around before introducing the new one to help curb territoriality problems. And of course, if one of your girls starts getting tattered fins, don't assume it's fin rot right away and douse the tank in meds; see if the other female has been picking on her.
- Feed the girls a bit more when they are becoming swollen with eggs and exhibiting vertical stripes, especially if you plan on breeding. They are using a lot of nutrients to produce those eggs wether they use them or not, so that is not the time to be stingy on the food.

I thought I'd throw a couple of comments in here about what I've learned about bettas.

First, I have both of my boys in 2.5 gallon rectangular tanks, and they're happy as they can be. It's all relative - they were little prisoners in those STUPID little plastic cup containers from WalMart. Imagine how spacious and wonderful a 2.5 gallon tank is to them. They do laps back and forth and seem to be overall extremely happy boys.

Now, I'm sure that a betta in a 10, 25 or even larger gallon tank is overjoyed, but my boys are happy cuz this size is what they've been "upgraded to", and it's all they've known since I got them out of those little deathtrap cups.

In regards to your question about why companies sell products that say they're "perfect" for bettas, on desks and such.... MONEY. They make a killing off of those little cheapass pieces of plastic they pass off as "good homes" for bettas. I strongly believe that a betta should NOT be in anything smaller than 1 gallon (and even then I think it's cruel). I, personally, will NEVER keep a betta in anything smaller than a 2 gallon. They just deserve better.

Just because they CAN survive in really small containers doesn't mean they LIKE to.
Them living in the teeny tiny containers is the equivalent to you living in your walk-in closet. You COULD live in there, but would you LIKE to?

Yah everytime I go to Petsmart they are about a hundred bettas in a cup smaller than I drink out of.. In fact I'm going to be saving one tommorow.

this is a great fred, im getting some tomorrow, carnt wait.

""Never,ever pour old cup water into the new tank. um just wondering, why? all those steps are confusing!!!!!! lol""

[COLOR=red] When buying any fish from a local pet store (not just bettas), it is best to let the fish get used to the new tank temperature for at least 15min before releasing it into it's new home...Without using the water it originally came in.
Yes, you are supposed to use a little used water during your own tank changes, but fish do leave more ammonia and nitrates behind when stressed (from not eating as well as they should and leaving food behind, or just plain fish waste). In pet store conditions you never know what might be lurcking in that (usually icky blue) water. Why keep it around?
So saving water from the store, bad idea. Saving water from your tanks, generally a good rule of thumb in reducing stress during tank changes....amung other things.
when I get one of those little cups with a betta in it from the store, I get home and pour it (fish and all) into a ziplock bag. I place the ziplock bag into the new tank for 15 min to get the fish used to the new temp. in order to reduce the chances of shock, then take my little net, fish the fish out, and disguard the rest...water and all.

Modern living and busy lifestyle has made more people rely on dried foods (e.g. pellets, freeze-dried worms, flakes). The frequent feeding and overfeeding of such foods causes conditions like constipation and Swim Bladder Disorder (SBD); problems that a betta living in the wild would most probably not experience.

If a betta is on a mostly dried diet, it should be occasionally fed live foods (e.g. live brine shrimps) from a reliable source (so there is less risk of infection). Bettas could also be fed green peas (cooked, de-shelled and cut into bite-size portions) to prevent or treat constipation and SBD.

Do ensure that dried foods are properly stored to prevent them from turning mouldy.

Edit: It should also be noted that domesticated bettas tend to grow bigger than their wild counterparts because they are often fed a variety of nutritious foods and often in portions that are larger than what they'd get in the wild. However, being bigger need not necessarily mean that they are healthier. So, the amount to feed should be controlled.

This post has been edited by D Chia: Apr 17 2005, 02:18 AM

Do green peas help bettas? Do you mean like, peas that you see on dinner tables? I would imagine "cutting" these would be kind of mushy, could you elaborate? Because I feed my betta Orchid those betta bio gold pellets, and freeze dried blood worms, and I don't want to hurt him.

You would boil some peas for a few seconds only. Then take the outer layer skin off so that the insides come out. After that you have to cut them into bite sizes or use your nail to cut some little pieces off. Just cut them to the size of the pellets you feed him. It is kind of mushy in the middle. You put your finger in the water with a little bit of the pea on it and it'll sink into the water. It's better to do it when your betta sees it because if he doesn't it'll just create a big mess in the water. I haven't seen a betta yet that doesn't like peas. I only feed mine about half of a pea a week to help with his digestion. (sp?)

my betta has all of a sudden got shredded fins.why?he has always been very healthy and this has more or less happened overnite.am very worried bout him.

This post has been edited by funnyfish: Jan 20 2006, 11:15 PM

could be biting his own fins
shows he's bored
you could get him some tankmates to interact with, or put a mirror next to his tank so he can flare at himself

Hi

Can someone please help.

I have a red/blue betta who has a red lump on his tail. Does anyone know what on earth is wrong with him and what if anything I can do to help. I'm really worried.

Thanks heaps

You should start a new thread in the betta section of the forum to get an answer to your question. This thread is an old one that has been stuck up for reference.

Here:
http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?act=SF&s=&f=5

This post has been edited by TammyLiz: Mar 25 2006, 03:54 PM