New To Bettas

[firstthebanker]

Hi everyone, OK I think I would like to try a breed Bettas I will tell you what I have got and any advice would be most welcome.
I have the following spare setup:

24x15x12 inch Tank About 15 UK Gallons
Heater
UnderGravel filter with a powerful Pump
Oragne Gravel

The tank has good water conditions, no Nitrite or Ammonia, I have not done a PH or Nitrate test. The water here is West Yorkshire is soft.

Is this tank big enough for 1 pair or could I put a partition in for 2 pairs.

I also have a brine shrimp growing pot, would that be OK to feed any fry?

Any tips or advice is most welcome.

Many Thanks

Ray

 

[LauraFrog]

Bettas should not be kept in pairs. Males will shred females (and sometimes vice versa). They should only be introduced to each other under carefully controlled conditions when conditioned to breed. You could partition a 15 gal for 2 or 3 males comfortably, or else put seven or eight females in it and use it as a sorority tank (you could also add some other fish like corys). Then you would need to buy other tanks (2-5 gals) for each male you wanted to keep, or else have another divided setup.

The setup sounds good for bettas. They like planted tanks but this is not a necessity. An undergravel filter is good for bettas because it does not create much current - if your pump is really powerful you might consider swapping it, but females (which are better swimmers without heavy fins) will not mind.

If you chose wild bettas, most of those are usually kept in pairs. They are very different and really need to be researched individually. Some can be kept with other species.

Baby brine shrimp are ideal first food for bettas, microworm, vinegar eels, bloodworm and pellets are suitable for older fry.

 

[firstthebanker]

Thanks for the quick reply.
My air pump is fully adjustable upto about 700 litres an hour, There is a little water movement, but not a great deal. I would guess that it is OK on that score, but I can adjust if needed.

Could I partion the tank, and Put 1 nice male in one side and say 4 or 5 females the other? What percentage of space should I allow for 1 male from a 24 inch frontage? How many females could/should be kept in the other section?

I do already feed bloodworn in my 600 litre tank and I also have a small tank where I grow on Brine shrimp, so sound as though food wont be a problem.

All advice is most welcomed.

Many Thanks

Ray

 

[Honeythorn]

You could section off 5 gallons for the male and keep a few females in the other part. But you need to make extra sure the male won't be able to jump into the other side or vice versa.

 

[ibbledibble]

Baby brine shrimp are ideal first food for bettas, microworm, vinegar eels, bloodworm and pellets are suitable for older fry.

this is round the wrong way (some of it) microworms and vinegar eels are the first thing to feed (plus walterworms and bananaworms) as they are really really tiny! and you can start feeding freshly hatched brineshrimp after the first week or so and then onto bloodworm and small pellets after a couple of months.