Plans For A Betta, Opinions Would Be Grand Please.

[RebeccaLouise]

Hi everyone. 

Currentley i have a community tank but i have always admired and wanted a Betta so im thinking in a few months to invest. Excited! 
 

 
The tank that i am considering to get would be the same as the one i have now (Love Fish 64 litre) or the same make but in a 40 litre. It has a lid to avoid jumping, led lighting (blue and white), heater, filter. 
 
For decoration i would be considering a selection of silk plants to avoid fins being ripped and a centre piece decoration in which the Betta could chill in or to hide from my ever watching eyes as i dont think i would be able to peal them away. Hehe.  

When it comes to substrate i am coming to a blank... Which would you all recommend gravel or glass stones/marbles. Or other if its better for the Betta.
 
Also i know Bettas like softer waters, whereas i live in a hard water area so could you guys recommend anything to help with that please?
 
Do Bettas live well with Zebra snails in their tank?
 
But the big decision...

Male or female. Which would you decide on and what experiences do you have with them if you would be willing to share.
 
Sorry for the essay and all the questions but you have been very helpful before and im hoping you can help me again and of course the main thing is that i just want to make sure that when i get my Betta that its going to be happy and love its new home. 
 
Rebecca 

 
 
 

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

For substrate I like natura things like a rock gravel or sand.
 
Cant answer this, sorry
 
Bettas actually can live well with snails. When I get my tank set up Im putting some kind of snail. Im pretty sure they are all nearly the same....
 
Males are prettier but the longer fins make it hard to find decor for them. Females arent as bright but since they have shorter fins you pretty much can go with any decor. Personally, once you find decor with large holes in it, I love males. But if you cant, a female is the way to go

 

[ncguppy830]

Bettas dont have a prefrence but around 7 ph is good.

 

[RebeccaLouise]

Thankyou, i think ill be swinging more to gravel as i have that in my community tank and its has proven to be good after at least 50 washes haha! 
 
Glad to know they are ok with snails too, 
 
I have always liked the appearence of the males as they are beautiful but i was being nosey at some females today at my local. With the decor since i havent really used live plants i thought silky plants would be the next best choice. 

 

[BettaBarbara]

So glad you are going to get a Betta!  Male or female, whichever you prefer....I find they both have wonderful personalities....can't wait to see what you get !!!

 

[RebeccaLouise]

It may be a while yet but watch this space haha. Super excited though as it will be my first!

 
I have always wanted a male but seeing my locals selection of females today its left me torn as i would love to take them home too. Such a hard descision but i reckon ill know which to take home when the time comes. 

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

You can split a ten gallon tank up into two with slide on report dividers and craft canvas and have one of each maybe

 

[Meeresstille]

Yay, another Betta lover!
 
I currently have a female Betta in a 5 Gallon (soon to be upgraded to a 10 gallon). This one is a fire-cracker of a fish, a lot of fun to play with and to watch. Had two male ones before and I too find, it does not matter what you decide on, both females and males are delightful! 
 
*The substrate in their natural habitat is clay-sand with a layer of smooth gravel. Dark being preferred.
*Don't worry about the pH too much unless it is really high, your fish will adjust to it. Your LFS is most likely on the same water as you and the fish will already be accustomed to it.
*Zebra Nerite Snails are very nice, it is possible that your Betta will be OK with it, but I can tell you that one of my males and now this little female fire-cracker were not! If it doesn't work out you can always put the snail in your already established tank!
 
Can't wait for your pics when it is time!

 

[Ninjouzata]

Glad you're going to get a betta!
 
My betta is in a 20g long, will be getting habrosus corys as tankmates. He's fun to interact with, eats pellets off of my finger.
I have black sand in this tank.
 
Havn't had the chance to take care of a female yet as I just recently entered into the hobby.
The boys are beautiful, and some of the females might not look the best at the store, but usually when you get them home and in a good clean environment they get very pretty.
 
If you do divide the tank keeping one of each gender on either side, I think it'd be best if you made sure they can't see eachother.
 
I really wouldn't worry about the pH, the important thing is that it's stable.
Like has been said most will adjust and if you get them nearby then generally they're already in the same water.
 
Snails are usually fine, but again as has been said, some of them may not even tolerate that. Mine does though, thankfully, as I like snails

 
Can't wait to see whatever you do with the tank and the betta you choose!

 

[RebeccaLouise]

Thankyou everyone so far! 
 
Maybe a dark coloured gravel then?
 
Im not sure about splitting the tank as i would like my Betta to be able to have the whole tank, but if i cant resist then thankyou for letting me know i can do that. 
 
Hopefully the one i will get will tolerate snails then

 

[Ninjouzata]

Well, it sort of depends on what color betta you get.
Like a white one would look great on dark substrate, and a black one would look great on light substrate.
They'll look great no matter what though.

 

[nikkifro8994]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Bettas are my favorite freshwater fish! I had 2 boys in 5 gallon tanks and 5 girls in a 10 gallon. That's about 20 and 40 liters. Bettas aren't too picky about anything. For substrate, it's whatever appeals to you. I've used blue aquarium gravel, smooth tan and brown pebbles, and dark blue sand with my bettas. I prefer sand because the debris sits on top which makes cleaning it easier. As far as pH goes, DON'T mess with yours! Any fish will be able to adjust to your pH so long as it's not an extreme (below 6 or above 8).[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=10.5pt]My first male had 5 ghost shrimp and an apple snail, but my second ate the 5 shrimp I had in his tank. A few ghost shrimp also disappeared in the sorority tank so I moved the remaining 3 to my community. My dad and one of my friends each had a male betta in a 10 gallon tank with 6 neon tetras. My dad's betta ate the neons but my friend's didn't give them a second look. It's all about the temperament of the betta. If you decide to get any tankmates, put them in the tank first and add the betta a few days later. This way the betta doesn't have any claimed territory that he/she must defend from any new tankmates. Also, have a backup plan just in case it doesn't work. With a zebra snail, it could go in your other tank if the betta has issues with it.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=10.5pt]Deciding which betta you want to bring home is always the toughest decision. Do you want a boy or a girl, a veil tail or a crowntail, or whatever other tail type you can find? Honestly, you'll know the right betta when you see it. When I got my second male I wasn't intending on getting him that day. My tank was almost cycled and I just needed to pick up some more flakes for my community. I always look at the bettas when I go to the store, which is a bad idea for me. I saw this gorgeous off-white veil tail male with magenta flecks of color in his almost clear fins. I fell in love with him the second I laid eyes on him. I asked the store owner if he could hold him for me for a few days while the tank finished cycling but he couldn't. I had a 1.5 gallon tank at home that just has plants so I bought the betta and put him in there for 4 days until his 5 gallon tank was ready.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=10.5pt]Good luck and post some pics when you get your new fish friend! 

[/SIZE] 

 

 

[BettaBarbara]

Thankyou everyone so far! 
 
Maybe a dark coloured gravel then?
 
Im not sure about splitting the tank as i would like my Betta to be able to have the whole tank, but if i cant resist then thankyou for letting me know i can do that. 
 
Hopefully the one i will get will tolerate snails then

I use blue gravel just because I love the way it looks in my tanks.....esp. when the lights are on in the tank....do you know what color Betta you are leaning towards....or just going to pick him when you see him?? Just remember Bettas are like potato chips you just can't have ONE!!! LOL

 

[guppy2002]

i have a male betta now and he is wonderful. but i think you should get a female. when i had a female she lived over 4 years! my male isnt doing to well, but hes in a community tank

 

[RebeccaLouise]

I have blue and green gravel in my community tank as it goes with everything and isnt far off the colour of my living room. Hmm depends really on the colour as in my locals they only really get in blue or reds but if i that was the choice id head more towards the colour red.