Siamese Fighting Fish ( Bettas )

[Declan]

Hi all,

I have got a 70L tank, with 4 live plants, a log, and 12 fish, 6 neon tetras, 4 barbs ( I am getting rid of them on friday, have spoken to LFS and they have agreed to take them) and I want to get a Betta and I was wondering, what should i look for when buying them from my LFS and what setup do I need for them? Is everything OK as I have it?

PS My tank has recently finished cycling.

Thanks in advance.

 

[tibby25731]

Bit confused - what fish will be in there with the betta?? Barbs and neons are both nippy and not great to keep with a betta.

Look for a betta that is interested in you when you look at it, not sitting listlessly on the bottom, no obvious signs of illness, no black tips to fins.

Bettas love to sit on wide leaved plants so you may want to add to your plants. if you get fake plants, look for silk plants - bettas fins and tail tear quite easily so you don't want anything sharp.

Make sure there is not too strong a current from your filter. If there is a strong current, look into killing it - there are several good ways of doing this. I attach a bit from a pair of tights over the outlet and secure with an elastic band! Bettas hate strong current, they get blown right across the tank

Get some Hikari betta pellets to feed, and maybe some Tetra betta flakes. They also love bloodworms, eithe rlive or frozen - but don't give them this every day as they will become fat! Once or twice a week is ok.

 

[Declan]

When I get the betta there will be Neon Tetra (X6) and 2 Clown Loaches which I am re-homing in about 6 months.

I do have a sort of large leaf, around 3 inches long, and about 1 1/2 inches wide. Is that big enough?

What do you mean by 'look' at me?

Thanks for everything already.

 

[ThePiggy]

Live plants are great, bettas love plants. They also like lots of caves and such to explore. Are you getting rid of all the fish that are currently in your tank? Do you have a heater? Bettas need tropical temperature water. They also like very low water current. If your filter has flow settings, it should be on the lowest one. If it doesn't have settings, you can put a few layers of stockings over the intake to slow it down.

If you're looking for the healthiest betta to keep as a pet, depending on how they are kept in your LFS, there are a few things to look for. If they are in cups on a shelf, look for the cups with the least amount of waste in them. Move the cups around and if the betta doesn't flare at his new neighbor, he just floats in the water, it's not a good sign. You want to look for a betta that looks feisty, but not panicked darting around. Check the fins for tears or fin rot.

For the betta's diet, Hikari pellets are an excellent food and once a week, a treat like frozen bloodworms are great too.

I hope I've been some help, and good luck picking one out!

 

[tibby25731]

I'd ask the LFS to take the neons too - I lost my first betta to a small shoal of neons They nipped him to death! Not very interesting fish either, a betta is much more fun!

Do you have a back up plan if the betta takes a dislike to your clown loaches? Some bettas can be very feisty!

When I say look at you, you want the betta to see you, and swim over to investigate. If he does a little dance up and down the glass, so much the better - this means, look at me, I love you, now feed me! lol. Though pet shop bettas are often a bit subdued. As long as he shows some interest and isn't hiding away from you then that should be OK. His fins may be a little torn up but this will heal, just be sure there are no black tips to the fins as this can be finrot.

 

[ThePiggy]

Tetras are fin nippers and not good pals for bettas. You may want to try for a small group of cories. The more plants in the tank, the better. Bettas have awesome, unique personalities and you can tell when you look into their eyes if he's a keeper. The betta should seem interested and active, not blank.

 

[Declan]

I have 6 neons though, and they show no interest in my barbs at the moment? Surely that is a good sign?

I have a heater, and it goes up to 30 C and i currently have it on 26 C.

I have also been reading a bit more on the forum and a lot of people talk about crown tails and double tails.. I am so confused, does it make any difference? Or is it just aesthetics?

Thanks for everything so far guys & girls.

 

[ThePiggy]

The different tails are purely for looks. But to be honest, the shorter the fins are, the easier time your betta will have getting around in the water. It's not enough of a difference to change the quality of life for the most part though. There is a topic in the pinned section that names most of the different betta tail types and different colours and patterns.

 

[tibby25731]

My neons showed no interest in any other fish but they still nibbled my betta to death

A double tail has a tail split in two. A crowntail has rays extending out from the tail. You will most likely only find veiltails in an LFS. Go to the pinned topic at the top of the betta forum, that is full of pictures! Better than my descriptions

if you are after a really special better, buy off one of the breeders on here. PM Modaz, Shell or Netty to see what they have - they have some stunners for sale

 

[ThePiggy]

If you don't want your betta to get nipped, then I'd suggest not keeping neons with it. But if you are going to try it anyway, have a back up tank ready for if you need to separate them. Or you could get a tank divider, but it decreases the aesthetics of your tank.