Does anyone have Betta Fish?

[MSSANDRA]

Our last Beta lived forever in a small 1 gallon fish tank. Nothing else in there. He was a very "friendly" fish. DH "talked" to him every day and I swear he would start swimming around when he would come near! Our fault he died(long story), but friends replaced him for DGS with a really nice filtered tank with all the extras and some expensive type fish and they lived about a month. We are getting a new Beta and going back to our old bowl. We had a beta live in that same gallon bowl for YEARS.

 

[Pammy jo]

WOW! That's alot of equipment some of you hae for these little guys! Our little friend is just over 3 yers old now and just has an empty little gallon bowl. He once had a plastic plant but it got slimy after a few months. Mostly he lays on his side and looks dead until we hit the side of the bowl and then he jumps to life.

 

[Stitch's O'hana]

We *had* a betta until she died over the weekend while we were gone. She was such a cute fish - also came up to the same spot whenever we walked in the room. She had not been herself for the last several weeks so I think it was her time. Thankfully we had yet to open Santa presents and found the fish first. We had a quick burial at sea & opened presents before DD10 could get too distraught.

She had a 5 gallon tank w/filter & heater because the water was getting too chilly. She also lived w/snails & had no problems with them as far as I know. We had her & snails since March togther in the same tank. THey are fun to watch.

DD will be picking out a new fish of some kind tomorrow.

So sorry to hear that about your fish, it's always hard to lose a pet. They are a lot like family. I have a cat and a dog and I know I would go crazy if something ever happened to them.

I am looking forward to getting a Betta Fish, I just think they are so pretty and fun to watch.

And I love reading what everyone has posted, lot's of great info.! Thanks Everyone!!!

 

[NiftyJ88]

Our first betta died about a week ago. He lived for 3 years. I started him in about a one gallon bowl, but dd wanted an aquarium. So we got a 5 gallon tank w/ light and filter and 2 other community fish. They did really nicely together.
A friend of mine bought me a betta for my birthday earlier this year. He's going on 4 months with me and I just brought him home when the first one died. He's doing well with the other two fish as well.

 

[Gisele]

We have had those little cute guys. And they have a pretty good life cycle. They seem pretty hardy.

 

[CinRell]

Good thinking Fyrefly! I forgot to mention NO sharp fake plants... I used the nylon or rubber fake plants too And if you DO chose to use a live plant don't let it overgrow and take over the tank.


Can Bettas survive in small bowls with nothing else in them? Sure... but a dog can survive tied to a dog house with 2 feet to move for a long life if you throw it food..... with a dog, you'd see it as cruel. Unfortunately many people don't put that same value on fish.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Ive got a beta in a 5 gallon. He's got a sunken ship and rock castle. No gravel but glass pebbles insted. I read somewere that this was a nice idea because it allows the fish to "rest" on the bottom without worrying about sharp rocks. I try to keep the heat around 75 since that seems to keep him happy.

 

[smokeyblue]

My parents had a Betta in a vase with a peace lily for 5 years. He was beautiful and he grew to be very big. The biggest peice of advice I can give you is to ignore him! They need only minimal feeding. Overfeeding is the worst thing you can do.

 

[floridascgirl]

Our betta, Aquadude, is 4 years old and we just love him. He's in a 2 gallon bowl filled with small smooth rocks, a live Java fern and his secret hideout (a pagoda). We feed him 2-3 pellets of food a day because he loves feeding time...he swims to the top and likes his back to be stroked.
I give him a partial water change each week by just scooping out approx. 1/3 of the old water and replacing it with fresh, treated water. Maybe once a month I completely change his water because the bottom gets a lot of "debris" built-up. He prefers our house to be warm and when he's nice and warm he always builds a bubble nest in his bowl...so cool. We keep his bowl located where their is a lot of activity. He especially enjoys being by the piano when by DS practices.

 

[Syrreal]

If you have cats, make sure to get a tank with a cover. Our cats used to love to drink our fish's water. They never tried to catch the betta, but I had to fill his water literally every day. Then one day I heard a crash and found the bowl broken and the fish on the floor and the cats lapping up the extra water. He lived in a tupperware container for a day or two until I got his new tank that has a cover. He is much happier in his new tank that doesn't include cat paws.

 

[xJenna]

Time to awaken this thread. I got my betta yesterday morning. He is in a one gallon tank with pebbles and a fake plant. He nibbled at a pellet yesterday morning, and I fed him that night but had to leave so I couldn't watch him eat. I fed him this morning and he wouldn't eat. A friend suggested he was cold and the water did feel cold, so I put my desk lamp on hoping it would warm him (the light is about 6 inches away and not pointed directly down). I fed him tonight and noticed he was munching on the sunken pellets and a little at the one I dropped in.

My question is, do you think he is just still adjusting or do you think that he really is cold? I'm driving my roommate and bf nuts, but I just really don't want him to die, it would make me upset.

 

[Carina]

Time to awaken this thread. I got my betta yesterday morning. He is in a one gallon tank with pebbles and a fake plant. He nibbled at a pellet yesterday morning, and I fed him that night but had to leave so I couldn't watch him eat. I fed him this morning and he wouldn't eat. A friend suggested he was cold and the water did feel cold, so I put my desk lamp on hoping it would warm him (the light is about 6 inches away and not pointed directly down). I fed him tonight and noticed he was munching on the sunken pellets and a little at the one I dropped in.

My question is, do you think he is just still adjusting or do you think that he really is cold? I'm driving my roommate and bf nuts, but I just really don't want him to die, it would make me upset.

You are over feeding him - my kids all had betta's that lived years. They should be fed every 1-2 days not 1-2 times a day. Feeding it daily or more will be a fast track to a dead fish!

Of the 3 kid's bettas the one that lived the longest ( over 3 years) was only fed about 3-4 times a week.
Other fish get fed twice daily, not bettas though.

Also dont change his water till it looks like it needs to be changed (murky) - just top it up with treated water as needed. Over changing water will kill it (my nephew killed his that way)


The lamp wont heat the water enough to make a difference. My DD's betta lived on a shelf under a window in our cold house for 3 years. They dont need heat.

 

[xJenna]

You are over feeding him - my kids all had betta's that lived years. They should be fed every 1-2 days not 1-2 times a day. Feeding it daily or more will be a fast track to a dead fish!

Of the 3 kid's bettas the one that lived the longest ( over 3 years) was only fed about 3-4 times a week.
Other fish get fed twice daily, not bettas though.

Also dont change his water till it looks like it needs to be changed (murky) - just top it up with treated water as needed. Over changing water will kill it (my nephew killed his that way)


The lamp wont heat the water enough to make a difference. My DD's betta lived on a shelf under a window in our cold house for 3 years. They dont need heat.

The food package tells me to feed him 2-3 times a day. But I'm only feeding him two pellets at a time and he's not even eating them. And I googled and a lot of the websites I read said the same. But I'll definitely cut back on feeding, I just feel bad. He's probably just adjusting, but everywhere I read said they need to be warm because they're tropical fish.

 

[pixiewings71]

No you don't need to feed him that much, we fed our Betta every 2-3 days. He lived for quite a while. Bettas don't like cold water but we were fine keeping our house at 68, he was fine with that. Bettas are great fish, very easy to take care of, enjoy your new finny friend.

 

[Friendly Frog]

I am going to be quick since I am on my way to bed , Beta fish like warm water! (Mine preferred 80 degrees.) You should also keep the water at a constant temperature so I suggest that you invest in a thermometer. I fed mine a tiny bit daily . Looks like this site might help you? http://nippyfish.net/ info on feeding, water changes, tank size and much more.

Good luck. They are my favorite fish and I love watching them build bubble nests.

 

[njmom47]

http://care-guides.petsmart.com/PetCareGuides.php?cat=Fish&careguide=Betta

I get emails from PetSmart, and this link is in the latest one.
Maybe that will help with any questions. And yes, we have a betta in our house named Jelly(because he looks like grape jelly). He is in a bowl, probably 1 gallon size and he is just fascinating. I wish he could talk because he is VERY interested in me when I'm in the kitchen (where his bowl is).
We (or should I say I?) feed him flakes 2 or 3 times a day (one quick sprinkle) and I swear he picks out the green ones. I do change his water every other day though. He would not eat the pellets.

 

[kinntj]

My daughter is getting a 5 gallon aquarium upgrade for her birthday from her 1 gallon kit she started out with. After 2 years, her Golby died. Three to four years is normal life for a betta. We go to a pet store with a fish vet and he said 5 gallons for 1 betta is ideal. You need a heater to keep the tank at a constant temp. They can survive in cooler temps, but may not be happy with it that way.
A filter is nice, but make sure there's not tons of movement in the tank from it.

Good luck getting your cool fish. We love Bettas in this house.

 

[xJenna]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I'm going to try to upgrade to a bigger size tank, I found out my tank is only 1/2 gallon, and I feel like he's just not happy in there. Maybe I'm just paranoid. I haven't fed him today, I'll throw one pellet in today. I think I have a tank at home that is at least a gallon and has a filter so I'm going to try to get my dad bring me that. Unfortunately I live in a quad so I just don't have the room for a larger tank. Hopefully I'll be able to get a little in tank heater, I don't my little guy freezing.

 

[blessedby3]

My dd12 wanted a beta fish and bought her own tank kit at Petsmart (like a pp mentioned). We brought the fish home, fixed the water, used the water treatment, let the water sit for 30 mins, transferred the fish....2 days later...dead fish. I called Petsmart and they said bring the fish and the receipt back. We did that and brought a new one home. Start from scratch....cleaned the tank, added water and cleaner, let it sit 30 mins, put the fish in....2 days later...dead fish. I am so frustrated and I dont know what the problem is. People told us they were hearty fish. A friend suggested that Petsmart wasnt the best place to purchase fish, but with the exact thing happening in the exact time frame, I am thinking it is something we are or arent doing. Any suggestions?

Would we have better luck with a plain old goldfish?

 

[luvthemouse71]

You can put a Betta in a big tank with other fish- just not other male Bettas or aggressive species.

And they should be fed daily- sure they can live a long time without being fed, but that's not optimal.. You like to eat daily, right?