Betta Fish Care

Betta Fish Care Myth #7 - Two Male Bettas Will Always Fight To The Death

2007-08-31T23:41:00.000-04:00

Betta Fish Care Myth #7 - Two Male Bettas Will Always Fight To The Death

A commonly held betta fish care myth is two male bettas will always fight to the death. The only reason they will fight to the death is the loser/injured one has no place to retreat. In an aquarium this is the case... There is not enough room for the loser/injured betta to retreat and that is a shame. In the wild there is usually an escape route, or a place to hide.

When I worked for a Large Pet store chain we sold bettas. And as a bad joke kids would come by and dump male bettas into the same container. The two males would be in such tight quarters they would fight. Many times I would come by after it was to late to save one, or both of the males. This stunt use to sadden, and anger me.

This was a myth I believed for many years... and now understand how unnatural this myth really is.

This is what Wikipedia says:

Two Males: Male bettas do not 'fight to the death' in the wild; once one fish has clearly won the encounter, the loser will retreat to a safe location. In an aquarium, however, there is no place to run, and the winning fish will continue to attack the loser, often ending in death. Therefore, two male B. splendens should not be housed in the same tank unless they are (a) separated by a dividing wall, (b) in a very large tank so they can establish territory, or (c) offered the cover of rocks or floating plants.

Dispelling this and other myths... will help you understand this magnificent fish. And make your betta hobby more enjoyable!

Let me know your thoughts.

See ya next time,

Keith

P.S. I found Marcus Song's ebook to be an excellent resource for raising happy, healthy Bettas. Check betta fish care!

Top Six Reasons To Own a Betta Fish!

2007-08-30T23:51:00.000-04:00

Top Six Reasons To Own a Betta Fish!

Here's the question... Why do I need a top six list to own a betta? I'm getting ready to set up a couple new betta tanks, and I need to persuade my wife that this is really a good idea. One betta was OK, and all she did was make a face. However adding more has been the problem.

I keep imagining the conversation going along these lines:

"Why do you need more than one fish?" She asked. "Isn't one enough?"

WHY?!?! Are you kidding me... Betta's are the most colorful, majestic and personable freshwater fish you can keep. Heck you get the beauty of saltwater fish without the high maintenance. Over time they come to recognize you and will come to the front of the aquarium when you get close. -- Well, that's what flashed through my mind... Unfortunately the only thing I could say was:

"Because... "

"We don't really need more fish... anyhow didn't you tell me if we put males in the same tank they will fight?" asked my wife.

"Yeah." was my response.

"Then why would you want to do that?" She asked. (noticed how she changed from we to you)

"I wouldn't, I'd just set up another tank?" Did I just say that out loud? The word another just hung there... and I couldn't take it back. I realized that was my first mistake.

"I don't want another tank in my house. There's enough in here already." She said. "Anyhow, why do you need another tank?"

"Why do you need another purse, or a pair of shoes?" ---

Have you ever said something and knew it was the wrong thing to say... but you couldn't stop yourself? It's almost like you're having an out of body experience. OK, that's what was happening here. I was standing on the other side of the room watching myself speak. I knew what I was going to say, even before I spoke. I was diving across the room trying to stop myself - Yelling NOOooo.... It was too late - I said it - I ignored myself.

That was my last and final mistake. Didn't even get a third strike, I was out.

Anyhow, I've come up with my top reasons to own a betta fish. Maybe this will convince her we can expand our betta gang! So, here is my list in no particular order:

1. Betta fish are the most colorful freshwater fish - Vibrant is the word used describing the colors of a betta fish. Many colors of the rainbow are represented my this wonderful fish. And you can thank the expert breeders for carefully breeding these many wonderful colors.
2. Betta fish are the most regal of freshwater fish - Flowing fins and tails enhance the color of bettas
3. Betta fish have personality - They have a spunky attitude! When you walk by the tank the betta will come up to the glass and greet you. If he is feeling especially frisky, then he will flare his fins at you. After awhile your buddy will get to recognize you... how cool is that?
4. One of the easier fish to care for - You do need to set everything up right and then your betta will be one happy camper. You do not need to create special water conditions like saltwater, or Discus fish. Once conditions are right bettas are pretty hardy.
5. How cool is it to own a fighting fish! - Betta fish or Siamese fighting fish brings up images of a warrior. They have a reputation as fighters willing to go to battle. You can easily imagine acient warriors doing battle.
6. Betta fish owners has a great community - Betta fish owners are a passionate group. so, if you have any questions, there are plenty of people ready to help. There are plenty of forums, and groups around. You will find us eagar to help.

If you have any other ideas, or want to add to this list... let me know.

Keith

P.S. I found Marcus Song's ebook to be an excellent resource for raising happy, healthy Bettas. Check betta fish care!

Betta Fish Care Myth #6 - Bettas Like To Live In Small Containers?!?

2007-08-29T21:16:00.000-04:00

Betta Fish Care Myth #6 - Bettas Like To Live In Small Containers?!?

This Betta Fish Care myth Will not die... just what your betta will do if you follow this myth. Many pet stores and employees sell customers small containers as betta homes. The customers are told it's okay as long as they change the water often.

Simply not true! Your betta will have a miserable, short, diseased life. Would you want that for yourself? Of course not.

Which would you rather live in... a shoe box... or The Taj Mahal? No brainer right?

Being a good betta owner you want to put your betta in a nice large home. I would recommend nothing less than a 3 gallon tank for your betta. 5 gallon would be better, so they can then have lots of room to swim around.

Christie at Nippyfish.net makes this point well.

Remember too, that the bettas we keep in our home come from generations of domestic stock and are very different from their wild cousins. The next time you hear that bettas should be kept in a small bowl, know that it is simply not true.

Here is the link to this article at nippyfish.

See ya next time.

Let me know your thoughts,

Keith

P.S. I found Marcus Song's ebook to be an excellent resource for raising happy, healthy Bettas. Check betta fish care!

Betta Fish Care Myth #5- Bettas Should Be Kept Alone

2007-08-28T23:37:00.000-04:00

Betta Fish Care Myth #5- Bettas Should Be Kept Alone

Betta myth #5 - Bettas should be kept alone stems from bettas are aggressive fish and will fight to the death. However that is not completely true. You can keep bettas with other community fish. Make sure the other fish are not aggressive, or tail nippers. And make sure everyone has enough space to stake out their own territory.

I've kept a betta in a 55 gallon community tank. He had plenty of space to hide, and no aggressive tail nippers in there with him. The tank was a planted tank with a soil substrate, plenty of plants and plenty of light. He was happy as a clam in that tank, his colors really bloomed and he made bubble nests. I figured he was happy and healthy.

Over at First tank guide they give a good explanation:

Bettas can be kept with other fish, however, remember that male Bettas are VERY territorial toward any fish that they think is another male Betta invading their territory.

Here is a link to the article.

What do you think?

Let me know,

Keith

P.S. I found Marcus Song's ebook to be an excellent resource for raising happy, healthy Bettas. Check betta fish care!

What's Wrong With This Betta Tank?

2007-08-27T23:14:00.000-04:00

Here is a video of my 5 gallon betta tank. I created a step by step video showing you how to setup a betta tank. However just before I posted this up on YouTube I noticed something was missing. See, if you can guess the correct answer.

I'll fix the step by step video and post it here and on YouTube this week.

Keith

P.S. I found Marcus Song's ebook to be an excellent resource for raising happy, healthy Bettas. Check betta fish care!

Betta Fish Care Myth #4 - Bettas should be fed what they can eat in 1-2 minutes

2007-08-24T21:13:00.000-04:00

Betta Fish Care Myth #4 - Bettas should be fed what they can eat in 1-2 minutes

This popular advice I see given a lot... However it's not true. Bettas will not eat what they can in 1-2 minutes - No; they'll eat what you can give them in 1-2 minutes. Or in other words... The will gorge themselves. Whatever amount of food you give a betta, they'll shove it into their pie-hole. Unfortunately they only have a stomach the size of one eye.

And that is where the problems begin.

After a steady gluttonous diet your little buddy will be not only be living in water fouled by food waste... he'll also start developing diseases. Some of the leading diseases’ from overeating are Swim bladder disease, and constipation.

Why do Bettas overeat if given the chance?

Simple really. Bettas are carnivores.. meat eaters. They are use to eating what they catch. That also means there will be times they don't catch anything. In the wild bettas can go long periods of time skipping meals. So, when they do find a meal - they eat all they can. (because they don't know when the next one will come!)

Let me tell you about my first betta who tricked me into overfeeding him.

His name was Clem Kiddlehopper. Yes, named after Red Skelton's character.

I was so proud of old Clem... he was quite a betta. He was your classic veiltail betta with a blue body, flowing into red fins. Your garden variety found at most pet shops. And he was full of personality. He did have one behavior problem though.

Every time I walked past his tank he would put on an Oscar winning performance of a starving betta! So I started feeding him a little extra. Old Clem would cheerfully scarf it up. After all he didn't want to be rude, and leave food on his plate. This went on for several months, and everything was great. Clem would put on his performance, and on cue I would feed him.

However one day I walked pass the tank, and Clem did not perform. I took a closer look, and Clem was lying on the bottom of the tank. He didn't look good, and looked like he was in pain. I was worried, and for the next couple of days he didn't move around much. Called the pet shop, and they told me to come down and get some medication. I did what they suggested, and poured the medication into Clem's tank.

Over the next couple of days Clem didn't do much. He just stayed on the bottom of the tank and wouldn't move around or eat.

I won't go into anymore detail... but Clem didn't make it.

Today I know not to overfeed my bettas - no matter how much they beg. I learned my lesson. I know now that being a good betta owner is doing what is right for my bettas. And I hope to pass this information on so you can learn how to be a good betta owner.

If you have any comments, let me know.

Keith

P.S. I found Marcus Song's ebook to be an excellent resource for raising happy, healthy Bettas. Check betta fish care!

Betta Fish Care Myth #3 - Bettas Don't Need Heated Water

2007-08-22T07:24:00.000-04:00

Betta Fish Care Myth #3 - Bettas Don't Need Heated Water

Betta Myth #3 - Bettas don't need heated water is a main reason so many betta owners have disease problems. You see customers come into pet stores with questions about what is wrong with their bettas. They are told that bettas are hardy fish, and can live in sparse conditions. And are told they don't need a heater for their bettas. Bettas are from Southeast Asia, and are use to water temps in the high 70's to low 80's.

Low water temperatures stress out the bettas, lowers their immune system and leads to diseases.

The IBC (International Betta Congress) says this:

Bettas will do best if their environment duplicates conditions from their original habitat. The fish evolved in the rice paddy and back waters of Southeast Asian rivers and are tropical water temperatures in the 80-85 deg F range, and very humid. Here in the U.S. our outside air doesn't normally come close to matching the tropical conditions but Bettas have been kept and bred for years and appear to do well in a variety of water conditions. Proper water temperature is important and most Betta keepers keep their fish at 76-78 deg F.

Have any comments or questions?

Let me hear them.

Keith

P.S. I found Marcus Song's ebook to be an excellent resource for raising happy, healthy Bettas. Check betta fish care!

Betta Fish Care Myth #2 - Bettas Can Live Eating Only Plants

2007-08-21T15:55:00.000-04:00

Betta Fish Care Myth #2 - Betta Can Live Eating Only Plants

Betta Fish Care Myth #2 is bettas can live eating only plants? Wow, that is a dangerous myth for the betta. Bettas are carnivores... that's a fancy word for they don't like veggies! You see the bettas mouth is upturned, which is great for catching insects on the surface (or any other critters). Not so great for nibbling on plants. They will starve to death if you only give them a diet of veggies. Not good for the betta.

I've seen sold in stores Betta ecosystems, which are vases with plants. This is not good because the instructions tell you the bettas will survive off the roots of the plants. The only thing that happens is the poor betta slowly deteriorates from lack of food.

At Aquamaniacs there is a good explanation:

It is difficult to see how anyone could possibly refer to a betta vase as an ecosystem. The most glaring error is the fact that bettas don’t even eat plants at all, much less fibrous roots. Bettas are carnivores, not herbivores; they eat insects, insect larvae, aquatic worms and have absolutely no interest in eating plants. If he nibbles at the plant’s roots, it’s because he’s starving.

Here is a link to the article.

Let me know your thoughts.

Keith

P.S. I found Marcus Song's ebook to be an excellent resource for raising happy, healthy Bettas. Check betta fish care!

Betta Fish Care Myths #1 - Bettas can be kept in any condition water

2007-08-21T00:22:00.000-04:00

Betta Fish Care Myths #1 - Bettas can be kept in any condition water

Here is a betta fish care myth I hear a lot. Bettas can be kept in any condition water... cause they are found in rice paddies of Thailand. First of all the bettas found in the wild... are wild.

We have domesticated bettas. Many, many generations removed from the wild. They need good, stable water conditions.

Over at Betta Talk they sum it up nicely:

No my dear betta friend, not all waters are the same. As a matter of fact, waters have properties that vary greatly from one source to the other, and these "invisible" yet very REAL changes could kill (and do kill) your tropical fish on a daily basis.

That's it for now.

Keith

P.S. I found Marcus Song's ebook to be an excellent resource for raising happy, healthy Bettas. Check betta fish care!