Betta Care

First of all, it is not a beta fish... It is a betta splendens. Beta fish... what are they? Trial fish?

"Were they an experiment and alpha fish failed?" - Beth

Ahem. I love my little darling Kibo and her big brother in Fishy Heaven, Muu Beta. These are not cheap pets that only require a small container, water, gravel, and food. They require hard work like any other pet. In fact, it doesn't take me a much different amount of time to care for my Tommy (kitty). (I know, a cat and a fish, right? Well, my cat is deathly afraid of the fish tank...)

1. So, please don't put them in less than 2 gallons. Their natural environment isn't quite as small as it sounds when you read about it.
2. Also, super tall tanks don't suit them as they need to breathe from the surface.
3. And, they really don't like a lot of bubbles and movement, so cheap air filters are not cool. You may want to get one of those Whisper types and get a flat heater which you can place in front of the exiting flow to dampen the ripples.
4. A heater is necessary unless you keep your house really hot in the winter. These are tropical darlings that need about 75 degrees constantly (sudden changes cause health problems) and 80 degrees when they get sick. You can't find a mini bowl heater... that is another reason 2 gallons and above are important.
5. Feed them a variety of food. Hikari pellets are great combined with frozen blood worms or (if you have time) live brine shrimp. Live food, naturally, is better.
6. Live plants are really good for a tank, but I just have soft plants. Silk plants are ideal as they don't break your betta's fins.
7. Bettas, like any fish, like places to hide and explore. They are smart fish that remember things. They have little personalities and will come right to you like a puppy for food.
8. Water changes do depend on how much water you give your fish to live in and how many other fish are there, so I'll skip that. Answers.yahoo.com is an excellent resource for asking about your specific system.
9. Bettas do tend to get sick! When you get your fish from the store, especially Petco and Petsmart, do look out for him/her turning gray and getting fin-clamp (self-explanatory). If you see this, administer Betta Fix Remedy. That specific disease comes from the horrible care they receive at those stores. Some fish come out just too depressed and still die though there is no manifesting physical reason for this. Don't take it to heart. You tried. (And I virtually pat you on the back)
10. Never put males together. Perhaps this is the most-heard piece of information ever, but I keep hearing of people who still do it... And don't let the males look at each other. In addition, round tanks are best as they are less prone to reflection for males. (They hate looking in the mirror even more than women do...) Males have a high chance of killing females. If you want a multiple-betta tank, consider a sorority tank with an odd number of females. Do be ware that you may come home one day and find some damaged or dead even if it seems to be going well. Though, it may work out and provide you with a dynamic tank full of easily differentiable personalities. (Note: They do form into cliques... and there is a Queen...) 2 gallons per female and lots of places for each to take as her own are crucial. In the beginning, they will battle it out to establish a pecking order. If this battle continues more than a day or two, remove a fish, keep her elsewhere, and reintroduce her later.
11. There is a lazy person's way to deal with water, a semi-conscientious way to deal with water, a great way to deal with water, and an immensely admirable way to deal with water. To be honest, I do the semi-conscious way... (bad me...) Lazy is not heating it, not filtering it, etc. Semi-conscious is heating it, cleaning it regularly, filtering it, keeping the ph at around 7.0 and adding water conditioner with changes. The great way is to in addition, monitor all of the other aspects which you can easily find tests for in the fish section of your local pet store, like ammonia. And, the admirable way is to have a huge tank with automatic cleaners and whatnot in addition to all the previous.

Things you absolutely need for a betta (and the other stuff up there, you really should get...):

1. Tank
2. Hood (They all have the ability to jump and without a hood, you run the risk of coming home one day and finding that your fish decided it was tired of breathing water and decided to permanently try air. In their natural environment, they jump from puddles (big puddles) to puddle)
3. Quality fish food
4. Water conditioner
5. Ph regulator (You may want to try one that automatically makes water neutral)
6. Betta Fix Remedy (Keep on hand)
7. Freshwater Aquarium Salt (Tonic for sick fish)
8. An extra tank (If you have multiple fish as a hospital tank or a protective tank from bullies or a jail for bullies)
9. Thermometer
10. Heater (Preferably flat to dampen the ripples and whatnot that bettas hate)
11. Filter

I think that should about do it... I'll check this post later if I remember something else... The picture is where Kibo lives. (10 gallons)

Note: A goldfish in only a few gallons will die rather fast... and if you put a goldfish with your other fish types in a single-digit-gallon tank, know that I am poking you.

Love your betta and your betta will love you!!!!