Am I doing good taking care of my Betta fish?

Question

Hello everyone,

I have recently picked up a awesome betta fish at a pet store. I've been researching about them and just wanted to see how you guys think I am doing to care for him. I don't know what type of betta fish it is but just look at the picture.

My Fish:http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/andrewtweeton/gunner.jpg

Here is the tank [bowl] he is in, I know it is not the biggest thing in the world. I have about a gallon of water in there and a fake tree with some leaves on it, and rocks at the bottom.:

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/andrewtweeton/fish2.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/andrewtweeton/get-attachmentaspx.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/andrewtweeton/fish.jpg

I feed him Hikari Bio Gold pellets 3 times a day, 3 at each time [breakfast, lunch, and a late dinner].

Tell me your thoughts of how I could improve, and some tips. Thanks!

Answer 1

yea your doing a great job with the fish and he looks healthy.

Answer 2

SUNNY IS WRONG

bettas can do fine with neons and other peaceful fish

Answer 3

"Tell me your thoughts of how I could improve, and some tips. "

Get him a bigger tank, a heater and a filter and you'll be in business.

Answer 4

Hes a very handsome little crowntail betta ;)

First.. bowls are a big no-no.

For a very happy and healthy Betta... make sure they have a minimum of 2 gallons to swim around in. (I keep mine in 5 gallons)

You also need to have a heater (70-80F) as they are tropical fish and are lethergic without one. They also have a higher chance of getting sick without a one.

You also need a filter. Filters make it easier for you because you wont have to clean the tank half as much. And makes a healthier betta. For some strange reason some people say bettas dont like filters. I don't really understand why they think bettas like to swim in their p**p.....

Bettas really like plants (fake or real whatever) so you did a good job with that. Just make sure they won't tear his fins. (Plastic usually can) Silk plants are best for bettas.

You can tell if a plant will hurt your betta by the pantyhose test. Just take some old pantyhose and pull it over the decorations. If it rips or tears then it isn't good for your betta.

Your feeding him nicely but just take out the lunch. He could get fat ;)

Thanks for coming on here! Your a good pet owner :)

This a great site for bettas: http://www.bettatalk.com

Answer 5

This is a fancy crowntail betta...it needs extra care..if you want him to live for 3-4 years..you would really want to get 4-5 gallon tank with filter and heater...you get really cheap 5 gallon tanks at walmart..he will do great in those....in a bowl like that, I won't feed him that much..the problem is a lot of ammonia is released and he would die in his own filth..basically the bowl will shorten his life..the water changes in a bowl need to be 100% every 4-5 days..this will stress your betta...in a 4-5 gallon tank 25-40% change once every week is good...and that way not the entire water chemistry changes and so he will be much more stable...so the best setup would be a bigger tank...I know a lot of people say bettas do good in a bowl..but that is not true..like any other fish bettas deserve a very good home...especially the fancy ones...and Please cover that bowl...Bettas jump..you wont know and he would have jumped out of the bowl and will dry up...so cover the bowl ASAP and at all times...something that will let the air in but that saves him from not jumping out...

and read info on bettatalk.com..Email me if you have questions...

Answer 6

I think it looks great! Bettas live in small spaces even in the wild so really a bigger tank is not what he needs..... what I would do is take out the tree and put one live plant in it to put oxygen in the water other wise keep it up!

Answer 7

the tank you have is very good. betas like small tanks.

do not put any other fish in there your beta will kill them or kill itself tring.

feeding once to twice a day is enough.

Answer 8

your doing a good job at taking care of him and  he looks perfectly fine without a friend and theres really no other kind of fish that would go with a betta in a bowl anyway. just be sure clean his tank every week and also instead of feeding him lunch well.... he can skip lunch i only feed my fish twice in one day.

good luck!

Answer 9

Well, the bowl is to small for him, I say get him a small tank with or without a filter, doesnt matter as long as you cycle the tank right and do once a week water changes. Make sure the tank is at least a gollon.

Also, you are feeding him a litlle to much, try only feeding him 2 times a day, and feed him 3 pellets 2 times a day. 6 pellets a day is a good ammount, but 9 is to much.

Also, here is some info on cycling the tank-

http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

Good luckw ith your fishy, and that is one beautiful crowntail betta!!

Edit: some ppl here are making it sound like betta fish are agressive mean fish, when they are not!! If introduced to a efmale betta correctly, they wilol mate, not kill each other. There will be a little ni[ping, but no seriouse damage! Bettas will kill other male bettas. But no females. I breed bettas, so don't listen to the other ppl here saying bad things about this misunderstood wonderfull fis!

Answer 10

As an experienced betta owner, I would suggest feeding him 3 pellets a day, all at the same time. Also, with a tank that small you will need to change the water about ever week to 2 weeks, I suggest using bottled distilled water. I hope this helps!

Answer 11

you shouldnt feed him once a day, it is recommended for most betta keepers to feed them TWICE a day. If he starts making bubbles at the top of his bowl(that is called a bubble nest that is used to put the females eggs in),he is lonely,and WILL need a mate.But I warn you,if he DOES build a nest,and you DO get him a mate,they lay around 600 or more eggs.When and if the female lays her eggs(she will have this white tube behind her anal fin),you want to get her and move her as soon as possible,because the male will kill her without thinking.He will be VERY protective over the eggs until they hatch.But when they hatch,you need to move him too,because then he will start eating them if you dont.You need to go get some baby fish food,and feed them that,or,you can mash up the adult food into very small peices,small enough for their mouths. I have done a ton of research on bettas,as mine would build bubble nests on and off,but would never lay eggs,even when the female was pregnant. Here is a small story me and my friend wrote.

                                                          My Life as a Fish

                                            By: Jocelyn Bailey and Ally Hawkins

I am a 1 year old betta.  I have no owner and I live by the corn pads in the shallow water.  I am the reason why bettas did not go extinct… here is my story…

                                                                Chapter 1: My idea

Once I was 3 months old my dad started to tear off my tail and it hurt very badly.  I have no clue why he did that but now I do.  Once I was 5 months old my mother told me why my father did that.  She explained to me that it was because male bettas do not get along.  I got mad when she told me that so I paced around and had the perfect idea.  I should get a partner.  I thought that I was too young to breed now but when I was about 7 months I would start on my long journey for a long-life partner.

                                  Chapter 2: A long way from the corn paddies

I was at least 6 and a half months old when I came to the point of leaving.  When I was half way to my destination, I saw something moving in the lilies.  Then I saw a bright colorful thing, and I realized I was in a different male’s territory.  I got afraid and wanted to return home but it was up to me to save the life of bettas.

                                                    Chapter 3: The fight

He came towards me with his beard sticking out and he was plunging at me and then going back.  I knew I had to fight back or I would die.  I quickly fought back and I didn’t see the male anymore so I decided he was dead.  And I had realized I did what I never wanted to do.

                                        Chapter 4: The perfect one

I had killed the other… I started chasing my self and trying to eat the end of my tail off.  I was too fat and I could not reach my tail.  When something had caught my eye, it was the female I had waited for. I had waited so long for her and there she was eyeballing me from head to tail. She was golden with a rainbow streak when she turned into the light.  All I am is a shiny, attractable light blue color, we were the perfect match.

                                        Chapter 5: The approach

When I started swimming towards her she automatically swam to me as fast as she could.  I asked her if possibly she wanted to hunt for some food. She said she could find some time.

                                          Chapter 6: The white thing



Before I knew it she showed me something that creeped me out but then I realized that it happened monthly.  She showed me a little white tube that stuck out from her stomach.  It was an egg tube, she was full of eggs and I was a father!

                                                    Chapter 7: The eggs

It was a few days but finally I made a bubble nest the size of a dollar bill.  She told me it was perfect and so I collected the eggs and I put them in carefully.  We were so happy with our little prizes.  We just had to get the others.

                                                    Chapter 8: The hatching

When they hatched, my wife swam in the lilies and all over lily town.  I was just as happy as her.  We pranced around for about an hour and a half and we decided it was time to be serious.

                                                    Chapter 9: The Syco

When I saw the babies free swimming I just couldn’t stay away for some reason.  I had a big appetite then and I had never had one before.  Then? I had never had a big appetite like that at that time of the day.  I realized I was going crazy, I couldn’t stay away and I started slowly moving towards them. I couldn’t stop myself from going near them. Then before I knew it I had 1 of them in my mouth and I tried to let go but I couldn’t open my mouth.  I was a syco.  I finally snapped out of it after I had eaten at least 12 out of 1,643 babies.  I felt ashamed and I had to tell my wife.  She took it the best anyone could; she said it was just my instincts.  She totally understood and she also said we have enough babies any way.

                                            Chapter 10: Mission accomplished

I had done my part in helping the bettas from going from millions to hundreds and because of me; it went from hundreds to millions.  I had gone all over the little pond and because of me, the bettas didn’t go extinct.

                                                        The End

There will be a My Life as a Fish 2

I hope you liked it,and otherwise,you are doing an excellent job taking care of him.

Answer 12

DO NOT LISTEN TO LISA! the answer above me about getting the fish a mate is dangerously wrong! Bettas kill other fish, even other beta's. You are smart by putting him in the tank alone. Bettas will even respond aggressively to their own reflections in a mirror

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamese_fig...

Answer 13

You are doing a good job. But, I would not feed him lunch. That may be too mych. Also, he needs a mate. You should go get one. That is what a pet store owner told me about my Beta.

Answer 14

i love betta fish, u have a male one so w.e u do, do not put it by something that it can see its reflection in or else it will think its another one, and try to get it and end up killing its self.

it does not need to be fed 3 times a day, try two times, one in the morning and once at night, other wise u might over feed him, and he will die :(

looks like he has a perfect home inside is bowl, and the tank is a good size, betta fish only need small bowls.

i had an all red one it lasted 5 years, then one day i got a little shark and the petstore ppl said i cud put the shark in with it, but it eat the betta, and i had an all blue one with black outlinning its tail but it got sick and actually like starting throwing up ;\ .. they were both girls.

Answer 15

Bettas can thrive in a bowl but would much rather approve of a 3-5 gallon tank with some form of a heater, whether it be a light or an actual heater, carbon filter and a bio wheel. Tanks of such matter usually cost about 45-50 bucks at PetSmart, local pet shops may be cheaper.

Betta's only need about 2 pellets a day. My thing is I feed each of my bettas (both live in their own 3 gallon) 2 pellets in the morning and Blood Worms about 5-6 at night.

Betta's are carnivores, and will eat live fry to flash frozen, frozen blood worms come in a pack of 30 squares, cut a bit off and let it defrost, when it's a watery droplet, drop some in, your betta may watch it and may not attempt to eat it the first time, but it will later on.

While living in a bowl, betta's need a 100% water change ever other day, this can be stressful on the fish, and get boring and annoying to you after a period of time. A 3 gallon will keep the water safe for about 2-3 weeks. In this time, the betta will have developed a slime coating, a coating which enables them to fight off diseases, and be less stressed.

Make sure you have a dechlorinator, like AquaSafe, to get rid of harsh chemicals in tap water.

Hope that helps, remember sweety, fish care is more common sense than anything, chemicals are needed too lol.