How do you take care of a beta fish?? my frist beta fish.....?

Question

i am going to get a beta fish but need some advise about how to take care of them...........

1.what size tank?

2.do i need a heater?

3.how often should i change the water?

4.if i want to use certin pebbles that i have found how long do i need to boil them?

5.what do i need to be careful of?

thanks and anyother advise about betta fish whould be most helpful.

thanks!

ps, i plan on only getting 1 fish.

Answer 1

1. just a nice small tank. like one you would use for a gold fish

2. no. the water should be room temp.

3. umm not really sure. i think like once a week? sry

4. i dont remeber if  i ever boild them but you should mabey look that up

5. be careful if u have cats. my cats like to drink the water and play with the beta. also be sure to buy only beta food and to make sure you dont use just normal sink water. you can buy a thing to pure into water

Answer 2

you have to put them together, or they'll get longley.  You have to cram like 10 of them in a 5 gallon tank. they really enjoy that.  then, you sit back, watch, and be horrified.

Answer 3

The great thing about beta fish is that they are really as close as you're going to get to maintenence free.  They don't need  a big tank---we actually use an old Hermit crab tank and that works just fine. Change the water every other week and clean the gravel and tank---don't use soap---just clean water.  I wasn't told to boil the gravel unless you plan on re-using it.  If so, I can't help you as I don't know.  Make sure that when you change the water that it is room temperature.  Let it sit out for awhile to ensure this.  There was also some sort of water conditioner that you can use.  Unfortunately, I don't remember off-hand.  I'm sure the people at Petco/Petsmart can help you.  Good Luck and happy swimming!

Answer 4

ur trying 2 hard it dont matter how big the tank but they arnet that big and they dont eat alot but dont over put alot of food in the tank not even 2 go out of town because some fish eat 2 untill they explode..........BOOM!!!!!!! lol no im just playing ull b fine its not that hard just remember to change the water.And dont put them 2gether if u ever get more then 2 they r fighting fish we had 2 learn the hard way

Answer 5

You can keep them in a small cup, up to a big aquarium.  No heater necessary, as long as the outside air is warm.  Change the water once-ish a week.  As long as they boil for 2-3 minutes or so, you are good.  Be careful that you have specific "beta" food, its special.  And never, never never put another fish in with them.  It will kill it, even another beta.  Even having two, in seperate tanks, close enough together that they can see each other will lead to them stressing their selves out until they die.

Answer 6

DO NOT PUT BETTA TOGETHER!

Unless they are both females, they will most likely fight to the death.

answers ...

1. you can have any tank one gallon or bigger (even a gallon fish bowl is fine)

2. you can use a heater but it is not required

3. i change my betta's tanks once a week (empty, wipe down, and refill with bottled water) and change 20% of water every 3 days

4. you don't need to use any kind of bottom cover with your betta, unless you plan to put other fish with it (only certain kinds)

5. overfeeding and cats... i only feed my betta once a day lightly and fast them once a week ... but i give them frequent treats like freeze dried blood worms and brine shrimp (if a cat can access a betta tank and get in ... bye bye betta)



... betta also like plants in there tanks. NOT PLASTIC  it will rip their fins you can either use silk or live plants you can buy bulbs for live plants for cheap. betta also don't like strong currents so a filter isn't needed unless it has flow control and is set to the lowest setting (whisper works great)

Answer 7

1. I would say 1 gallon is fine, but if you get a bigger tank you can get a snail or some shrimp!

2. You could use a heater. If you have the money definitely.

3. IF you have a water around every 2 or 3 weeks.

4. Iv'e never heard of boiling rocks, but ive heard of boiling wood.

5. The disease that they are most suceptible of getting is fin rot. Your betas tail will just start fraying off and turn like brown. I recommend getting tetramin pellets or Hikari beta pellets, but they are a more expensive brand. My betas liked both. DO not put sea shells in your tank. They are pretty, but can kill your fish. IT messes up your ph. If you get a live plant look into ITalian Valisneria I have them and I love them!! I hope I helped!!!

Answer 8

1. I had a 10 gallon tank, but I think at least 2 is fine

2. I recommend it. When it gets cold, you'll be really thankful you have one

3. Never change ALL the water. That takes all the good minerals etc. out too. I would say maybe Once every 3 weeks? And REMEMBER! Always TREAT the water before you put your fish in! You can get a really small bottle for really cheap.

4. I've never heard of boiling them... I just washed them REALLY good (NO SOAP) and then put them in

5. Please cover the lid of your tank with some sort of substance. What I did was get a piece of paper, punch a ton of holes in it and taped it to the top every time I changed the water =P

I remember my first Betta... he was the best fish ever. I actually used to pet him =D, I always washed my hands thoroughly before/after though. I also used to dangle food over his tank, and he would JUMP and most of the time, he would get it... this exercise prevented him from becoming overweight, and since Betta's can breathe, it wasn't dangerous. He died of old age, and it was a really sad day. No fish after him was as loyal or fun as he was.

I'm still surprised to this day when when I listen to people talking about their Bettas. Because interestingly enough, most people get pretty attached. I know I did....have fun with him! I hope you good luck!

Answer 9

I agree with ton D. But bettas ONLY attack and kill other bettas except females during mating. They will not attack other fish as long as they are not colorfull.

Answer 10

okay betta fish are very simple to have and take care of. ill answer your questions one at a time. for a betta you do not need a large tank, just a vase or goldfish bowl. as long as you dont use an actual fish tank, you dont need a heater, and room temperature is gonna be fine. you should change the water every week to every two weeks. it depends on how small the bowl is, and how dirty it seems. if the water is beginning to get cloudy definately change it. i have never boiled pebbles before using them, and have had no problems. but if you want to boil them it cant hurt, maybe just for a few minutes. you need to be careful to:

1) only feed a little food, and after waiting a few minutes, scooping out the rest to keep the bowl cleaner.

2) only have one male betta per bowl. two or more will kill each other. (always) . many females can be kept together as long as they are in a large enough tank. (two may be fine in a bowl, but three or more need a small tank) and a male and female cant live together except for a few days for breeding, since the male will kill the female after breeding, and injure her throughout breeding. but two can be in bowls next to each other with NO problems.

3) not use tap water. it can and will make your betta sick/die.

Answer 11

1. five gallons

2. not really just make sure that the water temp is between 70-84 degrees F

3. once a week

4. dont boil them but make sure there clean dont use soap

5.buy betta food