What do I have to know about a betta fish?

Question

I just bought a betta fish and I want to know what I need to know, like how often do I have to change the water, he lives in a container very similar to a crystal ball, like 12 cm of diameter, and any other information would be good, thanks!

Answer 1

it would be good to change the water once a week.

never put two together

they love raw meat. ask your butcher at the local grocery store for a tiny slice of liver (I've never been charged for this), put a tiny tiny morsel on a chopstick, and get his attention. He will gobble it up!

they love live food - some pet stores have little tiny worms that are live and very inexpensive. downside is they need to be stored in your fridge

do not fill the water of the container to the brim - they tend to jump out

Answer 2

try out this website i used it and its proven to work for me:

http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Care-of-a-Be...

Answer 3

They need a minimum (and that's a bare minimum, bigger would be better) of 3.7 litres of water, the water needs to be kept at around a stable 26.66 (can be slighly lower or slightly higher but shouldn't fluctuate more than a degree).  Any tank 3.7 ltrs or less has to be cleaned every 2-3 days (don't use soap or bleach, just use plain hot water to clean).  Bigger tanks only need to be cleaned (and water changed 50%)   When replacing old water with new, the new water needs to be the same temp as the old water so you don't shock the fish with the temp differential.  Bettas can jump so put a top on your tank.  Their stomachs are only about the size of one of their eyes so just a little food each day is fine--they will beg for more but be strong and don't overfeed because a fish too can develop internal problems from being too much food.  Remove any food not eaten within about 10 mins so it doesn't rot in the tank messing up your water parameters.  Do not neglect the water changes ever.  Daily, check your fish over carefully (shine a bright light on him) to make sure he isn't developing anything; the sooner you take care of any problems the better.  In a bigger tank, you can set up plants and decorations to give you fish things to investigate during the day to keep him a little more occupied.  Try to vary his diet--not just betta pellets all the time (p.s. 2 pellets a day is enough, you can split it into 1 pellet in the morning and 1 pellet int he evening)--with small live aquatic foods (daphnia, gammarus, snails, worms, etc.--although not wild caught since they often will infect your fish with internal parasites) or frozen fish food (bloodworms, glassworms, enhanced brine shrimp (although keep these to a minimum since they aren't real nutritious and are marine food anyway)).  I used to very infrequently feed my bettas real small bits of cooked chicken (no skin, no fat, no sauces or spices) and cooked salmon (or other fish).

Answer 4

they need heated filtered 5+ gallon aquariums to thrive

i would also get dark gravel and live plants

Answer 5

distilles water only and dont put any two betta's together and about once a week or sooner if the water gets dirty sooner

Answer 6

Here are a few things that I do with my betta

1)Feed 3 betta food pellets a day, and sometimes give bloodworms (they love those), don't use goldfish food or other food not meant for them.

2)Keep the crystal ball thing in a warm area, bettas prefer warmer water, but a small living area can't use a heater safely

3)Clean the water at least once a week, I like to twice a week

4)DON'T PUT 2 MALES TOGETHER!!!!!!

5)For about 15 minutes a day at most let them look at themselves in a mirror, it improves their color and gives them some stimulation (they can get bored and actually develop depression, or so I've heard) but don't do it too long or they get tired.

6)When buying (I know you already bought yours, but for future reference) find one that has bright colors, swims alot and does not seem to have torn fins, you want a happy healthy one

7)fill that water up to the widest point of the container, if possible, this gives more surface area to allow more oxygen in the water, or for the betta to breath at the surface if it wants to

Answer 7

I agree with Fish Man. Any tropical fish should have a heater, filter and aeration, and the more space the better! Read up on cycling too.

Answer 8

You should change the water twice a week because the tank is really small.  Get him a 10 gallon tank with  gravel, live plants like java ferns, and and possibly tank mates. He will die soon if you keep him in that tiny tank, and that would be a waste of a life.

Place a lid on the tank, because bettas jump, (no, I'm not kidding), but cut small, smooth holes in the middle of the tank. Take off the lid for 30 minutes everyday, while you are watching him so that he can have some more fresh air.

Feed him live, freeze dried or frozen bloodworms. He will hate you if you feed him flakes

: ). If he is bored, he might munch on the roots of the live plants, but feed him  the same amount of food that you usually feed him. Your feeding schedule for him should go like this:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday  : 2 freeze-dried blood worms in the morning and 2 at night. Saturday: minuscule pieces of peas, if he accepts them and maybe 3 tropical fish food flakes. On Sunday, don't feed him anything. Let his digestive system rest and empty out the leftover food.

Some very helpful Betta websites:

http://bettatalk.com/

For some potential tank mates:

http://www.ultimatebettas.com/index.php?...