Betta question.

[Irish_Lass]

Ok, here's a question for you hardened fish keepers. I've always been under the impression that Bettas had to live in a warm water aquarium. I've been told in the past that they don't require an air filter because they're used to living in low oxygen water & tend to come to the top to breath. I was at a friends this afternoon & she has a betta in a regular tank....no air filter, no heater etc. and he looks happy enough. Can Bettas live in normal room temperature water?? If so, I've been missing out! :)

[MandyPug]

Mine live in normal water... I wouldn't let the water get too cold but room temp is fine :)

[Irish_Lass]

Seriously Mandy??? How did I not know this before?? I've always thought my only option for a cold water tank was goldfish. Chuck & Dexter are doing fine??

[MandyPug]

Seriously Mandy??? How did I not know this before?? I've always thought my only option for a cold water tank was goldfish. Chuck & Dexter are doing fine??

Chuck and Dex are 100% fine :)

They swim around like idiots most of the time, not a care in the world.

[Irish_Lass]

& what do you feed them?

[MandyPug]

I feed mine betta pellets from the pet shop... Some feed freeze dried worms and stuff but i can't find those things so they get fishy kibbles!

[Irish_Lass]

What size is your bowl for them? Sorry to be a pain.

[MandyPug]

Mine are in 1 gallon bowls.

[catlady2006]

I have a female betta (actually my 11 yr old daughters) in a 1 gallon filtered aquarium with a light. I let my daughter choose the aquarium. I wanted one with a lid 'cause of the cats. The water is room temp. I've had bettas in the past in 1 gallon aquarium with no filter or light, just a secure lid with air slots, & they did quite well. I got the aquarium from Wa-mart for only 10.00.

[Llamalady]

How long do bettas typically live?

[Irish_Lass]

I'm sort of excited now at the prospect. :)

[catlady2006]

From what I've heard & read no longer than 3 to 5 yrs.

[Kkye]

I had a betta in a heated, lit 2 gallon tank one time and he got soooo big!

A little betta lesson (lol):

A betta's natural habitat is usually irrigation ponds/rice paddies or yicky water. Most of it isn't habitable most of the time so they have evolved an organ in their head called a "labyrinth organ" which allows them to breathe air when there isn't enough air in the water they live in. Wild bettas are usually (but not always) dull colours and it's been through selective breeding that the colours come out.

I love bettas :)

[Irish_Lass]

Thanks Madison. They're a fish I was always drawn to but I assumed I could only keep them in a tropical aquarium which I don't have. You learn something new every day! ;)

[Kkye]

No way, that guy probably could live in your toilet bowl! Haha, don't do it...and if you do, don't flush him! Lol.

I've had bettas who wouldn't eat for months until the water in their tanks was almost completely evaporated. They can go a long, long time without food or even a water change. Not advocating that of course, just something I've learned over years and years of having them. The ones I'm talking about that went without food forever were at my mom's and had been totally neglected (little brother: don't worry Madison, for sure I'll clean their water once a week and feed them every day!!) and the one in the biggest bowl was the one who never ate a drop until there was about 2 inches of water for him to swim in.

They really are resilient creatures. They've been bred soo much they could survive in tapwater without any conditioner.

[Irish_Lass]

Ok Madison, riddle me this. :) I was looking online with Emily about Betta's & there seems to be so many conflicting opinions (like most things I guess). One set of websites say they'll be grand with no light, no heated water, no filter etc. Other websites say that they need it. Some say that they can live without all of the above but shouldn't have to. What to do, what to do! I want one, but I don't want to be cruel either if that makes sense. Sorry for pickling your brains about this. :)

[Kkye]

No no it's fine. I'm happy to get my brains picked ;)

Does the website that says they need all this equipment sell their own betta stuff? Could be a marketing ploy.

All of mine (and I've had more than 10 for sure) have done very very well in a plain old bowl of water with no artificial lighting (other than the lights in the ceiling), no heater and no filter. And I mentioned before the one I had in the heated tank with a light and a filter got massive, but as soon as I moved him to a regular one he died.

IMO, keeping a betta in a bowl of clean water is luxury considering their natural habitat :)

I'd say you don't need any of that stuff, just try to keep him away from drafty areas and windows as you don't want his temperature to fluctuate too much.

I'm so terrible. My betta has had fin rot forever and I've been treating him and I forgot the poor bugger at Bernard's house! I had taken his food and water conditioner and medication and everything...but forgot him on the darn bathroom counter. I feel so bad!

[Irish_Lass]

Well, I think I'm going to look into getting one this weekend. Knowing my luck I'll not be able to find one now that my mind is made up. Wish me luck!! :) I guess all I can do is give it a go & hope for the best.

Is getting your Betta back an option or do you not want to go back there again?

[Kkye]

Well I had talked to Bernard and he put him in a different bowl for whatever reason...but yes, I'm definitely gonna get him back. Poor abandonded fishie :(

Good luck! You should be able to find one, they're so darn common nowadays cuz they're so easy to take care of. Don't forget the water conditioner!

[basia]

I don't know...I have 2, and one is really sluggish lately. I change the water every week, feed them once a day, but they don't get any light really, just the light in the kitchen, and not by a window. Could this be an issue?

[Kkye]

I'd suggest not putting him by a window cuz that could cause algae growth, which he would probably eat but I always figured it was best not to.

Do you think he's maybe too cold?

[Hypancistrus]

I've also kept bettas in unheated tanks. In fact, from age 10 until 23, all of my aquariums were unheated, kept in my room temperature house (mid-upper 70's here in Maryland) and I kept a wide variety of tropical fish. If your house is frigid in the winter, then you may have issues. They now sell these neat little drop in heaters that raise the tank temp a few degrees for smaller tanks. Unless your house is routinely in the 60's I would not worry about it.

[Irish_Lass]

Well prepare to be tortured about this, that & the other if I get one this weekend. Thanks folks. xxxxx

[squashynose]

Do you think he's maybe too cold?

You do know where Lisa lives, right? It's fricking freezing in the UK. I think it's gonna need a heater, Lis.

[Irish_Lass]

I've been looking around online and most of the 25 litre tanks seem to come with a wee heater and they're not ridiculously expensive. Its just a matter of finding one on the weekend that doesn't cost the earth. At least if I have the heater I guess it means I can have other tropical fish too, if I don't find a Betta.

[kaitlin]

bettas will thrive with heaters, i have two currently, my female has a heater, and my male doesnt. right now its pretty warm, so the tank stays around 78 even w/o a heater, but im surely getting one this winter. i know that many people say they will be fine w/o one, which may be true, but of all my bettas ive kept, they do better with heaters, i also wouldnt get anything under one gallon. its hard to keep clean, i overfeed mine all the time(i just dont get how they can live off of 2-3 pellets??) and i also feed frozen blood worms, krill, and brine shrimp. it tends to mess up the water, but i keep it clean easier by having a 2.5 and 5 gallon tank. i'd recomend having a cover too, ive lost two to jumping

[catlady2006]

You shouldn't have any problems finding a betta. They're a very popular pet fish and every
pet store I've ever been in has them. Any betta would be lucky to come & live with you!
Good luck & keep us posted.

[Irish_Lass]

You shouldn't have any problems finding a betta. They're a very popular pet fish and every
pet store I've ever been in has them. Any betta would be lucky to come & live with you!
Good luck & keep us posted.

Thanks very much, that's a lovely thing to say. :) For some strange reason everyone is being super complimentary to me today. :confused: LOL

[squashynose]

Thanks very much, that's a lovely thing to say. :) For some strange reason everyone is being super complimentary to me today. :confused: LOL

No strange reason, Lis. I'm sure you deserve every compliment you get!

[Irish_Lass]

No strange reason, Lis. I'm sure you deserve every compliment you get!

Now that you're in on the act I'm worried! ;)

[Macawpower58]

lmao. Accept your good fortune while it lasts!

[Irish_Lass]

I will Becky, because no doubt I'll find myself on the other side of that fortune soon enough! I need something to look back on with fondness! ;)

[Macawpower58]

From what I know of Betta's, I'd use a heater. They're a tropical fish, and need water about 80 degrees. They live in rice paddies, so live vegetation to hide in is appreciated by them. Even though they have small territorial areas they 'own' they are also curious and will explore their areas. While they can survive in small bowls, I always gave mine a larger area to live in, and they used all the space for swimming. Meaty food is what they love, and while pellets are sufficient, sometimes they must be taught they are food. I've seldom used aeration, when I have it's been gentle, no exploding bubbles. They prefer calm water. Large Betta's are older, and with a life span of only a couple of years, the smaller ones live longer in our tanks.

It's been awhile since I've kept Betta's and can't remember much more. They do like moderately hard water, but I don't remember the PH they need. They can die if temps drop too low. Oh, and they jump! Sadly that's how I lost mine. He broke his swim bladder when he jumped from his tank. I was feeding, and it happened so quickly. Have a cover.

[Irish_Lass]

Thanks Becky. The tank has a cover. Its about 13 litres & I don't intend on having any other fish in there, just Mizu, so he has plenty of room to swim around. At the moment there is a bridge in the tank & I've noticed that he enjoys swimming in & around that. When I go to town tomorrow I'll buy a wee plant for him to swim through. I don't want to overload the tank, less is more, right? I've bought frozen bloodworms which they apparently enjoy as a treat. The shop sold me flakes saying that they eat the flakes, even though I told them most people I'd spoke to said they don't eat the flakes. Anyway, I had to buy the flakes because they had no Betta pellets. I came home & ordered the pellets online so I'm hoping I'll have them by Monday and it will only have to tolerate the flakes for a wee bit. The water at the moment is 79F. There was a filter in the tank but I removed it after reading that they aren't a favourite of the Betta.

[Macawpower58]

Some areas have a huge day/night temperature difference. Even if your Betta can handle the changes daily, it's not good for him. I'd use that heater and try to keep the temperature constant.

I'm sure he'll love the plant. A live one is best, that way he can also nibble on it if he so chooses.

Sounds like a mighty lucky Betta.

[Macawpower58]

Some areas have a huge day/night temperature difference. Even if your Betta can handle the changes daily, it's not good for him. I'd use that heater and try to keep the temperature constant.

I'm sure he'll love the plant. A live one is best, that way he can also nibble on it if he so chooses.

Sounds like a mighty lucky Betta.

[Irish_Lass]

There is a heater in it. Sorry Becky, I didn't really make that clear, did I? Too busy rambling on! :)

[squashynose]

To have live plants, does the tank need to have some sort of soil at the bottom, instead of gravel? Or do the plants come in little plant pots? :o

[Macawpower58]

I've always used just gravel with my live plants. Some even float on top not needing anything but water to grow.

[Irish_Lass]

I doubt that I will be doing the live plant thing.....I think that's just getting into an area that I'm completely clueless on. :-)

[squashynose]

Ah right. I never even considered live plants because I thought they needed soil! Ah well :rolleyes: