From my
Betta Care Guide at my Guild
Multiple Tank Syndrome. Sorry the front page isnt all fancy yet
sweatdrop I'm more concerned about the "inside" of the guild right now (besides, thats the part that counts, right?
whee ) lol Feel free to join, if you'd like (that goes for every body
3nodding )
"There are alot of things out there about Bettas, like "they can live in very small amounts of water, dont need a heater, or a filter and then you only have to change the water when it gets visibly gross!" Yeah. How 'bout not, 'kay thanks.
Heres the reall stuff!
Tank Size~
Bettas need at least 2 1/2 gallons. "Why?" you ask? Because thats the smallest amount of water that can be safely heated. It should be filtered (under gravel filters do not count). There are small filter that can be purchased just about any where. I have a Tetra 3i that I bought from WalMart. Comes with an air pump, the filter (oviously lol), and one filter cart, for $10. Ideally, Bettas shouldnt be kept in anything less then 3 gallons for an extended period of time, and I dont like keeping my boys in anything less then 5 gallons, but I have kept them in 1 1/2 gallons for a few months.
Feeding~
First off, Bettas looooove to eat, so make sure you dont over feed them. They should be fed a staple of a high quality flake or pellet food, like Omega One Betta Buffet (comes in flakes and pellets, I think),Addison's Betta Pro, ect. They also need a few other kinds of food (these dont need to be as high quality, but check the ingredients. Remember: Bettas are CARNIVORES.). A few good choises are TetraMin, TetraMin 3-in-one Flakes, BettaMin, Wardley Betta Pellets (I reccomend these only to fully grown Bettas, as they are pretty large), Frozen Brine Shrimp, Frozen Bloodworms, ect. Remember, a healthy and colorful Betta is one that gets a variety of foods
Tank Mates~
I will start this section off by saying there are NO recomended tank mates for Bettas! It only depends on the individual fish if it wants to housed with other fish or invertabrates. Now, that said, there have been all kinds of success stories with keeping Bettas with other fish. Most are bottom dwellers like Corries and Ottos. And before I list the possible tank mates, I will say that you need to think about the tank size they need, AND your Bettas personality.
Neon Tetras - They need a school of 5 or more. They can be nippy, otherwise.
Guppies - Females and males with very short fins and very little color. Feeder Guppies are the mostly likely to work out, but some have success with Fancies.
Otoclinclus - Also known as Otto's or Oto's. They are pretty picky about water conditions, and should only be added to a tank that has been cycled for over 6 months. Since they are very quite and hardly ever swim out in the open, these are probly the best choise as tank mates, but should be kept in a small group of at least 3. They are a small sucker-mouthed catfish, and are pretty hard to get on prepared foods, so you will need lots of algea, or you need to farm algea.
Corries - Also a pretty good choice, as they are bottom dwellers. Some do go to the top for air on occation. Small gravel with no rough egded is needed because their barbles can damages easily. Pygmy Corries are best, due to their small size (about the size of Neon Tetras) and duller colors. A school of 5 or 6 would be great in a 10 gallon.
Platies - Since they are colorful and swim in the same places Bettas swim, they may not be the best choise. Pick these with caution.
White Cloud Minnows - Even though these are technically cold water fish, there has been a lot of success with these guys together with Bettas. They can be a bit hard to find, but are very cute. The best place to find them would be at a Local Fish Store (LFS)
Invertabrates - Most Bettas dont mind snails. I have snails in all of my Bettas tanks, and the Bettas could care less. Some Bettas though, will eat snails. Not that thats bad or anything, I only have pond snails, and they are easily repalceable (right from my 20 gallon! XD). Mystery Snails are also good, but are big poopers so are best in a 10 gallon tank. Some Bettas dont mind Shrimp either. If you want to try that, start with Ghost Shrimp. They are cheap and easy to find in just about any store.
Note: Always keep the cup your Betta comes in. It will come in very useful, for a few things. And if you are thinking about getting some tank mates for your betta, bring him or her in its cup to a Local Fish Store, and float the cup in a tank of fish you are considering (of course, call and ask the owner before you do this so you are not putting any more stress in your Betta then you have to). Watch how your fish reacts to the fish out side of the cup. Is he running away? Is he flaring or charging the other fish? Thats a good sign that you cant get any fish for his tank.
Decor~
Bettas like to have places to hide, so there should be atleast one hiding place in its tank. I have used plastic logs, terracotta pots, and a pagota thing from PetCo, and so far the most prefered hiding place is something low to the ground, and longer then it is tall. Some people use hampster tubes. Bettas need either live or silk plants, and need some that reach the surface with wide, flat leaves so they can either rest in them, or build a bubble nest in them. Studies have shown that they prefer something yellow and about as big as a grape fruit to biuld a bubble nest under and around. Not too sure how true that is lol When picking plants and decorations, make sure there are no rough or sharp edges that can catch their fins. A good way to test is a piece of panty hose, just rub it all over the object in question, and if it catches, put it back."