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I went down to my local fish store looking for a female Betta, to possibly start breeding. I started talking to the owner of the store, and we got to talking about bonding with a Betta, and he gave me some good ideas on how to bond with your fish:

– You can feed them with tweezers, baby shrimp or blood worms are your best bet here.

-You can talk to them while feeding, this conditions the fish so when he/she “hears” your voice they come to the top of the tank….strange huh?

– “Pet” your Betta, rinse of your hards before hand, and you can LIGHTLY stroke your fish with your finger a couple times. Don’t be surprised if your fish doesn’t like this. (I personally don’t like this idea, try at your own risk!) – Finally you can “Hunt” with your Betta, put a baby shrimp on a piece of string or fishing line, and move it around the top of the tank, this will drive your fish nuts! they will chase it for several minutes. After awhile let your guy have it, he worked hard!

Some of these things may not be right for you or your fish, and the more time you spend with your betta, you’ll find out exactly what they like and don’t like.

As I said in my previous entry I’d get into more detail about what happened to my first Betta. It was the evil cute banana plant. Yes, that sounds funny but its true. Originally when I purchased my first fish I didn’t notice his gill. When I got him home I noticed one of his gills was torn so that it opened more than it should. However he was such a happy healthy fish, so I kept him and he didn’t seem to have issues.However he was a very messy fish. The water would be crystal clear but the bottom of his tank was horrible. He had so much waste, and nothing helped. After speaking with my mother in law I decided to get a loch. For those who don’t know, they are a small worm like creature that reside in the gravel and eat waste and fish food. They help keep the gravel cleaner in between cleanings.

So I went into the pet store and asked for a loch. The salesperson told me they were out, after debating me about the fact the 2 can co-exist. Now my mother in law used to breed fish, including Betta’s, and had loch’s, so she’d know if they could co-exist first hand. He told me to get a plant and that would help. I was skeptical and looking back should have listened to myself and walked away. However I didn’t and so he sold me on the cute little banana plant. I brought it home all excited. The first seemed to like it and it was going well. Until….

2 weeks after putting it in the tank I noticed what looked to be fibers floating in the water. The fish seemed to be doing ok, so I didn’t think much about it. But as the week went on it got worse. I tried cleaning out the tank and that made it worse. I took out the plant and from there it only got worse. I noticed the fish wasn’t looking so good. That morning I looked in at him and he wouldn’t eat. On my way home I purchased some things from the pet store and was going to take him out the water until it cleared. However when I got home he was already dead.

After I mourned and had his fish funeral I cleaned the tank and started over. However now the plant resides in a separate container. I was mad at it but its so cute! So the moral of my tale is this, if you have a small tank a real plant may not be the best route. And yes Loach’s can co-exist with betta’s.

I just got a new Betta today, his name is Liam. he’s a white veil Betta. (very cute. I’ll have pictures soon! )

Now with the mention of getting a new fish, many people have different ways of setting up their tanks. Here’s my method….

First step: Clean the tank with hot water. no soaps, bleaches, or any chemicals, EVEN if they claim the can be used on your tank. THESE CAN KILL YOUR FISH. If you have algae or gunk, just use a new scrub pad or brush to remove it.

Second step: Wash all new plants and pebbles with hot water, again no soap or chemicals.

Third step: Put room temperature water in your tank, many people claim Betta’s live better in distilled water, personally I use conditioned tap water. I recommend “Splendid Betta complete water conditioner” and “Splendid Betta Bettafix remedy”. I use both together to condition the water and to help with reducing the stress that comes with being in a new environment, it’s hard on a fish to go from a cup in a pet store to a tank.

Forth step: If its conditioned water, let it set the EXACT time it says in the instructions. Some are as little as 3 minutes, some can be upwards of six hours. Mostly depending on tank size and water that you use.

Fifth step: Adding your fish. The way you put your fish in the tank is a vital step in the health and wellbeing of your fish. I recommend trying to drain as much of the water out of the cup/bag that your little guy came in, Betta’s can breath air so don’t worry if you take “too much water out”. When you place him in the water, he will be shocked for a minute or so. Most Betta’s have ammonia poisoning from living in so much of there own waste, that they actually get “scared” by the new water and hide for a little while, maybe even days.

Sixth step: Watch your little guy for a few days, when he gets used to the tank, and his new home he will become much more active and healthy.

Hi, my name’s Danica. I’m 19 from Lancaster, Ohio. I’m one of the new writers here on eBetta. let me tell you a little about myself. i have 2 Betta’s one purple, one red. I’ve only had my 2 “kids” for about 4 months, so I’m fairly new to the whole “fish mother” thing. anyway, my interest in Betta’s started when i was younger a few of my friends growing up had them, but my mom wouldn’t let me get one, so i waited and waited. about a year ago, when we moved into our new house, my mom allowed me to get a pet. i needed one that by her guidelines, was: clean, quiet, and didn’t make a mess. the solution, a Betta.

i bought my first Betta at store here in town called meijer (it’s comparable to a wal-mart). i called him Wayne, he was a blue veil Betta, and to be honest was half dead when i bought him. alas, he died about 2 weeks after i brought him home. in the meantime i had purchased my red veil Betta, at wal-mart. i named him James, an appropriate name because i bought him with my fiance, James. this Betta was pretty sickly when i bought him, but this time i took my care to the next level. i joined several Betta forums and asked so many questions, finally i had managed to get him healthy. finally i went to an actual aquarium store and bought my last Betta. he’s a purple crown tail, named Daniqua, my fiance named “him” this because, i already had “James”, my nickname is “Daniqua”. this fish was healthy when i purchased him and has had no problems yet.

I’m pretty devoted to my fish, i even have Betta tattooed on my back, and i basically enjoy every minute of my time spent with my fish.

i don’t know how much advice i can give about them but i can try to help you all the best i can, so if you ever have a questions about anything feel free to ask!

My name is Leah Brown and I’m a new writer for eBetta. Let me tell ya a bit about myself.

I’m a 20 something female who lives in Cleveland Ohio. I was raised among pets, cats and dogs mostly. I’ve had bunnies, and guinea pigs. Currently I live with my husband, cat, and my Betta. This is my second Betta.I always wanted a fish when I was younger, however I couldn’t. I fell in love with Betta’s when I babysat for a friends Betta. It was love! So in October of last year I purchased my first Betta. I loved watching them swim around the tank. I was amazed they could have such a personality.

Unfortunately my first Betta died. I was quite sad. I took such good care of him. However ill advise caused his death and in future posts I’ll explain what happened. So after mourning his loss, I bought my second Betta, Maximillion.

So that about sums me up, I like to laugh, read. I hope to have many conversations with the fellow Betta lovers out there.