I had never heard this before, and do not know if it is true. But this information comes a previous betta breeder.

Yes, he has a heater. Yes, he gets regular water changes. He is just weirdly colored now, but is still my little baby.

Hope every else is having luck! My four babies are still thriving… with a bit of fin rot. But all is well. They are piggies.

Have a good day.

KH

I have a mystery I need help solving! One of my bettas is turning white. It is slowly spreading from his dorsal fin all around his body. It isn’t a fungus or sickness. Nothing is growing on him. He is active, healthy and eats like a piggy. His tank stays at a reasonable temperature and he gets weekly water changes. Is this from old age? He has been living close to a year.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

K

Happy holidays!

K

Edit: found a nice little fish store close to my town that I had no idea was there! Picked up some meds the owner swears by and started treatment yesterday. Keep you posted!

From now on everyone he emails me this question is getting sent to this page.

No you CANNOT keep them together. They will kill each other. Don’t worry, they won’t get lonely either – obviously they don’t like to be around other fish.

Almost immediately after I say they can’t be kept together people always ask “Well then how do they breed?” For that answer you need to look at this page: http://www.ehow.com/how_2002252_breed-betta-fish.html

I have a male betta who suddenly has been showing some strange behaviour. Taz stays at the top of the bowl, snug to the edge, with no movement other than his mouth. Wont eat. Then every twenty mins he just goes beserk, racing around the bowl on the water top as if he is trying to get out. Litterally out of the water. I did find my cat drinking water from the bowl. Could this be stress, scared or what. His colouring is way off as well. Hope you can give me some advice. I have moved his bowl to a better place where kitties cant get near him.

Since I have had a betta get eaten by a cat I think that it is a big concern for fish. I have also had betta fish jump out of their tank before too, so that can happen also, they can jump very high sometimes. I think he is both scared and stressed, especially with the cat drinking from the water, good idea to move him away.

As for him losing color – it could be nothing.. but it could be what is called “Velvet” check out this page on bettatalk.com for more information on the diesease including treatment.

From bettatalk:

Velvet is hard to spot, but can be best spotted with a flashlight. Shine the light on the betta’s body: if it looks like it is covered with a fine gold or rust mist, then it has velvet. A betta with velvet will act sick, so look for clamped fins, scratching against rocks/gravel/tank, loss of appetite, loss of color etc…

P.S. Sorry I haven’t written in a while. I have been so busy! And I just got a new computer and I lost the betta website. Sorry!

I am always asked: What is the best store to buy betta fish?
My opionion is the petco is the best corporate/chain pet store for betta fish selection and quality…

Also guys (and gals) you may want to take a look at your local FISH store… the kind that only specialize in fish. Not any kind of chain. That is where you can find the truly spectacular betta fish you see posted here from time to time.

I live in Florida and there are a TON of fish stores around me that have an amazing betta fish selection. I know a couple owners of these shops personally that give me a call when they have something they know I’m loooking for.

Please consider searching for a fish hobbiest store in your area before going to the chain pet store for betta fish.

ok tomorrow I’m going to get two bettas, 1 female and 1 male. I have two separate 1.75 gal. tanks w/ two plastic plants and a cave. They will each have a filter and I put the chemical in that you need one drop of for tap water. I have the right food, too. I keep reading that you need a lot of space for bettas, but a couple of years ago we had bettas in the same conditions, but they didn’t last long, I’m not sure if it’s because the store I got them from just had them in l a cup of water in plastic bags…. or am I doing something wrong please help!

Also, I was wondering if there’s enough room for a different fish or something to put into the females tank? help!

1.75 gallons is enough rooms for betta fish… I have seem them kept for a very long time in very some jars/containers (not that they were happy).

Also, are you sure you have the right food? Some pet store sell those betta flakes that betta just seem to hate. Try pellets if you can.

As for keeping different fish with females – I would not suggest it. They are still pretty agressive and could potentially kill the other fish.

O also I know what you mean about the people and what they tell you!
1.They told us that guppies were very hardy and did not need the special chemical for tap water or could be put in the tank right away!
2. They told us to wash the tanks with soap, but luckily we knew better.
3. They told us you could a male betta in with different fish….We got him out in time.
That has been a few years ago and I want my bettas to be happy and healthy

4. Also do I really need a heater?

1. Correct! Guppies are not that hardy.
2. Correct! Don’t use soap ever.
3. Correct again! Male bettas are extremely aggressive.
4. Nope, Not unless you keep your house cold. They enjoy temperatures in the upper 70’s and 80’s. I suggested this to someone who kept there house at 70-72 f.

I also read that you should not put rocks in for bettas, because a tank like mine should be cleaned often and the rocks make the tank dirty or something Maybe I’m just thinking to hard idk!

You can keep rocks with you betta. Just be sure to clean them from time to time. I personally don’t because I don’t like to spend a lot of time cleaning the betta tanks. Rocks are good though.

o i read that i need to clean the tank 2-3 times a week, is that true?

Well.. if you have a filter that often is not necessary. I clean my tanks once a week with no filter. But some people prefer more often.

This is the best website I’ve found so far and want to make sure I’m doing everything right! I read somewhere, it might have been wikipedia that said black bettas don’t live nearly as long as the others is that true?

Never heard that before. I have had a black betta fish for a very long time. Also… it may be kind of hard for you to find a black betta fish as they are somewhat rare to see in stores.

A TINY fish tank that doubles as a music speaker has sparked outrage among animal activists and aquarists. The iPond – up to 15 times smaller than the recommended tank size for the fish it contains – is proving a hit with Christmas shoppers. One Sydney store has sold out of the $70 device and other outlets are reporting brisk sales. But the RSPCA has called on the device to be banned because it is too small to provide fish with adequate oxygen supplies and a clean environment. The iPond is sold nationally by the Pets Paradise and Pet Goods Direct chains. Users can play their iPods through a speaker built into the bottom of the brick-shaped tank.

The tank’s water capacity is about 650millilitres once rocks are placed in it. Pets Paradise is selling Siamese fighting fish with the iPond. The fighting fish are native to South-East Asia and have a “labyrinth lung” that allows them to take in oxygen from air. Typically they live in puddles and rice paddies.

A Melbourne Aquarium spokesman said Siamese fighting fish required a minimum tank size of 10 litres – dramatically more than the iPond provides. Animal Liberation Victoria’s Noah Mark said he was disgusted by the invention. Studies proved fish had memories well beyond a few seconds and were social creatures that experienced pain and boredom, he said.

“The fish in this thing does not look like it has very long to live and it can barely move,” he said. “Even if it does live it’s not [a] life worth living … it’s really just a torture box.”

Acoustics expert Jason Gedamke said there was no doubt noise from the speaker would escape into the water. “The speaker is directly coupled to the outside of the tank … [so] you are going to have a small level of sound introduced,” Mr Gedamke said.

“It’s the same as putting a fish tank on a speaker.”

RSPCA spokesman Hugh Wirth said despite the fighting fish’s ability to breathe air from the surface, the tank was far too small for it to receive adequate oxygen. The small volume of water would lead to rapid temperature change and this meant the tropical fish would not live long, he said. The iPond should be banned, Dr Wirth said.

Marketing manager for the Pets Paradise and Pet Goods Direct chains, Alyse-Grace Robertson, said the tanks had gone on sale in September and were selling briskly. The group that manages the stores had received one formal complaint about the product. Customers sometimes asked questions about the welfare of fish in iPonds.

“A few people ask, ‘is the fish OK?”‘ Ms Robertson said. The chains were satisfied that fish in iPonds did not suffer.

She said before selling the tanks the chains had consulted the Pet Industry Association of Australia. Output from the speakers was small and fish in iPonds seemed to flourish, she said. A spokesperson for Apple said the company was willing to comment on its own products, but not on accessories made by third parties.

got this off http://www.myfishtank.net/ipond/