eBetta.com

Question From Sue:

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…

I have been gettting tons of emails and comments about betta fish with lots of interesting questions. I will attempt to answer some of them here.

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.

Recently one of my fish began to show great discoloration, a purple-ish gray fish normally, was turning a gray color on his face. I thought at first it might be ick, and gave it a few drops of a treatment. nothing. so I got online a learned about how to “detox” your fish. Sometimes no matter what you do to your water there are still minerals left in it, this may not hurt your fish physically, but may cause some discoloration to it, therefore you need to give your little guy some “beauty rest”.

Now how to detox your fish.

1. Get a medium sized container (gladware, butter bowl, etc.) Big enough for you little guy to swim in.

2. Rinse bowl out with hot water.

3. Add spring water into the bowl. Not tap or purified, too many chemicals.

4. Place fish in the bowl.

5. Add NO CHEMICALS to the water!

6. Let him set for 24-48 hours and feed as usual.

7. After the time passes put him back in his normal tank, after a fresh water change and he will look great!

Hi everyone! I just cleaned my fish Flo’s tank about 2 or three days ago. His tank looks so fresh and clean! He looks very happy. Here are the steps in which I cleaned his tank:
1.) I took him out and put him into the container that I bought him in. I just carfully lowered the container (that already had a little bit of water in it) into the tank and slowly scooped him up. Make sure the container has air holes in the lid so he can breath.
2.) The next step I did was I took everything out of the fish tank. I cleaned the rocks/gravel first. Never wash anyting with soap, for it is hard to get ALL of the soap off and can harm your fish. If you have a small enough strainer for the rocks, I would reccomened it. You just put your rocks or gravel into the strainer, and pour water over the rocks while shifting the rocks around.
3.) Now, if you have any plants in your tank, rinse them off under a faucet so they are clean. Remember, don’t use soap! It can harm your fish.
4.) Next take a wet washcloth or paper towel and scrub the inside of the tank. Just use soft towels to clean it, nothing hard. It could scratch your tank.
5.) Now put everything back into your nice clean tank and add water to it. Remember, use the same water temperature that the water was when you took the water out. Not to warm, but not too cold. Just a cool temperature. Make sure that the water is about 2 inches below the top of the tank so your fish has enough oxygen.
6.) Now take the lid off of you container that you had your fish in and lower the container into the water. Your fish should swim out and into the tank. Do this slowly though, you don’t want to scare your fish.
Now you have a nice clean fish tank! Remember to change about 1/4 of the water every three or four days if you have a small tank and add water conditioner. If you have a bigger tank, maybe once a week. I do the big cleaning about once a month.

Most Snails are “Hermaphrodites”. Which means they are both male and female. And they can reproduce by themselves. They don’t need a mate. Although, they can reproduce with mates as well. Snails are used most often in tanks because of their ability to eat uneaten food and all other waste. But some of them can create extra waste as well. Be careful if you put snails in your betta fish tank, as the population can easily get out of control.

Pros
Eat Waste
Some eat Algae
Peaceful
Will eat Dead Fish (hopefully not your betta)
Low Maintenance

Cons 
Create Waste
Reproduce (very) Often
Will eat small Fry
Eat Plants
Bettas may eat the Snails
May be extremely hard to remove

‘Just one biiig bite and…’ photo by Mean and Pinchy on flickr

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.

Aquascaping is a form of art in your fishtank. You carefully arrange gravel, soil, plants, and just about anything that can go into a fish tank in such a way that your aquarium becomes a magnificent piece of eyecandy. Betta fish absolutly love to live in aquariums with live plants, not to mention how good it is for your tank in general. Here are a few ideas for you. The following designs are by Takashi Amano and you can find more of his work here.

In my last post I talked about giving your fish a three room condo – allowing him to swim from one bowl to another. How about letting your betta swim from one room in your house to another room! Building a fish highway will allow you to do this. The one pictured below is made of acrylic plastic. It goes from one tank in the room all the way up to the ceiling and then into another tank on the other side of the room. Check out fishighway.com for more information and more pictures.

If you’ve been reading this blog then you know I’ve mentioned a couple of times that your Betta fish wants more space. A simple way to do this is to have three interconnected fish bowls. I like to refer to them as rooms: a bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom. Can’t blow glass? Buy it here for $85.

Don’t really put them in your sink! That would not be good. But here is an amazing sink design that has a fish tank built into the actual sink. I will cost you about $4,700 before shipping, but can you really put a price on being able to keep fish in your sink?

If you forgot to cover your Betta’s home, there is a good chance that he may have jumped out. Do not dispose of your Betta, even if he seems dried up. Since Bettas are equipped with a labyrinth organ, they can survive even after being virtually dry. Carefully pick up your Betta. If he jumped out recently, his slime coat may stick to the surface – gently sprinkle some water on him until you can pick him up without force. If you skip this step, you may damage his scales and expose him to a myriad of diseases. There is no need to add water if the fish can be easily removed. Place him back in his tank and do not feed or disturb him in any way for 24 hours. It may take him a few hours to recover, so do not panic if he doesn’t move. After 24 hours add a protective antibiotic, such as BettaMax to his water. You may feed him at this time, although he may not accept food for days due to the stress of being without water. Remember – ALWAYS cover your Betta’s home!

There are a few things to consider before installing a filter.

1. Tank size – if your tank is under three gallons, filters should not be installed under any circumstances. The disturbance from the current will tear your Betta’s fins and cause him undue stress.

2. Betta’s sex – females can generally tolerate air currents much better because of their small fins.

3. Type of filter – power filters and under-gravel filters should not be used in tanks under 10 gallons. Small filters with adjustable current are much better tolerated if set to the lowest current.

4. Individual Betta – if you’ve had more than one Betta, you know that Bettas tend to have very individual personalities. Some fish will thrive in filtered tanks, while others become sick. Observe your Betta very closely after the installation of the filter – look for signs of fin rot, lethargy or swim bladder problems; if you see any abnormalities, take the filter out immediately.

Remember that your Betta is a carnivore (meat eater), so provide him with a varied and high protein diet. Many Betta foods are available on the market today, and most frozen or processed tropical fish foods are also appropriate. Bettas have small appetites, so don’t overfeed them. Your fish should be able to consume all the food within two minutes of feeding. If there is food in the tank after this time has elapsed, this will contribute to poor water quality and make your Betta more susceptible to disease. You will probably only need to feed your Betta once a day, though some people feed twice a day. If you feed twice a day, remember that this will increase the waste your fish is producing and will also increase the risk of overfeeding, so it becomes more important that you are performing your weekly 10-15% water changes and all necessary filter maintenance. Providing a proper diet will increase your Betta’s life expectancy and bolster his immune system.

The Betta Fish should be placed in a jar no smaller than 1/2 gallon. Preferably 1 gallon. Anything smaller than 1/2 gallon does not give them sufficient living space. And their waste and uneaten food will deteriorate the water conditions rapidly in a small container.

Don’t let your Local Pet Store (LPS) tell you that a Betta can live in 3 ounces of water like they keep them in the LPS. The LPS often mentions a Bettas natural habitat the Rice Paddies are small. Which is totally incorrect. Rice Paddies are “huge”, with gallons and gallons of water. Bettas do not live in 3 ounces of water in the wild. See Pic of Rice Paddy. Learn more about how Rice Paddies are built (click here).

Note: Don’t be afraid to put your Betta in a 5 gallon tank. They’ll love it.