# How to care for bettas



## Pleco (Sep 22, 2012)

Hi, I am planning on getting some bettas. What should they have to be healthy?


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

they need to be kept at a temp of approx. 80 F....a clean properly filtered tank..a variety of quality foods and weekly water changes.....


----------



## cossie (Dec 19, 2010)

how many tanks you got?


----------



## Pleco (Sep 22, 2012)

two and I am getting a 2.5 for the betta if i get 1


----------



## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

2.5g-

-1 betta
-1 small filter like this one
http://www.amazon.com/Tetra-Whisper...8&qid=1356633241&sr=1-9&keywords=small+filter
-Silk or live plants are best (plastic can tear finnage, also make sure decor is gentle)
-1 heater like this one
http://www.amazon.com/Tetra-26447-S...8&qid=1356633378&sr=1-1&keywords=tetra+heater
- turkey baster to help remove poop (dollar store)
- Measuring spoon set (dollar store)
- stress coat for each water change
- first aid - aquarium salt, epsom salt, & you can order Indian Almond Leaves on Ebay (they help with immunity and stress). 

If you don't have live plants you can do 1 100% water change weekly and 1 50% water change weekly as well.
If you plant the tank, do 1 70% water change weekly, 1 50% ...of course always test water perams incase you need to increase water changes
A 2.5 tank is very difficult to cycle, so plan on doing consistant water changes for the duration of betta ownership.
If you decide to go for 5 gallon you can cycle a 5 gallon and you wont need to be as particular about water changes. 

I googled images, betta 2.5 gallon planted. 









And this is an example of how you can baffle the little filter (slows the current and flow)









Good luck! I love bettas!


----------



## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

That seems like overkill to me. I personally have a betta in a 2 gal without plants with carbon filtration and I do weekly 50 percent water changes. The fish is happy. Now that was a rescue that was with another betta in the same tank and getting monthly water changes and didn't have a heater. If I was going to start keeping bettas all over again and wanted the tank to be real pretty, I would buy a 5+ gallon kit, a heater because most don't have heaters, and some fish food. Bettas aren't too picky about what they eat. It's best to give them the nicest food, but it's really not needed. I personally feed mine earthworm flakes and spirulina flakes. If I could afford it, I would get a fluval flora fish tank for it, plant it, get some premium green fish food, http://premiumgreen.net/ which I have used on my bettas and a heater, but I doubt you really want to kick down $150 when a 60 dollar 5 gal hex would do just as well. Bettas are fun fish to keep. I currently have seven, and am planning on turning my closet into a betta rooom. I would also recommend joining a betta forum like http://bettasource.com/forums/.


----------



## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

I personally prefer overkill, ive been there done that with betta illness and fin rot within my first few months, I don't like taking that road with bettas I like and enjoy, sick bettas are a lot of work and arent enjoyable...since ive upgraded tank size, test water perams frequently, heavily planted and clean my tanks actively my bettas (knock of wood) have been extremely healthy, finnage is growing back beautifully, appetites are great, they are so active and happy. Everyone has different experiences...ive had bare tanks and now have fully planted tanks...you can def go either way, but if your going to do it at all and enjoy it, you might as well do it right the first time...thats coming from personal experience from someone who has made all the mistakes and is strapped with several different sized tanks/decor/filter/heaters et sitting up stairs collecting dust because they wont resell. And honestly plants for a 2.5 gal will be affordable, if you got low light plants, light from a window will do fine (not direct sunlight)...do what you feel and follow your heart with it, which ever you decide your betta will be happy to be out of that petstore cup and getting all kinds of attention from you regardless. Having a betta in a small space will work, I just prefer to add filtration, heat and plants to help keep their environment healthy and happy. Enjoy 

Just shop around, you can get everything reasonable if you are on a budget...critter keepers come in 3 gallons are great first homes, you can plant them, decorate them, heat them, run a filter in them et.


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

geeeezzzz....$60 for a 5 gallon set up...watch on craigs list..just this afternoon i saw a 75 gallon tank for $40...have seen complete 55 gallon set ups for as little as $50...
i recently bought a 55 gallon set up..tank...solid pine custom cabinet stand..solid wood canopy..2 fluorescent hoods and a power filter for $50....


----------



## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

I agree. Petco overprices those things. They do come with a pretty good full spectrum light, and good power filter that lasts for years, and substrate, but it is still expensive. Craigslist is good. Or you could go to yard sales.


----------



## Pleco (Sep 22, 2012)

You guys are making me confused. Is it OK if I just get a heater with out the filter? I heard that you don't really need a filter.

Also could I put my Bushynose with the betta?


----------



## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

There won't be enough room for the bushynose but no you don't "need" a filter but it would help establish beneficial bacteria, even tho it wouldn't cycle it could still help keep the water clean. If you don't use a filter just make sure your good about doing water changes. Definitely need a heater.


----------



## Pleco (Sep 22, 2012)

Well, my Bushynose is small she's about 1 1/2 inches


----------



## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

You can try it but I advise agaisnt it...2.5 gals is just too small and the pleco will only add to the bio load regardless how small it is....I'd recommend at minimum a 5.5 gal if you want to add small tankmates such as tetras or minnows. Do as you will, but be prepared if it doesnt work out.


----------



## Pleco (Sep 22, 2012)

Ok. Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.


----------



## Guest (Dec 28, 2012)

Pleco: I have kept bettas. Bettas need a filter and heater, but they can survive without a heater and filter. In order for your betta to live a long life, it will need a filter and heater. Now about the bushynose pleco, they grow to 6 1/2 inches, so a 20 gallon is the right size for one as a minimum. I have a 55 gallon tank with two bristlenose plecos and they are 6 1/2 inches.


----------



## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

Bettas do not need heaters or filters. What they do need is clean water that is 80+ degrees with enough space to swim around some. Many betta breeders keep their bettas in betta barracks which is an effective way to keep bettas and have no filters. If you ask betta breeders what their setup for each individual male is, they will most likely tell you they have them in a jar or barracks system without a filter.


----------



## Pleco (Sep 22, 2012)

Well I finally got a blue male betta and it said it was a community fish. Weird.

I am keeping it in an isolation net in my 10 gallon tank. Tomorrow, after my 29 gallon is done cycling I'll just move all the other fish to that one and leave the betta there. Maybe I'll leave the Bushynose behind with it.


----------



## Guest (Dec 29, 2012)

Betta man: why do you always contradict yourself all the time. On some posts about bettas, you say that a heater and filter is needed but on others you say that a heater and filter isn't needed. You really need to read up on the care of bettas. I am going to read up on the care of bettas right now, and I bet you that I can find at least three articles that say that bettas need a heater and filter.


----------



## Guest (Dec 29, 2012)

Pleco: That is cool. Male bettas can be community fish, they just need to be the last fish that goes in a community tank because of their aggressiveness and territorialness. Keep the heater and filtration, your betta will love it and survive longer than a betta living without a heater and filter.


----------



## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

I call it clarifying, but you can call it whatever you'd like.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

IMO a filter is the easiest way to keep water clean. No fish actually needs a filter, just change 100% of the water 3 times a day. But unless you have a 80F river in your backyard, a filter is easier. 

Betta are more tolerant of ammonia than most fish, but ammonia will still burn gills and erode fins and kill betta if you don't do water changes in unfiltered containers. Keeping a small container "cycled" is challenging, so bigger is better. Especially for an "only fish". But a 5 gallon filtered, heated tank for each of a single spawn's male offspring is seldom practical. Breeders learn how to manage or they kill fish.

Most betta breeders I talk to either have a drip (clean water in, dirty water out) continuous water change system, or they have flow-through barracks with a single large filter for all the fish. However you will still find some that dump all the little cups twice a day in their 82F room. Fill a cup, move a fish, dump the cup, repeat.

Betta as community fish are hit or miss. Some are too passive and get beaten to the food by all other fish or get nibbled on by nippy fish. Some will aggressively attack other fish. Some do okay for years, some for a while and then seem to change personality. If you try a betta with other fish, watch the tank a lot and have a back-up plan.


----------



## Pleco (Sep 22, 2012)

Well he's not really eating the worm flakes that I am giving him and I put him into my 10 gallon. Can I have some help?


----------



## FRIENDLYFISHIES (Aug 7, 2012)

Generally bettas won't eat for a few days, watch to make sure he's getting food though, sometimes in communities the quicker fishes will eat up the food before Mr betta can get to it, feeding in other areas of the tank may help...but I wouldnt worry about him not eating, give him a couple of days to get comfy. Sorry bettaman, I have to disagree with you on this one, unless pleco is able to keep the room heated at 85-90 that bettas going to get cold...Can they live without heat, yes...but they're more susceptible to disease and are less active. A few yrs back I picked up a beautiful blue betta, I had no idea they needed heat, he died within 2 months a sad slow lethargic death...then I learned about their need for heat. I keep my fish at mums while my bf fixes up our house, we can't afford to keep heat up high enough to heat the fish, that would be RIDICULOUS...best to keep a heater in the tank plain and simple....
Anywho...congrats on your new fish! Have fun with him. Would love to pics of him sometime!


----------



## Pleco (Sep 22, 2012)

Ok, I'll try to get one in.


----------



## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

FRIENDLYFISHIES said:


> Generally bettas won't eat for a few days, watch to make sure he's getting food though, sometimes in communities the quicker fishes will eat up the food before Mr betta can get to it, feeding in other areas of the tank may help...but I wouldnt worry about him not eating, give him a couple of days to get comfy. Sorry bettaman, I have to disagree with you on this one, unless pleco is able to keep the room heated at 85-90 that bettas going to get cold...Can they live without heat, yes...but they're more susceptible to disease and are less active. A few yrs back I picked up a beautiful blue betta, I had no idea they needed heat, he died within 2 months a sad slow lethargic death...then I learned about their need for heat. I keep my fish at mums while my bf fixes up our house, we can't afford to keep heat up high enough to heat the fish, that would be RIDICULOUS...best to keep a heater in the tank plain and simple....
> Anywho...congrats on your new fish! Have fun with him. Would love to pics of him sometime!


I said that they need 80 degree water. If you can't keep the tank that warm without a heater, by all means use one. Bettas do not require heaters. They require heat.


----------



## Guest (Dec 29, 2012)

Take a look at this video Betta man: you will have to scroll down to see the video

http://bettafishcare.us/

Bettas do need heaters in their tank to stay warm. Water cannot stay warm without a heater. So therefore bettas do need a heater in their tank to stay warm, they are nothing like goldfish who do not need a heater at all in the tank.


----------



## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

You obviously aren't getting my point. My point is that if you keep your house temp at 85, the fish will be fine without a heater. I think you may be taking me out of context. I am speaking of an aquarium heater. Sure, the sun is a heater. It heats the earth, but I'm not talking about the sun. It is far more efficient to heat a room than to heat each individual container. Angelclown, I do not know if you are purposefully taking my words out of context, but I will assume you are not as you seem like you are probably a nice person. Please think about the context and the words instead of just the words. Thank you.


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

tell me what idiot would heat their home to 85 degrees...
obviously you have no clue about the cost of heating a home...if i were to keep my home at 85 my gas bill would be more than $400 a month...and my electric $300 a month..
you need to get yourself out of fantasy land and back to reality...

if you have a dedicated fishroom with 50 or 100 tanks it would be less expensive to heat the room rather than individual heaters for each tank...but to heat an entire house to 85 degrees just for 3 or 4 betta tanks is a bit over the top...

clarifying.....oh heck no....more like confused backpedaling...


----------



## Guest (Dec 30, 2012)

Thank you lohachata. Yeah heating a room at 85 degrees for just one or a few bettas is just insane and would make the heaating bill very expensive.

Betta man: I haven't taken your words out of context. I am looking at the logic of them which I don't see any at all. 

If a person has like loha said, 100 tanks then heating a room would be sufficient. But if a person just has one or a few bettas, then heating a room would be insufficient. 

Sorry Betta man but you are taking my words out of context. Try to learn from people who have been fishkeeping longer than you have been alive Betta man.


----------



## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Hopefully I have this right: You are getting a 39 and already have a 10. The Betta and possibly the bristlenosed pleco are staying in the 10. 

Your 10 will need: (Don't listen to Betta Man, frankly it's less confusing to just take him out of the loop for now). 
Heater- 75 watt would probably be fine for this unless you keep your house cold, then go for a 100w. Personally I would just go with the 100w but you don't have to start there if you don't want to. Now if you want to have your house at 85 degrees 24/7-365 more power to you. Pun intended. 

A filter: Because you don't want to do 100% water changes every 2-3 days. Filters are nice, positive, good things to have- that's why people have them in the tanks- they help keep water clean, and help keep fishes alive. Now if you want to make your life more complicated than necessary by all means don't buy a filter. For a 10 gallon I use an Aqua Clear 20, great little filter for a tank that size and the outflow won't be too much for the Betta. My Betta in my 10 gallon loved that filter output. He used to play in it. 

For your Betta- get some hornwart, you don't need much. It will overrun your tank in no time LOL (easy to control though). Betta's LOVE to sleep in this stuff. Once you get some in the tank you won't need to ever buy it again. Just tear off what you don't want with each weekly water change. Hornwart will float at the top of the tank- this is part of why the Betta's prefer it- they like to be closer to the top of the tank when sleeping. It needs no special lighting. 

The bristlenosed: A 10 is in all reality too small of a tank for a BNP. However it would be doable if you insisted. Do not, under any circumstance, ever, put the BNP in a 2.5 gallon tank. Saying oh but he is only an inch or two long is like saying your kid will stay 2 feet tall through college. They grow 

The tank:
Get some good live plants for it- any low light plant will work without any special lighting needs. Betta's have long flowing beautiful fins- that can get caught on plastic decor. That doesn't necessarily mean it WILL get caught, but when it does happen you are opening yourself up for some potential health problems as it tends to scratch or rip the fins. It's easier to just buy them real. You will want some decoration in there to break up the water filter flow, A piece of driftwood would be enjoyed. A rock decor would be nice. 

If this tank is not set up yet- get yourself some black substrate. Betta's will really pop against a black substrate. Gravel or sand- that is up to your own tastes. If you want to keep plants then I have found gravel to be better. 

Remember, you could live outside in 60 degree weather and use an outhouse, but eventually you will get annoyed and unhappy at being cold, and the outhouse will start to smell.


----------



## Pleco (Sep 22, 2012)

I have a 29 gallon and all fish except the betta are in the 29 gallon.


----------



## Guest (Dec 30, 2012)

I agree with Obsidian. Just for future reference: the reason why Obsidian says to not listen to Betta man is because Betta man thinks that he knows everything there is to know about bettas. Betta man is a kid and he has had more problems with his bettas than anyone on this forum.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

There are some forum members in India who don't need heaters, but most of us do. I only heat some tanks 8 months of the year, because my basement is 80 F in the summer. But having a heater is preferable to not. Need is a relative term. Can you possible do without X, usually there is a way. Is it more work than having X, almost always. Stuff is standard equipment because it works.


----------

