# Hi im new to betta's.



## mattpfeil (Mar 15, 2005)

HI. Im new to Betta fish, and i'm not interested in breeding, but i was hoping i could have a few questions answered. I have a Red Male named Sushi (had him for about 3 weeks now) and a Blue Female named Sushette that we got just 2 days ago. They are both very pretty but Sushi is going nuts on Sushette and flaring and showing his membrane and going crazy. Btw, they are in separate vases, in about 1.5 gallons each. But they are right next to each other. I have a couple questions now.

1.) Can anyone tell me a good source to purchase live food for grown up Bettas? Im feeding my fish flakes right now, and i would like to stop, since i havent read anything good about feeding your fish flakes so far.

2.) Sushi used to do this thing where he would swim straight down into the glass beads that we have in his vase with him and make them move around and make noise, but he stopped doing that since hes to busy flaring all the time. Is this a natural playfull tendency? Cause he used to be quite happy and making his bubble nests ad everything.

3.) I have a water filter on my tap and i was wondering if it is fine to filter his water befoer i change it every week. I do a 100% change at least every 6 days or so usually, and the last 2 times i changed it i used the brita filtered water. And i do use conditioner.

4.) Sushi keeps flaring at Sushette who is a girl. I thought male betta's where supposed to only hate other males. I have since partitioned them now that i see that he will not stop flaring and going crazy, because i was afraid he was going to be worn out.

5.) Can anyone recomend live foliage or plants for thier bowls.

6.) DO they need light on them, or are they fine in the dark and stuff? I dont have any light that is specifically for them. Will they be fine or should i purchase some sort of light fixure?

Thanks very much for reading, i hope you can help me with what i need.


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## thatsfishy (Jan 18, 2005)

Hi and welcome to FF. Let me see if I can answer your questions.

to 1. Most pet store don't sell live foods, with the exception of blackworms. While bettas love them, they should be fed sparingly as they can cause internal parasites. Your best bet to feed your fish a varied diet is to go with frozen foods, if you don't want to culture live foods (i.e. white worms) yourself. Frozen brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, beef heart, mysis shrimp ... alongside some betta pellets (Hikari is the best brand) makes a great well balanced diet.

to 2. Sounds like he is having fun in his new home, even more so now that he has a "potential mate". (Even if "it" never happens.) 


to 3. Most vases hold around 3/4 g of water, using a britta filter is fine, but I'd up the water change ritual to at least twice a week to keep the condition in the bowl optimal.

to 4. Just let him flare at her, he will get "bored" looking and flaring after a while. Males do flare at females in order to "impress" them, it's part of the mating ritual.

to 5. Java fern is always a good choice.

to 6. Unless you keep your room under blackout conditions, they don't need an extra lamp. A normal day/night cycle is fine.

Enjoy your fish!


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## mattpfeil (Mar 15, 2005)

Thanks for all the helpfull information. Yes, im very attatched to the fish already, they are too cute. 
Btw, when i make my water for the replacement water, i use a gallon ice cream bucket, and fill it up one and a half times for the new water, so it is definetely about a gallon and a half. But thanks for the advice. I was wondering where i would be able to purchase those frozen foods. Thanks.


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## thatsfishy (Jan 18, 2005)

For frozen foods you may have to check with several fish stores (dunno where you are), not all carry it and some may only have a limited selection. Prices in my area also vary greatly from store to store.

You could also check if there's a local breeder in your neighborhood, maybe every now and then you could purchase some live stuff off him/her. You can start looking here: http://www.ibcbettas.org/chapters.htm, any chapter contact can give you more info on who exactly is nearby. 

Have fun! 

PS: If the vase is over 1g, your water schedule works. Wasn't thinking of "Ming-size" vases ...


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