# Wanting a Betta, Questions



## GloFish1999 (May 14, 2011)

1) Is a 10gal. aquarium the right size?
2) Can you keep a snail with Bettas?
3) How much do you feed a Betta?
4) How long do Bettas live?
5) Is there such thing as a yellow Betta?
6) Should I get a male or female Betta?
7) Should I get a Crowntail Betta or just a Betta (These are the only two at PetSmart)?
8) Anything else?

THANKS!


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

10 gallons is fine as is 5 gallons for a betta. Use a gentle sponge filter if you have a betta with a long tail. They do not like fast water.
A snail is a good companion.
Feed the betta 2 -3 pellets a day or a few flakes daily. They also like frozen blood worms as a weekly treat.
Most bettas live about 18 months - 2 years although there are stories of people getting them to 4-5 years old.
There are mustard color bettas
Whether you get males or females is your preference.
I usually get females for my community tanks as they have short tails and can swim in the faster flowing water.
Whether you get a regular betta or a crown is your preference. They are still bettas and are treated the same.
They have very individual personalities. 
One of my females killed everything in sight including snails but others ,even the males can be gentle souls. It just depends on the individual fish.
Choose by color, health and response to you. If they are in little jars where you buy them make sure the fish flares a bit when you pick up his jar. He should appear to be interested in what you are doing. if the fish shows no response to you then it is unhealthy.. No slime or spots on it either.


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## humdedum (Feb 18, 2009)

Mousey basically covered it all. With male bettas, they will not like fast flowing water (their long fins will act as sails). Females will usually be okay in a community tank, although there are always exceptions. Crowns or regular is all up to you.


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## GloFish1999 (May 14, 2011)

What if I have a power filter?


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## pj1218 (Jun 11, 2011)

make sure to get a group of snails not only 1. all my bettas bullied the snail if there was only one.
if you are going to do fake plants only use silk ones.
the betta i have now which is a girl betta doesnt mind the medium current i have in her tank at all but the boy bettas i had only liked a low current.
make sure to get a heater too but if the setup you get comes with it then you dont need to buy one.
a 10 gallon aquarium is awesome compared to an unfiltered bowl.
only feed your betta as much as he will eat in 3 minutes.
bettas colors range from black to white.
the only difference crowntail betta and a regular betta is the way the fins look.
i like the girl bettas more because most of mine were peaceful but some are aggressive but i did have boys who were peaceful too , it just depends on the betta.
i had only like 3 bettas that lived for 4-5 years and the rest were 2-3 years.
if your getting him/her from petsmart make sure it looks healthy like mousey said.
ive only used power filters on my tanks and they all seemed fine.
sorry its so long.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

don't feed them what they can eat in 3 minutes, feed them what they can eat without being bloated... I had a betta that would eat 5 blood worms and get bloated... I fed him 3 and he was happy. Maybe you could start out with that and if he got bloated, lessen the amount of food you feed him. (or her) I would get a crowny if I were you. Veiltails just don't have the right amount, shape or colors of other fin types...


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## egoreise (Mar 16, 2011)

Ask an employee what day of the week their fish shipments are delivered. That is the day you want to go pick your betta. 

Power filters are fine, but be prepared to cover the intake tube with a sponge or pantyhose if he ever gets sick, as he would become weak and could get stuck. The current is too strong if he appears unable to resist it.

They like plants with broad leaves to rest on, especially close to the surface. Silk or real is best, but plastic is ok if there are no pointy tips. With a power filter running, you definitely want a plant that will touch the surface, to provide a way to block the water agitation and give him a calm area to get air. Floating plants, or trailing plants made for taller tanks are good. Petsmart also carries aponogeton bulbs. They grow into a tall grass that will trail across the surface and will do fine in very low light


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

If you get a group of snails prepare to be overridden with them shortly. My betta was fine with a single apple snail/ mystery snail. Of course it was about the size of a golf ball but hey, whose lookin'. LOL. 

While they prefer not to be in fast water they also will sometimes play in it. Don't worry about a power filter in a 10 gallon tank. Get some top floating plants like hornwort and let it grow. He will enjoy the flow when he wants and he will be able to cuddle up in the plant when he wants. Both of mine used to play in the stream. If you do have an adjustable power filter set it for the low mode. 

My preference is the standard veil tail betta's. Those things are gorgeous. Look for one with no fraying, or very little fraying. I had one make it 3 years, and one made it only 6 months. Man the one I had that was only made it 6 months was gorgeous. Way nice pink pearl baby. Loved him. He'd flare if you so much as looked at him LOL.


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## GloFish1999 (May 14, 2011)

Thank you all sooo much! My PetSmart gets fish on Thursdays I think, so today, but I'll wait awhile so I can research a bit more. Are there any other major things to know about Bettas?


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## Fishy Freak (Jun 1, 2011)

If you are going to try and put him with other fish, get them first, I've had males in community tanks with out any problems, except one where he was the only fish for 2 months then I added some neons and he didn't like that. but have added males to tanks with fish several times without a problem.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

I have a betta care/breeding book that says "bettas like gentle currents and 72-82 degree water." You can keep them down to a minimum of 60 degrees, but that's not good because they are more stressed and are likely to get parasites and fin rot.


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## Trout (Mar 16, 2011)

It's really not a good idea to keep *any* tropical fish in 60 degree water. I would keep a tropical tank at a minimum of 70 degrees. 60 degrees is for like Goldfish and things. Pond Fish, you might say.


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## humdedum (Feb 18, 2009)

Maybe snails might survive 60 degrees?

But for bettas, by "minimum", it's more like "they'll survive it".


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## GloFish1999 (May 14, 2011)

So you can keep a male Berta with other fish, as long as the others are there first? Also please read my signature. Could anyone tell me what type of Berta it is?


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

That's a halfmoon betta.


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## Trout (Mar 16, 2011)

All I can say is that he's a cream or yellow half-moon. I don't know how Breeders describe the fact that his fins are half-clear. Like a Butterfly, but they usually have White borders, instead of clear.


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## PhsychoFish (Apr 10, 2011)

i shall answer with what i know *salutes*
1) yesh that's pefect!
2) you can keep many
3) if it's just the betta in there, just a little pinch would do it
4) not sure exactly, but qite a few years
5) not sure
6) males are prettier
7) i personally think crowntails are pretty wicked


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Trout said:


> All I can say is that he's a cream or yellow half-moon. I don't know how Breeders describe the fact that his fins are half-clear. Like a Butterfly, but they usually have White borders, instead of clear.


An Apricot Cellophane HM, maybe?


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

Mustard gas?


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## PhsychoFish (Apr 10, 2011)

Betta man said:


> Mustard gas?


 what?


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## egoreise (Mar 16, 2011)

Mustard gas.... an ugly name for a somewhat ugly betta color.


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## fishielover123 (Apr 21, 2010)

1. Yes a 10 gallon is awesome for a betta!
2. Yes, I have had bettas and snails.
3. I have always fed my bettas Hikari Betta Bio Gold. I feed them 2-3 pellets every morning and night (how much i feed depends on the size)
4. They can live 4+ years.
5. Yes, google "yellow betta".
6. If you get a male, you can only get one and they are more flashy. If you get a female, you can get up to 5 in a 10 gal but they are less flashy. Your choice.
7. These are the same betta, but they just look different.
8. Good luck!


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

egoreise said:


> Mustard gas.... an ugly name for a somewhat ugly betta color.


No, I think mustard gas is supposed to have another darker color around the fin edges, like black or purple.


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## egoreise (Mar 16, 2011)

Oh, yeah. I wasn't saying the fish pictured was a mustard gas, just explaining to psychofish what mustard gas is.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

Some mustard gas bettas are very pretty! They're pricey too because if you breed 2 mustard gases, (lol) you'll be lucky if you get a mustard gas!


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## GloFish1999 (May 14, 2011)

Lol, my laptop changed the first "T" in Betta to an "R." Can you keep a male Betta with a female Betta?


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## GloFish1999 (May 14, 2011)

Also, look at the water in this tub-type habbitat! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Yt8a8IxPJw&feature=player_embedded


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## fishielover123 (Apr 21, 2010)

No, a female and male betta will fight.


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## GloFish1999 (May 14, 2011)

Got it! I have a platy right now, and I really don't want him to die 'cuz I love him sooo much, but when he does pass, I will be searching for a Yellow Halfmoon Betta!


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## GloFish1999 (May 14, 2011)

One more thing, how old are most betta when you get them from PetSmart?


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## Lanette001 (Apr 7, 2011)

One way to tell the age of a betta is to look at his size. The smaller the betta, the younger it is. Bettas continuously grow throughout their lives, so if you see a betta that is really big with really long fins, that means he is pretty old. From petsmart they shouldn't be too old, but just check on their size. I always get the smallest one so that I can enjoy him for a long time.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

fishielover123 said:


> No, a female and male betta will fight.





Lanette001 said:


> One way to tell the age of a betta is to look at his size. The smaller the betta, the younger it is. Bettas continuously grow throughout their lives, so if you see a betta that is really big with really long fins, that means he is pretty old. From petsmart they shouldn't be too old, but just check on their size. I always get the smallest one so that I can enjoy him for a long time.


You can keep them together as long as you have PLENTY of hideing places... It's risky though... From petsmart, they're probably from 6-8 months old... They get em out ASAP!


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## GloFish1999 (May 14, 2011)

I finally got a betta. His name is Marble. I made a thread all about it. I put him in the 10 gal. earlier than I said I would, but the aquarium was sitting longer than it had to. I had a back drop, but Marble didn't like it cus it has the glossy finish on it. He kept on flaring at it. So I put some computer paper back there instead. LOL!


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

Take a pic before he figures it out!!!


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