( siamese fighter ) :
There is something called the Nitrogen cycle that all aquarists must know . Basically it is letting the bacteria that are needed in the tank for fish poop decomposition grow until it can cope with the amount of waste being produced . This takes about 4 to 6 weeks … Initially when you set up a tank ( any size ) the fish load must be low .. this shouldn’t be a problem with the Siamese Fighter ( Betta Splendens ) who are normally very hardy … and who are normally kept alone as their other nick is The Siamese Chauvenist-get-your-face-off-my-tank-side NOW . Mine flares when I put my face to the tank side . The nerve of it !!!
You can jump start this process by filling part of the new tank with some old tank water ( if you know for certain that the water is not contaminated … adding fish shop tank water is a no no because there is a risk of disease ) . Or you can take some gravel from an old clean established tank to start the process . In otherwords you can have my stuff *L* haha .
It is not necessary to keep a betta in a fully set up tank with air pump and all because they have a labyrinth organ that enables them to breathe atmospheric air in addition to breathing through their gills . Too much turbulence and you have a very stressed fish who may tear its fins .
Say I gave you a fighter , you could set up the tank with some gravel ( not necessary but nice ) as it gives the good bacteria a nice base to set up shop on
You can fill up the tank with some of my old tank water and top it up with fresh treated water .
Water that has a lot of chlorine must be treated with an antichlorine . Or you could let the water to be used stand overnight and let the chlorine evaporate naturally .. So when you put the fish into its new home it wont die of shock .
If you have no source of getting a safe supply of old tank water you can start with new water but treated for chlorine or left to stand overnight . Make sure that any gravel you buy from a shop is rinsed well . It may sound troublesome but it is well worth the while as a well looked after betta if you get it young can last two or three years . Most of the adults you see in the shop are already middle aged .
Dump that gravel in the tank . and fill with water . You don’t need a large tank say a 4L one is fine if you don’t have enough space . The Betta is one of the few that can live in a Goldfish bowl type setting . Why people put huge goldies in a bowl beats me .
You may want or opt not to have a plant or ornament in the small tank . It is better to have one so that the fish has a place to ‘hide’ . Yes even if the majority of it’s body is still seen ( haha ) . For them it is out of sight out of mind . They need a place to retire . Mine reside in a 4L tank with a plastic plant or with a clay cave . I have tossed in some Java Moss but it isn’t necessary .
Do a small water change 20% twice a week . The least you can get by with is once a week ( up to 50% ). Some people siphon the water out , some just scoop it out or pour it out then top up with fresh water .
You may or may not want to add some Black Water Extract as Betta prefer slightly acidic water but it isn’t really necessary .
Food :
They are surface feeders who eat insects that drop on the water’s surface . So anything that looks bug like is fine . Most betta don’t like flake food but you can train the betta to be non fussy by NOT FEEDING it for 3 days and then feeding it with the food of YOUR choice .
Some foods that I have tried : BettaMin special food for Bettas ( a rather course flake ) , pellets , flakes ( my males don’t really like it but if I use it when they are hungry they haven’t got a choice ) , Live Fry or some tiny fish ( for eg mollies or guppies ) , Freeze dried worms ( a staple for me ) they prefer FD Blood Worms to FD Tubifex .
Enjoy your scaly friend . It will grow to recognise you after awhile although you will never be able to pet it . If it is a low maintenance fish you want this is it .. You don’t have to do more than set up home for it and feed it once to 3 times a day , and change the water twice a week on average .
If the tank is very dirty , some people pour out the entire contents of the tank and place the fish and plant in a bowl . Retain most of the old tank water . Run a tap over the gravel and stir it up so that most of the poop floats and can be poured away . Return the fish to the tank and top up with fresh treated water . This may happen only about once a month or once a fortnight depending on how dirty the tank is .
__
2005
I have since tried keeping bettas with other fish like corys and found that the betta cory combinations works ok for me .
___
2007
They do even better if there is some filtration and space . But while some of mine have a condo , others make do with a small apartment
click on bluey above to get to a page on the red earred slider