does anyone have bettas?!?

We started a 20 gallon aquarium for my son earlier this year. Everyone's fine healthy & happy and despite my worst fears, we haven't accidentally killed anyone off in the 6+ months that we've had the tiny pets.

I should have seen this coming, really I should have. Now my daughter wants an aquarium in her room. That's fine, my husband agrees it's a good idea & I don't mind a little extra work. But she wants a betta. And I'm just starting to look up how best to care for them... so if anyone does or has had one I would LOVE to hear your stories!

From looking around I know that they CAN live in just about anything. But I don't want that... I want what would be BEST for them. It sounds like a 5 gallon aquarium with some Java Moss & Fern and a pair of ghost or cherry shrimp would be just about ideal for a single male betta. Does anyone have any tips or pointers on things like substrate? I've read anything is fine... but what would be best? And can we have any type of cave or other decorations, or would that be asking for trouble with those long fins?
love,
mom

 

hi, mom! i'm so glad your 20 g is doing well! i think i told you before, if you have any Qs to email me---bf is a fish expert!

what you have described here sounds like an ideal betta setup (yes they CAN survive in a cup, but bf always says "there's a big difference between surviving and thriving!") and yes, you should have a cave/rocks/decorations. Mr betta will like swimming through and around things. don't worry about his long fins, he'll be fine as long as there are no other fish in there to nip at him.
substrate wouldn't matter, so i suggest large pebbles--much easier to clean than sand.
we actually kept a few cory cats in with betta...they got along fine. but if you're gonna do that, you might want sand. it's better for the cory's whiskers.
for a 5 or 10 gallon, get a decent filter that says it's good for up to 20 gal. that will keep the tank super clean.
a cool thing about a male betta, is if you hold a mirror up to his tank, he will think it's another male, and he'll puff up to look all big and pretty (and intimidating to another male!) it's so cool!


good luck and keep me posted!
peace.
LP

 

Bettas rule, I had one for over 5 years. Had a good sized bowl, plants and a rock formation. Cool, cool fish.

 

Thanks so much
Yep, despite everyone telling us that ADF's are a tough "first fish" we seem to have done okay. Even the oto-cats are fat & happy.

I'll definitely have my lil one take a peek around at different hiding places. She'd asked about one, but I had no idea.

At the moment, we're looking at the 5g All-Glass Mini-Bow kit. A few people have said that the filter that comes with it is pretty good, so we're crossing our fingers. Our other option would be the 6g Marineland Eclipse... but that would just about double the cost so we'll have to see. With one aquarium & 3 pampered piggies already, we don't want to spread our pet-money TOO thin!
love,
mom

 

I will tell you that I had a betta in a large bowl once...yeah, I think betta bowls are cruel because they are so stinkin tiny. Anyway, he got caught under the rocks in the bottom of the bowl. Thank God I looked at him and could save him. Anyway, just be careful to consider what they can get UNDER too.

 

When little cover is available bettas will sometimes bury themselves. Decorations won't hurt them at all. Make sure you feed them a betta specific food. Bettas need more protein in their diets then most aquarium fish. Both tanks you are considering would work. I would suggest getting something made of glass though because acylic is hard to clean without creating fine scratches. Over time I can't stand the glazed look from the scratches.