LA
pic
Male bettas must be housed separately
Bright iridescent colors and flaring fins make the Siamese fighting
fish an instant favorite with most hobbyists.
Male bettas just flat out look great.
LA
Healthy male bettas enjoy showing off their fins and iridescent colors.
Everyone Likes
Male Bettas.
Most of us keep fish because we like the way they look.
Healthy male bettas always look better than most other fishes.
They belong in nearly every tank.
LA
When you think of bettas, you generally think of male bettas..
Females Less
Attractive.
Female bettas are not as striking as the males.
They have shorter fins and duller colors.
Some look pretty good but few are kept by people not planning to breed
their bettas.
Most Live Two
Years.
Bettas live two years on the average.
Although, occasionally we hear people say they’ve kept theirs alive
twice that long. Betta keepers that exercise their bettas keep them alive
longer.
LA
pic
Wash your hands after playing with your worms. We find a
squeezable
mustard squirter makes it easier to feed a couple hundred jars of bettas.
Threat #1.
Poor food poses the biggest threat to your betta.
Very few will eat regular flake foods.
It may take them as long as six to eight weeks to die, but many will
starve rather than eat flake foods. They will not eat plant roots
either -- regardless of what those stupid brochures say.
Threat #2.
Cold water slows their metabolism and makes them susceptible to diseases.
We keep ours in unheated containers (but we heat our entire fish room).
Bettas kept in unheated fish bowls are not going to fare well in cool
weather. If you want a tough, cold
water-tolerant fish, pick one of the many varieties of Paradise
Fish.
You can choose from reds, blues, albinos, and blacks.
Paradise Fish also eagerly eat flake foods.
Threat #3.
Meaner, toothier, and faster fish pose a real threat to bettas.
Bettas fight with each other but cannot stand up to most cichlids, tiger
barbs, some “sharks,” headstander-type characins, or piranhas.
Threat #4.
Dirty water also threatens your betta’s health.
They can live in polluted water because they can also breathe atmospheric
oxygen. But the polluted water will
eventually kill them.
It makes them susceptible to velvet.
Threat #5.
Of course, bettas fight with each other.
Few will kill each other, but it’s best to keep them separate from one
another.
Tip #1.
Exercise your bettas regularly. Hold
up another betta to make them show off or use a mirror. Daily exercise will help
keep them healthier and prettier as well as help them live longer.
Betta pros put cards between their betta jars. When they take out the
cards, the bettas flare. Moving their jars around also works, but takes
more time.
Tip #2.
Feed your betta a variety of foods. We’ve
never found a single food that will meet all the nutritional needs of bettas.
As far as that goes, How would we know all the nutritional needs of
bettas?
LA
From Thailand, this little scoop makes it easy to feed small portions of live
foods.
Tip #3.
Feed lightly. Bettas eat
surprisingly small quantities. Overfeeding
causes more problems with fish than any other factor – especially in small
containers.
Tip #4. Read
a book. The more you read about
bettas, the better you’ll like them. Then use your judgement before
accepting some of the info you stumble across -- like bettas eating the roots of
spathophyllums.
LA
Bettas come in rainbows of colors.
Lots of Colors.
Bettas come in an incredible range of colors.
To get some idea of the veritable rainbow of colors, attend a show hosted
by the International Betta Congress. These
people have carried betta keeping to the extremes -- actually, beyond the
extremes. The IBC awards trophies for colors you may never see anywhere else.
LA
Sold as a crown-tail -- not exactly a good example.
Lots
of Fin Types. Double-tails, comb tails, crown tails, round tails, half
moons, etc. You get plenty of fin types to choose from. Most people
prefer the standard bettas.
LA
If you like colorful fishes, you'll love bettas.
Add a Betta.
Best of all, most bettas get along great in a community aquarium.
Of course, they eat fish small enough to swallow.
As do most fishes. LA.
© 1995,
© 2003,
© 2004 LA Productions
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