# How to Correctly* Care for a Betta (*According to pet store employees)



## Purple (Jun 25, 2012)

Hey guys! Bettas are GREAT beginners fish are require very little effort! Really, just throw some food at it when you feel like it and they'll be fine! Don't listen to those informative and wonderful betta websites with breeders as members. They don't know near as much as me, a teenager who has never owned a fish and doesn't even say the name "betta" right! You can trust me, promise. Here's how you can PROPERLY take care of your fish.


Bettas THRIVE in 1 quart of water
Clean their tanks once every over month
They can be put together! They look so pretty all swimming around and playing together! THAT'S NOT BLOOD. IT ISN'T.
Guppies are great tankmates!
Live plants kill fish
Water changes kill fish
They LOVE to eat plant roots!
FLAKES are the way to go. 
Feed as much as your fish will eat in 30 minutes
Make sure to get your fish into their new tank as soon as you get home with them! Just dump them, along with their cup water, into the new tank immediately!
You're buying a ONE GALLON TANK?! Wow, your fish is really staying in the Ritz!
Bettas only live 2 weeks
Bettas can't get sick. They're fish!
If they start acting tired, just flush them. It's not like they're a LIVING CREATURE or anything.
Heaters make your fish too hot
Bettas love goldfish!
FLAKE FOOD is the very best! It's on our website, even!
All females have round fins. There is no such thing as a female spikey tail fish. (That's what our labels say!)

(This isn't meant to bash any particular person. There are bad workers and there are good workers. This is just poking fun and not meant to blame anyone.)


----------



## magnum (May 7, 2012)

Sigh, pet stores. I don't understand how people actually employee these people under the circumstances that they 'know' what to do. So many people get told stupid things. Did your LFS tell you this when buying your Betta? Oh and them not prouncing betta is not as half bad.... My LFS asked me what a betta was, so I have to keep reffering to them as 'Fighting Fish'.


----------



## dbooknook (May 12, 2012)

If a one gallon tank is the Ritz, then a 2-5 gallon(by themselves) must be heaven.


----------



## tamikakes (Jul 1, 2012)

and a 10 gallon by them self like having his own private island


----------



## Lost Eventide (Jun 30, 2012)

I'm thankful that the local pet stores around here aren't _that_ bad. They do have the issue of saying tiny spaces are fine and such, but I've never heard the "live plants kill fish one" xD How the heck do they think fish survive in the wild? Are the natural plants there some magical high-quality plastic?

The "clean the aquariums once a month thing" is really common with any setup though. That's actually the advice I followed when I first started with a ten gallon years ago, but I'm glad I know better now. My poor swordtails were probably miserable ;-;

I can't believe the general lack of logic in these statements though. I mean, if they are called "Siamese Fighting Fish," then isn't it logical to assume that they'd fight? The statement about flushing is just absolutely horrifying. If that was the case then you should be flushing your betta or fish as soon as you get home because they always tend to be a bit sluggish and timid until they get used to their environment.

I really want to know how long most of them are trapped in those little cups at the store though. Or maybe I don't want to know. Either way, I'm wondering if the ones stuck on the bottom in a "pyramid" setup ever get any air, because it seems like all their oxygen would be blocked off ;-;


----------



## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

flakes aren't bad...Sometimes they contain more nutrition. I fed my baby powdered flakes occassionally when she was teeny tiny.


----------



## LizzyP (Jun 21, 2012)

You forgot the "If you have a huge tank and you have a filter, don't worry about your fish getting sucked into the intake. It's like a roller coaster for them, they'll be fine"


----------



## Purple (Jun 25, 2012)

Oh, and "Turn the filter on FULL BLAST! You need to keep the tank circulating."


----------



## mursey (May 9, 2012)

Hey, according to Wikipedia you can say "betta" or "beta" different ways, both pronunciations/spellings are correct.

But. .. . still I totally hear you on all the other stuff. My pet store person told a lady not to worry too much, that bettas are hardy fish. (Then I got a hold of that lady and told her to come to this website. .. heh heh . . )

-------------------
*"I really want to know how long most of them are trapped in those little cups at the store though."*

Since my Petco is 5 minutes from me and I love to go stare at bettas . .. I have been noticing that some fish seem to be there around 6 weeks or longer. Today I asked when they get new ones and the manager said that a lot of their last shipment died due to the hot weather.I guess whoever ships them doesn't ship them in a very expensive manner? Walmart was even more depressing today, 1 dead one, 1 almost dead one, and 1 that wasn't dead but just plain sad. I don't think they stay long at Walmart, I think they die pretty soon after they get there.


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Sorry to bump this thread but it makes good points. But Betta in named after the asian tribe not the greek letter. I have to feed my female flakes she refuses pellets.


----------



## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

the only bettas in our house that get flakes are the new girls in the sorority because they're very young and their mouths aren't big enough for pellets yet. they do also LOVE their bloodworms though, even if they have to take two bites to get them down.


----------



## Pices (Oct 12, 2012)

I was told that Bettas are cold-water fish and not to worry about water temperature even when the room temp. goes down below 60 degrees. I have a heater in my tank which keeps the water above 74 degrees and my little guy seems happy with that.


----------



## sainthogan (Sep 27, 2012)

The girl at the pet store where I got mine said in once sentence that bettas are great jumpers, and then in the very next sentence that I could go next door to the craft store and buy a small bowl for my betta because theirs were expensive and much more than what a betta would need. (Wait a minute, didn't you just say that they are great jumpers? Those craft bowls don't have lids). Then she got very snotty and rude with me when I suggested that the betta I was buying was in fact a female and not a male. She told me that I was "buying a dragonscale betta and their tales are short, so of course it's a male!". It turns out I was correct, and she is a female.

When I went back to buy a bigger tank (I only bought a small 1/2 gallon starter tank to start with), a very eager guy came to try to help me pick out a tank, and kind of scoffed and smirked when I told him I was buying a minimum of a 3 gallon tank for my sick betta that needed a bigger tank to help aid in the recovery. Then he conveniently disappeared back to the register and didn't say a word to me when I checked out.


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Glad you got the 3 gallon.


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Pices said:


> I was told that Bettas are cold-water fish and not to worry about water temperature even when the room temp. goes down below 60 degrees. I have a heater in my tank which keeps the water above 74 degrees and my little guy seems happy with that.


I am pretty sure Bettas prefer 78-82F


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

This is kind of creepy one of the petco employees has a 10 gallon and a chocolate betta just like mine.


----------



## sainthogan (Sep 27, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> Glad you got the 3 gallon.


I actually went for a 5 gallon instead, she LOVES it. Even though she was sick when I put her in there, she would spend all her energy exploring her new home. And I know you're supposed to put them in small hospital tanks to heal them, I felt she would heal faster in a larger home since she got sick in a small one, and I was right. She's now very healthy and happy!


----------



## whiskandbowl (Aug 21, 2012)

Pices said:


> I was told that Bettas are cold-water fish and not to worry about water temperature even when the room temp. goes down below 60 degrees. I have a heater in my tank which keeps the water above 74 degrees and my little guy seems happy with that.


My boyfriend and I had a betta in an 8gal biOrb. (this was a couple years ago, about the only thing we did right) 
We wanted to add more fish, but the Petco employee told us only goldfish, since everything else was tropical and needed a heater. 
Then I remember reading/being told that bettas lived in puddles and would freak out in big tanks.


Poor Mikey, hardly any water changes, no heater in a 60*F house, no plants. We always wondered why he just laid in the tank. Sigh. He lived 2 years. RIP


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

sainthogan said:


> I actually went for a 5 gallon instead, she LOVES it. Even though she was sick when I put her in there, she would spend all her energy exploring her new home. And I know you're supposed to put them in small hospital tanks to heal them, I felt she would heal faster in a larger home since she got sick in a small one, and I was right. She's now very healthy and happy!


Glad you got him a good home.


----------



## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> I am pretty sure Bettas prefer 78-82F


i've heard as a general rule they NEED to be 72-88 as an absolute min/max, with optimal comfort and health at 78-84 you described. that said, i've heard anecdotal evidence of certain bettas thriving at much higher or lower temps, but those are to be considered exceptions rather than the rule.


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I think those are different species like mouthbrooding species preferring colder fast moving waters while bubble nester like B.Splendens preferring lower PH slower water and higher temps plus colder water weakens immune system.


----------



## Sivan (Aug 30, 2010)

homegrown terror said:


> i've heard as a general rule they NEED to be 72-88 as an absolute min/max, with optimal comfort and health at 78-84 you described. that said, i've heard anecdotal evidence of certain bettas thriving at much higher or lower temps, but those are to be considered exceptions rather than the rule.


72 is too cold for a minimum. 76 degrees is the minimum tank temperature for a betta fish. 88 degrees is also quite high; the maximum should be around 86 degrees.


----------



## pittipuppylove (Feb 23, 2012)

Egads, some of those statements are frightening... And the rest will probably give me nightmares for a week. 

I will point out that not all teenagers are ignorant in all things fish, though. I, as a teenager, have argued proper fish (and animal in general) care to many a middle-aged pet store employee. Anyone, regardless of age, can tell you the wrong information.


----------



## Pices (Oct 12, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> I am pretty sure Bettas prefer 78-82F


Thank you Chocolate Betta. I've added another heater and it's brought the water temperature up to 79F.


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Your welcome I use 80F they can live in hotter and colder but not the best.


----------



## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

I had someone tell me betta's didn't need to have the tank cleaned aside from once a month at a petshop and told me they were so easy to care for because they don't need much of anything. I turned to the person and schooled them, I guess they had no idea I was looking over their betta's because they were all ill not because I was buying one.


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

My let store keeps them in cups but the water is crystal clear and they hate bowls.


----------



## beautifulblue (Oct 22, 2012)

Iv'e had my betta for 6yrs , out of curiosity I called PETCO and asked how to care for a betta, never in their instructions did it include,"Love them talk to them,and send positive energy to them to ensure a happy betta" Home and I have been sitting down for coffee every morn. talkin' and reading the shopping news for six years, God willing we will be for six more.


----------



## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

Wow six years....that is a great life for a betta you must be doing wonders with him.


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

That is part of stimulation.


----------



## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

I play music for my fish, mostly classical and zen music because it's nice and calming and my rats LOVE symphonic metal music so they get a good taste of that as well. Most of all thought Aquarius sits right beside my bed aimed at the tv and watches me play video games and I watch movies with him and normally talk to him about it especially if it's scary. Best part was playing Skyrim and a dragon almost killed me. I turned around and looked at him and said "Aquarius it's all your fault you should have told me a dragon was sitting there." and her shook back and forth looking like he was saying no. I laughed so hard i fell off my bed xD

I hope we can do that together for 10 years and more. Aquarius is the best movie watching/game playing friend. If he had thumbs I would give him a controller too.


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Carter loves to swim around and attack stuff and plants like classical music too.


----------



## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

It sounds crazy but I think music is very healthy for all animals. It makes them think even if they can't understand concepts of what they are hearing they are still trying to figure out what the sound is and what it's related too (food, predator, you.) My rats associate music with playtime so they get excited when I play music and my betta has come to associate it with time I sit down next to his tank and read a book.


----------



## beautifulblue (Oct 22, 2012)

*energy*

I truely believe we are all connected, I also believe that we all send out waves of energy, I make it a point to send positive energy to my beautiful blue Home, Even if he doesn't seem to be paying attention I still sit there with my hand on his tank and think and feel the love I have for him, I know he feels the vibe, I know I do. People are smart, well some of them, but animals are smarter.


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

We are, a LCA connects us.


----------



## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

beautifulblue said:


> I truely believe we are all connected, I also believe that we all send out waves of energy, I make it a point to send positive energy to my beautiful blue Home, Even if he doesn't seem to be paying attention I still sit there with my hand on his tank and think and feel the love I have for him, I know he feels the vibe, I know I do. People are smart, well some of them, but animals are smarter.


I agree with this 100%. As an energy healer you have no idea how many animals wild and domestic I have saved by doing just that. i saved my duck who had horrid pneumonia and was basically close to death by holding her in a blanket and sending the bad energy into the ground and filling her with positive energy. Within two hours of that she was fine no joke. Crawled from the towel, wiggled her butt, and went right to eating her corn (having not eaten in two days). After that we medicated her and within a week she was good as new.


----------



## beautifulblue (Oct 22, 2012)

LadyVictorian, I knew there was something about you, I'm a empath medium, I feel Homie's love so much sometimes it makes me cry, bettas seem to be especially greatful to their caregivers, as an empath I know for a fact they have emotions.


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Bettas are like people except more unique, nicer, and wiser.


----------



## beautifulblue (Oct 22, 2012)

so true  I love my new fish friends


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I love carter but no matter how many plants I add it is too barren.


----------



## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

tamikakes said:


> and a 10 gallon by them self like having his own private island


lol my fish have a private island


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I wonder what a 50 gallon would be?


----------



## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

(more sarcasm) oh wow! they LOVE chichlids! especially Oscars. Oh, and if you live in a place where they're not banned, they're AWESOME with piranhas!!


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

There are some cichlids you can keep a Betta with. I have heard Multis can work.


----------



## mursey (May 9, 2012)

Last week a girl at Petsmart got really pissy with me and said that bettas are great in vases eating just peace lily roots. She told me my planted cycled tanks were no good :/


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

That Cycling a tank does not exist.


----------



## bryzy (Nov 3, 2012)

Pet stores. One lady was saying ( telling me) "oh. Easiest fish to care for." She went on about water changes once a month. Flakes and how they don't get disease. I like YELLED at her "I HAVE 9 BETAS I CAN CARE FOR THEM."


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Remeber wheat has to be the first ingredant in Betta food.


----------



## bryzy (Nov 3, 2012)

Oh I don't feed them flakes


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Pellets are reccomended.


----------



## Bluewind (Oct 24, 2012)

True story...
I went to a PetSmart and rand into an "experenced" fishkeeper employee who had had tanks for 10 years and currently had 6 Betta! I was telling her about my Betta and how I was going to eventually move him up to a 10gal. She told me that was a TERRIBLE idea! She said the Betta would freak out any hide in a corner and never come out because of all the space. She said they lived in little puddles of nothing in the wild (which she clamed to have seen them in) and are fine in 2 gallon tanks. She said that Bettas are nasty little fish and you have to do a COMPLETE water change and clean the tank every other day to once a week because they are the only fish that needs fresh water. She also said a seashell was a good adition to my 2gal tank (raises pH) and to only feed him every other day! Also, she said the people on fish forums have no idea what they are talking about and do more harm than good! *eye roll*
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Its kind of true. In the wild Bettas live in bodies of water that turn into mud puddles during the dry season but many Bettas die during that period. Thats why most wild Bettas live about a year. Daily water changes can be used depending on tank size.


----------



## Trackpadtactics (Dec 12, 2012)

Ill put my input in then XD 

Well, for example, i went to petsmart yesterday for a plant or two. I asked them for fully underwater plants. I did get some odd one ( wrong name for it im sure) and a Mondo Grass plant. Im using the mondo now as a top plant for my tank and i split the other one up into 4 so they can grow and root. 

Sometimes its sad when you sell things you don't even know about.


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I grow my Modo grass in spagnum moss. They are better for gardens.


----------



## Trackpadtactics (Dec 12, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> I grow my Modo grass in spagnum moss. They are better for gardens.


Yeah, i have the Fluval Chi and the top can hold a plant. Rather then put it outside id rather keep it on the tank.


----------



## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I did a test on them the one in spagnum moss did so much better. The one in water died off tell I decided to save it.


----------

