# Betta Fish



## Puffy (Mar 8, 2007)

Hello,

I was just wondering if this would be ok in a 10 gallon tank. 1 male betta fish and 1 or 2 female? How many could go together, I know that it is 1 male, but how many female could go with it? Would they "reproduce" a lot and if they do, what am I dealing with? Do they make a lot of babies or just a few? If any were born, how many? And do pet stores usually buy betta's from people? (Like me) Would the babies have to be put in a separate tank to protect them? And what temperature is good for a betta fish? What other fish can be kept with 1 male betta and how many?

Thanks

PS. How many betta pebbles would you feed 1 male in 1 day? (If more than 1 pebble, could you please give me hours in between feedings, thank you)

So many questions :? Sorry.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

I'd rather stick to the male being a bachelor.:wink2: Males often get violent and will attempt to kill the female if she is not ready to spawn.


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## Puffy (Mar 8, 2007)

Blue said:


> I'd rather stick to the male being a bachelor.:wink2: Males often get violent and will attempt to kill the female if she is not ready to spawn.



oooo, well thats not good. Well is there any other kind of species that will go good with a betta in a 10 gallon tank? If there is, how many of these fish?

Thanks

(Can anyone answer any of the other questions I have in the first post?)


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## soco1125 (Jan 5, 2007)

I usually feed my betta once or twice a day, occasionally skipping a day here or there. I give him between 2 and 4 pellets at each feeding, with the amount depending on how many meals I plan on giving him.


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## Puffy (Mar 8, 2007)

Ok Thanks.

(Can anyone answer any of the other questions I have in the first post?)

I know there is a lot of questions, but please I need answers before the day I have to go to the pet store. (Soon, maybe today)


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

i have a small group of cories with my betta and they get on alright because the cories tend to get on with their own business and leave him to his. i think maybe because theyre bottom dwellers as well then theyre not in his road as much


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## Puffy (Mar 8, 2007)

Ok Thanks. 

(Can anyone answer any of the other questions I have in the first post?) 

I know there is a lot of questions, but please I need answers before the day I have to go to the pet store. (Soon, maybe today)


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## shavon (Feb 3, 2007)

Puffy said:


> Can anyone answer any of the other questions I have in the first post?


There is a lot of ingormation about bettas on the internet. Here are a few links to get you started.

General Info:
http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/freshwater/anabantids/bettasplenden.html

Male Betta:
http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/bettas/bettas_males_more.htm#top2

Female Betta:
http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/bettas/bettas_female_more.htm#top2

Breeding Bettas:
http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/bettas/betta_breeding.htm#top2

The only think I don't like about these sites is that they say you can keep a betta in a bowl. This is not recommened. Bettas need more space than a bowl can provide. Do not keep them in anything smaller than ten gallons.

If you want more than one betta, you can get females. They are just as beautiful as their male counterparts. They have the same pretty coloration, just shorter fins. You could keep about five in a ten gallon tank. They are also good community fish. You could get a couple of females and keep them with a shoal of small tetras.


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## Puffy (Mar 8, 2007)

shavon said:


> Puffy said:
> 
> 
> > Can anyone answer any of the other questions I have in the first post?
> ...


Thank you very much. That pretty much answered all of my questions. Thanks again.


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## Vallon (Mar 7, 2007)

Keep the male separate until you want to mate. 

If mating, keep only 1 pair in the tank, usually 10 gallon tank, about 5 inches of water, with some plants. (recommend reading more).

They usually make a lot of babies. Depends on the dad's parenting skills as to how many will hatch, usually at least 10 up to 100 or even more. I have sold raised spawns (2 months) to pet stores before.

Temperature for spawning, around 78 F -80 F. For raising the babies, I keep it at 76-80. You can keep it in the 10 gallon tanks, but one tip, keep the water clean, essential key to growth.


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## Puffy (Mar 8, 2007)

Vallon said:


> Keep the male separate until you want to mate.
> 
> If mating, keep only 1 pair in the tank, usually 10 gallon tank, about 5 inches of water, with some plants. (recommend reading more).
> 
> ...


Ok Thank you.


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## VonRio1011 (Apr 9, 2007)

Puffy said:


> Blue said:
> 
> 
> > I'd rather stick to the male being a bachelor.:wink2: Males often get violent and will attempt to kill the female if she is not ready to spawn.
> ...


I dont know if this has been answered already...so sorry if i repeat someone elses advice. However, this is my opinion on Betta fish compatibility. ONE male betta fish can go into a tropical community fish. The fish have to be small docile community fish (example: danios, neons, guppies, oto) as semi aggressive fish will likely pester the bettas fins and stress him and larger aggressive fish will consider the betta an exotic snack. The betta and community fish situation is often debated among fishkeepers as to whether it is a good idea or not. But, I will tell you that I recently read an article in a well known fish magazine that stated that studies have shown the IDEAL betta environment is actually a larger aquarium with air flow that was fairly calm. This best mimics the bettas natural environment. Studies showed that bettas kept in a bowl or small aquarium (1 gal) lived approx. two years and bettas in larger aquariums had stronger muscle mass and lived up to 7 years. 
Also, I personally have kept bettas in a variety of tank setups and the worst was the bowl, that betta almost died. in a desperate attempt to save his life i tossed him into the community tank and his behavior turned from lethargic/non eating to an active colorful dashing little piglet. He had never bothered another fish and my fish dont care about him either. 

its important though that if you are considering a tank mate for him that may nip fins...you consider another option.

hope this helps


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## Reun (Apr 4, 2007)

just my input, but if you do regular 30% water changes a week and are over filtered(20+ gallon tank filter on your 10 gallon, as in 150 gallons per hour or more) you can safely add 6 ember tetras or 5 neon tetras to the tank with the beta. he shouldn't mess with them too much as male betas normally only go after fish their own size or with long flowing fins(fancy male guppies beware,lol). the ember tetras, if you can find them, stay under a inch. the neons or some cardinal tetras stay under 2" and are not very messy fish, so you should have no problem keeping them with a single beta...just make sure you only feed them small portions once a day, i suggest buying some flake food though, and holding a pinch of it in your fingers under the water so it will sink and let the tetras get some, they can often be intimidated by a large beta at the surface and may not go up for food...thats what i do with my beta in my community tank...sprinkle a pinch on top for the beta, and hold a pinch under water for a few seconds then let go, for my lemon tetras.


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## VonRio1011 (Apr 9, 2007)

Puffy said:


> PS. How many betta pebbles would you feed 1 male in 1 day? (If more than 1 pebble, could you please give me hours in between feedings, thank you)
> 
> So many questions :? Sorry.


I feed mine 7-10 pellets in one day. I feed him once a day. My betta is fat. I feed a pinch of food to my community tank and before the betta can nibble on those meaty flakes i put a pellet or two near him, he likes those more luckily as flakies can hurt their bellies. then when he gulps those down i add one or two more. until hes eatin about 7-10 and he usually loses some interest or slows down in catching and i know hes done. Just some helpful advice... i dont know what other pet stores have but this particular pet store i know..their best betta food is Betta Bio Gold by hikari. Check the back of betta food packages for higher proteins and less fat. higher protein and lower fat percentages are better foods. Also, try a aquaglo light in his tank MAN THOSE COLORS SHINE.


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