# how to raise a show betta



## bettaboy123 (Jun 13, 2014)

.Hi I was wondering how do you raise a show betta fish. right now I'm trying to raise a betta fish he's not a fry he's like a kid(he's not a adult yet) BUT he tore his fins it don't look like fin rot to me I feed him bloodworms,flake,baby shrimp he don't like pellets but what should I do to help his fins grow back:question: 

P.s I don't him this all at once like the blood worms and baby shrimp sometimes I will feed him those


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## myexplodingcat (Apr 9, 2014)

Betta shows are about breeding. You can't show a betta you didn't breed yourself, and learning to breed bettas and set everything up takes a lot of time, money, knowledge... and emotional strength, since you'll have quite a few failures and run into problems like your male and female attacking each other instead of mating, the male eating all the eggs, etc. It isn't for the faint of heart, or the beginner.

That said, warm, clean water and a low-stress environment will help his fins grow back. Make sure you do enough water changes for your tank, that you're regulating its temperature so it's about 77-81 degrees consistently, and that you don't have any sharp or rough decorations in the tank where he could tear his fins.

It also helps if you make sure he has a place to hide in his tank, and that he can't see his own reflection in the glass. For instance, if you leave his tank light on at night when all your other lights are off, his tank walls will turn into a one-way mirror and he'll think there's another fish threatening him all night! That can cause him to bite his fins out of stress and frustration.

If none of those things are the problem, he might just be bored and want your attention, or some plants to play in or something. If boredom is your problem, I suggest some nice live plants and maybe a snail buddy. The fish in my avatar is an on-and-off fin biter, but he seems to have stopped since I added a snail to keep him company.


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Show bettas are usually "isolated" since very young (1.5 - 2cm total length or 2 months old), before they become aggressive. This ensures no torn fins . . . unless you have a severe fin biter. . . . Torn fins will cure but it will never be "perfect". I mean it will be visible to the judges. So a once torn SQ betta often becomes a breeder.
If you have a fin biter, try placing him in a tank that can house guppies as tank mates. He should chase the guppies instead of his fins 

IMO shrimp kind of foods (daphnia, . . . sorry, blank for examples at the moment) are good for fin development but slower body growth. Many local show hobbyists feed their SQ fry exclusively daphnia.
Worm kind of foods are better for growth. Sometimes HMs can "outgrow" their fins when raised on tubifex worms and look like an "in between" type (too long to be PK but too short for HM). When older, their fins then develops more.

Clean water is a must. Many use IAL (yellowish - tea color). They believe it makes bettas scales "brighter" (IDK).
Daily exercise is also important to make the fins spread to their maximum. If you want to go further, early morning sun bathing is also good for them.

Since I'm not a show hobbyist, I don't know of any tricks to improve their appearance, other than the above - which is actually general betta care.

.


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## bettaboy123 (Jun 13, 2014)

thanks for the help ill try breeding but not now i dont think im ready


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## Basement Bettas (May 12, 2012)

Only way to grow a show fish is to breed quality bettas and produce them. You are just looking to raise a juvie betta to adulthood. Not sure this is appropriate for this section as you need more general care than anything show related.


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