# How to make Betta grow in length?



## 19wEEdmAstEr25 (Mar 18, 2011)

I feed my fish only 1 kind of food (Tetra BettaMin). Every morning I give them just the flakes and during supper time I pick out and feed them only the dried brine shrimp included in the product. Once a month, if I have time (rarely), I hunt mosquito larvae for them. I’m changing the water twice a week (w/o any lapses). I’ve read about them releasing growth-stop hormones of some sort that’s why do it often to compensate with the volume of their tanks (1 gallon each).


However, it seems there is no noticeable growth of their bodies. My first Betta (3 months in residence) is still roughly 1 inch in length, about same length as the day that he was given to me. The others seem to display the same progress. Although, there is great improvement in their colors (so vivid now) and tiny tears on their fins and tails gets patched overnight, literally (maybe the effects of IAL, not sure), also fins tails and fins grow longer and larger but the only noticeable growth of their bodies is crosswise* (buffed but not bloated). They fail to grow lengthwise.*


Would live food make a difference, like microworms and such, or this is genetic in nature, since I’ve never seen, in person, a Betta more than 2 inches in any of the pet shops I’ve been to (domestically)?


*interchanged terms for dimensions for better description


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## Sweeda88 (Dec 6, 2010)

Don't worry about it. I've had Glitter, my male doubletail for a month and a half, and he's still only 1 1/4 inches in body length. Some Bettas are just smaller, or slow growers. But I would suggest switching to pellets, instead of flakes.. They are better for them, and easier to feed. Feed 2 pellets twice a day. You can still supplement their diet with the mosquito larvae. That's really good for them! I like the Aqua Culture brand from Walmart. My fish love it too.


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## 19wEEdmAstEr25 (Mar 18, 2011)

Thanks! :-D I would most definitely consider adding pellets with their diet.


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## Sweeda88 (Dec 6, 2010)

You're welcome. Like I said, it doesn't really matter if they're not growing in length, as long as they're healthy.


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## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

hmm, since the sound young and still developting, some good people/breeders to talk to would be 1Fish2Fish, Mr.Vampire181, OldFishLady, Beat2020, MartinisMommy etc... You'll probably want to up the water changes, I'm not sure what sized tanks they are in, but I do know that most breeders help their fry to grow faster by doing massive water changes and feeding high quality foods.


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

19wEEdmAstEr25 said:


> I feed my fish only 1 kind of food (Tetra BettaMin). Every morning I give them just the flakes and during supper time I pick out and feed them only the dried brine shrimp included in the product. Once a month, if I have time (rarely), I hunt mosquito larvae for them. *I’m changing the water twice a week (w/o any lapses). I’ve read about them releasing growth-stop hormones of some sort that’s why do it often to compensate with the volume of their tanks (1 gallon each).*
> 
> 
> However, it seems there is no noticeable growth of their bodies. My first Betta (3 months in residence) is still roughly 1 inch in length, about same length as the day that he was given to me. The others seem to display the same progress. Although, there is great improvement in their colors (so vivid now) and tiny tears on their fins and tails gets patched overnight, literally (maybe the effects of IAL, not sure), also fins tails and fins grow longer and larger but the only noticeable growth of their bodies is crosswise* (buffed but not bloated). They fail to grow lengthwise.*
> ...


You should be doing 100% every other day.


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## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

there we go... thanks for pointing that out Turtle, I guess I didn't read that.

And yes, I agree. 100% every other day is the way to go.... and I'm assuming their tanks are heated, right? Good temps (76-80* F) will increase their growth and keep them healthy.


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## Pekemom (Jan 27, 2011)

In a tank that size, (one gallon) do you really want them much bigger? Your bettas sound healthy, happy and active. You're doing a great job! Enjoy them and don't worry about the body growth...


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## 19wEEdmAstEr25 (Mar 18, 2011)

JKfish said:


> there we go... thanks for pointing that out Turtle, I guess I didn't read that.
> 
> And yes, I agree. 100% every other day is the way to go.... and I'm assuming their tanks are heated, right? Good temps (76-80* F) will increase their growth and keep them healthy.


I've been doing that before (1st 2 weeks), 100% water change thrice a week but once I knew how much food each of them consume per feeding (ergo, not polluting the tank w/ uneaten food), I downgraded to twice a week. I will return to that rate as you have suggested. Anyway, it’s not backbreaking cleaning ‘em 1 gallon tanks. Hope it makes a difference in the long run.


Anyway, I think I don’t need a heater. We’re approaching summer in this part of the world. BTW, it’s still cold here at dawn (not that cold for you guys) so I turn on the lights an hour before sunrise to up the temperature a little bit. My fluorescent lamp’s ballast emits above average radiant heat (it’s substandard). Once, I’ve touched it just 20 minutes turned on and I learned a hard lesson. :-( But it’s a good source of heat. I’ll just make sure that I won’t have any electrical mishaps in the future caused by that device.


Anyway, thanks! :-D


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

Plenty of good foods is the key to a fast growing betta.
If I want to grow out a young fish, I feed bloodworms and high protein pellets 2-3 times a day. They grow like crazy! But when you're feeding that much is SUPER important to do 100% daily water changes because of the increased waste they will produce. Sometimes I even suction up the waste from the bottom of the tank between water changes. 
You should discard the dried foods, they aren't the best choice for bettas. Go for frozen foods, high protein pellets, or live if you have the means. Always read the labels on your pellets, you want high protein content and some type of meat as the first ingredient (krill, bbs, herring, etc.)
Also, don't forget about exercising them! Get them to flare a few times a day so they can stretch those fins!


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Regardless of the amount of food being fed, bettas constantly secrete ammonia through their gills. You would still have to change their water every other day even if you didn't feed them (which is just an example, I know you wouldn't do that lol).


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## xkatieebby (Mar 10, 2011)

Why do you need to do constant water changes like that if the readings are perfectly fine?! I do a water change every weekend and I probably don't even need to do it that much(I only do it because I worry but the readings say otherwise). I have an unfiltered 2.5 gallon tank that I test REGULARLY and my readings are all fine. I feed my betta every other day. 2-4 pellets in the morning and night with occasional frozen shrimp brine for treat.


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

xkatieebby said:


> Why do you need to do constant water changes like that if the readings are perfectly fine?! I do a water change every weekend and I probably don't even need to do it that much(I only do it because I worry but the readings say otherwise). I have an unfiltered 2.5 gallon tank that I test REGULARLY and my readings are all fine. I feed my betta every other day. 2-4 pellets in the morning and night with occasional frozen shrimp brine for treat.


What testing method do you use? I would feed the betta every day, like 3 pellets in morning and 2 or 3 in evening.


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## xkatieebby (Mar 10, 2011)

Well every other day is what the pet store people all told me from 3 different places, and I've been doing it for a little while now and my beta is just fine. My friends beta is fed everyday and he is fat. WAY FAT. It's sad. I want to tell him to stop feeding him as much.

The first week or two I had my beta I took my water to the pet store and they tested it for me, now I use one of these Master Test Kits I picked up and it tests for like everything, Acid, PH, Ammonia, Nitrate. All that stuff.

My tank has an Air Pump in it that I leave plugged in except for night, to ensure my betta gets a good rest as it is a BIT noisy sometimes. But not bad as I've muffled the pump itself.


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

xkatieebby said:


> Well every other day is what the pet store people all told me from 3 different places, and I've been doing it for a little while now and my beta is just fine. My friends beta is fed everyday and he is fat. WAY FAT. It's sad. I want to tell him to stop feeding him as much.
> 
> The first week or two I had my beta I took my water to the pet store and they tested it for me, now I use one of these Master Test Kits I picked up and it tests for like everything, Acid, PH, Ammonia, Nitrate. All that stuff.
> 
> My tank has an Air Pump in it that I leave plugged in except for night, to ensure my betta gets a good rest as it is a BIT noisy sometimes. But not bad as I've muffled the pump itself.


Okay well pet store people don't usually know what they are talking about, so you should take their advice with a grain of salt. Your friend is probably feeding her fish differently, but it is best to do daily, small meals instead of big meals every other day. The reason you are supposed to do that many water changes is because you never want the betta to be exposed to the toxic ammonia, that is why I don't recommend waiting until you see the ammonia register.


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## xkatieebby (Mar 10, 2011)

I check my water every other day. It's a really good test kit and my beta seems happy. I know I could up my feedings probably a bit but I don't see the necessity in changing the water that much if there is nothing wrong with it. Even when I change my water every weekend the readings are normal. I use a really nice water conditioner and everything. Sorry to push buttons but that's just my opinion and actions.


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Does it ever register ammonia or anything?


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## xkatieebby (Mar 10, 2011)

I haven't let it go longer than a week, but in that time, no. It registered ammonia when I first set the tank up and everything but I dumped my little buddies whole container into the tank, so I think it was from his cup. He was all sad looking at the pet store, water dirty, not very nice.


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## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

Perhaps your test kit is one using strips, or it has expired?


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## xkatieebby (Mar 10, 2011)

No it's brand new. I'm at work and forget the exact name of it, But it's one of those Master Test kits for freshwater.


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

Quality Foods, Adequate size tank and immaculate water quality....

Rest will take care of itself


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

I would do twice a week just to be safe and take out the poo.


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## 19wEEdmAstEr25 (Mar 18, 2011)

I don’t have a water test kit of any sort (soon I’ll grab one :-D ). Anyway, since you guys have been talking about ammonia, just wanna ask; does ammonia tend to evenly disperse throughout the tank or does it usually concentrate in a certain depth, like near the surface or at the bottom?


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

It is everywhere.


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## 19wEEdmAstEr25 (Mar 18, 2011)

Thanks! I'll keep that in mind. :-D With that, in my case, 3 times 100% water changes a week is necessary.


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