What's New?

2008 MAS Tropical Fish Show

Next MAS Auction: Saturday October 25, 2008. (More Info.)

Indian/Sea Almond leaves extract.   We are working on one now, coming in September 2006.

Proud Member of the International Betta Congress

FAQ

  1. Is my room warm enough for my betta?
  2. How do you house your betta?
  3. Do you decorate your betta container?
  4. Does your bettas see each other?
  5. Do you train your fighters?

1. Is my room warm enough for my betta?
In their natural habitat, the temperature there range from 75F-90F.  Their prefered breeding temperature is 80-82F, so most experts recommend that you keep your betta at 80F.  From my experience, they function fine between 74-85F.

2. How do you house your betta?
I keep some of my fish in 1/2 gallon and 1 gallon plastic jars.  I replaced the water once a week for my 1 gallon jars and 3-4 days for the 1/2 gallon jars.   If I use almond leaves, I can double the days above but I siphon out the waste whenever I can.   Betta can live in smaller space than 1/2 gallon containers, but they are usually not as happy and their water have to be changed every 2 days.  Betta likes shallow and calm water, a community tank may be OK but I don't really recommend it unless it is a grow out tank.

3. Do you decorate your betta container?
You may decorate your containers but with a short period between each water change, the decoration is not that effective.   I do put some java moss in each of my containers to help absorb some of the nitrite and keep the water fresh longer.   Some people like it and some don't because it clutters the container and restricts the fish movements.   It is up to you to determine how you want to set up your container, but bettas are pretty happy with a decent amount of space and warm fresh water.

4. Does your bettas see each other?
In the summer time, I use a blank sheet of paper to separate my bettas so they cannot see each other.  Once a day, I removed the paper for about a minute to let them flare at each other as a form of exercise.  From my experience, if you let them see each other all the time, they become lazy and don't care as much about their neighbors.  At that point, the bettas are not as pretty or colorful as they should be.  In the winter, I put the containers in a large tank to keep the fish warm so there are no separators.  I am hoping to have a fish room next year so that I keep them the same as my summer keeping all year around.

5. Do you train your fighters?
Since I never really raised a true fighter fish before, I have never trained a betta.  I did read some training techniques from other sites but has not tried any of them.  Do your own research and see what works best for you.  Some common themes between all the training techniques are: Indian Almond Leaves, Isolation and Chasing young females as a form of exercise.