Considering a betta, thoughts / advice?

I have been wanting to setup a planted tank for a long while now. I wanted to do a shallow, 20 long for my Endlers. However, my son has been fawning over bettas lately. Like me, he’s not a fan of big flowy tails and what not. So, I was thinking instead of the 20, doing a 10 gal to keep in his room instead with either a wild / wild type betta, or a female betta.

Substrate I would like to use is sand.

Plants: no clue

Filtration: In tank bubbler type, though I want the plants to pull the weight.

My plan would be to setup, cycle etc… then maybe toss some endlers in for a month or two to make sure all is well before getting the betta.

So, suggestions for plants, decor etc? Do they do ok on their own, or should I consider any tank mates?

This is in the early stages and will be months before we purchase / adopt.

 

so I think a plakat to wild type would be a great option for either male or female they are a lot hardier then the other types as well.

for plants anubias, java fern and maybe some type of moss would do great! you can also add some indian almond leaves (my bettas love them) but they will turn the water a brownish colour.

tanks mates.
nerate snails will do the best at cleaning algae, mystery snails are also pretty cool but not quite as good at cleaning and do need to be fed. cherry or amano shrimp might work but wild types can be more agressive.

are you planning for a more natural tank or one with some artificial decor?

 

Have you looked into a plakat betta, I love koi plakatas a lot? It seems as if you know what you are talking about and are doing your research. However a 10 gallon is a little risky and could cause some problems and make the betta more likely to be aggresive toward tankmates. So maybe settle for a 20 tall? If your unsure about the bioload of your tank try using aquaadvisor it simple to use and if your confused I'm assuming there would be youtube videos on it. But anyway that way there it is a little longer but won't take up as much space as a 20 long would unless your worried about the height. Most plants need aquarium substrate however a lot of people recommened java moss as it is good for begginers and mostly gets nutrients from the water colum as long as you can get a decent LED you should be good. Just look up begginer friendly plants. Some rocks or driftwood would make good decor but if your concerned about driftwood just but some fake wood

 

I have kinda found myself pulling away from bettas. Can't do much of what i want in fishkeeping with them involved and mine have a tendency to live a few years instead of a few months.

 

We have a female betta in a 32 gallon lounge tank with male endlers ,green neons , Siamese algae eaters and a juvenile growing out BN pleco. At a glance it could be a male or female. The other fish are ignored . She has hunted down most of the cherry shrimp that had survived multiple other more hunt orientated species ( apistogramma) . As I treat cherry shrimp as live food I won’t say it’s a problem.

I don’t claim to have a lot of experience with betta but it does seem that the females are slightly more suited to a community tank?

I would strongly suggest you just get male endlers to avoid breeding millions of them.

 

so I think a plakat to wild type would be a great option for either male or female they are a lot hardier then the other types as well.

for plants anubias, java fern and maybe some type of moss would do great! you can also add some indian almond leaves (my bettas love them) but they will turn the water a brownish colour.

tanks mates.
nerate snails will do the best at cleaning algae, mystery snails are also pretty cool but not quite as good at cleaning and do need to be fed. cherry or amano shrimp might work but wild types can be more agressive.

are you planning for a more natural tank or one with some artificial decor?

I think Plakats were one he liked (turquoise color?) he’d love a snail and he loves the shrimp in our other tank so good to know. For those plants, what sort of lighting should I be looking at?
We like a more natural looking tank, though he does want a small castle in it lol He’s seven and has been doing well helping with the Endlers, so I’m considering buying him the tank etc… for his birthday, then he can get his fish later.

 

Speaking on a personal perspective, and after owning a few Betta before and never again....I would not get any form of Betta.

Reasons...

Poor lifespan thanks to overbreeding and genetic modification to get all those dazzling colours and overgrown fins and tails

Poor health thanks to the above....VERY prone to illness and disease that any other fish would recover from

In regard to your son...and yourself...a broken heart, a hole in the bank balance and if you have placed a Betta into a community situation, male or female, there is ALWAYS a chance (a very good one with a male) that one day or one night you will find deceased and damaged fish thanks to the Betta going on a psychotic rampage...which they are prone to do, often with little or no notice (even if, like I have, you learn their body language signals).

Sorry if I have burst your dreams but you asked for thoughts and I never sugar coat anything.

 

You raise a good point pagoda. While my wife and I can handle some tetras being completely eaten by a large fish as it matured overnight. A child walking up to fish with the fins ripped off and worse was not something I was thinking about.

 

You raise a good point pagoda. While my wife and I can handle some tetras being completely eaten by a large fish as it matured overnight. A child walking up to fish with the fins ripped off and worse was not something I was thinking about.

Main reason for mentioning the rampages is cos the Betta is also known as a Siamese Fighting Fish. They are wired to fight...especially anything with flowy fins and tails or bright colours. They do not care if the other fish is another Fighter, all they see is "intruder" that has to be dealt with.

I might not happen for days, weeks or months but a Betta, regardless of how docile it is to begin with, is more than capable of a psychotic rampage and for a child to see the aftermath of one of those is simply NOT good.

Body language signs of a potential episode...food guarding using fins and tail to cover food and stop tankmates getting to it....snapping around when other fish come too close....fixation on another fish that lasts for several seconds (Betta version of evil eye)....tankmates refusing to come out for food...tankmates with body/fin/tail damage and that are fearful of the Betta....lots of signs that a Betta is going to turn, but even when you know the signs you rarely if ever get notice of when it will happen

Having a 7 year old see what a Betta is capable of is not what I personally would want to have happen, I do not want another child put though that. Have a Betta on its own but be aware of the health and lifespan issues.

 

Speaking on a personal perspective, and after owning a few Betta before and never again....I would not get any form of Betta.

Reasons...

Poor lifespan thanks to overbreeding and genetic modification to get all those dazzling colours and overgrown fins and tails

Poor health thanks to the above....VERY prone to illness and disease that any other fish would recover from

In regard to your son...and yourself...a broken heart, a hole in the bank balance and if you have placed a Betta into a community situation, male or female, there is ALWAYS a chance (a very good one with a male) that one day or one night you will find deceased and damaged fish thanks to the Betta going on a psychotic rampage...which they are prone to do, often with little or no notice (even if, like I have, you learn their body language signals).

Sorry if I have burst your dreams but you asked for thoughts and I never sugar coat anything.

I appreciate the bubble burst
Good to be aware of.
While we have looked at Petco fish, we would not be buying from them. I’m not even sure if my LFS even carry betta. Regardless, I’d be looking for a healthy, quality fish. I’d rather not have it in a community tank, honestly. Snails, shrimp would be perfectly fine or even alone.

I’m going to still set up a tank planned around a betta. Can always split my Endler tank into cobra/std tanks if I don’t get a betta

“regardless of how docile it is to begin with, is more than capable of a psychotic rampage”

Sooooo they have a similar personality to my kid? lol

 

You have definitely done some research. I would start with some starter plants such as java fern, java moss, Amazon sword, hornwort, anubias, and frog bite. Sand is great. I would look into mixing it with fluvle stratum for the root plants. As for hides coconut halves or fulls with holes are my favorite. You don't need tank mates. A betta will do fine on its own. Either male or female can have tank mates. Ill PM you on the betta!

 

I'd recommend nerite snails over mysteries with a Betta. I had to separate my mystery snail and my Betta because he kept biting the long flowing antennas off the poor snail. Mine also ate cherry shrimp but there were hundreds in the tank so it didn't really matter.

 

Bettas are beautiful, but they come with a caveat.
The biggest issue is that they are pretty hardy and tolerate a lot of beginner mistakes. The reason I am saying this is that they tolerate a long time of poor feeding habits, poor water conditions, temperature mismatch, stressful environment aso. But....at a point it is like flipping a switch and they are just a bundle of sick misery. More times than not they won't recover, even after extensive treatments of the symptoms. This forum has a good sampling of these 'Mayday' calls.
With that being said if you and your son are committed to the care, there is no reason that he should live a happy and long life.
And we have to admit, a Betta in full dress under the right light, that beauty and sheer elegance is hard to beat.
Bettas in a community tank can work, but it is a hit and miss. With plenty of plants the escape routes are there. E.g. my Betta stressed out in the big tank, so he moved into his own with a couple of Nerites and seems to be a happy camper.
If you have the commitment, I think it is worth a try, just need a plan B

 

You have definitely done some research. I would start with some starter plants such as java fern, java moss, Amazon sword, hornwort, anubias, and frog bite. Sand is great. I would look into mixing it with fluvle stratum for the root plants. As for hides coconut halves or fulls with holes are my favorite. You don't need tank mates. A betta will do fine on its own. Either male or female can have tank mates. Ill PM you on the betta!

To add on you could buy a fluval aquasky light, I like them and I don't necessarily know how well they will do but it's what I use and it grows Vallisneria slowly along with anubias and marimo moss balls without any fertilization other than fish poop. For whatever reason even in a planted tank soil I cannot grow amazon sword maybe it was a bad batch but good luck. You could also add plant food tablets if you get plants that are more root feeders, there is a cheaper plant substrate called Flourite clay soil and it will absorb nutrients from the water column over time.

 

Well,

Been reading more, talking more etc… After visiting both LFS (that are not Petco) and a lot more talking and thinking, we will not be getting a Betta at this time. I do appreciate the comments and help, especially re: plants and lighting. We will still be setting up a planted tank together, however, he decided he wants to breed his Endler. So we’re going to set the tank up for his Endler and give him some virgin females so he can have his own line in his tank




That’s his on the right. Originally brought him in because he had a double sword, which none had in my colony prior. Now I’m regularly getting double swords, so his job is done

The other male will be getting bred as well. Love his half black body.

 

Need to get a glass panel cut for the top and put up a background. But, we decided to set up a tank. Has a few Endler fry in there (as well as hitchhiking snails) for now,we’ll get a Betta in a month or so when it’s done cycling.

 

Looks great so far! May I suggest some more plants in the right side to add more cover or an additional cave/tube? A floating betta log would also be a great addition while your floating plants grow out. I like to have hiding places in every level (top, middle, bottom) of the tank for my betta and he seems to appreciate them.

 

Kiddo wants a castle for the fish to rule from, plus I want to block the view of the heater and filter. The glass will be cut an inch or so short to let something grow out of or into the tank. Just need to be considerate of his cat. Thinking about catnip mint since I can’t stop it from growing into my pond filter lol

 

I have been wanting to setup a planted tank for a long while now. I wanted to do a shallow, 20 long for my Endlers. However, my son has been fawning over bettas lately. Like me, he’s not a fan of big flowy tails and what not. So, I was thinking instead of the 20, doing a 10 gal to keep in his room instead with either a wild / wild type betta, or a female betta.

Substrate I would like to use is sand.

Plants: no clue

Filtration: In tank bubbler type, though I want the plants to pull the weight.

My plan would be to setup, cycle etc… then maybe toss some endlers in for a month or two to make sure all is well before getting the betta.

So, suggestions for plants, decor etc? Do they do ok on their own, or should I consider any tank mates?

This is in the early stages and will be months before we purchase / adopt.

I have a male betta that is koi colored (I have seen people refer to his type as a "galaxy koi betta"). He is awesome. His name is Shy Guy and he can move through the tank super quickly because his fins aren't so long. I have one that is a veil tail and while he is beautiful, he is definitely more calm and doesn't have the same energy. The same way pugs (the dogs) are bred to retain their features, it causes breathing problems and all kinds of issues, so it feels almost cruel to breed a pet that is going to have problems. I feel somewhat similarly to the bettas with beautiful long fins. I have read that it is comparable to swimming in a wedding dress. Anyway, that is just my opinion after having both as pets. One just seems more happy and "free" to do fish things.

They do okay on their own. I have snails for "friends" but honestly they don't care about them and it just adds to the cleanup. I dont think I ever want snails again. Theyre neat and all but i was under the impression they would keep my tank clean but really its just another animal pooping.

My bettas absolutely love their floating logs. They also love the tall leafy plants. I am working on growing some real ones but I have silk plants tall enough for the leaves to sit on the surface of the water because they will lay on them like a mermaid would haha. I have some pictures I like to put against one wall of the tank for my veil tail Jeremy because he is more of a "watcher" than a "do-er". Shy Guy really likes the silk plants too, but he also likes his red root floaters and other floating plants so he can peek through them. The downside to the silk plants is that they can collect a lot if debris and get dirty, but theyre cheap and can sometimes be wiped clean. They all love to eat blood worms. I buy the frozen cubes and put them into some water to thaw then drop some in with some tongs. Bloodworms are always a big hit. They like mini brine shrimp too but for some reason they aren't fans of brine shrimp like a lot of bettas are. I dont do the freeze dried because they lose nutrients and can cause tummy problems if they're not properly saturated. Oh- and of course a little floating mirror. I like to use the mirror to get them to flare so I can check inside their gills for any damage or mucus. Shy Guy LOVES his mirror, but a lot of bettas get stressed out not being able to scare their reflection away, so always limit your time with that.

Best of luck!

 

Kiddo wants a castle for the fish to rule from, plus I want to block the view of the heater and filter. The glass will be cut an inch or so short to let something grow out of or into the tank. Just need to be considerate of his cat. Thinking about catnip mint since I can’t stop it from growing into my pond filter lol

I mean my suggestion of tall plants would do the job. My advice with this castle is to make sure there aren't small openings in your "castle" or spaces that the fish can get stuck in. Bettas LOVE squeezing into way too small spaces that make no sense.

 

Between that and sharp edges…. lol Yeah, I’m not entirely sold it. But if we find one with a nice open floor plan, I can file any rough edges

 

Between that and sharp edges…. lol Yeah, I’m not entirely sold it. But if we find one with a nice open floor plan, I can file any rough edges

Edit: misread the post. An open floor plan would be good, with multiple exits. lol

 

 

I mean my suggestion of tall plants would do the job. My advice with this castle is to make sure there aren't small openings in your "castle" or spaces that the fish can get stuck in. Bettas LOVE squeezing into way too small spaces that make no sense.

Good point. I always try to pick things that they can bonk into without tearing their tails. I have bettas and african dwarf frogs, all of which are famous for being soft little monsters that can get hurt easily. I touch everything before I determine if it can go in my tank. I had a frog die when he got lost in one of the holes in a fake cave thing I had.. I felt horrible. Now I just play it safe and make sure there is nothing for them to get stuck in and that every hole has an easy-to-find exit... not as important with bettas maybe but its something one might not necessarily consider when choosing aquarium decorations. I have seen some people that mold their own decor from a type of bake easy natural clay formations. I also like to use a dry erase marker on the outside of the glass from time to time to give Jeremy something to do/inspect. He is just such a calm little dude, he doesn't do much and I always worry that he is bored. He has all kinds of things to do, he just isn't really a very active fish. Even now he is laying across his lotus floater and looking out the window.. but if your son wants to bond a little, its kind of fun to sit in front of the tank and draw and write on the tank. Jeremy will follow along and watch what I make. He gets very excited when I try to draw something more detailed like a picture of him or a picture of me sprinkling food or worms into his tank haha. He will watch until I am done then come over and inspect it excitedly. With this being said, you dont want to introduce any toxic elements to the tank, so I tend to draw on one wall and keep it on the bottom half of glass just in case. If anyone knows why this shouldn't be done, let me know, but I have only ever had a fun time doing this with my fish and none have ever been made sick from it. My frogs dont really care about it but I have made little hearts and stuff near the rocks and they use it to know where the bottom of the tank is. They used to swim down so fast and slam their faces into the gravel, so I started marking it with black dry erase marker and now they swim to the drawings and land gently on the gravel. Kind of interesting, sorry for getting a bit off track though.

Oh-- and moss balls are great for bettas! They like to play a little bit by pushing it around or just resting on it. Any kind of variety of texture will give them lots to ponder. A cleaned glass marble is one of Jeremy's favorites. I think he likes the reflections.
This might sound odd, but there have been multiple studies that show that fish enjoy classical music more than other genres, and they specifically enjoy the music of Bach. Something to do with how it sounds/feels through the water. Strange but true, look it up!

 

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Now we're talking! Looks awesome.