General Betta Fish Care Questions

Are betta fish easy to take care of? how does one get to know more about them?

 

The betta fish section here is good. Also, bettafish.org has some pretty good info to get you started

 

Follow up question, I know they are called Siamese fighting fish, but from my reading, males hate each other, do they really fight to the death, I doubt they would it wouldn't make sense to kill yourself over another fish in your territory

 

Certainly know they can. I already have decided I am not taking that chance.

 

They definitely can and do kill each other in aquarium environments. In the wild, they will fight until one of the fish leaves the territory, but in an aquarium there is nowhere for the loser to go so the fight continues.

 

Even if they don't fight to the death an infected gash could easily lead to the demise of a fish. Betta fish (especially males) are also easily stressed out by other males in the same tank, so it is REALLY not a good idea to house them together. In my experience, here are the betta basics:
-Absolute minimum tank is 2.5 gallons, but 5 gallons and up is preferred.
-Tank must be filtered and heated
-Betta's LOVE plants, but sharp edged plastic plants will tear their fins, so silk or live plants are preferred.
There's a lot more info online, so be sure to click around!
Good Luck!

 

Most all fishes will fight for territory, not just betta fish. I've seen cichlids do the same, fight to the death or one submits to the other.

 

female bettas kill each other too. I tried a sorority- no go. And I have a 40 gallon tank... heavily planted. They do best as a solo specie! They can be with other fish, just be careful what tank mates you pick and they need room, and an area to establish as "their territory"

They also need filter and heat too. The betta section here is GREAT and I second Bettafish.org!

You can even really just google them- but take google with a grain of salt. They NEED heat, cannot be in a bowl. They love to nap in plants! A betta leaf is even worth the investment- and a moss ball to play with. I know when I feed my Pleco my betta loves to pick up the zucchinI and parade with it for a bit- they are really playful fish, and need entertainment.

** I had two females fight- sadly, I didnt get there in time and they do in fact fight to the death (though, the betta I have, ruthlessly killed her tank mate... so, personality dependent. Dominant fish wins!)

 

what about algae? how do I know if I have it? is a scraper worth it?

 

Heres the thread on how to care for bettas.
Betta Care Sheet

what about algae? how do I know if I have it? is a scraper worth it?

Snails or a scraper will work well. Algae is formed from the lights or sun and can show on glass or plants. It can be green or brown.

 

Any more questions? You definitely need a filter, at least 5 gallons. As for plants, I'd reccomend anubias, java fern, java moss and amazon sword.

 

No I think that's it for now thank you for your help!

 

Simply Fish has it covered I'll just add a bit
1. Filters: like all fish betta tanks need to be filtered but be careful as they do not like a strong flow as they have long flowing fins. Make sure the input doesn't suck up their fins by covering it with a small piece of pantyhose rubberband it onto the filter input.
2.Heaters: bettas like a temperature range of 78-82 degrees
3. Fake plants: make sure all fake plants pass the pantyhose test.