# Help on bettas



## Marco (Nov 24, 2006)

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I got 2 bettas from pet smart. I've had them for two days and one refuses to eat flakes. I'm feeding them hbh betta color brites. Would anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks


----------



## Mahon (Nov 24, 2006)

Marco,

Those 'HBH Betta Color Bites' usually get soggy and sometimes sink to the bottom. It also makes the water VERY cloudy. I would suggest those pellets that you get at PetsMart that are called 'Hikari Betta Bio-Gold', as they float and don't cloud up the bowl. They will be in a package that will hang up, not in a container. 

Don't forget to keep the fish seperated from each other!

Post pics! 

-Pat


----------



## Ludisia (Nov 24, 2006)

Did you mean Betta splendens? (Sorry if I misunderstand.)
You should quarantine them very carefully, because you got them only 2 days. How big is the tanks?


----------



## Marco (Nov 24, 2006)

Ludisia - Yup, betta splendens, The tanks/half fish bowls are small about a quart each.


----------



## Ludisia (Nov 24, 2006)

This seems to be very good site about bettas:
http://www.siamsbestbettas.com/care.html


----------



## patrix (Nov 24, 2006)

for fish that size, remember their stomach are about as big as their eyes but they can eat 4-5 x day. An aquarium is different that a fish bowl, but both are closed sewer systems-waste has no where to go, but in an aquarium it is bioconverted to something less harmful. Keeping fish in uncleaned bowls is like living in your bathroom and never flushing the commode. Betta's are tropical; ie keep our water warm 70 degrees at least. you do not need special food, regular flake food is fine, they do not mind a little treat now and again. If you have one fish who is not eating, I would not stress him out by keeping him actively strutting next to the other fish. Let him rest until you can find out what he'll eat-clean the tank once a week, use declhor. and make sure the water temp is as close as you can get it to the one they were in. Hope this is helpful


----------



## Marco (Nov 24, 2006)

Cool. Ludisia thanks for the link and Patrix thanks for the info.


----------



## NYEric (Nov 24, 2006)

Hi Marco, when I was really young I used to breed show guppies and keep a few bettas. If you have 2 males they put on a very colorfull territory display but they will burn out if they do this for too long. For their health it would be better to take them out of the small bowls and get each one a 1 gallon tank w/ a few plants and a bubble filter. Also for food a little dried tubiflex and live brine shrimp are alternatives. Good luck. E.


----------



## Jon in SW Ohio (Nov 24, 2006)

I don't think I've ever seen a Betta eat flakes with much enthusiasm.

I feed mine the Hikari Betta pellets as a staple, typically 2 before work and 2 after work. They also get frozen bloodworms, frozen mysis, or live copepods/live brine shrimp as treats to add a little variety to their day. These fish are predators, and nothing livens up their day like chasing food around the jar! Make sure to remove any food they don't eat!!!!!!

Water cleanliness is of utmost importance. I use gallon jars and do a 100% water change twice a week. For the bowls you are using, I would change the water every other day. The easiest solution is to have twice as many bowls as fish, and every day swap the fish to the new bowl, clean and fill the old one with new water and let it sit until the next day to repeat.

I've got my seven jars lined up next to eachother and don't use dividers. They establish a pecking order with their neighbors and don't flare much at eachother after that. Swap the jars around so they have new neighbors and they start all over again. Adding a jar with a female has further disrupted their order and hopefully livened up their days as well.

Jon


----------



## Tony (Nov 24, 2006)

I agree with Pat on the Hikari Betta food. I fed mine that along with bloodworms very few days, never had any of mine refuse to eat either of those. Eric is right about a bigger container too, when I had Bettas mine were in a long 10 gallon tank divided into six compartments.


----------



## Eric Muehlbauer (Nov 24, 2006)

I agree with betta's burning out. I used to keep them as a kid, in community tanks. I'd hang a mirror on the side to get them to display...(yes, this is one betta at a time...) They would diplay and look great for a few days...then they'd burn out and just sit around all droopy and hangdog....would never again look at the mirror. Take care, Eric


----------



## Marco (Nov 28, 2006)

Question to the members in NY. Do any of you know of any mom and pop type stores that sell Bettas, not the common ones you see at like petsmart or something, in Long Island, Queens or Manhattan? Thanks 

---

As for the betta that wasn't eating still isnt eating. But hes making a whole mess of bubbles


----------



## Ron-NY (Nov 30, 2006)

you may want to call
Pet Hampton & Aquarium Montauk Hwy., Wainscott Tel: 631-537-7387

Aquariums Extraordinaire 129 Woodbine Ave., Merrick Tel: 516-764-3150

BTJ's Jungle, Sunrise Highway, West Islip Tel: 516-662-8191,

Win Tropical Aquarium, 169 Mott street, Manhattan,Tel212) 343-2875, 

Reefs and Rivers Ltd., 92 E Jericho Tpke, Mineola,Tel: 516-747-8078.

Fish Town USA, 19633 Northern Blvd, Flushing, Tel:718-539-5396.

Northern Aquarium Pets, 135 - 02 Northern Blvd, Flushing, Tel:718-321-9722

H2O Aquarium Corp, 84-08 Queens Blvd, Elmhurst, Tel: 718-424-8823, 

Aquarium Adventure, 177 Glen Cove Road, Carle Place,Tel: 516-294-9699.

I am sure there are tons more


----------



## Marco (Nov 30, 2006)

Cool. Thanks a bunch Ron. I hope I can find ones with the humungous fins  and the short finned males ones too


----------



## Wogga (Nov 30, 2006)

Just build a nice big tank with a bunch of female bettas in it, all the conditions maintained, good rocks and plants etc, and put the two males in together. whichever one is tougher gets to mate with all the femaleses, and will truly feel like hes accomplished something in life.


----------



## Ron-NY (Nov 30, 2006)

I used to have them as a child. I had a betta tank where the males were seperated by glass panels and the females were all in a 10 gal. Breeding tank was a 5 gal. It was cool to see the male make a bubble nest


----------



## Marco (Nov 30, 2006)

Hey Ron thanks so much for the link. I ended up going to H2O Aquarium Corp right after work and bought some 3 bettas from them 

The pictures came out really bad...but here's one


----------



## Jon in SW Ohio (Nov 30, 2006)

And so it begins........:evil:

I give you until spring before you are completely obsessed with your reef aquariumoke:

Jon


----------



## Park Bear (Dec 1, 2006)

yep...it won't be long now....tanks multiple just as fast as orchids in a collection


----------



## NYEric (Dec 1, 2006)

Is that female really green?


----------



## Marco (Dec 1, 2006)

Eric - This one isn't a female. oke:


----------



## Marco (Dec 3, 2006)

Jon & Park Bear- Once I get my own place it will only be a matter of time. 

Ok well here's another 2 photos. First with flash and second without flash.












neither do the fish justice though


----------



## Ron-NY (Dec 3, 2006)

short fin males are attractive!! What others did you get? While in Elmhurst you should have went north a bit and had a nice Indian meal in Jackson Heights


----------



## Heather (Dec 3, 2006)

Yum yum! I'm going for sushi tomorrow night! 

I mean, er...pretty!! oke:


----------



## Marco (Dec 4, 2006)

Here's one that I was able to take a somewhat ok picture. He was sold to me as a short finned male 2 weeks ago but then his fins grew. I think hes just young.






Heather...mmm sushi. I haven't had sushi in a while. I don't think bettas would be good with rice though.


----------



## Ron-NY (Dec 5, 2006)

the last one looks like it would be classified as a super delta tailed one, but still considered a short fin


----------



## NYEric (Dec 5, 2006)

Oops!


----------



## Marco (Dec 6, 2006)

Ok this is my last guy....he's pretty small so i think hes still really young....hes really fiesty and active which is cool...i love his color hes either blue or green dependng on the angle you look at em..he was sold to me as a short fined male too


----------



## Heather (Dec 6, 2006)

What a yummy color! 
:rollhappy:

Just kidding you Marco, he's fabulous! I love the color green!!


----------

