How to keep your Betta splendens with pictures

Siamese Fighting Fishes Fight. Some people do keep male bettas together. On the average though, do not try to keep two bettas together -- not even a male and a female. Bettas rarely kill each other. However, they will tear each other’s fins off for entertainment. You usually wind up with two ragged, badly colored bettas. Wounds encourage diseases.

What are Roundtails? In many parts of Southeast Asia (and Des Moines), the bets get pretty serious on the outcomes of betta fights. The main betta type wagered on is the “roundtail” – a heavier built, short-finned betta. Most tropical fish keepers prefer the prettier, longer finned (and also less expensive) “normal” bettas.

What are Double Tails? If you dig around enough, you can also find a heavier bodied “double tailed betta.” This thick-bodied variety carries twice as many rays in its top and bottom fins and has two tails. You can find several other betta types if you check around -- including comb tails, crown tails, butterflies, half moons .. the list goes on and ....

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Here's a box of 150 roundtail bettas from Thailand. Note the small size of the bags.

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Thailand long fins bettas. Small bags enable them to stuff 150 in a small box.

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Indonesian double tail bettas come in these flat bags stapled in sets of five.

Temperature. Since bettas come from Southeast Asia, they hate our winters. They need a minimum of 75^o. They prefer 80^o. If you intend to breed them, provide the 80^o.

Anabantids. Warm water contains less O₂. Many fishes that live in extremely warm waters possess a “labyrinth” or auxiliary breathing organ. Our native dogfishes, for instance, can live in shallow, extremely warm, muddy water for a similar reason.

Clean Water. The bettas’ labyrinths enable them to breathe atmospheric oxygen. They prefer clean water but will endure bad water for brief periods. Dirty water encourages a nasty disease called velvet. Change their water often.

Velvet Diagnosis. Each scale appears trimmed in the tiniest gold, talcum-powder-sized flecks. Sick bettas clamp their fins and drop to the bottom. Velvet-infected fish cease swimming and look obviously sick. Baby bettas frequently die of velvet or starvation (or both).

Prepared Foods. For years bettas refused all commercial fish foods. Now, you can find several commercial betta foods. We carry the versions by:

Preferred Foods. If you can find them, bettas love mosquito larvae. Bloodworms (freeze-dried or frozen) are a close approximation to the skeeters they eat in nature. They also love house flies, tiny earthworms, frozen brine shrimp, and California blackworms (especially live ones). They also eat the freeze-dried versions of these critters and beef heart. They love white worms and always eat way too many of these tasty morsels.

Feed lightly. Feed your bettas sparingly. Bettas burn up little energy compared to most fishes. For instance, a zebra danio needs about 10 times more food because it never stops swimming. Bettas stop swimming all the time. They swim even less in small containers.

Small Containers. Bettas need little room because they breathe air. Unfortunately, most small containers pose heating problems. You can find “betta barracks“ that attach to the inside of your community tank with suction cups. These house up to four bettas. Small 2¹/₂ gallon tanks divide into three separate compartments and will accept small heaters and filters. Metal-framed seven-compartment “betta tanks“ used to be quite common. You rarely see these anymore -- except in garage sales.

Lotsa Bettas. Glass drum-shaped bowls make great betta containers. They’re easier to get your hands into when cleaning. However, you can often find free jars – the bigger the better. Store extra water in a large plastic trash can to age it. Avoid netting the bettas when cleaning. Even the softest nets encourage fungal growth on their tender skin.

Quickie Shelves. You can easily and quickly knock together a series of 1x4 shelves to hold your bettas. Tape a sheet of clear plastic over the front and back of the shelves and heat your betta biotope with a 60-watt light bulb on the bottom shelf. Use a larger bulb and/or more bulbs to increase the temperature to between 75^o and 80^o. LA.

Kirsti Hanna, June 15, 2006
Your article 'Housing Fighting Fishes from Thailand' is one of the most depressing, cruel things I've ever encountered. Encouraging people to keep bettas in tiny bowls? Showing photos of bettas in such cruel, little plastic bags? Do you really find this suitable? It makes me sick.
This 'article' begs to encourage cruelty towards these beautiful creatures. I implore you to change it and encourage people to find their fish more humane housing.
Kirsti
owner of over 30 bettas, who all live in FISH TANKS (imagine!)

A: The small bowls are temporary homes. The plastic bags are shipping containers. LA

Shin Shien, September 27, 2006
On your keeping bettas page, I read the complaint from Kirsti Hanna, and I disagree. I keep well over 100 bettas, and they live 1 per quart mayonnaise jar. My bettas have never enjoyed living in even a 5-gal tank. 1 male living in a mayo jar breeds 4 times per year. Tell me, was he not healthy living in the jar? BTW, I clean their water weekly.

A: I agree with you. Once you see one of the Thai betta farms with 10,000 bettas living in fifth size whiskey bottles, you know that very few bettas are captured from the wild. I keep ours in even smaller containers. They're still happy enough to build their bubble nests. LA

Ryuzaki Hideki, Colorado Springs, CO, December 13, 2007

I was browsing your web pages and stumbled across your awesome betta page. I read the complaint from Kirsti Hanna, I'm surprised that she would say that. I have about 50 bettas, and a friend who breeds bettas. I tried keeping mine in a 10-gallon, and he was miserable. He always seemed overwhelmed and jumpy. I moved him back into a 1 qt jar and he was happy as could be. My friend keeps all his fish in 1 qt jars, and I have seen him produce some really great looking fish. Keep up the great site and info!
P.S. Cruelty is stressing bettas out by making them live in large tanks, kinda like sticking someone in a huge warehouse and expecting them to be happy. ^_^

Justine Dumain, Canada, March 8, 2008
I read the complaint from that Kirsti Hanna and I think it's obvious she doesn't know much about bettas. I'm not a very experienced fish keeper, but I know for a fact that they don't do well in big tanks. I kept one in only a 1.6 gallon tank and he was miserable. He wouldn't even come out of his little castle except to eat! I have found this website to be incredibly helpful with all of my other aquarium fishes and it's been great for figuring out which ones I should purchase next. Keep up the good work!
PS. I keep my new betta in a small bowl with a tiny lamp that comes over it, and he couldn't be happier or more active!

Rachel Beaver, Austin, TX, February 23, 2009
Hello, Your website has been very helpful to me! If you could, I would love for these two comments to be posted on the guinea pig and betta page.

I understand the small bags for shipping, but the small tanks are just not ok. Yes, bettas can survive in smaller tanks because of their labyrinth organ, but surviving is far different from thriving. To truthfully thrive a betta needs a steady temperature, which can only be achieved with a heater. I have never seen an unhappy betta in a large tank. All of mine are in tanks of at least 2 gallons with filters and heaters. The number one cause of early death in bettas is liver disease which is caused by small tanks. This is because they have no room to swim around, another reason why larger tanks are beneficial in the long term health of your betta. Another thing I should add is that a bubble nest does not mean they are happy. It is simply instinct. We have to be real here and understand that yes bettas can feel pain, and stress, but happiness is another whole thing. I have seen bettas on the brink of death building bubble nests in pet stores. They where not happy at all. I do not understand why you would want to put pictures of bettas in those tiny bags on your website, maybe one or two to show people how they are shipped, but it saddens me to see them like that. I truly hope you will take what I have said into consideration and change your webpage. I love these fish and yes, I in fact have bred them before and own many. I can safely say that I have never had a betta happy in a small tank, or all ones I have seen in small tanks have had clamped fins and look sickly, I will never put a betta in a small tank.

A: Of course some prefer larger containers. However, I'll post your comments. LA