Betta Fish World: 2008

Saturday 15 November 2008

Lively Tiny Betta Fish Catches a Considerable Following of Collectors

These days’ tiny wild betta fish still swim here and there in the rice paddy ditches of Southeast Asia, protecting their bubble nests from all prowlers. Although lively, the fish are far removed from their familial relatives, normally known as Siamese fighting fish.

Wild bettas will fight to protect their area however they are street fighters contrast to the Sweet Pea Whitakers of the pet trade, the familial bettas. The street urchins are nowhere near as bright, nor are their fins as elongated and as attractive as their domesticated counterparts.

Although the genetic materials are there. When a betta - wild or domestic - faces another betta, they both respond impulsively. Their body color gets deeper radically, as if flushed in irritation, and their trailing fins flash open and sit up, upright like a fan prepared to fight the summer heat.

For centuries in Asia the little fish were breed in confinement only for their fierceness and fighting aptitude. The fish were paired off by their possessors to fight, time and again to the death, to a great extent similar to a cock fight.

At present fighting is not authorized or excused by the International Betta Congress. As an alternative betta breeders raise their fish to develop their beauty, taking benefit of the physical characteristics of violence.

Over the years the betta has been bred for progressively attractive color variants and longer more striking flowing fins. Bettas are now found in various shades of yellow, blue, green, red, black and turquoise. They appear in bi-colors and they are also found with a pale shimmering look as if they had been covered with mother of pearl. At betta shows, there are 48 unusual color classes in which to participate.

Possessors take benefit of the fish's fighting nature to boast their colors and fins at their premium for betta show judges. The fish are revealed independently in small glass bowls and are prohibited from viewing fish in adjoining bowls by pieces of card stock.

When the judges come across, the card stock is removed and the bettas face each other through the glass. Their colors turns out to be vivacious and their fins go up and extend like fighters cocking their fists.

They are judge on transparency of color, unusual finnage and posture. Posture is not conduct. Its how sound the fish swims and how attentive it is.

That's all a betta show is concerned to - lifting those pieces of cardboard and allowing the bettas to relax.

Bettas have been famous to sell for over $ 150.

Betta Fish recommended resource: here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Lifespan of a Betta Fish

The normal lifespan of a Betta fish is approximately 3 years. But in many cases it has been observed that they lived up to five years. So, 5 years would be maximum life expectancy for a Betta fish.

The betas that you find the pet stores are already in the adult stage and minimum of 6 months to 1 year age. If the fish possess a healthy breathing habit and a sound health the fish will most probably have a better lifespan. You can keep the Betta in sound health by providing it a suitable environment, diet and proper medicines.

Healthy Environment begins with a sufficient amount of living space. That means you have to provide a spacious tank to the Betta. You must also ensure fresh water changes twice every week to make certain that your Betta fish lives for longer in a healthy condition.

The next thing which you have to care of is his diet. These striking beauties can carry out very well with a combination of high quality Betta pellets or other food products specially planned for him. For example Hikari Betta gold in combination with certain live food thrown in the tank for change at least in every three or four days together with some solid or chill dried treats. If you provide them proper diet it will definitely help them to lead a long and healthy life. Proper diet will also improve the bloom of your Betta fish.

Try to make use of as minimum as possible aquarium salts then you didn’t have to worry about proper medications. Most of the diseases that hit the health of Betta happen due to poor water quality. Therefore if your water quality is fine then you need not to worry about diseases. Also treating with any medicine might stimulate nervous tension.

Betta fish breed very well before they get to 1 year of age. They are generally bred from 6 months to 1 year. They usually breed inside bubble nests and do not necessitate any particular tank or apparatus. Actually the male Betta fish looks after nearly the whole thing.

Betta Fish recommended resource: here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Diseases of Betta Fish

There are many types of Betta fish diseases. Some of them are as follows:

Fungal Infection
If your Betta is suffering from fungal infection then it will have white cottony scraps on its body or head. He may be inactive, may be not taking its food, fins may be bunched, color turned to be little pale.

You have to change the entire water of the Betta tank. Then you should add “Fungus Eliminator” by Jungle. The measured quantity should be approximately 30-40 grains per 1/2 gallon of water. Water should have a pleasant gold color, not too gloomy. Do not give overdose of the medicine. Try to change water twice a week and put in fresh dose of the same medicine each time you change water. Keep on repeating the process until all fungus has vanished. Then put in BettaZing (8 drops per gallon) to uncontaminated any other bacteria/fungus that may still be there in the tank.

Tail Rot Or Fin Rot
This disease happens mostly due to dirty water. It is not excessively infectious, your Betta will more than liable get well if treated on time. Fins/tail will grow again, however may not have similar color or may not look as excellent or be as long as earlier.

If your Betta is suffering from this disease then its fins and/or tail appear to be getting shorter and smaller. Or they look as if to be falling separately and melting. There may be a shadowy color to the rim of the Betta’s fins/tail. He may be still active and eating usually, or may have stopped taking his food, fins may be bunched, and color may turn pale.

You have to change the entire water of the Betta tank. Put in tetracycline or Triple Sulfa mixed with Fungus Eliminator. Try to change water twice a week and put in fresh dose of the same medicine each time you change water. Keep on repeating the process until fins/tail stop diminishing and begin showing some fresh growth. This may take a minimum of 4 weeks, therefore don’t loose hope. Just the once rot stops and fins begin growing again you can stop putting in the medicines, but not previous to that.

Advanced Fin And Body Rot
This disease begins like a normal fin rot, however the rot grows quite quickly and is harder to prevent. In a little while no fins are left because all the tissues are eaten away. After that the rot moves toward to hit the body.

You have to change the entire water of the Betta tank. If possible make available a fresh jar. You must mix more than a few medications to have a possibility to stop this thing. Put in Ampicillin and double the dose if required, and put in tetracycline. These medicines generally come in the form of capsules. A complete capsule generally treats 10 gallon of water. A little overdose might be helpful. Try to change water twice a week and put in fresh dose of the same medicine each time you change water.

Betta Fish recommended resource: here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Betta Ailments

The major problem people face when they have a sick fish is that they are not ready. Many a times when a Betta fish gets ill, people waste lots of time. For the reason of:

• They don't catch it near the beginning,
• They don't know how to analysis the sick fish and finally,
• They don't have the appropriate medicines readily available.

Well, if you believe you can quickly run to your neighborhood pet store and acquire the medicine your Betta will require, just think twice! Most effective Betta medicines cannot be found at your neighborhood pet stores and number of people live in areas where even your fish store will not have them.

Following are a few medicines for your Betta fish:

BettaZing
This is an immense replacement to Bettamax - anti scrounging, anti protozoan & anti fungal. This is good for all around defensive. Very useful in cases like velvet & clamped fins. Use anytime you put in new fish or become accustomed.

Tetracycline
This is an antibiotic. It is excellent for bacterial infections.

Kanamycin
This is an antibiotic. It is very effective in case of serious bacterial infections.

Ampicillin
This is an antibiotic. It is very effective in case of pop-eye and gram positive serious infections.

Maracin 1 & Maracin 2
This is anti fungal and antibiotic. This is for easygoing infections like minor fin rots, although not very useful for severe stuff. These are solid tablets and can be harder to manage in bowl functions.

Jungle Fungus Eliminator
This is anti fungal. It is very effective in case of fungus infections.

Difference in appearance between a healthy and a sick Betta is :
Healthy Betta Fish
1/ Eating habits are similar to that of a little pig.

2/ Swims here and there. It is energetic.

3/ Acts usually

4/ Is bright and lively.

5/ Fins and tail are wide and appears like fans.

6/ Body appears glossy and spotless

Sick Betta Fish
1/ Does not eat in any way or eats unwillingly and may throw out his food.

2/ Is not energetic. May remain at the surface of water in a corner or lie down and come to the surface of water after sometime only for air.

3/ May flit and intentionally runs into everything he/she can (gravel, rocks, etc) in an attempt to scratch itself.

4/ Appears a little paler, color is unexciting, may become gray.

5/ Tail and at times fins are bunched, closed, rigid looking or falling separately.

6/ Body may have: raw sores, white cottony scraps, red spots, swellings or white spots.

Betta Fish recommended resource: here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Friday 24 October 2008

How Should Plants be Sterilized and Placed in the Tank with Your Betta Fish

Plants should be sterilized before introduction into the aquarium by placing them in a pink solution of Permanganate of Potassium for 10 minutes. As an oxidant, Potassium Permanganate can act as a disinfectant.

After disinfection, the plants should be rinsed thoroughly under running water and any metal clamps removed from their roots.

Fill the tank half full. With a finger, press a hole in the pebbles (or gravel) at the base of the aquarium and insert the plants, packing the gravel (or pebbles) firmly around the the plant roots.

When the plants are firmly in place, pour the remainder of the water from a pitcher onto the hand held low over the plants or distribute the water evenly over the surface using a watering can. This prevents uprooting.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR PLANTS, BECAUSE APART FROM BRING IN DISEASE TO YOUR AQUARIUM, THEY CAN ALSO BRING IN UNWANTED SNAIL EGGS.

Betta Fish recommended resource: here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Are Ornaments in the Aquarium Harmful to Your Betta ?

They may not harm your Betta, but the ideal aquarium is one which simulates natural conditions as closely as possible.

Sea shells and corals are best reserved for salt-water aquarium and mermaids can be safely relegated to the nursery along with Santa Claus and the pixies.

When shells are used they should be placed with the opening facing down so that any un-eaten food do not accumulate in them.

Stones may be cemented together to form an arch but great care must be taken to cure any cement before the stones in the aquarium.

PLEASE USE NON TOXIC CURED CEMENT (NOT GLUE)

Under the archyour Betta will play and rest and it becomes covered with green growth (algae) over time and your Betta will discover new browsing places. The effect is quite pleasing to the both eyes (Bettas and human) and also looks very natural to your fishy friend9s).

Betta Fish recommended resource: here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Saturday 31 May 2008

Main Factors Causing Death in Betta Fish

There are mainly 10 factors that are mainly responsible for the death of betta fishes. Generally bettas will make an effort to be in touch with us when anything goes wrong! They show us symptoms like gasping, thrashing about, jumping from tanks, hiding clamped on their gravel, or by some type of visual appearance indications.

The factors responsible for the sudden death of betta fishes are as follows:-

1. Chilly temperatures for long hours (generally leading to itch and consequent problems).

2. Unexpected, variable temperatures (the pressure can show the way to itch, funguses, or parasitical diseases).

3. Bad water quality shows the way to generally poor health and slight resistance to opportunistic aquarium illnesses.

4. Fin Rot, which is generally caused due to bad water quality.

5. Dropsy (a few betta fishes are just going to acquire this disease).

6. Tumours (the main reasons for the formation of tumours in bettas are not known).

7. Swim Bladder illness and Constipation, occurs in bettas because of weak intestinal organs or inappropriate feeding programs.

8. Bowl Jumping, generally a result of unexpected unintentional poisoning or long-drawn-out poisonous situations.

9. Over-Medicating - directs to a poisonous circumstances for a betta fish who is stressed in the initial place. Mostly medicines are excessively strong for bettas, and many demanding betta possessors give poison to their bettas with medicated cocktails.

10. Euthanasia – This is the stage when the owner of the fish takes sympathy on his poor betta and help out them to die as an action of benevolence.

Note:

Betta fishes are in fact attractive and enduring little fish once their least necessities are met.

Betta Fish recommended resource: here.

Is Betta Your Pet or You Betta's

To know whether the betta fish's are your pet or you are their, you have to go through the following checklist.

You are a betta's pet when

1. You permit your water age for 1 hour, 1 day or even quite a few, only to be confident although you already know that the water is harmless seconds after adding your dechlorinator.

2. You are persistently thinking of fresh things that would be suitable for your betta bowl for the reason that your betta wants new toys.

3. You can't avoid checking out the collection of bettas in each pet store, even if you have sufficient.

4. You stare at your betta at work when you should be carrying out your other important works, and support your co-workers to come closer and see "the adorable thing he's doing".

5. You discover yourself searching for female bettas that would produce attractive babies with your pet male betas.

6. You're constantly going through your much loved old novels to get some of the very best names for your new betta fish.

7. You can't defend against overfeeding your betta fish as it enjoys his food very much.

8. Your family begins speculating when you feel you will have sufficient betas.

9. At the slightest sign of fin rot, you straight away getaway the aquarium salt, bettafix, tetracycline, pH adjuster and fungicide, to mix up an emergency medicinal cocktail.

Therefore, how many of these are correct in your case?

1-3 checked - Unwary Betta Victim
You noticeably are still green to this betta game.

4-6 checked - Betta pet
You are a usual betta pet owner. You beautify your new betta bowls to go with your fish. People have discovered you dance around in joy at your initial real bubble nest.

7-8 checked - Betta Fan
You test out the Fish Forum daily morning, at lunch, and prior to bedtime, for your betta fix. You are dreaming of growing brine shrimp as extravagance for your much loved bettas and have influenced everybody in your direct personal circle to possess a betta of their own.

All 9 checked - Discouraging Case
You are aware of your trouble. You keep betta pictures in your money purse and your own kids are envious. Although you are conscious of your condition, you turn down cure.

Betta Fish recommended resource: here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

How to Care Bettas

Bettas originated in the oxygen-starved swamps and rice paddies of eastern Asia. Their surface-breathing organ, called a labyrinth, developed out of necessity. If their water goes foul, they can go to the surface and gulp air.

The fish vase's solitary inhabitant is almost always a male because the dull-colored, shortfinned females are downright homely compared to the long, showy fins and iridescent blues, reds, black and white colors of their male counterparts.

The brilliantly colored beauties may appear somewhat lonely swimming in their oneroom glass chambers, but save your pity for a more deserving species.

They're normally solitary creatures. Put two together and see what happens. The males, especially, are very aggressive. When they feel threatened, they flare their fins and gills. And they're non-discriminatory, as likely to kill a female as a male.

With one exception. When males are ready to mate, they blow bubble nests at the surface of the water to hold a female friend's eggs.

The only time you could put a female in is when he's blowing bubbles. Then you know he's ready for love.

Although Bettas cannot live with their own kind, they can peacefully coexist with certain species. And don't worry about their tiny living quarters.

They don't really do well in large spaces. And they don't need company, but if it will make you feel better, you could put an aquatic African Dwarf frog in with them.

With a little luck, your Betta friend will live happily for three to five years. But by that time, even the distributors say the Betta craze likely will be long gone.

There's lots of conflicting information out there about the care and feeding of Betta, or Siamese-fighting, fish. But according to Seth Cosby of Ed's Pet World, Bettas thrive on the following care:

Food - Bettas don't live by plant roots and algae alone. They need protein, in the form of shrimp pellets or freeze-dried bloodworms. Two or three pellets every day or two should do it.

Don't overfeed, or you'll dirty the water and possibly kill the fish.

Water - Change the water completely every three or four weeks. Use de-chlorinating drops or let the water sit for 24 hours before putting it in the vase.

Plant roots - Keep the roots trimmed, and don't let them touch the pebbles on the bottom of the vase.

Temperature - Put your Betta vase in a warm spot in indirect sunlight. The water needs to be as close to room temperature as possible.

Betta Fish recommended resource: here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Care of Betta Fish in Homes

Care of Betta Fish in Homes

What's the most common pet in the USA? That's a trick question. Although more households own cats and dogs, as you might expect, the most popular pet in terms of sheer numbers is fish. That is, of course, because aquariums almost always contain several fish, and fish fanciers sometimes have hundreds of pets in their homes.
Now comes an alert from the Southern Betta Society, a local group that enjoys owning and breeding Bettas, also known as Siamese Fighting Fish.

Bettas originated in the Orient, and they commonly live in rice paddies and even water puddles. They are one of only a few fish that have developed lungs. This allows them to survive during dry seasons by burying themselves in the mud, with only their mouths exposed to breathe.

Recently, Betta fish have been sold in many stores along with a small aquarium kit that contains a plant and gravel.

The fish will live longer and better lives if several things are done by new owners, according to Cindy Crayton West of the Southern Betta Society.

First, the owner should remove the top of the small aquarium, add the gravel to the bottom and then the plant, water and the fish. They should be fed everyday, or at least every other day. The diet should be one of several prepackaged or frozen Betta foods available at pet supply shops.

To keep the Betta's beautiful fins healthy, the water should be changed at least once a week. Use regular or filtered water with a water conditioner (also available at pet supply stores). Adding a little bit of non-iodized salt will help cut down on fungus. When changing the water, wash the bowls with hot water, but no soap, to kill germs.

Failure to take these steps can result in a lack of air for the Bettas, a lack of nutrients (Bettas are voracious eaters) and the formation of parasites that will destroy their fins.

Betta Fish recommended resource: here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Betta Fish and You

When you go for a betta fish, it is suggested that you try to find out the standard symptoms of good health. These are symptoms are color, no skin troubles, no injuries, fins that are not tattered, a normal, well-rounded body, apparent eyes, and no parasites: usually healthy looking. Many of us, in contrast, at times like rescuing a sick Betta and nurturing him back to good health! If you are taking up a Betta child for the first time, although, you should perhaps look for, not only one that you like, but one which also seems to be healthy, thus you can get a sense for what a healthy fish’s approach and behavior are similar to. Obviously, attitude of betta fish is always very personal. You’ve to make a daily scrutiny of this amazing individual, who has come to be a routined part of your life.

To adjust yourself in to your Betta Fish’s typical physical state and tank habits, take pleasure in probing him daily. In this way, you can make out what natural behaviors are for your own particular and inimitable Betta kid. Excluding the noticeable good tank habits which should take in swimming straight and smoothly through the entire aquarium and breathing usually, every Betta has his or her own individuality.

You’ve to set away a very minimum amount of time everyday to observe your amazing fishes. This could be at any time like feeding times etc. It’s enjoyment and comforting lets you, to create a logue of data about how your little darling take actions and reacts in all types of circumstances during the day and night. You can also keep a record of his every day actions. It’s very useful. It’s fast and effortless.

You are not capable of listening him – apart from for a number of bubbles popping and a few noises he will create with his mouth when he tries to acquire your notice or when his tail spatters the surface of the water, however he is continuously trying to be in touch with you and other fishes which you may have in other tanks close to him. Actually, it is very earsplitting under the water as fish correspond with each other and their atmosphere – we just can’t listen to the majority.

Your most excellent way of finding out what your fish is trying to communicate is to make certain you take a good observation daily! Your Betta loves to notice you and to listen the sound of your accent.

Betta Fish recommended resource: here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Are Bettas The Best Gifts?

For various occasions, fish stores have a broad range of attractive vases with ribbons and bows tied around them and with charming Betta fish swimming here and there inside that vase. Is this good for that Betta fish?

The beautiful presentation positively is cheering a lot of people to go forward and get a Betta Fish - which is an excellent thing! Obviously, you would like to make certain that your mom truly become the adopter initially. Taking the liability of taking care of a betta is an obligation to look out the fish for its entire lifetime.

As soon as you are confident that your mom would really love to possess a Betta fish, then you could gift her new betta in the vase with the ribbon and bow as your style of packaging her gift. This vase must not be the permanent home for that betta. You have to also supply him with a suitable aquarium and everything he will require to not only stay alive; however also to flourish cheerfully for future years.

There is a collection of aquariums to opt from in various pet stores. You could begin with a smaller aquarium initially, which has its own filtration system to maintain clean water and hence prepare a healthier surrounding for that betta. You could also later upgrade the smaller aquarium to a bigger one.

If you want to put the new Betta in a community tank, then you, certainly, will have to make certain that the other fish in that tank are all nonviolent fish and with no extended, flowing fins similar to the Bettas - for the reason that you would not like anybody pinching your new Bettas attractive fins, and you also would not like him following his territorial intuitions and pinching at the flowing fins of other fish in his new tank!

Giving a Betta fish as a gift, in any occasion can be just a charming gesture for whom you have gifted it. This, eventually, is one of the most excellent things regarding fish keeping: the manner in which fish can draw people as one and make bonds between them.

Betta Fish recommended resource: here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Thursday 3 April 2008

Toys for Your Betta Fish

You would definitely know that your pet aquarium betta fish also require a bit of incentive. In the wild, there are numerous types of pastimes like avoiding predators, search for food, swim upstream, looking for mates; hide as required and in the tank, a fish can simply become fed up. Fin nipping and fish chasing are some of the activities which signifies that your fish is bored. A lonesome fish can turn out to be lethargic and insecure, or can pay too much interest to anything happening outside the tank. Though this is all right, but you would not be there at all times to see it. Adding some fun fish toys can facilitate your little fish with some friend.

The fun toys for your betta fish should be:
• Something to swim under or through
• Something to rest on
• Something to hide under
• Bright colors
• Soft, smooth edges
• Something that creates gentle bubbles
• Objects prepared with stone, hard plastics, glass or silk (ie - silk plants). Be cautious of adding things to the tank that can alter its chemistry or seep out contaminants, or porous objects that will support additional growths of algae.

Some of the objects that you can use are:
• Hamster tubes
• Parakeet ladders
• Fish caves and other aquarium decorations
• Silk plants, or plastic plants with no sharp edges
• Live plants
• Freshwater snail shells
• Live snails
• Smooth river rocks
• Smooth slabs of shale
• Small terra-cotta pots, rested on their sides
• Glass beads

If you like this article, then you might be interested in getting the "Caring for a Betta Fish: An Insider’s Guide for Betta Lovers By Marcus Song" ebook.

It has some important facts and information on how to keep your Betta correctly fed and what food to avoid, keeping your treasured pet safe, healthy and Happy.

We have reviewed it and the review can be found
here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Setting Up the Tank for Your Betta Fish

If you have bought a new Betta Fish, then you might be worried about setting its new home properly. So, following are a few steps that would make your hurdle easier.

• If your fish is in a cup or bag, put him on your counter in a secured place as you set up his new home.

• A betta fish is pleased in nearly everything water-resistant. Most of the people use big bowls or small tank aquariums. You should clean the container with hot water, without any soap or other disinfectant. Always keep in mind that soap would be deadly to your betta fish.

• Clean the container with a fresh cloth or paper towels.

• You can also put in some gravel, caves, toys or decorations whichever you want. You will, certainly, have by now cleaned these items underneath hot water! You can also clean old decorations, algae or "crud" with the help of a new toothbrush, or by prolonged soaking in hot water.

• Fill warm or room temperature tap water in the container. Settle on what warmth your betta's water will be and make an effort to get that set up before you add your fish in it. A small aquarium thermometer is very useful for setting up water the way your betta fish will prefer it.

• Put dechlorinator in the container as per the quantity suggested on the bottle. This makes water harmless for your betta fish. If you do not have a dechlorinator, allow the water sit out all night to "clear" the chlorine. Though, you must have to get some dechlorinator ultimately. Luckily, it is quite low-priced and time and again adds somewhat of useful slime coat additive. Generally all you require is one drop/gallon of water...and the bottle lasts for a long time.

• Add anything else you think you need to the water or container. A few people prefer a little of aquarium salt as a propylactic (disease preventive); and there are all types of ways to fight untidiness with your water chemistry, similar to adding pH remedies. It is better on your part to avoid as your betta will automatically adapt to the water pH and inappropriately added pH chemicals can burn your betta fish.

• Lastly, float your new betta fish in the new tank. Throw away water from the bag or cup as that water is possibly dirty.

• Place the tank in its place. Try to place the tank in such a place that it remains out of direct sunlight, away from drafts, and off of electrical appliances.

That's it. You don't require any additional filters, bubblers or other device. Betta fish is a very undemanding fish, provided that you maintain his water clean and the temperatures even.

If you like this article, then you might be interested in getting the "Caring for a Betta Fish: An Insider’s Guide for Betta Lovers By Marcus Song" ebook.

It has some important facts and information on how to keep your Betta correctly fed and what food to avoid, keeping your treasured pet safe, healthy and Happy.

We have reviewed it and the review can be found
here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

How to Keep Betta Fish and Other Pets in Same House

It's quite easy to keep betta fish and other pets like dogs and cats together in same house if you follow certain important points. The main difficulty of putting fish tanks and dogs together is generally a rambunctious dog throwing down the tank. A mischievous dog or powerfully wagging tail can throw a fish bowl right onto the floor.

Dogs generally don't pay interest to fish like the cats do. Actually dogs don't pay attention to the activities of a fish. If you keep the betta fish bowl up in a safe height then, everything would be all right.

If you place a cover on the bowl, then you won't have to be concerned about a dog playing with a jumping fish that has fallen down on the floor. A cover on the top is only a reasonable safety measure anyhow. Make certain that the seal is not hermetically sealed, so the betta will get fresh oxygen to breathe.

If you have a dog that is excessively fascinated in the activities of your fish, you might have a desire to dog proof your bowl as you would do if you had a cat.

Cats are born fishers! However cats can be trained! To guarantee the protection of your fish, although, there are strategies you can apply to make their surroundings a harmless one.

Training cat needs patience. You can train your cat to "sit" and "stay" and "Lie down", along with other tricks to keep them away from being aggressive with your fish. We should also take great care of our kittens and cats and give them what they require to be hale and hearty so that they will not imitate. Try to be their friend and well- wisher and they will be yours!

An aquarium is always the most excellent option for your fishes' security and well-being. In addition supporting good water quality to guarantee a longer, happier life for your betta fish, a tank comes with a cover! This is certainly a great security from the outside world - together with kitty's cute little paws and claws!

Specially made table and cabinets are also available in which you can place the aquarium to keep it away from anything or anybody falling into or else getting into the aquarium!

If you like this article, then you might be interested in getting the "Caring for a Betta Fish: An Insider’s Guide for Betta Lovers By Marcus Song" ebook.

It has some important facts and information on how to keep your Betta correctly fed and what food to avoid, keeping your treasured pet safe, healthy and Happy.

We have reviewed it and the review can be found
here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

How to Cure Fin Rots of Betta Fish

Now a day's most of the betta fish owners are facing the problem of fin rot. Fin rot is a type of bacterial infection that occurs mostly in the bitten or torn fins - generally tails – which gets dragged across polluted gravel. Bacteria very easily enter the injury and starts 'feeding' off the soft tissues of the fish's tail. Betta Splendens, the fantastic betta samuri fighting fish, is very vulnerable to these types of fin rots because these bettas have long, flourishing fins which mostly remain in touch with the tank floor, soaking up that infection causing bacteria.

Solution of this problem is definitely within your reach. The solution is clean water and clean gravel. You can place different toys, rocks, caves, snail shells, silk plants etc. for your fish to rest on. This helps to keep them away from the gravel. Bettas like to rest very much.

Cleaning gravel is simple. If you possess a tank which contains ten gallon water with filter, then you can plan your cleaning procedure like water changing and gravel vacuum cleaning in 2-3 weeks. It might be done at an interval of a month.

But for fishes living in small tanks the water changing procedure is very important. If you have lively fin rot circumstances, you should change the water in small intervals. Change it daily if possible, and add a little quantity of aquarium salt, which will make the water less friendly for microbes specially disease causing bacteria's. You can utilize a turkey baster to get rid of gravel crud as often as possible. Don't allow the fin rot get a foothold by any means!

Fresh water and salt are the best precautionary measures against various fish disease causing microbes. Various medications are available in the market, but many of those might make the things go worse. Actually, most of the medicines have side effects, and which generally result in killing off the good microscopic plants together with the bad, which many a times stresses out the fish. Adding something to water raises the ion load. Finally, if you have placed a filter in the tank, then you must take out the carbon when you medicate...or else the carbon will take away the medicine. On the other hand on lacking carbon, your fish will also have to deal with with increased levels of ammonia.

If you like this article, then you might be interested in getting the "Caring for a Betta Fish: An Insider’s Guide for Betta Lovers By Marcus Song" ebook.

It has some important facts and information on how to keep your Betta correctly fed and what food to avoid, keeping your treasured pet safe, healthy and Happy.

We have reviewed it and the review can be found
here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Hiding Spots for Bettas

Bettas like being the center of attraction in your home. They are inquisitive little beings and flourish when they can observe the world go by. However, a betta fish also require a place to move away for peaceful expression and solitude. You can effortlessly make available your betta fish with a "room of his own".

Depending on the dimensions of your betta fish tank, there are all types of caves, rocks, toys and decorations where a betta fish can conceal from the world.

In betta fish tanks of small dimension – you can make available big fresh water snail shells. Betta fish will bend in these for sleeping and concealing themselves. If you have a big freshwater snail shell, be certain to draw off the "bottom crud" from the center of the shell – weekly or as required - with a turkey baster. This will avert fin rot.

You can also put in small terra cotta pots for creating wonderful betta caves. You can also pile things like rocks to build a betta cave. Be cautious to place the whole thing so it will be very unwavering in the tank - or else you could cover your poor fish, or in any case hurt him, when the rocks reallocate.

You can make well-built and attractive caves from all types of substances if you stick them jointly with aquarium silicone. This is a great mode to maintain rock caves from breaking up!

Make certain your hidey hole is smooth, with round edges. Doesn't matter what you select as a "room" for your betta fish, he will feel more comfortable if he knows he has a safe place to hide in. Though, don't be concerned about never seeing him another time. Inconsistently, having a shady, secretive little recoil will make him even more liable to come out and play!

If you like this article, then you might be interested in getting the "Caring for a Betta Fish: An Insider’s Guide for Betta Lovers By Marcus Song" ebook.

It has some important facts and information on how to keep your Betta correctly fed and what food to avoid, keeping your treasured pet safe, healthy and Happy.

We have reviewed it and the review can be found
here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Changing Colors of Betta Fish

Very little people in this world know that Bettas can change colors. This is common and nothing to be concerned about.

Most of the betta fish used to start their life as pearlescent white or piebald. As the time gets passed on a few color patches appears on their body which gradually covers the entire body and after a certain time your betta fish gets completely unrecognizable.

In most of the cases a male betta fish used to react to great circumstances - appropriate temperatures, hygienic water and a protected hidey hole - by coloring up beautifully. A male who is brought into breeding appearance (higher temps, many live foods) will excel up further brightly. A female betta fish who is prepared to mate generally (not always) builds up vertical striping, in the middle of no matter what color she has, to at her finest.

Female betta fish's mostly were of dull colors initially, although can flourish into some very attractive, bright colors when they feel secure, and are appropriately taken care of. Despite that, generally a bright female betta fish can relapse back to those brownish tangential strips and be deficient of pigmentation when frightened or discontented. Also, a male betta fish, which is very much terrified, might drop color and demonstrate fear stripes.

If this happens in any case, just take away the traumatic or terrifying circumstances (ie – contaminated water quality, children shaking the tank, whatsoever), put in a drop of slime coat preservative or aquarium salt for some further healing, and leave them lonely for a sometime. They should get back their color when they are feeling passive all over again.

Last of all, if a betta fish has injured fins, they might grow get back to dull colors. They generally color up in due course with appropriate betta care!

If you like this article, then you might be interested in getting the "Caring for a Betta Fish: An Insider’s Guide for Betta Lovers By Marcus Song" ebook.

It has some important facts and information on how to keep your Betta correctly fed and what food to avoid, keeping your treasured pet safe, healthy and Happy.

We have reviewed it and the review can be found
here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Bowl Jumping of Betta Fish

Many a times you have seen that bettas jump out of their bowls. The below article will tell you more about this.

At times a betta fish will not recognize that it is not jumping into further water. In the "wild", a betta fish used to jump from one wet pond to another – to move to one which is bigger. As bettas breathe oxygen straight from the air, a betta fish will stay active as long as it stays wet. If it wriggles and jumps around, it might simply find a better water hole for himself. Bettas are very strong as per body strength in comparison to other fishes and can jump quite high and far.

In your bowl, it will usually stay right where it is. At times it will jump out by mistake. You can help betta to recognize the upper surface of the water by putting a cover on the top of your bowl or by placing some floating toys.

Many a times a betta fish jumps from his tank intentionally. This happens if he has just been placed into a new bowl. You should cover your bowl for a week or so - until he adapts his surroundings.

Be cautious of those tanks that have break up regions for more than one bettas in one tank - a lot of betta fancier has come home to discover their males together, splitted to shreds, or even dead. A betta male will make an effort to jump into those special sections if they can. In this type of case you must maintain the water to a low level so that your betta fish cannot jump the hurdles.

A betta fish may also jump from his tank to get rid of bad water conditions. Just ensure that you make available clean, dechlorinated water to the betta fish. The smaller the size of the tank is, the more essential this is. If he is provided with bad water conditions, he will do everything he can do to get rid of that water.

Finally, at times bettas jump from their tanks as the tanks were filled with additional water mostly after adding water or doing a water change.

If you return home and discover your betta fish on the floor, straight away put it back in water! It might still be breathing and might get well soon. Always keep in mind, that betta fish can keep breathing very easily from the air, and won't be dead unless he's dried out.

If you like this article, then you might be interested in getting the "Caring for a Betta Fish: An Insider’s Guide for Betta Lovers By Marcus Song" ebook.

It has some important facts and information on how to keep your Betta correctly fed and what food to avoid, keeping your treasured pet safe, healthy and Happy.

We have reviewed it and the review can be found
here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Adding Suitable Companion to Betta Fish

You might be experiencing a huge confusion in choosing the suitable companion for your betta fish. However, you should keep in mind that betas love to be alone.

The companion you choose should be one who can assist you to clean up gravel and algae.

Gravel Cleaners

1. Corydoras Catfish – These fishes are perfect option for unfiltered tanks as like betta these fishes also swim up for a guzzle of air. They will also keep your gravel clean by separating and excavating around for additional food and other things. In view of the fact that these fishes prefer company, the most excellent thing will be to have groups of three corys.

If three is not possible, then it should be at least in the group of two. Don't forget to place some caves or other hideouts for these catfish.

2. African Dwarf Frogs – These companions are again great gravel cleaners. African Dwarf frogs are actually underwater amphibians. At frequent intervals they swim up to the surface of water for guzzle of air, and also don't require any filter. You have to provide it with a cave or a rock in which it can make hole and a floating plant.

They will time and again hang still at the surface, for no matter what reason, or move stealthily in around the decoration.

3. Ghost Shrimp– They are used as a companion mostly because they are a fun to watch. However, betta used to eat them most of the times. You can't put salt or medications in these tanks.

These shrimps are the perfect choice for the betta fish owners with small tanks.

Algae Eaters

1. Otocinclus - these small wall suckers are wonderful for taking away algae from your tank walls, plants and decorations. Extremely calm and attractive, and will also guzzle air if you don't have a filter in your tank. Bettas can create problem for them, if they are feeling tired of something, so make available a hidey hole. Oto Cats prefer the company of their own kind, but won't hang around if they are alone.

2. Chinese Algae Eaters– These were very attractive initially, they get violent when they grow-up. They also become quite big.

3. Livebearers– They will throw away algae, although this isn't truly their specialty.

If you like this article, then you might be interested in getting the "Caring for a Betta Fish: An Insider’s Guide for Betta Lovers By Marcus Song" ebook. It has some important facts and information on how to keep your Betta correctly fed and what food to avoid, keeping your treasured pet safe, healthy and Happy.

We have reviewed it and the review can be found here.

Adding Gravels in Betta fish Aquarium

If you follow up a regular schedule of cleaning your betta fish tank by changing water and cleaning daily with the help of an aquarium vacuum, then there is no requirement of any gravel in the tank at all. In case if your tank is small with respect to the number of betta fish you possess then you should follow up entire water change and should not think about gravel.

On the other hand, if you possess gallon or big betta tanks, you will almost certainly have a desire to add to decorate with some attractive bottom cover. For bettas, it's essential to choose smooth-edged gravel that will not catch fragile, flowy fins of betta fish.

Always keep in mind that if in any case the fin of betta fish gets ripped, he gets extremely vulnerable to picking up the fungus which is the root cause of fin rot. Therefore it is very essential to employ smooth gravel with your betta fish. This is not that much essential in the case of short-finned plakat betta males or betta females.

Actually, the round edges of smooth gravel are good for bettas. You can utilize gravel of any dimension. Mostly people utilize large, smooth glass stones from craft stores for their betta fish tanks. Always make sure that you conscientiously clean up the uneaten foods and poops. In most of the cases, the water of the tank turns unhealthy and foul due to the cruds which slip down under the gaps of the stones. Again, the solution is cleaning routinely.

Betta fish doesn't have any fascination towards the color of the gravel. You can you’re your idea and can select color as per your choice.

Before adding gravel, don't forget to wash them under running water to remove all the dust from it. It doesn't matter whether you use hot or cold water for washing the gravels but don't make use of soap. Now you can add gravel to the tank followed by your desired decorations, and water with dechlorinator. On getting the desired temperature of water for your betta fish just add your betta fish to the tank.

If you like this article, then you might be interested in getting the "Caring for a Betta Fish: An Insider’s Guide for Betta Lovers By Marcus Song" ebook.

It has some important facts and information on how to keep your Betta correctly fed and what food to avoid, keeping your treasured pet safe, healthy and Happy.

We have reviewed it and the review can be found
here.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Adding Air Stones and Bubblers in your Betta Fish Aquarium

Though nearly everybody knows that a betta fish aquarium doesn't require any air stone or filter - actually, that is why these fishes are so well-liked - there are people who like the look of a column of bubbles in their tanks.

Normally, betta fish does not like current in their water. They like better a pleasant, still surrounding with numerous things to look at outside their bowl. A bubbler (drinking fountain) ruins their Zen stillness, however you can still add one in the tank, if you truly want one.

The most important thing to keep in mind is you have to break up the current. You can hide the bubbler, initially, and place a stack of rocks, few plants or an attractive toy over the air stone, to break up the bubble flow.

You can also acquire gangway valves (very reasonably priced and undemanding to install; simply ask for one at your pet shop) that directs the flow of air coming into your stones.

With a little testing, you can regulate the valve to allow only a lethargic trickle of air through the tank. If the betta fish tank is big and can contain approximately 10 gallon of water then you can place a bubbler in one corner.

The betta fish can easily move to the other corners when he has a desire to rest. If you have any current flowing through the betta fish's tank, think about purchasing a cave or other aquarium toy for him to hideaway

Betta fish like to rest on and also in their caves and may even sleep on top of aquatic plant leaves in their aquarium. If your betta fish feels relaxed in their resting area, you may also notice that it moves towards the bubble stream quite often to test out things.

A few betta fishes are more inquisitive than others. Some bettas are scared of bubblers and will be a discontented little fish if one is imposed on them. You will have to be observant and take note of how your Betta respond to the existence of an air stone in their bowl.

You should also take note, if there is any current in your betta fish's aquarium, it might affect it's behaviour and might not create a bubblenest.

Bubblenest building is a thing which all bettas like, so you might feel like taking out the bubbler at times, to permit your Betta some creative expression time!

Saturday 12 January 2008

Betta Fish - Essential Facts On How To Keep Them Alive And Well By Rose Mary

The betta fish is a popular fish among fish hobbyists. As the betta is an attractive fish, many of them use this fish to add beauty to their aquarium. However, there are some people who prefer to keep their bettas in small containers as pets. Although rearing bettas are not difficult as these fishes are known for its physical hardiness, there are some points that we need to observe in order to keep these fishes well.

Due to its quality of physical toughness, the betta fish can survive well even if it is placed in small bowls or jars. The betta is a labyrinth fish and is able to breathe atmospheric air. Hence, give a small space, it will not suffer any oxygen deficiency because it can swim to the surface of the water to breathe air. Although the betta can thrive in small containers, it is important that the water in these containers be changed regularly. The smaller the water space, the more often is the need to change the water. If a betta is reared in a small living space with poor water conditions, it will not reach its full coloration and high activity levels.

Bettas should be kept in water with temperature between 74 degrees F and 84 degrees F. If the temperature is above 84 degrees F, the betta will display some discomfort and in the long run, they may age faster. When changing water, it should be ascertained that the temperature of the new water be similar to that of the old water. This is to ensure that the betta will not experience a sudden change of temperature and become sick. If small containers are used to keep the betta, the water in these containers need not be filtered. However, if larger containers are used, filtering is encouraged as it can lengthen the time needed for a water change.

It is not advisable to place more than one male betta fish in an aquarium. If this happens, the bettas will become aggressive and attempt to defend their territory within the small space. Hence, they may cause harm to each other. It is very rare that two female bettas will fight against each other, though sometimes there may be a little fin nipping between the two. As such, most of the time, there is no serious injury. Placing a male and female betta together with other fishes in a community aquarium can create problems. This is because there is a possibility that these two bettas may start spawning and this may affect other fishes in the tank. When you place a betta in a community aquarium, you should ensure that the other fishes in the aquarium are not the aggressive type. This is to prevent attacks from these fishes which can result in damage and injury.

Bettas have a rapid metabolic rate, hence, it is advisable that these fishes be fed with small, frequent meals. If too much food is given in one feeding, the betta may not consume all the food and the remaining food may cause pollution of water.

The above are some points we need to note if we want to keep our bettas well. Keeping the betta is an interesting, enriching and rewarding hobby. You can choose to keep it in an aquarium or in a small container. As there are many types of bettas available, you can have more choices to select the type you like. Once you have started this hobby, your passion will grow and eventually you will want to learn more about this remarkable fish and hope to keep more of them. For more information on care for Betta fish, please visit Betta Fish Care.

Rose Mary. Freelance writer in various interest topics. Learn the essentials on keeping Betta fish alive and well at Betta Fish Care.

10 Important Betta Fish Care Tips or How to Increase Your Betta's Lifespan By David Kohlmann

Every betta owner is concerned with the health and well-being of his precious fish. However, there are a lot of less-known issues regarding betta health that are not always paid attention to.

The following ten tips for proper betta care should be known to every responsible betta fish owner:

10) When getting a new aquarium, it is essential to have enough "good" bacteria in it in order to process the ammonia and nitrites excreted by the betta. In a brand new tank, there are none (unless you put real aquarium gravel in), which causes bettas to suffer from "new tank syndrome". The correct way to handle this is to get a testing kit from your local pet store, add some Java moss to the tank, replace about 20% of the water each day with fresh water, and keep measuring the ammonia and nitrite levels. If they stay at a stable low level, you have a colony of good bacteria in place and there is no more reason to worry.

9) Never use purified or distilled water, since the mineral content is too low. Nor should you use one of the carbon water filters that humans use for their drinking water, unless the manufacturer recommends them for aquariums (and normally they don’t). There is no need to buy “designer” bottled water either. Your plain, unfiltered tap water should be fine if it is properly treated.

8) The minimum amount of water necessary for a fully grown betta not to be miserable is about 2 gallons. However, there is no real limit, since no betta will be upset with too much water.

7) Never put two males together. That’s the surest way to prevent them from fighting. If your goal is to introduce a female to the environment, do it slowly. Start by putting the female into a tank and placing it next to the male’s tank. Let the male become accustomed to seeing her for a week or so. Then introduce her to the male’s environment

6) Bettas are carnivores. That means they eat meat. Feeding your betta a vegetarian diet will make him sick because he will not get the protein he needs. If your dietary beliefs do not allow you to feed meat products to your betta, don’t buy one!

5) Avoid using antibiotics on the water. Although they do kill the bad bacteria, they also kill the good bacteria, which can again lead to betta getting poisoned.

4) Your betta’s life revolves around the surface of the water - so don’t make it hard to get to. Even if there are no females in his tank, your male will still enjoy building a bubble nest at the surface and playing around with it as if training for the day he’ll have real babies to raise. This means moving eggs from the bottom up to the nest - and it’s something your male will practice even if he hasn’t done any breeding. So the bottom line is that you should aim to have the water depth be no more than 10 inches from substrate (gravel on the bottom) to surface.

3) The water pH levels should ideally be 6.8 to 7.0 - slightly acidic to neutral. However, don’t worry about it if the water’s pH isn’t in that exact range. Bettas can adjust. The main thing is to not make drastic changes to the pH level. For your little ones, a stable pH is the most important thing. Additionally, the chemicals used to adjust pH have been observed to cause bettas to become sick and even die.

2) There is some disagreement about this issue, but we have found through extensive research and experience that most bettas only need to be fed once per day. This most closely approximates a betta’s feeding experience in nature. If you want to feed twice per day, remember you are running the risk of overfeeding plus you will likely end up having to clean the aquarium more frequently to counteract the additional waste buildup.

1) Before handling your bettas, wash your hands. Use a soap that is organic and non-toxic. Sticking dirty hands or hands washed with aggressive chemicals into the tank is a sure way to make your bettas sick.

These were just some of the basics of caring after bettas. For exhaustive information on purchasing bettas, betta health care, feeding, breeding, and more, you can refer to the Betta Fish Lover's Guide by Marcus Song at http://www.bettafishguide.com/.

David is a pet enthusiast and a long-time aquarium owner.

Betta Fish Care - Aquarium Heaters - Do You Really Need One? By Michael Worthington

While it can be difficult to maintain the water temperature in a tank, it’s absolutely necessary that you have one. There are two reasons for this. First of all, if your Betta gets too stressed out over a period of time, his immune system will become compromised, and he’ll begin to lose his ability to fight off infection and disease.

The second reason is that your Betta is used to living in water that is between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit – and he will become listless and unresponsive if the water is too far above or too far below that temperature. This becomes even more important in a large tank.

It’s also very important that you maintain a fairly consistent temperature in your Betta fish’s tank. Your fish won’t handle extreme temperature changes either. By the way, it doesn’t take much of a water temperature change – just the matter of a couple of degrees Fahrenheit – for your Betta to be affected – so this is something you really need to pay attention to.

The unit of measurement for aquarium heaters is in watts. When trying to decide on which heater will be best for you, a good basic guideline is 5 watts per gallon of water. Make sure that the heater fits your tank and, if it’s an internal one, can be properly inserted.

If you’re not sure and you didn’t buy the tank and heater together, take the tank with you to the store, and ask the manager to help you get the right one.

Two Types of Heating Systems:

There are two main types of heating systems – internal and external. You’ll have to decide which one works best for you – and if you have any questions, ask your local pet store or your Betta breeder for recommendations based on your tank set up.

One other important thing to keep in mind is the water circulation – without proper water circulation, you’re going to have “hot spots” and “cold spots” in the water, both of which can be harmful to your Betta fish. Heaters cost anywhere from about $20 to $50, although like with anything else, you can find more expensive models.

Internal Tank Heating Systems:

Internal heating systems are the most common. They usually consist of a glass tube anywhere between 4 inches (10.16 cm) to 12 inches (30.48 cm) long. Some offer a built-in thermostat, while others will have an external thermostat, usually outside the tank and are usually used to control multiple heating units.

External Tank Heating Systems:

There are several different models of external heating systems, such as a model which fits under the tank and heats the water from below, or one that connects to the filtering system. They are widely available both online and off.

Mike owns Betta Fish Expert which helps people learn about betta fish.

How to Prevent Betta Fish Fin Rot By Jason Osborn

Fin rot is one of the most common things that you have to watch out for with your betta. Of course the best way to deal with fin rot is to prevent it from ever happening. So how do you prevent fin rot from happening? Here are a few great tips.

The fist thing that you need to know is that fin rot is a bacterial infection that happens when a torn fin drags across the gravel. The tail is the most common place for this to happen. Your betta's fins rest on the tank or floor and soak up the bad bacteria.

The simple solution for this is to keep both the water and the gravel clean. One trick that you can do as well is to toys like caves, silk plants, snail shells, or other things that your betta can rest on. Bettas like to rest so this is a great way to help make sure that they stay off the gravel.

So on to the gravel and water cleaning. Use a turkey baster to remove the gravel scum. Do this as often as you think about it. As far as the water, change it every one to two days and add a little aquarium salt to make the water less hospitable for bacteria.

You can use medications for fin rot; however these medications can often have side effects that could make things worse. This is why I recommend using fresh water and salt as your first line of defence against fin rot.

Do you want to take the best care of your betta fish?

Click here to discover the secrets of giving the best care to your betta: Betta Fish Care

Guide to Betta Fish Food By Sarah Munn

Bettas are carnivorous. In the wild, they live off of insects and their larvae. Their mouth is designed to snatch prey on the surface of the water, and their digestive tract is too short to metabolize most plants. This means they are best suited for live food, but they can adapt to flakes and frozen or freeze dried foods.

If flake food is used, it should be supplemented by frozen, freeze dried or live food.

Brine shrimp, Daphnia, plankton, tubifex, glassworms, and beef heart are all good choices to feed Bettas, and are commonly available frozen or freeze dried. Note that Bettas can take up to a week to recognize a new food type, so you should keep the staple food constant and supplement with treats and other types of food occasionally. Most appear to prefer a mix of brine shrimp and bloodworms for their Bettas.

There are dedicated Betta foods on the market. These are usually pellets and should float on the surface for easy consumption. Hikari Betta Bio-Gold is well regarded, as are HBH Betta Bites and San Francisco Bay Brand Betta Food, which is essentially freeze dried bloodworms. Other brands have complaints about Bettas refusing to eat, inadequate nutrition and sinking pellets that Bettas can’t consume fast enough.

With the Hikari Betta Bio-Gold, there are complaints about the packaging, but the larger sizes are easier to use. Remember that each Betta only needs about three pellets, and overfeeding will result in contamination of the tank. This is both because of food that rots and excess defecation from the overfed fish.

Some Bettas won’t eat bloodworms, while others adore them. However, bloodworms are not a complete diet, and should be used as a treat or supplement for those fish that appreciate them. Most say their Bettas prefer live food, but some believe that too much live food can be bad for a Betta.

Let the Betta see the food coming. Drop the food right in front of the fish, so he doesn’t have to hunt for it. If the food isn’t eaten immediately, you should wait for the fish, but if it isn’t consumed in 15 minutes, remove it and try again later. Start small, perhaps 6 brine shrimp, and if the Betta eats them all and there is no sign of belly distention, and the fish still acts hungry, you may feed it a little more, but the second feeding should be smaller.

There are products marketed at Betta vacation foods, but results are mixed. Some appear to swear by them, while others complain of the overfeeding issues listed above.

Additionally, many fish foods claim to be color enhancers. It appears the actual importance is proper nutrition and good conditions, so any good source of nutrients would be about as effective in color enhancement as any other.

Adult Bettas can be happy with feedings once or twice a day, provided care is taken to present a balanced diet and the correct amount of food is provided.

For more information on betta fish food, try visiting the Betta Fish Center (bettafishcenter.com), a popular website that provides tips, advice and resources on caring for betta splendens.

Betta Fish Care - Facts And Information By Simon Rohde

Betta Fish are some of the most beautiful fish on the planet and they will catch the eye of your guests. They are known for their lovely colors and fins, with a wide range of colors available. Bettas have specific requirements that are simple to meet so the Betta fish or Siamese Fighting fish is perfect for the first time tropical fish owner. Bettas are one of the most popular types of fish found in homes across the world.

Facts About Betta Fish

Betta fish are native to the Mekong basin in Southeast Asia. That means they are tropical, so they prefer warmer waters. As said before, Bettas are relatively easy to care for and their low maintenance is particularly appealing to people who would like to have fish but don't have a lot of time to care for them. Bettas can be coupled with algae eaters, guppies, or corydorus catfish safely. Betta fish have been found to live for up to three years in the right conditions, but few in home aquariums will live anywhere near this long. Bettas grow to an overall length of about 6 cm.

Betta Fish Males and Females

Most often the aggression and fights occur between two male Bettas, however a new female introduced into a tank can threaten the existing male's dominate role and cause him to attack, so care must be taken when introducing Bettas. Female betta fish are not quite that aggressive towards each other, though it is recommended that there be many hiding places inside a tank if several female betta fish are to be kept together. Females will get along better with each other than the males do but they do need room to escape a more aggressive female. They are not as highly colored, and have much shorter fins. Female bettas can also be housed with danios, tetras, barbs, and gouramis.

An Important Betta Fish Care Tip

One word of caution and an important tip in betta fish care is to never use a fish net to catch a Siamese Fighting fish when doing water changes because their fins are very delicate and can easily get caught in the fiber of the net and be ripped, causing damage and stressing the betta.

Betta Fish Care: What Temperature Is Right?
Being Tropical Fish, Bettas need to be kept at a temperature of 78 degrees F (25 degrees C) at a MINIMUM on a consistent basis. 80 degrees is optimal, as this is their breeding temperature and they are more active, alert and happy with this temperature water. If the temperature is too low, your Betta Splenden's growth will be stunted, become prone to disease, or even die from chronic stress. Most diseases are primarily prevented by keeping the tank temperature at steady and proper levels. Make sure any water you add to the bowl is the same temperature as the water in the bowl. A digital meat thermometer is a great improvised tool for checking water temperature.

Conclusion

Betta fish are great for kids and college students who want an "easy to care for" fish in a smaller aquarium. But keep in mind: You need to feed, clean, and care for your Betta just like you would any other pet. If you take the time and effort to give your fish the Beta fish care that he or she deserves, you can make certain that your fish enjoys a long and happy life.

Simon Rohde provides information and articles on a wide variety of topics, inlcuding Betta Fish. You can checkout Simon's website at http://yourinfosite.info/

Discus Fish Secrets By Rob Clark

The Ultimate Guide To Discus Fish Care, Breeding and Keeping Them Healthy

In this ebook, Rob Clark explains and exposes his exact blueprint to having a Happy, Healthy and problem free Discus that spawn as soon as you place the cone in the water".

This ebook contains amazing information written in plain English, which means it's dead-easy to read and understand.

Did you know that 90% of problems with Discus Fish start from stress, be it water quality, tank mates, moving them to another tank etc. Rob goes into great detail explaining how to take their stress away and make them happy because happy Discus Fish will have a strong immune system that fights off's disease.

With the information in this book, you will amaze you friends with your knownledge and depth of information on Discus Fish and when they see pictures of your Discus Fish, they will think you are an expert.

The reason we recommend the Discus Fish Secrets ebook is that the things in the book are very important. The author have read most books, both new and old on Discus Fish and tried the techniques discussed and written his own book based on the things that are most important to Discus Fish owners and works well. All the things you need to know about your Discus Fish is discussed and explained in detail.

Things like:

The best size tank to keep discus in. Get this wrong and your discus could be permanently stunted

The quick check list of everything you must have before you even think about buying your discus

Which filter most discus fish prefer and why

How to get the right water your discus fish will thrive in

The basics of water chemistry

The advantages and disadvantages of adding plants

How to know when the tank is ready for fish

Quick tips on how to pick the best discus in the shop... do this wrong and you'll have problems from the start

What size discus you should buy and the best size for beginners

Questions you must ask the seller, this alone will help you loads

How picking the wrong strain of discus can be a disaster

The truth about what discus should be fed and how often

How to keep your discus happy for a long time

How well your discus should grow and what to do if they are not

The early signs that you can see that tells you that their ready to breed

Quick little tricks that will have your discus breeding Immediately

An overview of the spawning process

The right way to look after fry for the first few weeks

How to grow young discus on to the best quality adults around

How to overcome the most common problems you will encounter

Plus Much More.

Rob is an experienced breeder who has been keeping and breeding discus for over 10 years and participating on the best discus forums on the internet, so he knows what he is talking about.

This ebook is a 100% Risk Free Money Back Guarantee, no quibbles or questions ask. You can even keep the book after you get a refund.

For more information, please visit Discus Fish Secret.

P.S.
Dont't forget to listen to the audio message on the website.

Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved

Ten Tips for Caring for Your Betta Fish By Adam Short

Betta fish, also called Siamese fighting fish are one of the most popular types of fish found in homes across the world. Their vibrant color and active lifestyle seems to draw in fish fanatics as well as those who have never had fish before. Betta’s are relatively easy to care for and their low maintenance is particularly appealing to people who would like to have fish but don’t have a lot of time to care for them.

Once you bring your Betta’s home you should begin to familiarize yourself with their movements and typical behavior patterns. When you look at your fish after you’ve had them for awhile you’ll know if something is wrong, if they are not feeling well, or if the water in their bowl is not in the best condition simply by being observant.

1. Make sure the jar or bowl that you keep your Betta in is big enough so that he can swim around and not bump or tear his fins or scales. Also be sure there is plenty of surface area so that he can get enough oxygen.

2. Your Betta will thrive in the cleanest water that you can provide for him. He does not require a filtration system, but you should change out a third of his water every three days so it stays fresh and clean and keeps your finned friend from getting bacterial or fungal infections. Aged water (water that has set out for twenty four hours) is what should be used to replace the old water.

3. Do not put your Betta fish with other Betta’s. They are called Siamese fighting fish because they are, in fact, fighting fish. They will tear at one another, often causing the death of at least one fish before they stop. Betta’s can be coupled with algae eaters, guppies, or corydorus catfish safely.

4. Use a turkey baster to clean small particles of uneaten food or debris from the bottom of the bowl or jar. Allowing this debris to sit at the bottom of the jar will cause the water to become cloudy, unsanitary, and to smell awful.

5. The PH of your tank should be at exactly 7.0. You can get a PH testing kit at your pet store along with solutions to minimize or increase the PH of your water.

6. When you clean the plants, rocks, or decorations in the bowl you should never use soap on them. It’s very hard to completely rinse all soap from these items and the soap residue can harm or even kill your Betta. Instead, use warm water and an abrasive brush to clean his things.

7. Keep your Betta tank, jar, or bowl covered! Your Beta will jump and you don’t want him to end up flopping on the tabletop! Keeping the water level at least two inches from the top of the tank should also cut down on this problem.

8. Your Betta is a meat eater and likes live foods, such as brine shrimp the best. Frozen bloodworms are also a good choice for your meat eater. Most Betta fish will happily eat the Betta pellets sold at most pet stores. For a special treat every now and again you should offer some live food! You’ll have fun watching him eat it up!

9. Do not decorate your Betta bowl with rocks or marbles that may cause your Betta to get stuck between or under them. Be sure that they are a flat smooth surface that provides no risk to the health of your fish.

10. Remember that your fish is a living, breathing responsibility. You need to feed, clean, and care for your Betta just like you would any other pet. If he’s sick take him to the vet, if he’s hungry feed him, if his home is dirty, clean it.

That’s it! These ten tips for caring for your Betta fish will have you well on your way to keeping a healthy fish. Internet Betta Groups or library books can be a great source of information should you want to learn more about your finned friend!

Adam Short is the owner of Betta Fish Center and co-wrote the above article with Amanda Fenton. Amanda has been caring for Betta fish for over 25 years. She is a contributing writer to http://www.bettafishcenter.com - site providing information and tips on betta fish care.

Recommended Betta Fish Book

Caring for a Betta Fish: An Insider’s Guide for Betta Lovers By Marcus Song

Marcus Song’s “Caring for a Betta Fish: An Insider’s Guide for Betta Lovers” is filled with exclusive and little known insider information on caring for these exquisite and one of it a kind little fish.

Even for someone like me, who has owned Betta fish nearly all of my life for their beauty and longevity, I learned something new at the turn of each and every page.

This is a wonderful read for those who are curious to learn about these under water beauties and possibly obtain one (or three or four!) for themselves.

First, Song took me through the history of the fish, from the olden days in rice paddies to their name sake, the ancient Asian warrior Bettah clan, to their international dispense via a gift from the King of Siam.

He also explained the fascinating and exciting world of fish fighting when the people of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam would put their homes and even their children on the line “on the outcome of just one fight”.

We all know that Bettas are fantastically coloured. But do you know why? They were not always so highly decorated. Song delves into colour variations and just how Bettas got the immense variety of terrific tints and patterns that we see today.

While explaining the facts of how Bettas are no longer bred to fight but rather for their vivid hues, Song talks about how the species has calmed down their fighting spirit and become more tranquil, slowly but surely, generation after generation.

Song took me through an incredible journey of how he himself has bonded with fish beyond anything in my wildest imagination.

If cared for properly, Song claims a Betta will literally wag his tail when he sees his owner approaching and will possibly come to the surface for some extra TLC in the form of a pat on the head or a little leftover piece of chicken.

In a later chapter, towards the end of the book, Song also informed me that after a bond has been formed you can actually train your Betta to do tricks such as jumping out of the water for food or swimming through hoops! I found these sections truly incredible, proving that the Betta is not just “some fish” but rather gentle companionship for those looking for an alternative type of pet.

Next, after getting some necessary background knowledge, I took a journey to the pet store in my mind with Song while he explained the do’s and don’ts of scoping out a respectable pet store, choosing the right Betta, avoiding death and illness while transporting the little guy and introducing fishy to his new home.

Although the tank set up procedure is simple, if it is not done correctly, it could be a life or death situation that you do not want to put your newest family member in.

Song eagerly explained many Betta lover tips such as aging water to filtration instructions and beyond. I began to wonder what else there was and if I, as a fellow Betta owner, was feeding my fish properly. Low and behold, the next chapter answered my questions precisely.

Little did I know that Betta fish were carnivores and that my little guys craved treats like a small piece of chicken left over from dinner or even a tiny but juicy piece of steak!

Song also eased my vacation stress of what do with our three Bettas when we went on our annual vacation. Our little men are easier to please and care for than I had thought a mere 30 minutes before diving into Song’s book.

Song then prepared me for any health issues that my fish might have, some that might have gone unnoticed had I not taken a moment to read his book. There are many illnesses that can fall over your Betta but 99% of them can be cured if the owners observe their fish with attentive and loving eyes.

Song gives me all of the information I could ever need on sicknesses, what to look for with each illness and Betta lover tips on treatment and even better yet, on prevention. It is so easy to stop these problems before they start. I learned many, many helpful tips to help my Betta fish become happier, healthier and stress free.

Lastly, Song took me into a place we have all been before: the loss and mourning period at the death of a pet. Most books do not speak of this topic but it is one that we have all experience with a beloved pet, big or small. Song made me feel comforted, that I wasn’t alone, when experiencing feelings of loss and sadness after a Betta fish’s death and where to go for help to cope with this loss if need be.

Song’s guide, “Caring for a Betta Fish: An Insider’s Guide for Betta Lovers” is truly a first in the Betta world. It is comprehensive and detailed yet easy to read and manoeuver through. I found his tips thoughtful, informative and very simple to follow.

Whether a member of a Betta group, a Betta breeder or just a fellow Betta lover my advice to you is to read this guide! Not only will it make you a better Betta owner, you will increase the quality of life for your Betta as well as yourself by giving yourself the gift of a truly unique and one of a kind pet for years to come.

Mr Song also offers at no extra cost, the following ebooks as bonuses, when you buy the Betta Lover Guide ebook:

Bonus #1: A Special Guide to Breeding Your Bettas. (A $19 value.)

Bonus #2: The Betta Bucks Guide. (A $39 value.)

For ebook, please visit Caring for a Betta Fish.

For book, please visit Caring For Betta Fish

Saturday 15 November 2008

Friday 24 October 2008

Saturday 31 May 2008

Thursday 3 April 2008

Saturday 12 January 2008

Betta Fish Bible

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