AboutBenty Expertise GOT A QUESTION ABOUT:
Basic needs for specific fish, illnesses, best tankmates, breeding, water chemistry, tricks to safely cut corners, and/or “stupid” questions? Maybe I can help! :)
I like to explain why you do things in aquariums (like why to use spring instead of distilled, or what pH numbers mean, ect.) so you understand why and not just taking someone’s word for it. I also like giving answers where you have two choices so you can choose which is best for the time and money you can commit to your fish. I understand how tight money can be and how expensive fish related things get.
I will NEVER leave you with an “I don’t know.” Ever. I hate that. That would waste your time and that's just mean. :)
Puedo contestar tus preguntas en español también.
Experience I have had tropical fish since 1999. I currently have: a 55gal, ten 10gal, 3 five gallons, three 2gal, and a bunch of jars and bowls. At the time I'm typing this, I have: 14 angels, 13 goldfish, 73 bettas, 12 barbs, 5 catfish, too many guppies, 4 gouramis, 2 plecos, 10 loaches, bunch of swordtails, and probably a few others, lol.
I love to rescue fish. I've had everything from mutant danios, to one eyed goldfish, to my newest adoptee, a 2 year old betta with a MASSIVE tumor problem. He was brought to a pet shop and left there because the lady didn't know what to do with him. He's pretty scary looking. One of the guys at the store there I know let me have him. :D YAY! Elephant Man lives in a gallon bowl with pretty stones in my bathroom.
Plus!!!
I sell: veil, delta, halfmoon, plakat, and crowntail bettas as well as halfblack and blonde tuxedo fancy guppies. Ask me about it sometime.
Expert: Benty Date: 1/14/2008 Subject: My Beta Fish
Question I have had my beta fish for about 6 months now. When I first got him I had him in just a little glass vase with nothing in it and he did just fine. I thought he would enjoy a little bigger tank so I thought I would upgrade to about a 1 gallon tank that kind of looks like a triangle. It has a filtration system, air pump and a light at the top. I also thought that I would add some gravel and a few plastic plants at the bottom to make it look nice. Well I guess my question is that now that he is in his new tank I don't think he is happy. I noticed that when ever he gets to a corner he flares up his gills..like he see's another fish..He is probably just seeing himself but before when he was in his vase he had never ever flared up his gills..and now he does it all the time..Is it okay and healthy for him to be doing that all the time??? And is okay for him to be in that kind of tank with the air pump an filtration system?? Or should I just move him back to the vase??
Thanks for listening to me I hope you can help. ~Samantha
Answer Hey Samantha!
I love hearing you have a betta! They are my favorite fish (so I just so happen to have about 80 or 90 of them, lol). Bettas are in the family of Labyrinth fish. All that means is that they have a special organ by their gills to be able to breathe air. That organ is called the labyrinth organ. See, most fish need filtration so that dissolved oxygen get blown around the tank. They can't breathe normal air; They have to have oxygen for their gills. This is why bettas don't need filtration, but it's a great idea to have it for keeping the water cleaner, longer.
Bettas need exercise. There was a study done by I think Texas University or New Hampshire University, one of them, they tested to see how long bettas could live. Well with regular exercise (being chased around by a net daily), fed live food (mosquito larva, brine shrimp, worms, ect), and living in a tank to themselves (I think it was either 1 or ten gallons) they had bettas still wanting to breed at 7 years old. That's amazing!
In short, they need exercise. Since we can't chase them around in a net all the time, flaring is their kind of exercise. My bettas flare at each other all the time (granted I would probably flair a lot too if I saw a sea of fish that were flairing at me, lol). It's exercise. They get all excited and make faces at each other. They probably curse at each other in betta-nese too!
It is natural for them to flare at the sight of a betta. If they don't, you have reason to worry. Put a mirror up to him and watch him do a little show. If you leave the mirror up there though, he will tired himself out. In extreme cases they drown from working too hard and exhausting out. That's pretty extreme though.
I would keep him in the nice new tank. He'll live a little bit longer (maybe only by a few months but still, he's your baby). Only points I would add to it are make sure the plant can't tear his pretty fins. Some are kinda grabby and can do it and then you may have a little infection on your hands. Also, any decor or stuff doesn't have a small opening in it, such as a snail shell or something. Bettas get bored and are really smart. They're not smart enough to guess they can't fit into it. I had a friend who put a small conch shell in her betta's tank. Well he got stuck and drowned. They have to be able to come up to the top to breathe like us.
Well I hope I helped! If I was confusing or you have another question or whatever, my e-mail is bentysbettas@gmail.com. My limit on here is set to 1 question per day because of college right now so it can get hard to reply back. Feel free to e-mail me anytime! :)
