AboutLynda Expertise I can help you with cichlids, african cichlids, betta fish. I have bred most of them, including the Discus, and Angel Fish, and Rams. I have also bred many african cichlids. I have bred bettas too...well I am a fish nut! I can help you with most diseases, and have experience in setting up a tank. I can tell you tricks on keeping your water alkaline without products. I also speak and write french. I have experience with salt water fish, but would rather not get into that field.
Please when writing to me, give me detailed information. The size of your tank, your water chemistry, etc. The more I know, the more I can help you. I cannot guess at what you have, so please give me information and I will do my outmost to help you with any question you ask me.
Please do not ask me questions on Goldfish, mollies, platies, and guppies. Lynda
Experience I have worked in Petshops in the fish department...was Manager in two...and alot of my experience came from my home where I had 26 aquariums from 20 gallons to 200 gallons.
Publications I have a MSN group but it has nothing to do with fish
Education/Credentials I have finished high school, and went to college, in accounting
Question I just "won" a beta fish at a party which my friend had. Right now, I have the fish at home so feeding it is fine. My question is how long can a beta fish go without feeding it. I am a kindergarten teacher and would like to take the fish to school. Doing so means the fish stays in school for 2-3 day weekends. Can I do this or not. What is the most about of time I can go without feeding this fish?
Answer Hi Jessica,
I wouldn't leave a Betta 2-3 days every week without food.
Here is some information on the Betta that will help you understand him better.
Bettas need 5 gallons of water or more to be healthy, and happy.
In their habitat the betta may live in shallow waters, but they have lots of room to swim.
Keeping Bettas in small bowls, containers, vases, mirror tanks etc, is cruel. The Betta is one of the most mistreated fish on the market, through no fault of the buyer, but the vendor who is there to sell, and who will say anything just to make a buck!
They need a heated tank. Temperature should be 80 degrees. They are tropical fish, and are cold under this temperature. Cold bettas get sick, are miserable, and live unhappy lives. ( Always remember when heating a tank, do this very very slowly..1 (one) degree every two days, as bringing up the temperature too fast would cause death to your Betta.) The temperature should always be stable. Fluctuating temperature is very bad for bettas, and any other fish.
They should have a silk plant in their tanks, so that they can rest on the leaves They also need a little tunnel or some knick knack that they can go through. One teaspoon to five gallons of diluted aquarium salt may be added to his water, when a Betta is well.
Aquarium salt helps them with stress, and helps with parasites. However if a Betta is showing signs of a swollen tummy, salt should not be used. Do not add salt if his tummy is swollen. Their tummy is located just beneath his chin.
They need a varied diet. This is very important. Betta pellets one day, Betta Flakes the next, Daphnia the next, Glassworms the next, mealworms the next, plankton flakes, and bloodworms. The more you vary, the healthier he will be.
He should be given one well cooked frozen cooked pea a week, and on the day you give him the pea, he should fast.
A betta is prone to constipation, and constipation leads to Swim Bladder Disease. A frozen cooked pea a week keeps them from getting constipated. Always remove the outer layer of the pea, and cut it into small pieces, feeding it to your betta one piece at a time.
They should have 2-3 small meals a day, and not one big meal. We must remember that their tummy is the size of their eye.
Example: 2 pellets for one meal.
Water changes are very important. Water changes must be made every week without fail with a good water conditioner such as Aqua Safe or Stress Coat. There is also a conditioner made especially for bettas. If you do not have a filter, change all the water in his tank weekly.
Never put two bettas in the same tank, they will kill each other...male or female. The Betta male is a loner. Females can be kept together in a big enough tank, but they are also aggressive towards each other, and the tank should be at least 30 gallons with many hiding places.
When treated well, a betta can live up to 8 years, if you buy him when he is very young. (Unfortunately we do not know their age when we buy them at the Pet Store which is why some bettas die three or four years after we have bought them.)
He's an intelligent little fish, and should be treated with kindness.
Too many vendors know nothing about the betta, and don't care...so don't give good information on how to keep them.
They are there to sell, and will say anything just to make a buck. They send you home with your bought betta, telling you a small bowl is perfect, and bloodworms! The poor customer thinks he has everything he/she needs, and then the fish gets sick, money is spent to cure him, and eventually the fish dies.
This turns my stomach over. Unfortunately there are no laws to protect fish.
Bettas kept in small bowls, one gallon tanks, and vases, will get sick, and are very hard to cure in such little water. They end up dying, and
that hurts the person who has grown so attached to them. They don't deserve to be treated this way.
This is how a Betta should be treated. If treated this way, you will have your friend for a long long time. I have bred them, love them, and know what is good for them.
If you have anymore questions, do not hesitate to write me.
Lynda
I'm sorry that you found my answer too long, but when someone tells me they won a Betta, then asks if the betta can go three days without eating, it tells me that this person doesn't know much about bettas, so I write more information. Most people are happy to have information when they know nothing about a fish. This is why my answer to you was more detailed.
