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How to Select a Healthy Betta Fish

by James Jonas

As Betta fry tend to be very, very thin and small for the first 5-6 months, the age of most of the Betta Fish found in pet stores are around 6 months or older. By this point, the store should have the males and females separated. They must do this because the males will continually become more aggressive as they age and mature. An entire tank filled with maturing males and females is a recipe for disaster.

So What Do I Look For In a Healthy Betta Fish?

1. Betta Color
2. Betta Gills & Scales
3. Betta Fins
4. Betta Eyes
5. Betta Beard
6. Betta Behavior


1. Betta Color

One of the reasons why Betta fish are so popular in pet stores today is due to their intense, vibrant coloring--especially on the males. Of the two sexes, the males are indeed the more colorful. Around 6-7 months of age (the typical age of most Betta found in pet stores), the coloring will just be starting to be evident on both the male and female. It should intensify with maturity.

Most pet stores will not bother trying to sell Bettas before their colors have intensified to the point of being 'sellable'. Therefore, any Betta you select from a pet store should have enough coloring to make selection easy. The colors need to be vibrant and distinct.

While many pet stores will not purposely sell defective fish, it is not uncommon to find Betta with pale coloration. Such Bettas should be avoided at all costs. They may be suffering from some sort of fungal infection or may simply have inferior genes.

2. Betta Gills & Scales

Healthy Betta fish have a very smooth and streamlined appearance. The gill area should be smooth and free of begin neither too thin nor having any bulges.

If the gill area is too thin, the Betta may be malnourished or not eating due to being overstressed or sick. When the gill area is bloated or has bulges, constipation or some other factor is at work. Although Betta with thin or thick, bulging gill areas may turn out to be fine, it is best not to risk it.

The scales of a Betta can also tell you a lot about the overall health of the fish. Like the gill area they also should be flat and smooth. There should be no loose or missing scales. Loose or missing scales may be the sign of some disease at work or it may be due to a lost battle against another Betta. In either event, loose or missing scales are not a good sign and should be avoided.

Dropsy is a common problem with Betta and their scales. Dropsy is characterized by a bulging of the scales making it take the form of a pine cone shape as the condition worsens.

3. Betta Fins

Aside from the vibrant coloring, the fins of the Betta are the other most attractive feature of the fish. When selecting a Betta Fish you want to pay particular attention to the fins. They should spread fully when flaring. Some Betta will have fins that bunch up and do not fully spread open either because of some fight with another fish or because of a genetic defect.

Betta fins also need to be free from any holes, rips, or tears.

Fin rot is a common problem for Betta and it has several potential causes, including genetic predisposition. However, the most common source of fin rot is dirty, unclean water. When the pet store is lax in its cleaning duties, the tank will become filled with too much feces and uneaten food. When feces and food are left in the water for too long, they will begin to rot. As with any decaying matter, this will cause bacteria populations to increase. The increased numbers of bacteria attach to the fin and tail of the Betta and cause rotting.

Fin rot causes little pieces of the fins to break off. In time, the fin will look incomplete and entire strands will be missing. It is not uncommon to see this condition in tanks with too many Bettas or in poorly maintained tanks. The smaller the display tank, the quicker fin rot becomes a potential problem.

Vases, or perhaps small jars, are commonly used in pet stores to store and sell male Betta fish -- even females as well in some cases. These small vessels have low oxygen content which naturally cause the Betta to come to the surface more often for air. This will increase the activity level, and the metabolism of the fish. In turn, this will increase the toxicity of the tank faster as waste will accumulate faster. Plus, with such a small vessel, it takes less time for bacterial levels to rise to dangerous levels for the Betta. Therefore, be especially sure to look carefully at the fins and tail of any Betta sold in smaller containers as they have a greater chance of developing fin rot.

When looking for fin rot, you also want to be checking for recent signs of the condition as well. There will be clear or whitish tips on the fin or tail as these are signs of recent regeneration. Avoid any Betta with tears or potential signs of fin rot if you can.

4. Betta Eyes

Betta fish have a bulging eye on each side of their head and they are unable to blink so be very concerned if you happen to catch one winking at you! The iris should be pitch black but the remainder of the eye can be a wide range of colors. You want to be sure that the eyes are not cloudy or hazy and that they are proportional and not protruding too much from the body.

5. Betta Beard

Although both the male and the female technically have the infamous 'Betta beard', it is really only noticeable on the males. On females, the beard is transparent but can be seen if you know where to look.

The Betta beard is found directly beneath the gill plate cover and is actually a membrane. When the gills of the Betta are closed, the membrane will protrude and be visible. This is when it will look like a beard. The beard is also prominently displayed during flaring.

The beard does not necessarily match the rest of the Betta in color--at least not exactly.

The Betta Fish should be willing to display its beard when reacting to external stimuli, so lightly tapping on the side of the aquarium or glass should be enough to get the Betta to flare and show you his goods. Once you know where to look, be sure that the female also has a good-sized membrane.

6. Betta Behavior

With Betta Fish you don't want a lazy fish.

The Betta you select should be active and responsive to external stimuli. In the wild, the Bettas live and die by being alert for potential predators. Any possible threats will cause the Betta to hide and wait for the danger to pass. The Betta you choose should become more alert and agitated by your presence. If possible, the Betta should seek a hiding spot and wait for you to leave. If the activity of the Betta does not noticeably increase by your presence, it is probably best to find another.

About the Author

James Jonas has been a Betta Fish enthusiast for well over a decade. With contributions to many Betta publications including the popular Betta Breeding Ebook, 'Taking the Mystery Out of Betta Breeding', and Betta blog at Betta Fish and You!.

 

A Breeding Betta Fish Question: How Many Days Can We Be Away From Home And Still Be Successful?

Question:

Hi, my daughters just bought your ebook (nice!), because they are wanting to sell Bettas to the local petshop, who are needing a good supply of 50 per week. My question is, how many days can we be away from home at a time, and still be successful at this fish operation? Thanks!

Tara in Kansas

Answer:

@Tara: Glad to hear about the purchase Tara! Your family is stepping into a very fun project.

To answer your question regarding time away, you should be safe to go about your daily routines during breeding. The only times that you should remain around is during the early fry stages. They will require constant care during these sensitive periods.

We don't recommended staying away for long periods of time until the fry are past the 'fry' stage. Betta fish grow quickly so you can plan periods between breeding where your family can go away on vacation. You shouldn't plan any breeding if you expect to be away for more than a day.

Outside of the fry stages you should only leave your (adult)Betta fish alone for a couple of weeks max. Keep in mind they will require regular feeding and tank cleaning.

After a few successful breedings you'll get an idea of how things flow and when the best times are to be around and when you can skip out for a bit.

All the best to you and your daughters on your new business adventure!

Betta's and Filters

"XxKitKatxX said...

Hi =] I have a question- I'm getting a Betta fish in January and I'm planning to buy an Eclipse 6 tank with filtration. I had a Betta in the past before in a large bowl and it was a lot of work keeping it clean, so this is why I'm thinking about the tank with a filter. Would this be a good idea? Please let me know!Thanks =]By the way- I also have a Betta blog! Check it out =)"

Having a tank with a filter for your Betta fish can be safe. You have to make sure however, that any filtering system does not continuously cause ripples and waves on the surface of the water. Why? Remember your Betta is a surface breather. It has to come up to the surface air to breathe. When the surface water is rapid and splashes this can cause water to choke your Betta when she comes up for air, possibly drowning her.

The Eclipse series tanks are very nice tanks for small aquariums. Just be sure to ask your local pet store to help you select the proper filtration system and you should be good to go! Remember the less surface waves and splashes the better.

Best of luck!

Where'd The Betta Go?

Here's a little Betta story a colleague shared with me today. We'll call it, ' The Mystery of the Disappearing Betta Fish'.

So I'm sitting in my office this morning when I hear a knock at the door. "Hey!, have I told you about how my Betta fish disappeared for almost a month and now has miraculously reappeared?"

"No," I told him. So off he went with his story.

"About a month ago as I was walking by my fish tank I had noticed that the Betta Fish was missing!" "Honey! Do you know what happened to our Betta?" She replied back saying she had no idea, "Maybe one of the other fish ate him? That's just life in the fish tank, I guess."

After hearing his wife's response, my colleague simply shrugs his shoulders, still unsure of what has happened to his Betta.

Let me explain his tank a bit before I continue. He has a 40 gallon tank. In his tank he has some snails, 1 male Betta Fish, 1 shark, and 2 goldfish. Now, he doesn't always listen to me when I tell him to be careful mixing them all together...but that's another story. Ok, now back to the orginal story.

"So about 2 days ago, I went into the tank to clean out the filter and pump. As soon as I turned off the system, out popped this blue streak from behind the Sea Shell we have in the tank! I didn't know what it was at first. Giving it a double take I realized it was my Betta Fish! Hahah. The darn thing must have been hiding in the shell when we come around and leave on the pump system! And here I had thought he was dead or missing or something!"

We both had a pretty good laugh about it. It was a good story. A Betta fish disappearing for almost an entire month and then suddenly reappearing? Good story indeed.

Now, did you catch the small hints to good Betta care? Here they are:

1. Be careful of the types of fish you mix your Betta Fish with.
2. Always make sure that you give your Betta some place to hide if he/she needs to 'escape'.
3. Pumping systems that move the water rapidly around the tank is a bad thing for a Betta for 2 reasons.

• a. Betta fish are surface air breathers. Pumping systems in your typical fish tanks swoosh the water around to produce air bubbles and oxygen in the water. This oxygen is how other fish breathe through their gills. 'Waving surfaces' makes it more difficult for Betta's to breathe without the possibility of getting water into their breathing systems.

• b. Betta's prefer still, calm waters. Constant moving water can really stress a Betta fish out.

Recommended Product:

I hope you enjoyed the story and maybe even learned a thing or two about better Betta Care.

Speak Soon,

A Betta Video

Here's a beautiful little orange betta for you to check out. Although, I do wish that the owner would put him in a larger tank.

Fishy Cain

Post Your Betta Questions

Hi again everyone. Thank you for everyone that has sent in their Betta Questions, but what about everyone else?

If you have a Betta question. Any question. You can ask it by making a comment to this post. This way everyone can see your questions. So start posting your Betta questions now and I will do my best to answer the most popular questions.

So what's on your mind? Post your Betta question today!

What's Your Top 2 Betta Questions?

What's your top 2 Betta questions?

Ok, I know this may produce an explosion of postings so I'd like to limit the questions to your top 2 only. Plus, please read through everyone else's postings and only post your question if it has not been posted by someone else.

Post your top 2 Betta questions. I'll sift through your postings and produce an answer report for the top few questions!

That's it! A free report to answer your top questions!

Once we get a good number of postings I'll get started right away. So, what's your top 2 betta questions?

Poll Results: How Many Betta Fish Do You Own?

Last months Poll Results are now in!

We asked all of you how many betta fish do you own? Thank you to everyone who posted to the poll. And here are your results:

I own 0 betta: 5% of you don't own a betta fish.
I own 1 betta: 41% own 1 betta fish.
I own 2 betta: 41% own 2 betta fish.
I own 3+ betta: 11% own 3 or more betta fish.

If you missed out on our poll you can still leave a comment. So, how many betta fish do you own?

It's A New Year for Betta Lovers!

Actually it's a new year for everyone, but we're more important aren't we? =)

To help kick start the new year I thought I'd start a poll. You can find it in the left column of the blog. Now, we all know there is a HUGE number of people who love Betta fish, but just how many fish does each person own? That's this months poll question: How many betta fish do you own?

Take the poll and Let us know. I've always been quite curious. I'm going to assume for those that aren't breeding betta, most people will own at least 1 or 2. If I have to choose I'm going to say just 1. What's your guess? Take the poll and find the answer!

That's it for now. Happy New year and all the best to all my fellow betta fish enthusiasts!

Bye Bye Pet Forum.

"Unfortunately, we at Everything-betta-fish.com and our partners &affiliates have made the decision to close down our pet forum. We apologize to everyone who participated. We had a great time even though it was short lived.

Due to some changes around here of both people and places. Most importantly and most unfortunate, was the very high level of spammers spamming our forums anyway they could. We had a good level of security however, we also wanted the forum to be free and open to all pet lovers. In doing so we were unable to continue to keep the forum going.

We apologize once again to everyone who participated in the forums. We tried to make it a fun place for all pet lovers and were forced to close it down due to spammers."

Now, doesn't that just suck? There will always be a few inconsiderate people who ruin it for the rest of us.

My Betta Fish Just Reached 4 Years!

Well my blue Betta fish, whom I call Red, has turned 4 years old as of this morning September 3, 2007. Not too bad for the lone Betta fish that sits on my desktop. He use to have company, but they've all moved out or have moved on to the great fish aquarium in the sky. As a huge lover of Betta fish I just thought I'd share the news with you all considering the average lifespan of a well cared for Betta fish is about 2-3 years. And the best part? He still continues to build pretty decent size bubble nests. Keep on trucking Red!

So what's the longest your Betta fish has lived for? For me this would be the longest so far. Leave a comment and let us know how old your Betta is!

Win a $200 giftcard with Amazon/Petsmart at PetlifeHome.com!

PetlifeHome.com has now started its first contest!

click here to go to petlifehome.com

WIN: Grand Prize:Your choice of either an Amazon or Petsmart $200 USD giftcard! And one second prize your choice of either Amazon or Petsmart $50 USD giftcard.

HOW TO PLAY: 1. post a reply to this thread with a list of 5 people you wish to refer to petlifehome forums. 2. Get all 5 people to sign up and post at least 1 real post to the forums and you will be entered to win!

RULES: 1. Contest dates: May 25 - July 25. A random draw will be made after July 26 and the results will be posted before the end of July. 2. To get multiple entries into the contest simply refer more people and make sure they sign up and post! 3. Winners will be notified by email where your address will be requested inorder to send you your prize.

click here to go to petlifehome.com

A New Pet Lovers Forum Is Ready To Go!

Hi all,

With all the requests and demands by everyone we finally got our forum up! Go check it out for yourself:

petlifehome forums

It's all about pets for all pet enthusiates. A place for all pet lovers to laugh, talk, and share! Of course it includes us Betta Lovers too!!

So go join all the pet lovers of the world and help make our forum the place to be for all pet owners and wanna-be's! =)

petlifehome forums

Constipated Bettas

Swollen bellies?

Betta's turning white?

Your betta may be constipated!

What is Betta Constipation?

Constipation is actually quite common in fish. A possible cause of fish constipation can be due to lack of variety in their diet or due to over feeding. The fish's stomach swells up becuase it is unable to get rid of its waste, causing a build up. Buoyancy (similar to swim bladder disorder) may sometimes occur. This is where the fish is unable to swim properly and floats at the surface. Don't worry, fish constipation is usually not life threatening to the fish. However, if it continues with little evidence of improvement, and left untreated, other more severe problems can occur.

My Betta has Constipation! How Do I Treat It?

Fast your betta for about 2-4 days allowing the fish's stomach purge itself. If the swelling does not go down after a couple of days, give it a few more days to purge. At this point, don't panic about not feeding your betta. Although never recommended under normal circumstances, betta fish can survivie up to a month without food. Your next step after the fasting period is to feed your betta peas. That's right, i said it - peas. This will help clean out your bettas system while feeding her at the same time. Remove a green pea from its outer shell, cook it, and mash it up, and feed it to your betta.

Hope this info was helpful! As always, feel free to comment on this post! I always love hearing from fellow betta lovers!

Betta's and the ALPHA male/female

Betta's like most of natures creatures, when living in a community structure will eventually form some sort of controlled structure betwen the fish. One dominant fish, usually a large, healthy male or sometimes female will boss the other fish around. Just like with gorillas they are known as the 'ALHPA' fish. There will be some madness between the fish and a lot of pecking until the ALPHA position has been established. However, once the ALPHA has been established there will actually be peace in the tank.

Remove the ALPHA or add new fish and the cycle will start again as a new balance must be created.

It's natures way.

Another Great New Betta Site!

I've come across another great Betta Site. Has a lot of great info.

http://www.oneworldinternetcafe.com/betta/

Betta Tips!
Betta Information!
Betta Diet!
Betta Breeding and much more.

It's new, but it looks to be growing fast. Check it out! Even better subscribe to the sites RSS feed.

Get Betta information and help build up our Betta Community by visiting the site!

http://www.oneworldinternetcafe.com/betta/

Betta Fish Care - Article from a Betta Owner

Betta Fish Care
by: Ong Hui Woo

Betta is a popular tank fish and its maintenance is least painful. However, it does need care and you must be observant about its heath. A sick Betta is easy to spot since naturally the fish is very active and vibrant. If you have had the fish for a while you will be able to spot immediately when they are unwell.

Following tips can help you keep the Betta ecosystem healthy and vibrant:

1. A bowl large enough to allow ample swimming space is a prerequisite. The fish shouldn’t bump and tear its fins or scales. A large enough tank also ensures that the water has adequate oxygen level.

2. These fish do not require filtration but need the cleanest water you can provide them. Change the water every three days to keep it clean and avoid infection in your fish. The water you add to the tank should have set out for 24 hours (aged water).

3. Bettas are also called Siamese fighting fish because the male of the species will fight each other to death! Never put two males in the same tank. Females can stay together and so can one male with many females. You can also keep your Betta with algae eaters, guppies and corydorus catfish.

4. Ensure that the bottom of the bowl or tank is debris free. You can use something as simple as a turkey baster to do this cleaning. Debris sitting at the bottom will make the water cloudy and unhygienic for the fish. They will also cause the water to smell.

5. Maintain the tank pH at 7.

6. When cleaning the tank accessories, avoid using soap because traces of soap will change the water pH.

7. Betta can jump out of tanks and bowls, so keep them covered.

8. Betta is not a fussy fish and will happily eat the Betta pellets and frozen bloodworms. However, Bettas are fond of live food such as brine shrimp, and you must serve it as a treat now and then.

About The Author

Ong Hui Woo
Betta Fish Owner
http://www.tothefish.com

Students Discover Breeding Bettas is Rewarding

Here's another great article on the rewards of Breeding your Bettas - check it out below!

Breeding is rewarding - Daily Kent Stater

Breeding is rewarding Daily Kent Stater, OH - Oct 25, 2006 The idea of breeding came to her after she purchased her first betta fish, Fiji, last year. ... Malloy said the betta fish would be fully grown at 11 months. ...

technorati tags:breeding, bettas

Feeding Bettas Article

Feeding Bettas
by: William Berg

Knowing the right way to feed your betta is fundamental, becausenot doing it right can have big consequences on your bettas health.Nothing is more stressful than dealing with a sick fish, right? So,let's do it right, and get rid from the calamity!

Here are some golden rules on feeding your betta.

First, select the proper food. Bettas are selective eaters. Abetta specific pellet is ok, but live and frozen foods are preferable.The recommended diet includes frozen brine shrimp and frozenbloodworms.

The next rule is to not overfeed your Bettas. Carefully dosethe meals, because even if the fish ate all you give him, he willproduce so much more waist when overfed and the pollution level of thejar he is in will go beyond safe range, this problem is smaller if youkeep your betta in a larger aquarium. Remember not to leave uneatenfood in the Aquarium! Once your betta and rest of the fish is doneeating, you must remove all uneaten left over food. If you do notremove it, it will punctually rot and cause havoc in the tank.

Bettas prefer to eat from the upper parts of the water column.They don’t really enjoy eating from the bottom of the tank. So beforedropping the food in the tank, make sure you have his attention. Lethim see the food, get it close to his face from the outside of theaquarium, let him check out what it is, and then there you go! Dropfood in front of his nose. The best way is to drop a tiny bit offood--about 6 frozen brine shrimp, watch the bettas eat it all and thenlook at the belly, if it looks the same as it did before you fed, it’sok to give them more, but always watch and make sure to make the secondportion smaller than the first.

Your betta should go for the food right away, but if not, watchwhere the food sinks, and what the betta does. If more than 15 min hehas not eaten the food yet, remove the food. Never let the water gocloudy. If it is already, then change it, as cloudy water will threatenyour betta’s health. Normally, small bowls or containers should bechanged at least twice a week. Larger tank can be changed once a week.And notice if the ammonia and nitrite levels are up the roof, becauseboth are very bad for your Betta. Also be wary of harmful bacteria theycan ruin your fish life, but don’t kill of all bacteria in the aquariumsince a lot of bacteria is essential for a well functioning aquarium.

During the pre-spawning period you can feed a wide variety offood, including blackworms, Grindal worms, fruit flies, brine shrimp,mosquito larvae and frozen blood worms (all are life except the frozenblood worms). During this period the adult fish may be fed 4 times perday or more depending on how close the fish are to being placed intothe spawning tank.

You can start feeding your betta fry, 5 days after thespawning. Feed the fry several times per day, using a variety of foods(infusoria, boiled egg yolk, baby brine shrimp…) made up of smallparticles.

About The Author

William Berg has over 20 years of aquarium experince and runs the website http://www.aquaticcommunity.com and you can find more of his articles on http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/universal.html.