Compiled by Larissa Williams

1. How long do Bettas live?
   Bettas live an average of 3 years, and can live up to 5 years. The ones sold
   in pet stores are usually adults, so they have the nice long fins, but that also 
   means that they are already a year old when sold. That means that if you have 
   a Betta for more than two years after you buy it, it's a nice, long-lived fish.
    
2. What do I feed my Betta?
   Bettas are carnivorous and their diet is more meat than for most other fish. 
   Some fish are very picky about what they will or won't eat. It's completely 
   different with each fish, though, and depends a great deal on what they were 
   raised with. Most Bettas will automatically adore and devour all types of live 
   food, brine shrimp, black worms, mosquito larvae, daphnia, etc. But most 
   people don't like to keep (or aren't able to keep) the live food around constantly, 
   so dry foods are developed for the fish. Check with the local pet stores for 
   pellets or special flakes for Bettas, but be warned that if the Betta hasn't eaten 
   them before it might take awhile for him to develop a liking to them (or even 
   to start eating them). Another type of dried food is the freeze-dried products 
   such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, or worms. (Be careful of the bloodworms 
   as some people have reported an allergic reaction to them.)
    
3. At what temperature should I keep my Betta?
   Bettas will do best if their environment duplicates conditions from their 
   original habitat. The fish evolved in the rice paddy and back waters of 
   Southeast Asian rivers and are tropical water temperatures in the 80-85 
   deg F range, and very humid. Here in the U.S. our outside air doesn't normally 
   come close to matching the tropical conditions but Bettas have been kept and 
   bred for years and appear to do well in a variety of water conditions. Proper 
   water temperature is important and most Betta keepers keep their fish at 
   76-78 deg F.
    
4. I've heard that Bettas like to live in jars, is this true?
   No, although Bettas will survive in small containers if good water quality is 
   maintained.  Bettas evolved in areas of very slow moving water where rice 
   and aquatic plants were common. Dissolved oxygen is often very poor under 
   these conditions and the Betta and other similar fishes evolved the ability to 
   use surface air. They still have gills like other fish and will not “drown” if they 
   cannot get to the surface. Because of this ability, Bettas can be kept in small 
   jars and aquaria.  When keeping Bettas in smaller containers their water 
   needs to be changed weekly to reduce and eliminate the wastes that build up.
   If you don't have an aquarium, a plastic or glass 1 gallon goldfish bowl will 
   suffice as a container for a Betta. Those are fairly cheap, allow the Betta plenty 
   of room to move around it, and are easy to clean. Even a 1/2 gal bowl is fine 
   for most Bettas as long as the water changes are kept up with.  Remember, 
   male Bettas will fight with other Bettas and as such, must be kept separate.
    
5. What about water changes?
   When changing the water, it is a good idea to get some water conditioner to 
   remove the chlorine and some "stress coat" formula to help keep the fish healthy. 
   Be careful to match the temperature (new with old) to prevent thermal shock.
    
6. Can I keep Bettas with other fish?
   Yes. Bettas are actually very friendly fish as long as you don't put two males together. They get along with most other fish, and what you really have to watch out for is the fish that harass Bettas. Bettas are slow moving fish with very long fins, so they can't be kept with any quick fish that have a reputation of fin-nipping, like zebra danios. They get along *great* with most variety of tetras such as small neon tetras or some of the common livebearers. No goldfish since they do best in cool waters and Bettas from warm water. Goldfish create a lot of waste and require an absolute minimum of an inch and a half of fish per gallon of water (the usual way to estimate how many fish in a tank is one inch per gallon). When keeping Bettas in a community tank, you should remember that Bettas originally come from areas of slow moving water. So any type of major filtration on the tank will cause the Betta to hide in a area away from the current. You have to balance this with the other fish in the tank that require the current and bubbles for the oxygen in the water for them to live. On the other hand, once a Betta gets used 
   to the "current" from a filter, you will sometimes see the Betta 'playing' in it for fun. Just make sure that there is a quiet area in the tank for the Betta to move to when they are tired.
    
7. Can I keep male Betta in the same tank as a female when they're not spawning?
   Generally you cannot keep a male Betta in the same tank as a female. However, 
   sometimes two fish will coexist if the fish are young (more than a few months old 
   usually won't work), they are not ready to spawn, they were raised together from 
   a very young age, or there are lots of hiding places.
   What about "Betta vases" that say the fish can live on the roots of the plants?
   No, the Betta does not live on the roots of the plant! Bettas eat either live food or 
   dry food that is specially prepared with high-protein content. They will starve in a 
   vase if food is not provided.
    
8. I want to breed my Bettas, how do I do this?
   Breeding Bettas can be easy and fun. However, you will need to become familiar with the complete process of spawning and successfully keeping the young fish alive.  There are a number of books and websites that can provide information on breeding Bettas.
    
9. What do I feed the baby fish?
   Just hatched Betta will live off their yolk sack for about a day, and then start searching for food. They are attracted to moving items and as such, live foods including microorganisms found in green water cultures and vinegar eels, a small cultured nematode are best. Within a few days, they should be able to eat baby brine shrimp, microworms, grindle worms, and small daphnia.

Click here for a list of IBC member web pages for more Betta care and spawning information.