As a sales person in an aquarium store, I advise my customers who are interested in keeping bettas to keep them in bowls or small tanks by themselves. Although this may look cramped and possibly cruel, bettas are native to small mucky puddles (practically). As labirynth fish, they are capable of breathing air from the waters surface. Therefore, airation of the tank is unnecessary. Bettas placed in larger tanks (40 L and up) tend to hide in the upper corners of the tank, especially if the tank is home to small shoaling fish and other active, nippy fish (tiger barbs, kissing gouramis). Even other similarly colored or finned fish can cause stress and aggression (fancy guppys, rainbow fish). The problem I have here with customers is convincing them that putting a betta in a vase of water with a plant is not always such good housing. Floral shops have been selling betta vases with a flower such as a water lily. The clerks have been telling customers that only a water change is necessay. The fish is expected to eat the roots of the plant. I have had many customers coming in to buy replacement fish because the original has died within months. The customer is usually surprised to learn that my bettas have lived for up to six years! After explaining that the fish needs food and conditioned water as well a oxygen at the surface (the plant was blocking the air) many customers removed the plant all together. There were also incidents where the fish were getting tangled in the roots of the plants that should have been trimmed. It amazed me that florist were charging $30 plus for these mini torture chambers! Had the customers been advised on how to keep the vase properly, such vases would be pretty ornaments.
Each of my Betta's - Manannon Mac Lir (male), Eileen and Ikuko (both female) - have their own personal tank, with a few cories etc. The male is in a 55 L, the females in a 25 L and a 10 L. I can't understand why people would want to keep a fish with such personality in a tiny little compartment like a betta hex indefinately. Makes me sick.
I have just had my first successful breeding of bettas. I have a beautiful bright red female and a teal, green and red male that have about 50 eggs. They were in a tank of fancy tail guppies and one dwarf frog. When I saw the male trying to get the attention of the female I put him into a separate breeding trap inside the tank and then put the female in the next day. Within a 24 hour time span I had a beautiful bubble nest and it was full of eggs. For anyone who has never bred these fish, they are a wonder to watch. The father is so tedious about keeping the nest. I had to remove the female because he bumps her every time she gets near the nest. He is so protective. I sat and watched him for hours as he constructs his nest and if an egg falls out of the nest, he darts frantically about until he finds it, puts it in his mouth and takes it back up to the nest. I put a small square of plastic baggie in the trap with him and he made a beautiful nest. My 2 small children are in awe over all of this and I know that I will continue to breed these wonderful fish. We can sit and watch the tank like everyone else watches the television because with the daddy there is always something good on.
I had a gold gourami and put a fighting fish in with him. Way bad idea, the fighting fish only made it a few hours before all of his fins were gone. Poor poor fish.
I put a male Siamese fighter with a Gourami in my tank. He nearly ripped the Gourami to death, so badly to the point where I had to humanely put the Gourami down. This was despite the fact that I brought them at the same time, and in the same shop (the ignorance of some people).
I have three male Bettas, all of which are in a 200 L tank. This is a community tank in which I have 2 elephant nose fish, 6 guppies, 2 Bala sharks, 2 blue gouramis, 1 red eyed gold gourami and a few others. I have got live plants and a lot of hideing places. They have been a wonderful addition to my tank. They sometimes flare up to each other, but have never fought. All my fish have lived together for about 9 months. They all are healthy and happy. I can not stand to have these beautiful fish in solitary confinement. Everyone may not get as lucky as I did, but I think you should at least try to add your bettas to community tanks.
