Betta Fish Can Live With Guppies

I was in the pet section of a large retailer when I heard someone upset that a betta fish was in the same tank as other fish because she thought they could only be keep alone. I told her that betta fish can never be kept with other betta fish because they will fight to the death and that is where the name Siamese fighting fish comes from. Betta fish can be in the same tank as algae eaters, guppies (pictured below) or corydorus catfish safely.

Beautiful Betta Fish

A picture of a beautiful betta fish

Betta Fish Terms

Here are some common fish and aqurium terms (for betta fish or other fish too!).

CRI; Color Rendering Index
A rating used for light bulbs on a scale up to 100, where 100 is equal to sunlight.

Detritus
The organic waste matter that collects on the bottom of your fish tanks.

Fry
A fully formed baby fish.

Pectoral fins
Paired fins, one on each side of the body located behind the gill covers.

Why Breed Your Betta Fish?

Most people first start breeding betta fish to see the breeding process themselves and see if they can do it. There are some people who breed betta fish solely to sell them but most got addicted after successfully breed their first batch of betta fry and sell their betta fish to support their habit! You see, a bettas color depends on its parents, so it becomes very addicting trying to match a male betta and a female betta with just the right coloring to complement each other.

If you are looking for an all in one betta fish breeding and care guide that will show you how to have stunning aquariums full of Betta fish that will successful breed, check out "Taking the Mystery Out of Betta Breeding" written by Tho Le. Tho Le has been passionate about Betta fish for over 10 years and has uncovered hundreds of tips, techniques and secrets about Betta fish care and breading that no one else seems to know.

Betta Fish Diet

In the wild Betta fish subsist almost exclusively on insects and insect larvae, they even have an upturned mouth that is well suited to snatching any unsuspecting insect that might fall into the water. Internally a bettas digestive system is geared for meat, and for this reason, live foods are the ideal diet for the betta, however they will adapt to eating flake foods and frozen and freeze dried foods. Brine shrimp, Daphnia, tubifex, glassworms and plankton are all excellent options that may be found frozen or freeze dried. If flake food is fed, it should be supplemented with frozen and freeze-dried foods, and when possible live foods.

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Choosing Plants for Your Betta Fish Tank

Betta fish use plants as a defensive strategy in their natural environments. This allows them to avoid contact with predators and other male Bettas Nervous or threatened-feeling Bettas will squeeze through close together plants to escape danger. Because of this, it is important to include some kind of plant in your Betta's tank, to reduce stress and allow it to feel that it can hide. While some people prefer artificial plants in their aquariums, live plants help to take care of harmful chemical byproducts in the tank, such as ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. They also perform the important function of gas exchange, keeping the water more oxygenated than an environment without plants or with artificial plants. Soft and leafy plants are preferred, to prevent damage to the Betta's scales should it squeeze between leaves or branches.

Plants do require light, however. An aquarium with live plants should have either access to sunlight or a light built into the hood. Some plants which are recommended for use with Betta fish are the floating Water Sprite, Hornwort, and Elodea. Tiger Lotus is considered good for use in tanks with breeding Bettas since it puts out a lily-pad-like leaf that sits on the surface of the water. Male Bettas use this leaf to shelter their bubble nests. Be sure to keep an eye on your Betta tank’s plants, since dead and rotting vegetation can be bad for the water quality. Java Moss and Java Ferns can thrive in uncycled bowls without any filtration. They also require low to medium light, and are thus suitable for aquariums or enclosures that cannot be put close to a window.

Live plants for your Betta tank can be found locally from some aquarium stores or ordered from the Internet. All plants should be bright green and very healthy looking. They should also be quarantined before placing them in with the fish, to make sure that they do not carry diseases or parasites that could harm your Betta Be sure to acquire plants from a reputable source. It is wise to do some research into your supplier before purchasing live plants for your Betta tank. Bettas tend to interact more with live plants than with artificial plants. Many types of artificial plants are also rough and could damage fins and scales. Unlike fake plants, real ones will also sway attractively in the water as the fish swims through them. When the time comes to clean the tank, some plants can be gently removed and rinsed if this is desired. This is particularly easy when using free floating plants like the Java fern.

For more information on beta fish plants, try visiting http://www.bettafishcenter.com, a popular website that provides tips, advice and resources on caring for betta splendens.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Munn

Betta Fish Diseases

Does your Betta fish suffer from fin rot? The symptoms are usually pretty obvious, thinning or shredding fins, the edges turn brownish, small holes begin to appear and the poor little creature just doesn't look so hot. Well folks - that's a classic case of fin rot.

What is fin rot? Well in its simple sense, fin rot is a bacterial infection usually brought on by poor water conditions or from stress as a result of an illness.

How do you treat this infection? Normally you can treat your Betta with a fungus eliminator available at most pet stores. You should also be sure to keep your water clean and fresh. As an aid to healing apply 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt (not table salt) per gallon of water. Only add salt during water changes as it will not evaporate from water and will build up to toxic levels if added daily without changing water. Salt helps your Betta breath better which in turn speeds up recovery. To apply the fungal eliminator be sure to check the dosage on the package but normaly you would add 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water every third day until noticable improvement is seen in your fish.

Please note that salt can be used as a preventative measure on a regular basis when changing water. Use only 1/4 teaspoon per gallon when your fish are healthy to help them stay that way.
If your Betta does not improve then you may be dealing with Flexibacter columnaris which is often mistaken for a fungal infection. Columnaris is also known as cotton mouth and you should see white spots or paleness on the mouth and edges of the fins and scales. If this is the case then you will have to treat your fish with copper sulfate, antibiotics and chemicals. Acriflavine, Furan, and Terramycin are the common treatments. If you use carbon filters you will have to discontinue filtration during treatment as the filter will remove the medications from the tank.

Columnaris is highly contagious so fresh water changes are a must and you should vacuum your gravel. Be sure to disinfect all equipment (nets, vacuum etc) to avoid spreading the disease. In chronic cases columnaris can appear slowly and take several days before killing your fish. In acute cases it has been known to kill entire populations of fish in a matter of hours. High water temperatures helps the disease spread rapidly. Unfortnately lowering the temperature will only slow it down but will not stop it. If your Betta has columnaris be sure to get treatment quickly.

How to prevent fin rot and columnaris? You can greatly reduce all types of illnesses by following a few simple steps. Quarantine all new fish for two weeks. (pet stores are the biggest source of disease) Maintain high water quality and provide fish with a well balanced diet. Always disinfect all equipment before each use to avoid spreading bacterium. These simple steps greatly reduce stress on all your fish and stress is the single largest contriutor to disease. Common sense - sure, but many fail to look after their fish properly so it is aways worth repeating these basic tenents of fish keeping.

If you would like more information on fin rot, columnaris or several other common Betta diseases you can visit us at; Betta Fish


About the Author
The author is a lifelong Betta fish lover and you can visit his site at; Betta Fish