Dirty Betta Fish

[jam05]

I bought a male better a few months ago as a starter fish because they are supposed to be clean, and have little hassle. But then I realized that his bowl started smelling like ammonia and had bubbles on top. My local Petco associate said that he was ready to breed. So I bought a female betta, but was told to keep them in seperate areas. I don't know if I should let them together since they are fighting fish? and if I decide to not let them breed together, does that mean the bowl will ALWAYS be dirty? I mean, I am deep cleaning it every two days just so they can swim and not smell!

[fish_4_all]

Keep up with the water changes. The smell of ammonia is ammonia and is slowly killing your betta.

Don't try to breed them yet. They need a cycled tank and good water quality to breed succesfully and not stress out so much that they die after the rigors of spawning.

Have to ask, how big is the tank and do you have filter, heater or anything else in the tank?

[jam05]

Right now I just have one of those twin tanks that they sell at petco. I have a bamboo stick in the tank as well pebbles for the bottom of the tank. I don't have a filter or anything like that because they said I didn't need one. But when I do clean the tank water I add a stress coat liquid they told me about at petco for the water. Is there anything else I can do to keep the tank clean.

[tenpaull]

how much and how often do you feed?
more food = more poop.
bubbles on top is a sign that your betta is/was in good shape(good enough to breed, that is) they make bubbles as nest where they can keep their eggs if ever you decide to breed them.,

[Flashygrrl]

Originally Posted by jam05

Right now I just have one of those twin tanks that they sell at petco. I have a bamboo stick in the tank as well pebbles for the bottom of the tank. I don't have a filter or anything like that because they said I didn't need one. But when I do clean the tank water I add a stress coat liquid they told me about at petco for the water. Is there anything else I can do to keep the tank clean.

*sigh* Petco is a big pain in my....yeah, ok, anyways:

You DO need a filter, a heater, and a bigger tank. You could have a 5 gallon with a divider so boy and girl are most kept separate. Otherwise you'll just be fighting the ammonia all the time. Water conditioner is a must, and stress coat is good.