i need HELP with my new betta!!

[verosSnapper]

i just got my betta last night and named it snapper. the tank is a half gallon. (1/2 gallon)

• how do i know if its boy or girl?
• can i put other fish or snails with it?
• how often and how much do i feed it?
• can i get another so they can have babies?
• any other advice?

thanks

[IonBaller07]

1) You can tell if its a boy or girl easily by the fin length, males have long fins normally over 1/2" the females will have short ones close to their body, there are other ways but that is the easiest.
2) In a 1/2" gallon you cant fit any other fish or snails in it, you should really think about getting a bigger tank for the betta too, 2.5 gallons is recommended but 1 gallon should do.
3) Most feed them 2-3 pellets 2 times a day.
4) Breeding is very difficult with bettas and should not be attempted until you do ALOT of research. Males and females cant be housed together as they will kill each other and you will need at LEAST a 10 gallon to spawn them in.
5) Umm.... nothing except for I advise a bigger tank for your betta, preferably 2.5g and dont try breeding yet.

Good luck with the little guy they get very addicting, and nice name they sure do snap up all their food dont they

[Vikki81207]

Yep, I agree with IonBaller. Just read around on the site, you'll find everything you're looking for.

[dr2b]

I second everything IonBaller said.

Welcome to Fish Forum! :)

[MrVampire181]

1) Fin length and an egg spot on the female

2) unless your tank is 5+ gallon you can't put anything else with him

3) 3 pellets once daily

4) read up on breeding on my site: www.ibetta.webs.com (do a lot of research)

1/2 gallon? You need to go back to the petstore and get him a bigger jar, ASAP!! The minimum jar size is 1 gallon but you should try to get a 2.5 gallon tank with heating and filtration.

[AngelicScars]

I agree completely with Ion!

[verosSnapper]

thanks everyone for yr help.

[dramaqueen]

Good advice, Ionballer!

[mullinsd2]

I would advise you to get a bigger tank as well. Personally, I would not go for anything less than 5 gallons, but that is just me. Right now I have my betta in a 10 gallon (he is the only fish). Prior to that, I had him in a 5 gallon. You need filtration and a heat source!! Some tanks (eclipse corner 5) provide the heat through its lighting. Idk if this was done on purpose, but my temp never dropped below 78 degrees, and I had no heater. This is possible because everything is included in the hood of the tank, and there is no where for the heat to escape. If you are on a tight budget, I would go with a 10 gallon starter kit from wal mart or petsmart; even better, you can find a 10 gallon tank on craigslist, with a stand, for about 25 bucks!

[LiyahsGrandma]

Welcome, and I love the named Snapper : )