How can you tell the gender of young bettas? (And other ?s)

[Zakura]

My area recently got a Petco, and after visiting yesterday renewed my love of Betta fish...as well as my sadness for those in the store. :(

So, I've got a few questions.

1) Petco had many different bettas, varying in colors, ages, veil-tails and crown-tails...and gender. Possibly in the future, I'd like to purchase a young Betta to watch it grow, but how can you tell the difference between a young male and a young female, since the males haven't gotten their long fins yet? How are female Bettas, in terms of personality and care?

2) Say if I wanted to have a large number of Bettas, what would be the best way to go about this? This is strictly for curiosity. How much space do you consider the minimum needed for a male betta? What about housing females? Would buying separate, smaller tanks be better than buying a large one and separating it?

3) Do you think it'd be better to "rescue" the Bettas in a store such as Petco by buying and caring for them, or do you think it'd be better to not buy them at all, leaving them in the harsh conditions?

4) I've currently got a single male betta in a five-gallon tank. What (if any), tank mates can he have? I'd rather stick to fish, if at all possible.

5) Live plants. Can you recommend any low-maintenance plants for a small tank? They had a few varieties at Petco, and if possible I'd like to buy from there simply because in my experience, everyone else's plants have had snails, which I don't want.

6) Are there any water heaters which will work for a tank as small as five gallons that are adjustable? I currently have a heater that does a good job at keeping the water temperature of the tank around 78 degrees, but it's not adjustable in the sense of temperature. Is this alright? I can raise the temperature more by leaving the light on, but decreases in temperature are kinda not doable (should it be necessary).

7) Is it okay if I only have the filter on only during the day? I turn it off at night because my Betta is housed in my bedroom, and it helps me sleep. However, I could learn to live with the filter noise if it'd be much better for the tank.

8) For my tank, what should the maintenance be? It's in a corner so it grows no algae (at least that I can see), I give it dechlorinated water when the water is evaporated, but other than that I don't do much, and my mom keeps harping on me that the tank has a filter and it's just "one fish" and that anything more that I do is unnecessary. If you click on the tank blurb link below, all my tank details are in there. What would you recommend as the minimum I should do for it?

Hm...I think these are all my questions right now. Most of them are for curiosity, as I don't really have the funds to get more tanks and such right now, although I'd love to get many and have a Betta rescue facility in my room. :p

Thank you for any and all help received. ^_^

[marinebiologist21]

Don't fear, Betta Brandon is here!

1) I suggest you ask a worker there. Usually even at young, males will have slightly longer fins, but just to be sure, ask!

2) The minimum for a Male Betta, I would say is 2 gallons. And that's pushing it. 5 gallons is the best for a betta, since they are used to relitavely shallow water, and 5 gallons gives them space to flaunt their finnage.

3) Definately, I would save those poor little guys and burse them back to health. It's not their fault they were brought into the world like that. :)

4) Female Bettas do fine in large groups in large tanks together, but I'm not sure about splitting them in the tank with glass with one male on the other side. The male may be stressed out, for that's a lot of females. ;)

5) Mollies are great with bettas, very very peaceful fish also. But for a five gallon, I'm not sure about have any tank mates accompany him, for they need hiding spaces in case he has a bad day. I suggest showing him a mirror once a week for him to not get depression. Yes; depression. :o

6) I've heard that 'Betta Moss' keeps your nitrates down and is easy to maintain. It's like hay a horse would stand on. Only green, for a fish, in water. I've heard bettas also enjoy Java Ferns. You may need to check on the Java Ferns, though. I've had no experience with them.

7) Yes, indeed there are. However you must obtain a 25 WATT heater, for anything more will cook your fish. I would advise getting an adjustable heater, because it sounds like there's many variations in temperature in your tank, which is definately not good.

8)If your filter breaks water (falls into the water), take it out. Bettas get stressed with currents and are more likely to get depression and disease, even their tails might wither away. I advise a small, submersable heater that is silent. Some should be in your Local Fish Store. If it doesn't make current, leaving it off is probably good for the betta to have a rest, but try to limit the amount of time it is off. I've heard that can make the tank go unstable with on/off filtration.

I advise you do 25% water changes three times a week, and vacuum the gravel every weekend if you have time. If a gravel vaccuum is unattainable, stir the gravel then do your water change to wastes in the gravel get exchanged for fresh, new water.

You also need a Betta Emergency kit- with extra food, medication in case he gets sick, and some extra water condition and a jar. Bettas die easily when they catch a disease, and treating them promptly is usually vital to their health, and with a Betta Emergency kit, you have the facilities you need to do so. The jar, extra food, and water conditioner are for any sudden disasters such as tornados, and hurricanes.

Put all of these supplies in a bag, and if you hear of a disaster, scoop up your betta in the jar. 20 % WATER! Bettas need more air than water. Leave 80% air and screw the lid on, grab your emergency kit and run. If the jar breaks, you can even wet your shirt, put you betta in it, grab your kit and run. Bettas will survive for half an hour like that as long as their skin is moist.

There are many possible ways to evacuate your betta.
Hope that helps- BRANDON.

[Zakura]

Thank you so much for your reply! It was very informative and answered many of my questions! ^_^

Here is a pic of my filter. It sort of "pours" in from the top, but it produces very little current from what I can tell. Then again, I'm not the little tiny fish that has to swim through the tank.

I'll have to look around for an adjustable heater, and perhaps a different filter. If leaving the filter off over night will cause unstable conditions, I'll have to see if I can find a quieter one.

Any recommendations for either the heater or filter?

As for medication, I've got all sorts from the stuff my mom has for our goldfish and single koi. I'm not entirely sure what it is exactly, but if it works for goldfish, would it work for bettas? Or should I look around for Betta-specific medication?

Thanks again for all your help. I appreciate all the information. :)

[marinebiologist21]

Get betta specific meds, They're plenty of those around, for bettas have specific conditions only they will get.
And I suggest any brand under gravel filter. I advise you search on google for different filter variations.
As for heater, I'm not sure. Just ask your Pet store if any 25 watt heaters are available and take a look at each one.
If not able to find a good filter, I'd do no filter.
I have no filters in my tanks, I just do water changes more often.
My bettas are happy. :)

NOTE: YOUR FILTER LOOKS FINE. JUST TRY TO SOMEHOW BLOCK THE WATER FLOW FROM PURING , TRY TO MAKE IT TRICKLE. IF NOT, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.

[Zakura]

I'll do that. Thank you very much for your help once again! :D

[Lupin]

Originally Posted by marinebiologist21

Get betta specific meds, They're plenty of those around, for bettas have specific conditions only they will get.

Not all meds for bettas are safe. I'd be wary about choosing them. I would advise posting the meds found and list all their ingredients especially active ingredients before using. Bettababy will be able to give you more input on the meds as well. Jungle is often used for bettas so I would suggest looking there.

[Zakura]

Thank you, Lupin. I'll be sure to do that. :)