so confused

[Iamtracy]

i've been doing alot of reading about Betta care lately. I've had my boy Reggie for awhile. Simple "tank", only cleaned him about once a month. He eats betta food and he always acts like he's happy to see me! No muss no fuss! Then my daughter brought home a betta given to her as a gift and I decided on a whim to get a 3rd from Walmart while I was there getting "stuff" for the gift betta. My daughter's betta died within a week (no idea how old the Betta was when she got him) and the walmart Betta died a couple days later. :

If the people at the pet department and the fish stores arent confusing enuf, theres stuff like this:

It's is important that this bowl be kept cool at about 65 to 75 degrees F.

When you go to a pet store, you'll find rows of small bowls, each containing one colorful fish. These are male Siamese fighting fish (more properly known as a betta) and the way you find them in the pet store is essentially how they should be kept.

Bettas can be kept in small containers because they are able to breathe air, like humans, as well as water. Keep the water between 70 and 80 degrees, and don't let the temperature change too quickly. Keep the bowl away from appliances that produce a lot of heat.

This is telling me in one paragraph 65-75 degrees and in the 3rd paragraph, 70-80 degrees. :confused:
As you can read, it also says keeping a betta in one of those cups they are sold "is essentially how they should be kept". ?!
The posts of read from this forum about the proper sized tank for a betta recommends at least 2.5 gallon... correct?

This same site continues on to say...

1.5 gallons is 6 quarts and that's a pretty big fish bowl. We might put one Betta in a half gallon bowl but 1.5 gallons is much better.
Notice we recommend putting the bowl in a cool part of your home where the water is 65 to 75 degrees F. not 78 to 80. The lower temperature allows more oxygen in the water and less fish waste because the animals' metabolism is slower.

Feeding:
I've read some articles/sites that say feed every couple days.
The label on the betta cup thingy the betta comes in when purchased says once a day, now this same site as above says...
Feed your Siamese fighting fish two or three times a day, only what he will eat in a few minutes. Overfeeding will make the water cloud faster, and your betta will be more likely to get ill.

Am I an idiot? Do I need a nap?
Can I get an interpretor??

[dukie1346]

Umm, well I have no clue where you are getting that information. A suitable tank is 2.5 gallon tank or larger is better, though I have used smaller. Water should be 76 degrees or higher, because bettas are tropical fish. Also, I usually feed my bettas about 1-2 pellets in the morning and 1-2 at night.

That info is pretty odd that you found....

[Iamtracy]

http://care.betta-fish.com.ar/#bettafishcare

[dramaqueen]

I have read that before, too. Bettas are tropical fish and need temperatures between 76-82 degrees. We recommend a tank size of 2.5 gallons or larger. Bettas should be fed a good pellet food as their staple diet. Frozen or freeze dried food should be fed once or twice a week. Freeze dried food needs to be rehydrated before feeding to prevent digestive problems. Most people feed their bettas 2-3 pellets twice a day.

[Jupiter]

Yeesh...I don't even know what to say to that advice.

Bettas are tropical fish and come from a warm climate. That means they need a temp of (at the very least) 75 degrees. But the higher, the better.

1.5 gallons is okay for a temporary tank, but you will have to do a lot of water changes, so it's not really worth it imo. We recommend at least 2.5 gallons for your fish. Just because they can survive in a smaller place, doesn't always mean it's better. A lot of animals can survive in tight spaces, but again, doesn't mean you should keep them like that.

With a 2.5 gallon tank that's uncycled, you'd need to do at least 2 weekly water changes. I do one 50% and one 100%, but some people say you'll need to do two 100% changes.

Most people feed their betta twice a day. I feed mine 2 pellets during the day, and 2 pellets at night. Their stomach is about the same size as their eye, so that should give you a good idea of how much to feed.

And if you have any questions, come to us! We can give you the best advice possible, which normally can't be said about pet store employees. Unfortunately, they usually don't know what they're talking about.

[vaygirl]

That is SO silly. I keep Tango (my avatar) in a filtered and heated 16 gallon that's kept at 80 degrees and he is the healthiest, most active and happy guy I have. I feed him 4 Hikari pellets a day.

You knew enough to go... 'Huh?!' so I think you're on the right track. :D

[LisaC144]

I keep my betta in a 5g filtered tank set at 79 degrees. I do a water change of 50% once a week, however my tank is filtered and planted. I feed my betta mainly pellets and he gets 6 or 7 once a day and always wants more. A couple times a week I'll feed him betta flakes, but that's mainly so some falls to the bottom for the snails and shrimp. I don't feed mine blood worms at all because I see no health benefit to freeze dried bloodworms. They are like candy for fish. Not necessary but that's only IMO

[kelly528]

You know what, I wanted to explain how this website's advice falls into the common misconceptions of betta keeping but that doesn't even remotely do it justice. They are contradicting themselves a good 2 zillion times in here. I think this is a joke.

You are far better following the caresheet on this website. It's a good job you learned the easy way that even web pages can be horrid sources of information! At least on forums there are mombers and moderators to hold each other accounable for bad information.

[veganchick]

wow.... thats All there is left to say

[TeenyTinyTofu]

Holy Macaroni, that article was wayyyyy off.

I agree with what everyone here has already said. Betta's are tropical and like water that's a lot warmer than 65 degree's. Also, that 'they are happy in tiny cups' thing is just aggrivating.

Tofu is in a 2.5 gallon bowl. However, I found a 5 gallon glass tank setup at Walmart that comes with the hood, light and filter for only $30. So I am about to buy him that, plus a submersible heater.