betta blogging

this is a wild betta

Are you seeing the difference here. pet betta

wild betta

and two I mean have you even seen a nature show before have you SEEN a wild bettas habitat? Allow me to enlighten you.

wild betta in natural habitat (a slow moving stream)

so this

lives in this

this

should live in this

Remember: 2.5+ gallons a proper heater clean water lots of hiding places. That betta you buy in the store is the equivilent of comparing a chihuahua to a wolf. and isn’t this

prettier than this?

Look, there’s one with two females. You know how lonely they get.

GloFish in one!!!

A mystery snail, because you know, they don’t produce any ammonia at all and thrive in almost no water (just like beta fishs)

Oh and two have mollies!! Good thing they are being alone in there though, they hate each other all the time

i was considering getting their ghost shrimp but then i looked at the goldfish and omg

its also sad to see bettas there bc usually kids come and dump entire things of food in there and the bettas end up gorging themselves, i remember once i complained to an employee and instead of trying to fix the issue he just tried selling me  a betta and he literally did not understand i didnt WANT one personally i just wanted them to not be stuffing themselves to death.....

I see a lotta people that feel bad about the algae in their tanks and stuff but honestly? It’s not a big deal, if you look at some videos or images of the fish in the wild there’s so much awful algae and they’re fine, they’re happy, algae is normal. Don’t feel bad about your tank having algae and don’t feel like you’re a bad fish keeper just because of it, if your fish are happy and healthy that’s the important thing. Don’t measure your tank against people who post a single image of a meticulously clean and maintained tank with zero algae because I promise you it only looks that good for the shot and probably will have algae a week later. Accept single celled plants in your life.

I’m sick of the pet industry always fucking animals like the betta over so let’s get some things straight ————— MYTH: bettas like small spaces, they live in small rice paddies in the wild REALITY: No they absolutely do not, sure some survive this, but it’s a cruel life to live. Rice paddies are actually quite big although shallow, the average male betta has about 3 feet of its own territory in the wild. Bettas need AT LEAST 2.5 gallons, but a 5-10 g is even better. You can get a 3 g tank from petco for like $10 ————– MYTH: you should feed your betta whenever it is hungry REALITY: a bettas stomach is the size of its eyeball, it is very easy to overfeed. I feed my betta 2 pellets a day, but lots of people feed at different times with different food so I suggest doing some research and deciding what works best for you. ————– MYTH: bettas are lazy REALITY: bettas are inactive in small tanks because they’re aware that they have no space to swim and will hit walls, in larger tanks bettas are very active ————– MYTH: bettas can only be kept alone REALITY: it is true that male betta fish cannot be kept with any other betta, but (depending on the bettas personality) bettas can be kept with fish that are smaller and drab looking that won’t bite your bettas tail. I keep my betta with 2 snails and 5 ghost shrimp and he rarely bothers them. Female bettas can be kept in groups of 5 which is called a sorority. Keep in mind that these options are only possible in large tanks with lots of hiding spots. ————– MYTH: bettas will eat live plants so you don’t have to feed them if you have plants in the tank REALITY: bettas are CARNIVORES. They won’t eat plants, they will eat blood worms and brine shrimp which you can buy frozen. In fact feeding real prey is good along with pellets or flakes. ————– MYTH: bettas don’t need filtration or heat REALITY: they need both. As far as filtration goes, strong currents don’t mix well with bettas so a sponge filter is best. ————– MYTH: bettas only live a couple months anyway, why should I be doing all this? REALITY: with proper care, bettas can live 5 years. ————– MYTH: bettas and all other fish are dumb REALITY: bettas are actually very smart and trainable. Mine was taught to jump out of the water on command and come when called (by wiggling fingers). Some people have taught bettas harder tricks such as going through a hoop. They can even learn when meal time is and be ready for it. ————– MYTH: My child will take care of the betta REALITY: your child will lose interest within a week, YOU will be taking care of their fish. If you’re not okay with that don’t buy your kid a fish. ————– MYTH: I should completely change the tank each time I clean it REALITY: you should instead do frequent partial water changes of about 40% of the water ————— MYTH: bettas are throw away pets REALITY: there is no such thing as a throw away pet and if you think there is you shouldn’t own pets

No. This is a myth. Even in large tanks, it’s a myth.

Female bettas are solitary and just as aggressive toward other bettas as males.

Sororities are stressful to the fish and are never, ever recommended by experienced keepers.

Do not ever keep a betta in a tank with another betta.

Some links on the topic: http://bettaesthetic.tumblr.com/post/164681684704/recently-ive-been-trawling-youtube-looking-at

https://kouhafish.tumblr.com/post/163781442726/betta-sororities-are-selfish

https://elemental-kiss.tumblr.com/post/158674298487/female-vs-male-betta-aggression

https://elemental-kiss.tumblr.com/why-im-anti-sorority

It’s impossible to tell someone exactly how much to feed their betta(because every betta is different). 

Dip out a bit of tank water and pre-soak several pellets in it so they won’t expand once the betta swallows them.  Then, feed one at a time until the betta’s stomach has a gentle swell to it.  Do this twice a day, eventually you will get an idea of how much food is the optimal amount for you betta.

Betta require variety in their diets to thrive, you shouldn’t feed just one thing - however with the majority of betta the staple of their diet should be a good quality pellet(nls betta pellets, omega one betta buffet pellets - off the top of my head)

I do not use any freeze dried betta treats, they lack the nutrients of frozen and live food and may attribute to bloat, which betta are already prone to.  Instead, I recommend buying frozen food.  I feed my betta frozen blood worms, brine shrimp, daphnia, fluval bug bites and nls betta pellets.

On the topic of keeping tank mates(snails and ghost shrimp in particular) with betta, from my /faq:

Betta are solitary, territorial fish that do not desire, nor benefit from company.

Mystery Snails have massively long eye stalks that leave them vulnerable to attack.  If [any type of snail] flinch when the betta swims near them, remain in their shells for long periods of time or constantly keep their eye stalks drawn in they are likely being bullied and should be removed from the tank immediately.

Ghost Shrimp are cheap feeder shrimp that have been known to kill betta. If the shrimp don’t attack the betta first, the betta WILL hunt the shrimp and potentially overfeed & get sick - maybe even die.

my rule of thumb for keeping tanks mates is if the betta displays anything but indifference(INCLUDING ongoing curiosity) they should be separated at once.  

i personally disagree with tankmates as a whole, too much risk and absolutely no benefit to the fish.

frequency of water changes, from my post critiquing the commonly suggested “once per week” water change schedule:

water changes entirely depend on your individual tank.  telling someone “once per week” isn’t really correct.  for example, a 2.5g tank should be water changed more frequent than that - probably 2-3 times a week, maybe even more depending on the tank.  monitor your water perimeters and change water when your tank needs it, not on a strict schedule of once per week.

feeding live food:

with live food comes the issue of parasites - only feed your fish live foods that you have gotten from a trusted source(example: a fellow hobbyist provides you some live daphnia / NOT example: mosquito larvae from stagnant water outside) or cultured yourself(example: a flightless fruit fly culture).

to add to the sorority issue:

After owning fish for almost a year, they obviously are intelligent, in the sense that they know where I feed them. i swapped sides of the tanks 3 times and they followed me and wait (well swim furiously over each other) in the correct spot when it’s feeding time.

They also seem to know me and my partner appart, as they only do the crazy food dance for me and not my partner.

when you are having to remove your betta from the situation due to fighting and making cutesy posts about how the betta is “a bully” that means your sorority IS NOT working out(and im not talking about anyone in particular, ive seen posts like this DOZENS of times).  

sororities never work out, straight up.  there’s a reason why opinions of sororities seem so black and white, either someone saying their sorority is “perfect” and there’s “no aggression” or people adamantly opposing them.  it can be sudden - the betta actually fighting is the CLIMAX of the stress cultivated within a sorority, it won’t happen immediately. it will build up to it.  and when your fish finally snap it will be violent and tragic and feel like it came out of “no where” when that is not and never has been the case.

betta are solitary fish.  betta are TERRITORIAL fish.  it doesn’t matter the fish’s gender - they have been bred(inbred!) for aggression for years.  the very nature of their breeding is aggressive and potentially deadly.

female betta do not “get along” and the betta within your sorority most definitely are not “friends”. they don’t value or desire the company of ANY tank mate, let alone other betta.  

putting betta with other fish is ENTIRELY for the aesthetic desires of the fishkeeper.  betta do not benefit from having tankmates, nor do they want tankmates.  

one of the NUMBER ONE reasons i see people start communities(or even sororities) with betta is to “give it company” or try to “emulate their natural habitat”.  i’ve already addressed the give it company part, as for the “natural habitat” part - domestic betta do not have a “natural habitat”.  domestic betta do not exist in the wild.  if you are interested in emulating a natural habitat for a betta then perhaps look into wild type betta instead.

i don’t mean to be rude, and i don’t mean to call anyone out - but i AM getting increasingly frustrated with the amount of popular youtubers starting sororities, as well as the amount of people refusing to even CONSIDER researching their sororities further.  

i had a betta sorority, i had a SIXTY GALLON betta sorority, heavily planted with 5 female betta(sisters, even).  that is going above and beyond the general “standard” of a 10-20 gallon tank with 5 females.  and it failed, tragically, and ended with the death of one of my females and the shredded fins and missing scales of my mustard gas female.  it was tragic and gore-y and not something i would wish on another fishkeeper in a million years.  when i message you about your sorority, i do it because i GENUINELY CARE, i really do want to see other people in this hobby succeed and i care deeply about these fish.

if you receive critique on the way you house your animals, fish or otherwise, you should ALWAYS consider that perhaps you are in the wrong - that maybe there is SOMETHING you can do better for them and then do your own research.  as in everything, you are never done learning.  you are never done GROWING and bettering yourself, and the second you believe you know best it is probably time that you distance yourself from the hobby and consider rehoming your pets - because they deserve better than that. 

Did you know that you can actually play with your pet fish?

Many fish owners do not realize that their betta fish can be played with just like with any other pet. Although your fish may not fetch like a dog, it can still provide entertainment as long as you take the time to entertain it as well. Fortunately, providing entertainment for your pet fish is also much cheaper than providing for cats and dogs. So, if you want to help your fish exercise and escape boredom, here are 7 ways to play with your betta fish:

The day I brought him home vs today

Meet 5 cute mouthbrooders, some of which show up in the aquarium trade! We’re almost done with All About Bettas, so sad!

Betta dennisyongi Quite a mouthful of a name! Specimens in the aquarium trade may have been inadvertently hybridized with the similar Betta rubra. It’s a small species that likes an acidic to neutral pH. img src

Betta foerschi This betta is so cute, it convinced a well known fishblr that dislikes bettas that maybe they aren’t all bad. They are colorful, acidic water fish that like thick vegetation and shade. img src

Betta mandor As the name suggests, this species is collected primarily near the village of Mandor in Borneo. They like pH 4.8-5.5, which is a pretty small range, but they’re worth it. Who can resist this endearing species? img src

Betta rubra This is a peaceful little betta, commonly kept in family groups and colonies in the home aquaria. They are colorful and enchanting fish that will capture anyone’s heart. img src

Betta strohi Small, dark, and handsome perfectly describes this deep blue betta. They are often kept in pairs, and should have low to mid 70s water that is soft & acidic. img src

*i just looked it up, I’m validated: “Hendra colour pattern looks similar to that possessed by members of the B. foerschi group of closely-related species within the genus but its breeding strategy, adult size and behaviour preclude inclusion in that assemblage and it’s instead considered within the Betta coccina group of which members mostly comprise small, red-coloured fishes with the exceptions of B. hendra, B. persephone and B. miniopinna which are greenish or darkish.