Male Bettas

[sb]

Hi all,

Sorry if this is not the correct forum for posting.

I currently have a male betta in a tank on his own. Can anyone suggest fish
he *might* like as I'm worried he might get lonely or bored. I know they are
quite sociable and that 2 bettas together tend to fight so obviously wasnt
thinking about another betta.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks!

--
~~~~~~~~
To listen to Monkey Music click on http://66.246.222.54:8730 or copy and
paste 66.246.222.54:8730 into your open URL area of your music player.
Requests can be sent to

[mike]

Ive had mine in with neon tetras... You can also put in some guppies or
other types of tetras that are as small as the neon... basicly anything that
wont bother the betta, or nip at its fins....

My Fish Site
http://www.mikesfishsite.com


"sb" > wrote in message
...
> Hi all,
>
> Sorry if this is not the correct forum for posting.
>
> I currently have a male betta in a tank on his own. Can anyone suggest
fish
> he *might* like as I'm worried he might get lonely or bored. I know they
are
> quite sociable and that 2 bettas together tend to fight so obviously wasnt
> thinking about another betta.
>
> Any suggestions appreciated.
>
> Thanks!
>
> --
> ~~~~~~~~
> To listen to Monkey Music click on http://66.246.222.54:8730 or copy and
> paste 66.246.222.54:8730 into your open URL area of your music player.
> Requests can be sent to
>
>

[sb]

Dont tetras and guppies need heat though? The tank is hot enough for the
betta but I thought tetras and guppies needed it hotter?

Sb

--
~~~~~~~~
To listen to Monkey Music click on http://66.246.222.54:8730 or copy and
paste 66.246.222.54:8730 into your open URL area of your music player.
Requests can be sent to


"mike" > wrote in message
...
> Ive had mine in with neon tetras... You can also put in some guppies or
> other types of tetras that are as small as the neon... basicly anything
> that
> wont bother the betta, or nip at its fins....
>
> My Fish Site
> http://www.mikesfishsite.com
>
>
> "sb" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Sorry if this is not the correct forum for posting.
>>
>> I currently have a male betta in a tank on his own. Can anyone suggest
> fish
>> he *might* like as I'm worried he might get lonely or bored. I know they
> are
>> quite sociable and that 2 bettas together tend to fight so obviously
>> wasnt
>> thinking about another betta.
>>
>> Any suggestions appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> --
>> ~~~~~~~~
>> To listen to Monkey Music click on http://66.246.222.54:8730 or copy and
>> paste 66.246.222.54:8730 into your open URL area of your music player.
>> Requests can be sent to
>>
>>
>
>

[Angrie.Woman]

"sb" > wrote in message
...
> Dont tetras and guppies need heat though? The tank is hot enough for the
> betta but I thought tetras and guppies needed it hotter?

I think Bettas like it about 80F.

I would think that the Betta would eat the neons though.

A

[mike]

no the bettas wont eat the neons.... Bettas dont eat neons... They dont even
bother with them... And you dont need heat unless your house is like
freezing, the tank will be good at room temp.... I had them and they stayed
alive fine without heat, and also the betta didnt eat the guppies or the
neons... Bettas dont eat live food, They might kill something if it bothers
them... A neon or guppy will not bother the betta....I even had bloodfin
tetras in with the betta, nothing happened... The betta wont fight another
fish unless it picks at the betta or if it is another betta...

check out my webpage, i got pictures of the neons in with my betta, in a ten
gallon tank somewhere on there...
MY FISH PAGE
http://www.mikesfishsite.com




"Angrie.Woman" > wrote in message
...
>
> "sb" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Dont tetras and guppies need heat though? The tank is hot enough for the
> > betta but I thought tetras and guppies needed it hotter?
>
> I think Bettas like it about 80F.
>
> I would think that the Betta would eat the neons though.
>
> A
>
>

[lgb]

In article >,
says...
> Bettas dont eat live food,
>
Tell that to the one of mine that feasted on baby platys recently :-).

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

[mike]

yes exactly BABY platty not full grown neon or guppy, you dont want to breed
or put babys in with any fish until the baby gets bigger... A betta cannot
eat a neon or will not unless of course it is a tiny baby or bothering him,
like nipping at his fins or stuff like that....


"lgb" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> says...
> > Bettas dont eat live food,
> >
> Tell that to the one of mine that feasted on baby platys recently :-).
>
> --
> Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

[Richard Sexton]

In article >,
mike > wrote:
>no the bettas wont eat the neons.... Bettas dont eat neons... They dont even

If they're small enough and the betta is hungry they will eat
them. Don't ask me how I know...

--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org

[Lisa]

Bettas like warm water, too. They need heated water to about 78-80 F.
Mine love it, and are so active since I upped the temps in their tank.
How big and warm is your tank?

I don't think bettas especially get lonely, so I don't know if putting
one in with tetras would make him "feel better" or "be happier." I
have 3 - two in a divided 10-gallon, and one in a 5-gallon mini-bow.
All have filters and heaters, and water changes of at least 30% weekly.


The two in the divided tank can see each other, and they both seem very
active and "happy." The one by himself blows huge bubblenests, but
doesn't swim quite as much, so I am not sure which of the 3 is
happiest.

Personally, I would make sure that your water is clean and warm enough,
as well as making sure that there is enough room (2-gallons or more is
nice!) before thinking about companions for him. YOu might be suprised
by how happier he seems when you change his environment to "ideal"
conditions re: really clean water, enough heat, live food, etc.

Good luck!

- Lisa

[Elaine T]

mike wrote:
> no the bettas wont eat the neons.... Bettas dont eat neons... They dont even
> bother with them... And you dont need heat unless your house is like
> freezing, the tank will be good at room temp.... I had them and they stayed
> alive fine without heat, and also the betta didnt eat the guppies or the
> neons... Bettas dont eat live food, They might kill something if it bothers
> them... A neon or guppy will not bother the betta....I even had bloodfin
> tetras in with the betta, nothing happened... The betta wont fight another
> fish unless it picks at the betta or if it is another betta...

No, Mike. Bettas are tropical fish and need a heater. They should be
kept at 76-80 for normal conditions and above 80 for spawning. Bettas
are also carnivores. They DO eat live food, including mosquito larvae,
blackworms, bloodworms, small fish, and anything else that fits into
their mouths.

And my betta, who is nice and feisty in a 78 degree tank, flares and
charges at anything I have tried to put in with him, including rasboras
and Amano shrimp. Perhaps your bettas are too cold to care.

I pity your bettas at room temperature. Bettas will indeed stay alive,
but they live a cold, sad existance.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Elaine T]

sb wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Sorry if this is not the correct forum for posting.
>
> I currently have a male betta in a tank on his own. Can anyone suggest fish
> he *might* like as I'm worried he might get lonely or bored. I know they are
> quite sociable and that 2 bettas together tend to fight so obviously wasnt
> thinking about another betta.
>
> Any suggestions appreciated.
>
> Thanks!
>
Heh. My betta, Squishy, has antisocial personality disorder. He flares
and charges at anything I put in the tank with him. If I show him a
mirror, he gets so wrought up that he bites off the end of his own tail
thinking it's the other fish. I tried adding some lambchop rasboras to
his tank and he half killed them. This is not a betta that has issues
with lonliness.

Out of curiosity, what has given you the idea that bettas are sociable?
In the wild, they tend to live in small puddles of water or
rain-flooded fields. They stake out their little patch of water and
defend it against all comers except a female with eggs. Not my idea of
sociable.

One thing bettas usually respond to is a "flare buddy." Bettas
sometimes show better color and are more active if they know they're the
boss of their tank. You can show him either a mirror or another betta
for 20 minutes or so daily and he can flare his gills and raise his
fins, chase off the intruder, and "win" his territory.

To suggest other fish, I once had a mellower betta and kept him with
white cloud minnows. The tank was 76 degrees, at the high end of white
cloud range and the low end of betta range. It worked well. My
betta/other fish failures are cardinal tetras (nipped at the betta's
fins like a pack of pihranas) and lambchop rasboras with Squishy.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[anemone]

IMHO...i wouldnt put male bettas with guppies (esp. the fancy ones) because
of thier tails and similarity to the male betta
"mike" > wrote in message
...
> Ive had mine in with neon tetras... You can also put in some guppies or
> other types of tetras that are as small as the neon... basicly anything
> that
> wont bother the betta, or nip at its fins....
>
> My Fish Site
> http://www.mikesfishsite.com
>
>
> "sb" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Sorry if this is not the correct forum for posting.
>>
>> I currently have a male betta in a tank on his own. Can anyone suggest
> fish
>> he *might* like as I'm worried he might get lonely or bored. I know they
> are
>> quite sociable and that 2 bettas together tend to fight so obviously
>> wasnt
>> thinking about another betta.
>>
>> Any suggestions appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> --
>> ~~~~~~~~
>> To listen to Monkey Music click on http://66.246.222.54:8730 or copy and
>> paste 66.246.222.54:8730 into your open URL area of your music player.
>> Requests can be sent to
>>
>>
>
>

[anemone]

Sb,
go to this site...it'll tell you what you want to know
www.bettatalk.com

"sb" > wrote in message
...
> Hi all,
>
> Sorry if this is not the correct forum for posting.
>
> I currently have a male betta in a tank on his own. Can anyone suggest
> fish he *might* like as I'm worried he might get lonely or bored. I know
> they are quite sociable and that 2 bettas together tend to fight so
> obviously wasnt thinking about another betta.
>
> Any suggestions appreciated.
>
> Thanks!
>
> --
> ~~~~~~~~
> To listen to Monkey Music click on http://66.246.222.54:8730 or copy and
> paste 66.246.222.54:8730 into your open URL area of your music player.
> Requests can be sent to
>

[Sunny]

"Elaine T" > wrote in message
. com...
<snip>
> No, Mike. Bettas are tropical fish and need a heater. They should be
> kept at 76-80 for normal conditions and above 80 for spawning. Bettas are
> also carnivores. They DO eat live food, including mosquito larvae,
> blackworms, bloodworms, small fish, and anything else that fits into their
> mouths.
>
> And my betta, who is nice and feisty in a 78 degree tank, flares and
> charges at anything I have tried to put in with him, including rasboras
> and Amano shrimp. Perhaps your bettas are too cold to care.
>
> I pity your bettas at room temperature. Bettas will indeed stay alive,
> but they live a cold, sad existance.

Depends where you live :-)
Here in Queensland our house temp varies between 65 and 85 degrees F.
(Ducted Air Con, when used is set to 77 Degees F)
Two Bettas in two 8 Litre tanks, 4 inches apart and they rule the house :-)
(every time I ask they tell me they are happy)

[anemone]

try keeping a betta in Stanthorpe then :-)
"Sunny" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Elaine T" > wrote in message
> . com...
> <snip>
>> No, Mike. Bettas are tropical fish and need a heater. They should be
>> kept at 76-80 for normal conditions and above 80 for spawning. Bettas
>> are also carnivores. They DO eat live food, including mosquito larvae,
>> blackworms, bloodworms, small fish, and anything else that fits into
>> their mouths.
>>
>> And my betta, who is nice and feisty in a 78 degree tank, flares and
>> charges at anything I have tried to put in with him, including rasboras
>> and Amano shrimp. Perhaps your bettas are too cold to care.
>>
>> I pity your bettas at room temperature. Bettas will indeed stay alive,
>> but they live a cold, sad existance.
>
> Depends where you live :-)
> Here in Queensland our house temp varies between 65 and 85 degrees F.
> (Ducted Air Con, when used is set to 77 Degees F)
> Two Bettas in two 8 Litre tanks, 4 inches apart and they rule the house
> :-)
> (every time I ask they tell me they are happy)
>
>

[blank]

well my male betta lives very happily in a community tank with his two lady
friends and about 80 other tropicals hes a happy chappy--likes to be
hand fed and stroked his favourite spot is right at the top, back and
forth at the front of the tank, but will go to the bottom from time to time

ive never observed him bothering with ny other fish in the tank, large or
small, except once in a blue moon he gives one of the female bettas a bit of
a pat and tickle

[mike]

well anytime i put anything in with my betta he never bothered it or
anything and he was happy without a heater in the tank.... And my betta
never touched a single bloodworm everytime i put it in, all he eats is the
betta pellets.... I had my one betta in with i think 5 neons and an algae
eater in a ten gallon tank and the betta never tryed eating them or picking
at them... It is 72F room temp in my house and all my fish tanks are at like
75F all the time...




"anemone" > wrote in message
...
> try keeping a betta in Stanthorpe then :-)
> "Sunny" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "Elaine T" > wrote in message
> > . com...
> > <snip>
> >> No, Mike. Bettas are tropical fish and need a heater. They should be
> >> kept at 76-80 for normal conditions and above 80 for spawning. Bettas
> >> are also carnivores. They DO eat live food, including mosquito larvae,
> >> blackworms, bloodworms, small fish, and anything else that fits into
> >> their mouths.
> >>
> >> And my betta, who is nice and feisty in a 78 degree tank, flares and
> >> charges at anything I have tried to put in with him, including rasboras
> >> and Amano shrimp. Perhaps your bettas are too cold to care.
> >>
> >> I pity your bettas at room temperature. Bettas will indeed stay alive,
> >> but they live a cold, sad existance.
> >
> > Depends where you live :-)
> > Here in Queensland our house temp varies between 65 and 85 degrees F.
> > (Ducted Air Con, when used is set to 77 Degees F)
> > Two Bettas in two 8 Litre tanks, 4 inches apart and they rule the house
> > :-)
> > (every time I ask they tell me they are happy)
> >
> >
>
>

[mike]

i always put the feeder guppies in with them never the fancy ones... Just
plain grey guppies...


"anemone" > wrote in message
...
> IMHO...i wouldnt put male bettas with guppies (esp. the fancy ones)
because
> of thier tails and similarity to the male betta
> "mike" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Ive had mine in with neon tetras... You can also put in some guppies or
> > other types of tetras that are as small as the neon... basicly anything
> > that
> > wont bother the betta, or nip at its fins....
> >
> > My Fish Site
> > http://www.mikesfishsite.com
> >
> >
> > "sb" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> Hi all,
> >>
> >> Sorry if this is not the correct forum for posting.
> >>
> >> I currently have a male betta in a tank on his own. Can anyone suggest
> > fish
> >> he *might* like as I'm worried he might get lonely or bored. I know
they
> > are
> >> quite sociable and that 2 bettas together tend to fight so obviously
> >> wasnt
> >> thinking about another betta.
> >>
> >> Any suggestions appreciated.
> >>
> >> Thanks!
> >>
> >> --
> >> ~~~~~~~~
> >> To listen to Monkey Music click on http://66.246.222.54:8730 or copy
and
> >> paste 66.246.222.54:8730 into your open URL area of your music player.
> >> Requests can be sent to
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>

[dragon]

sb (dontspamme) wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Sorry if this is not the correct forum for posting.
>
> I currently have a male betta in a tank on his own. Can anyone
suggest fish
> he *might* like as I'm worried he might get lonely or bored. I know
they are
> quite sociable and that 2 bettas together tend to fight so obviously
wasnt
> thinking about another betta.
>
> Any suggestions appreciated.
>
> Thanks!

Get yourself another tank and put a second betta in there. Our two are
in 2.5 gal tanks each that sit right next to each other. They have
enough room to flare at each other if they want, or hang out somewhere
else too. They really do enjoy each other's company though, so you
could always try this instead.

dragon

[Tynk]

mike wrote:
> no the bettas wont eat the neons.... Bettas dont eat neons... They
dont even
> bother with them... And you dont need heat unless your house is like
> freezing, the tank will be good at room temp.... I had them and they
stayed
> alive fine without heat, and also the betta didnt eat the guppies or
the
> neons... Bettas dont eat live food, They might kill something if it
bothers
> them... A neon or guppy will not bother the betta....I even had
bloodfin
> tetras in with the betta, nothing happened... The betta wont fight
another
> fish unless it picks at the betta or if it is another betta...
>
> check out my webpage, i got pictures of the neons in with my betta,
in a ten
> gallon tank somewhere on there...
> MY FISH PAGE
> http://www.mikesfishsite.com
>
>
>
Wow! You are so off here.
Just so you don't get all snippy when I correct you, I've been a Betta
keeper for 27 years now, and bred them for 19yrs, so I do know what I'm
talking about.

1- Bettas *will* eat Neons if they are small enough to fit into their
mouths.
Some Bettas will simply gut the larger ones and eat at their leisure.
Some Bettas will be peachy with Neons.
The key is that they (Bettas) each have their own individual
personality. That means no 2 are the same, and there is no concrete
rules when it comes to Bettas.
2- They don't need heat??? What's the matter with you?
Bettas should be kept at 78-80*f. That's warmer than most tropical fish
like it. Their native country is very warm and humid at all times. Of
course they need heat!!
3- Bettas don't eat live foods??? Do you know anything about Bettas as
all?
Sorry, I had to ask that one.
Live food, Mosquito larva mainly is their natural food. Small bugs and
small fish (fry) are another favorite food of Bettas.
If you still have Bettas I would advise you to actually research them.
Then you can give your fish the proper care they deserve.
Please do not give out such false information.

[Tynk]

Elaine,
Bettas are sociable to a point.
Within the Betta society, there is a hierarchy. If this didn't happen,
then they wouldn't be sociable.
Just not the same type of sociable that comes to mind.

[Richard Sexton]

>I pity your bettas at room temperature. Bettas will indeed stay alive,
>but they live a cold, sad existance.

Mine don't, and they're at room temperature. 72-8; it fluctuates
but is usually closer to 74 most of the time.

I don't expect to breed them at this temperature but IME it's
not harmful for them.

http://images.aquaria.net/fish/bettas/splendens/HM/brown/rs79/1/


--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org

[Richard Sexton]

>Just so you don't get all snippy when I correct you, I've been a Betta
>keeper for 27 years now, and bred them for 19yrs, so I do know what I'm

What colors are you working with? Got any butterflys or yellows?

--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org

[lgb]

In article . com>,
says...
> The key is that they (Bettas) each have their own individual
> personality. That means no 2 are the same, and there is no concrete
> rules when it comes to Bettas.
>
It only took me 1 month and 2 bettas to find that out :-).

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

[mike]

all the bettas i had have never eaten any live food nor have they attacked
or killed any of my other fish... Im saying that bettas dont need a heater
unless your house is freezing.... I have kept all my bettas without heat and
they never ate a single one of my fish... I havent been into fish for 27
years, so i dont know that much about breeding them and keeping them that
long but i know that a betta will not just eat a neon unless you are just
feeding it absolutely nothing... And in my house its 72F and if you got your
room temps about right you wont need a heater... Also any fish will eat
neons if they are small enough to fit into its mouth......





"Tynk" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> mike wrote:
> > no the bettas wont eat the neons.... Bettas dont eat neons... They
> dont even
> > bother with them... And you dont need heat unless your house is like
> > freezing, the tank will be good at room temp.... I had them and they
> stayed
> > alive fine without heat, and also the betta didnt eat the guppies or
> the
> > neons... Bettas dont eat live food, They might kill something if it
> bothers
> > them... A neon or guppy will not bother the betta....I even had
> bloodfin
> > tetras in with the betta, nothing happened... The betta wont fight
> another
> > fish unless it picks at the betta or if it is another betta...
> >
> > check out my webpage, i got pictures of the neons in with my betta,
> in a ten
> > gallon tank somewhere on there...
> > MY FISH PAGE
> > http://www.mikesfishsite.com
> >
> >
> >
> Wow! You are so off here.
> Just so you don't get all snippy when I correct you, I've been a Betta
> keeper for 27 years now, and bred them for 19yrs, so I do know what I'm
> talking about.
>
> 1- Bettas *will* eat Neons if they are small enough to fit into their
> mouths.
> Some Bettas will simply gut the larger ones and eat at their leisure.
> Some Bettas will be peachy with Neons.
> The key is that they (Bettas) each have their own individual
> personality. That means no 2 are the same, and there is no concrete
> rules when it comes to Bettas.
> 2- They don't need heat??? What's the matter with you?
> Bettas should be kept at 78-80*f. That's warmer than most tropical fish
> like it. Their native country is very warm and humid at all times. Of
> course they need heat!!
> 3- Bettas don't eat live foods??? Do you know anything about Bettas as
> all?
> Sorry, I had to ask that one.
> Live food, Mosquito larva mainly is their natural food. Small bugs and
> small fish (fry) are another favorite food of Bettas.
> If you still have Bettas I would advise you to actually research them.
> Then you can give your fish the proper care they deserve.
> Please do not give out such false information.
>

[Elaine T]

Richard Sexton wrote:
>>I pity your bettas at room temperature. Bettas will indeed stay alive,
>>but they live a cold, sad existance.
>
>
> Mine don't, and they're at room temperature. 72-8; it fluctuates
> but is usually closer to 74 most of the time.
>
> I don't expect to breed them at this temperature but IME it's
> not harmful for them.
>
> http://images.aquaria.net/fish/bettas/splendens/HM/brown/rs79/1/
>
>
Ah. Wintertime room temperature in my house is 65-68 degrees. It's
built on a concrete slab and I'm too cheap to heat it up over 70. An
unheated betta bowl in my house would definately be too cold.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Elaine T]

mike wrote:
> i always put the feeder guppies in with them never the fancy ones... Just
> plain grey guppies...
>
Makes sense, but aren't you afraid of the diseases feeders carry? I
wonder how Endler's would do with bettas. *ponder*

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Tom Randy]

On Sun, 13 Mar 2005 22:11:17 +0000, sb wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> Sorry if this is not the correct forum for posting.
>
> I currently have a male betta in a tank on his own. Can anyone suggest
> fish he *might* like as I'm worried he might get lonely or bored. I know
> they are quite sociable and that 2 bettas together tend to fight so
> obviously wasnt thinking about another betta.
>
> Any suggestions appreciated.
>
> Thanks!


It's hard to say, bettas are funny, one will tolerate company, another
won't. So be prepared to move the new tenant out if trouble starts. Some
people have success with cory cats...

[Elaine T]

Tynk wrote:
> Elaine,
> Bettas are sociable to a point.
> Within the Betta society, there is a hierarchy. If this didn't happen,
> then they wouldn't be sociable.
> Just not the same type of sociable that comes to mind.
>
Ah. You mean sort of like cichlid sociable? Can they set up colonies
in large enough tanks? I know females will live together with a
cichlid-like heirarchy but what happens with the males?

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[lgb]

In article >,
says...

> long but i know that a betta will not just eat a neon unless you are just
> feeding it absolutely nothing...

> Also any fish will eat
> neons if they are small enough to fit into its mouth......
>

Mike, you're contradicting yourself. And you've done it before in this
thread. You said bettas wouldn't eat live food, I pointed out that mine
ate baby platys, and you said any fish will eat baby fish.

Maybe a little more careful reading before you hit the send key :-).

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

[mike]

none of my feeder guppies ever popped up with any diseases.... i didnt know
they carried diseases?


"Elaine T" > wrote in message
. com...
> mike wrote:
> > i always put the feeder guppies in with them never the fancy ones...
Just
> > plain grey guppies...
> >
> Makes sense, but aren't you afraid of the diseases feeders carry? I
> wonder how Endler's would do with bettas. *ponder*
>
> --
> __ Elaine T __
> ><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Elaine T]

mike wrote:
> none of my feeder guppies ever popped up with any diseases.... i didnt know
> they carried diseases?
>
As a general rule, feeders are overcrowded and underfiltered, and
therefore stressed. At my local stores, there are always some dead fish
in the feeder tanks. If your store handles feeders better, that's nice
to hear.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Richard Sexton]

In article >,
Elaine T > wrote:
>mike wrote:
>> i always put the feeder guppies in with them never the fancy ones... Just
>> plain grey guppies...
>>
>Makes sense, but aren't you afraid of the diseases feeders carry? I
>wonder how Endler's would do with bettas. *ponder*

As Innes said "the best food for fish is fish" and Endlers are
jsut the right size!

--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org

[anemone]

Thankyou tynk for sorting this out!!!!
I do have something to add...

Bettas do vary in personallity. SOme may be kept with something else, others
may not...Crowntails especially have to be housed alone as they do have a
nasty temper
"Tynk" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> mike wrote:
>> no the bettas wont eat the neons.... Bettas dont eat neons... They
> dont even
>> bother with them... And you dont need heat unless your house is like
>> freezing, the tank will be good at room temp.... I had them and they
> stayed
>> alive fine without heat, and also the betta didnt eat the guppies or
> the
>> neons... Bettas dont eat live food, They might kill something if it
> bothers
>> them... A neon or guppy will not bother the betta....I even had
> bloodfin
>> tetras in with the betta, nothing happened... The betta wont fight
> another
>> fish unless it picks at the betta or if it is another betta...
>>
>> check out my webpage, i got pictures of the neons in with my betta,
> in a ten
>> gallon tank somewhere on there...
>> MY FISH PAGE
>> http://www.mikesfishsite.com
>>
>>
>>
> Wow! You are so off here.
> Just so you don't get all snippy when I correct you, I've been a Betta
> keeper for 27 years now, and bred them for 19yrs, so I do know what I'm
> talking about.
>
> 1- Bettas *will* eat Neons if they are small enough to fit into their
> mouths.
> Some Bettas will simply gut the larger ones and eat at their leisure.
> Some Bettas will be peachy with Neons.
> The key is that they (Bettas) each have their own individual
> personality. That means no 2 are the same, and there is no concrete
> rules when it comes to Bettas.
> 2- They don't need heat??? What's the matter with you?
> Bettas should be kept at 78-80*f. That's warmer than most tropical fish
> like it. Their native country is very warm and humid at all times. Of
> course they need heat!!
> 3- Bettas don't eat live foods??? Do you know anything about Bettas as
> all?
> Sorry, I had to ask that one.
> Live food, Mosquito larva mainly is their natural food. Small bugs and
> small fish (fry) are another favorite food of Bettas.
> If you still have Bettas I would advise you to actually research them.
> Then you can give your fish the proper care they deserve.
> Please do not give out such false information.
>

[mike]

sorry i did figure that out earlier : )


"lgb" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> says...
>
> > long but i know that a betta will not just eat a neon unless you are
just
> > feeding it absolutely nothing...
>
> > Also any fish will eat
> > neons if they are small enough to fit into its mouth......
> >
>
> Mike, you're contradicting yourself. And you've done it before in this
> thread. You said bettas wouldn't eat live food, I pointed out that mine
> ate baby platys, and you said any fish will eat baby fish.
>
> Maybe a little more careful reading before you hit the send key :-).
>
> --
> Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

[Elaine T]

Richard Sexton wrote:
> In article >,
> Elaine T > wrote:
>
>>mike wrote:
>>
>>>i always put the feeder guppies in with them never the fancy ones... Just
>>>plain grey guppies...
>>>
>>
>>Makes sense, but aren't you afraid of the diseases feeders carry? I
>>wonder how Endler's would do with bettas. *ponder*
>
>
> As Innes said "the best food for fish is fish" and Endlers are
> jsut the right size!
>
ROFL. I haven't seen Endler's in the flesh (or in the fins) to visualize
how small they are. Well, you just saved some Endler's or disappointed
my betta.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Tynk]

What colors are you working with? Got any butterflys or yellows?
I haven't bred any for the past 4 yrs.
I like working with Cambodians - Multi's, pastels, and my fav White
Opaques. (I couldn't get the opaques to spawn though, so they don't
count).
When I do start up again, I will for sure be doing Crowntails. I'm
still trying to convince a local shop that gets good stock from a
breeder, to bring in some Halfmoons.
I would love to bring Halfmoons to the general hobbyist at normal Betta
prices.
I'm a bit against the outrageous prices some of these breeders charge
for Bettas. I can almost see it if these fish lived long lives, like
Oscar's, etc....but they don't. I could see it if these fish were
extremely hard to breed, or only bred every so many years...etc...but
they're not. I cannot justify the prices these breeders are charging,
so I keep bugging them to bring on the Halfmoon's, hehe. = )

[Tynk]

And in my house its 72F and if you got your
room temps about right you wont need a heater...

And temp is your Betta's tank at??
It's too cold for Bettas. 72*f is much too cold for Bettas, and room
temp water will be less than that.
You need a heater.
Please research the proper care of Bettas if you won't listen to anyone
here...especially a breeder. Sheesh.

[Tynk]

Tynk wrote:
> Elaine,
> Bettas are sociable to a point.
> Within the Betta society, there is a hierarchy. If this didn't
happen,
> then they wouldn't be sociable.
> Just not the same type of sociable that comes to mind.


Ah. You mean sort of like cichlid sociable? Can they set up colonies
in large enough tanks? I know females will live together with a
cichlid-like heirarchy but what happens with the males?

Yeah, Elaine..I think it's probably like a Cichlid society. Not always
peaceful, but with purpose..rules, a big boss, and always the pne that
gets picked on...
Now in the wild the males all stake out territories. Remember, they
only have small amounts of water during the dry season, and otherwise
their water is usually 12-18" deep.
Each male has an area and defends it against other males....usually
with a show of fins, flaring and a nip or chase and the intruder flees.
No fight to the death in the wild....that's just for shows where
they're in small jars being fought and there's no where for the loser
to flee to. Therefore the wounds are inflicted that otherwise would not
be and the fish usually dies from it's injuries, not the actual winner.
Now, depending on the individual males..some may be able to stake out
territories in something like a 55g, 75g or larger and the pair of
males tolerates each other without too much hostility.
Usually this is VERY rare, and mostly only with spawn siblings that
have never been separated...evenfor water changes.
This is something I don't advise, as you never know when a squabble
would turn nasty and you may not be home to catch it in time.
I will say that I once had spawn brothers occupy a 29g together. Then
one day...I'm talking years later, they decided to go at it and I
returned into the room to find one of them in shreds.
After that, no matter if I had peaceful brothers that seemed not to
spar long after all the others needed to be separated, I sitll would
not try it. It's just not worth it. In the wild they always have some
place to flee to. Not in a tank.

[Tynk]

none of my feeder guppies ever popped up with any diseases.... i didnt
know
they carried diseases?

= O

[Tynk]

Crowntails especially have to be housed alone as they do have a
nasty temper

Hehe, remember Anemone...All Bettas are indivduals.
I'm looking at my Crowntail male right now. He's in his 3g Eclipse tank
along with about 8 Molly fry. They rage in size from barely an inch
long, to would fit nicely into his mouth.
He doesn't mind them a bit, and nore does he ttry to eat them.
Just today I was cracking up and the tiniest of the fry. At feeding
time the Betta was checking out the piece of Algae wafer I drop in for
the Mollies to snack on and that mini Molly nipped at the Betta as if
to say "Hey man, that's my food." = )~
My daughter's Betta will kill anything you put into his tank.....NO
MATTER the size. He doesn't care. He's about 4 yrs old now and just as
spunky as the day we bought him.
He's killed:
2 African Dwarf Frogs
2 Otocinclus cats (different times).
Countless fry
2 Ghost Shrimp.
Poor things turned into expensive snacks.

[anemone]

Its a good thing you specifies that you didn't put the fancy ones in....i
mean if you told a begginer to put guppies in a tank wih a betta...what are
the chances of them buying the fancy ones, putting them in with the betta
and then coming back here to yell at you? hehehe!
"mike" > wrote in message
...
>i always put the feeder guppies in with them never the fancy ones... Just
> plain grey guppies...
>
>
> "anemone" > wrote in message
> ...
>> IMHO...i wouldnt put male bettas with guppies (esp. the fancy ones)
> because
>> of thier tails and similarity to the male betta
>> "mike" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > Ive had mine in with neon tetras... You can also put in some guppies or
>> > other types of tetras that are as small as the neon... basicly anything
>> > that
>> > wont bother the betta, or nip at its fins....
>> >
>> > My Fish Site
>> > http://www.mikesfishsite.com
>> >
>> >
>> > "sb" > wrote in message
>> > ...
>> >> Hi all,
>> >>
>> >> Sorry if this is not the correct forum for posting.
>> >>
>> >> I currently have a male betta in a tank on his own. Can anyone
>> >> suggest
>> > fish
>> >> he *might* like as I'm worried he might get lonely or bored. I know
> they
>> > are
>> >> quite sociable and that 2 bettas together tend to fight so obviously
>> >> wasnt
>> >> thinking about another betta.
>> >>
>> >> Any suggestions appreciated.
>> >>
>> >> Thanks!
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> ~~~~~~~~
>> >> To listen to Monkey Music click on http://66.246.222.54:8730 or copy
> and
>> >> paste 66.246.222.54:8730 into your open URL area of your music player.
>> >> Requests can be sent to
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>

[Richard Sexton]

In article . com>,
Tynk > wrote:
>What colors are you working with? Got any butterflys or yellows?
>I haven't bred any for the past 4 yrs.
>I like working with Cambodians - Multi's, pastels, and my fav White
>Opaques. (I couldn't get the opaques to spawn though, so they don't
>count).
>When I do start up again, I will for sure be doing Crowntails. I'm
>still trying to convince a local shop that gets good stock from a
>breeder, to bring in some Halfmoons.
>I would love to bring Halfmoons to the general hobbyist at normal Betta
>prices.
>I'm a bit against the outrageous prices some of these breeders charge
>for Bettas. I can almost see it if these fish lived long lives, like
>Oscar's, etc....but they don't. I could see it if these fish were
>extremely hard to breed, or only bred every so many years...etc...but
>they're not. I cannot justify the prices these breeders are charging,
>so I keep bugging them to bring on the Halfmoon's, hehe. = )
>

Oh I dunno, the prices aren't too bad if you look aorund. There's
lots of good HM fish in the 5-10-20-50 range. You can get nice
fish for $20/pr.

Neevr did like crowntails though, they look a bit ragged to me. I
think it's gone too far; Ididn't mind the famout Eduard Schmidt Folke
picture of the red betta on the old TFH looseleaf binder cover;
that's about as much of a crowntain as I can take.

--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org

[Richard Sexton]

In article . com>,
Tynk > wrote:
> And in my house its 72F and if you got your
>room temps about right you wont need a heater...
>
>And temp is your Betta's tank at??
>It's too cold for Bettas. 72*f is much too cold for Bettas, and room
>temp water will be less than that.
>You need a heater.
>Please research the proper care of Bettas if you won't listen to anyone
>here...especially a breeder. Sheesh.
>

If the fish is happy at 70 it's hard to argue with that. Bettas
are all individuals rememebr?

--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org

[Richard Sexton]

In article >,
Elaine T > wrote:
>Richard Sexton wrote:
>> In article >,
>> Elaine T > wrote:
>>
>>>mike wrote:
>>>
>>>>i always put the feeder guppies in with them never the fancy ones... Just
>>>>plain grey guppies...
>>>>
>>>
>>>Makes sense, but aren't you afraid of the diseases feeders carry? I
>>>wonder how Endler's would do with bettas. *ponder*
>>
>>
>> As Innes said "the best food for fish is fish" and Endlers are
>> jsut the right size!
>>
>ROFL. I haven't seen Endler's in the flesh (or in the fins) to visualize
>how small they are. Well, you just saved some Endler's or disappointed
>my betta.

They can be pretty small. Occasionally the ones I have throw a "giant"
that's almost as big as a fancy guppy, but figure on average about helf
the size of the big monster fancy guppies. Famales are much bigger
of course.

--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org

[Elaine T]

Tynk wrote:
> Crowntails especially have to be housed alone as they do have a
> nasty temper
>
> Hehe, remember Anemone...All Bettas are indivduals.
> I'm looking at my Crowntail male right now. He's in his 3g Eclipse tank
> along with about 8 Molly fry. They rage in size from barely an inch
> long, to would fit nicely into his mouth.
> He doesn't mind them a bit, and nore does he ttry to eat them.
> Just today I was cracking up and the tiniest of the fry. At feeding
> time the Betta was checking out the piece of Algae wafer I drop in for
> the Mollies to snack on and that mini Molly nipped at the Betta as if
> to say "Hey man, that's my food." = )~
> My daughter's Betta will kill anything you put into his tank.....NO
> MATTER the size. He doesn't care. He's about 4 yrs old now and just as
> spunky as the day we bought him.
> He's killed:
> 2 African Dwarf Frogs
> 2 Otocinclus cats (different times).
> Countless fry
> 2 Ghost Shrimp.
> Poor things turned into expensive snacks.
>
4 years old? Wow. The longest I've managed in a heated, filtered tank
is 2.5 years, and I've read 2-3 years on breeder websites. Is that
right, or should bettas live longer?

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Elaine T]

Tynk wrote:
> Tynk wrote:
>
>>Elaine,
>>Bettas are sociable to a point.
>>Within the Betta society, there is a hierarchy. If this didn't
>
> happen,
>
>>then they wouldn't be sociable.
>>Just not the same type of sociable that comes to mind.
>
>
>
> Ah. You mean sort of like cichlid sociable? Can they set up colonies
> in large enough tanks? I know females will live together with a
> cichlid-like heirarchy but what happens with the males?
>
> Yeah, Elaine..I think it's probably like a Cichlid society. Not always
> peaceful, but with purpose..rules, a big boss, and always the pne that
> gets picked on...
> Now in the wild the males all stake out territories. Remember, they
> only have small amounts of water during the dry season, and otherwise
> their water is usually 12-18" deep.
> Each male has an area and defends it against other males....usually
> with a show of fins, flaring and a nip or chase and the intruder flees.
> No fight to the death in the wild....that's just for shows where
> they're in small jars being fought and there's no where for the loser
> to flee to. Therefore the wounds are inflicted that otherwise would not
> be and the fish usually dies from it's injuries, not the actual winner.
> Now, depending on the individual males..some may be able to stake out
> territories in something like a 55g, 75g or larger and the pair of
> males tolerates each other without too much hostility.
> Usually this is VERY rare, and mostly only with spawn siblings that
> have never been separated...evenfor water changes.
> This is something I don't advise, as you never know when a squabble
> would turn nasty and you may not be home to catch it in time.
> I will say that I once had spawn brothers occupy a 29g together. Then
> one day...I'm talking years later, they decided to go at it and I
> returned into the room to find one of them in shreds.
> After that, no matter if I had peaceful brothers that seemed not to
> spar long after all the others needed to be separated, I sitll would
> not try it. It's just not worth it. In the wild they always have some
> place to flee to. Not in a tank.
>
Interesting stuff. Thanks! I didn't realize males don't fight as
violently in the wild as they do even in large tanks. I guess wild
bettas can always get away even if it means jumping out of the water and
wriggling through mud to another pool of water. No wonder they're such
jumpers and escape artists.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Vicki PS]

"Tynk" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Yeah, Elaine..I think it's probably like a Cichlid society. Not always
> peaceful, but with purpose..rules, a big boss, and always the pne that
> gets picked on...
<snip>> Now, depending on the individual males..some may be able to stake
out
> territories in something like a 55g, 75g or larger and the pair of
> males tolerates each other without too much hostility.
> Usually this is VERY rare, and mostly only with spawn siblings that
> have never been separated...evenfor water changes.

I discovered for myself that male bettas can sometimes tolerate quite close
quarters.

Long story, but basically I have a female-only tank which is usually
occupied by 4 or 5 females. Over time, 5 of my "females" have turned out to
be male plakats.

For various periods of time (I'm talking months), 3 of the 5 occupants of
the tank have been males. There were some fights, and the dominance order
changed from time to time. One of the 5 males had to be removed almost
immediately, but otherwise no-one was killed or even seriously injured --
nipped fins mainly. (The super-aggressive one is extremely aggressive all
the time, and has twice got over/through a divider and badly hurt the fish
next door).

I hasten to stress, though, that this happened by mistake -- the fish were
sold as juvie females. I separated them when I realised they were plakat
males. However, it was interesting that, apart from the one I mentioned,
these fish together showed little more aggression over time than a group of
all females. None of them were siblings, btw.

Also interesting to note that none showed any breeding behaviour, even when
they were sharing a tank with females. Once in separate quarters, they all
started making huge bubblenests. One that I gave away to a friend was bred
almost immediately, and has shown model male parenting behaviour.

Vicki PS

[Ozdude]

"Elaine T" > wrote in message
om...
> 4 years old? Wow. The longest I've managed in a heated, filtered tank is
> 2.5 years, and I've read 2-3 years on breeder websites. Is that right, or
> should bettas live longer?

It sounds like a happy old man to me ;)

Oz

--
My Aquatic web Blog is at http://members.optusnet.com.au/ivan.smith

[IDzine01]

I know of bettas living over 5 years.

[Tynk]

Richard Sexton wrote:
<<If the fish is happy at 70 it's hard to argue with that. Bettas
are all individuals rememebr? >>

You missed the obvious.
The fish isn't "happy" at 70*f. It's about 10 degrees too COLD!
"Hard to argue that"? Too hard NOT too.

[Tynk]

IDzine01 Mar 16, 11:29 am show options

Newsgroups: rec.aquaria.freshwater.misc
From: "IDzine01" > - Find messages by this
author
Date: 16 Mar 2005 11:29:59 -0800
Local: Wed, Mar 16 2005 11:29 am
Subject: Re: Male Bettas
Reply | Reply to Author | Forward | Print | Individual Message | Show
original | Report Abuse

I know of bettas living over 5 years.

I had a female that must have been over 6 yrs old.
She was the longest lived Betta I've had in close to 30 years of
keeping them.
She was found in a local shop, already fully grown in body size. A
lovely white with red Butterfly pattern-Cambodian-Double tail.
I had her with me for about 5 and half years, so being fully grown
already....that would make her in the 6 or possibly even more range.
She was the coolest female I ever had. She was Alpha in the hierarchy,
and kept that status well into her *very* old age, and till she died.
Towards the end of her days, the second in hierarchy would help her
defend her spot. It was quite interesting to watch happen, and I love
telling the story of it.
Not many people see this side of Bettas, and some never bother looking.
= /
I've been studying animal behavior (no matter the species) since I was
a very small child, and I'm addicted to it, lol.
When it comes to fish, some types do a lot of communicating through
body language and it's so intersting to learn.
Some types make societies, have friends, enemies, loves, and in my case
when I'm breeding...I'll have entire familes to watch.
Over the years Bettas have become quite the popular little fish.
However, too much misinformation was spread and it happened as quickly
as their popularity did.
Things like:
They like cold-room temp water
They like tiny bowls better than a spacious tank
They do not need to be fed because they eat algae off plant roots
They'll die if you put them in a heated tank.
They'll die if you put them in a filtered tank
You cannot house them with any fish
They'll kill anything that is put in with them
They live in tiny mud puddles in the wild
They don't like clean water, they prefer a dirty bowl
They fight to the death
And on and on and on............................
My all time favorite beats even the "they eat algae"
(duh..carnivores!), and even the "they'll die if you put them in a
heated or filtered tank".....drum roll
please,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,
"You cannot house male Fancy Guppies in with female Bettas because the
female Bettas will eat their eyeballs."
I mean, the person who said this was totally serious. = O
So, with all the misinformation floating around, it's no wonder so many
people hear or are told the wrong things.
In my own personal opinion, I believe Bettas to have a general life
span of 2-4 yrs. It's just as common for one to live 3 yrs....than it
is for one to live 4 yrs, as it is for another to live 2 yrs.
Many different factors come into play with a fish's life span too.
This all needs to be taken into consideration as well.
Everything from it's breeding stock, it's growing conditions, it's food
intake, it's water conditions, it's tank conditions, etc.
Some things can shorten a fish's life, and others can prolong it.
Some people out there kept male Bettas in a vase with a Lily plant in
it. They didn't even feed the poor fish or change the water.
The fish would live like that for months sometimes.
What was really happening is that these Bettas were slowly starving to
death. A healthy Betta can live an amazingly long time without food.
Many will last for months, slowly shrinking away until dead.
They could be seen pecking at algae, yes. However, they are strictly
carnivorous and it was done out of pure starvation.
Also, they could survive the filthy water conditions and O2 depleted
water because of their Labyrinth organ. It allows them to breath
surface air, in conjuction with using their gills to get O2 from the
water.
So, because of this, they would suffer for months.
Luckily word spread, all though it was a bit slow to me, that these
fish really do need to be fed and taken care of properly, etc.
Currently, the battle is over proper water/tank conditions for Bettas.
This too is going slow.
The slowest battle, it would seem, is the pronunciation of the Siamese
Fighting Fish's common name, Betta.
For years now the mispronunciation has spread like wildfire.
People / shops are even going as far as to change the spelling of Betta
to "Beta" to match the mispronunciation.
I have worked just as hard over the years to correct this common
mistake too. = )
Folks...it's pronounced "Bet-uh".

[Richard Sexton]

In article . com>,
Tynk > wrote:
>Richard Sexton wrote:
><<If the fish is happy at 70 it's hard to argue with that. Bettas
>are all individuals rememebr? >>
>
>You missed the obvious.
>The fish isn't "happy" at 70*f. It's about 10 degrees too COLD!
>"Hard to argue that"? Too hard NOT too.
>

So if they flare all the time and make bubble nests
constantly at 70 that bad becasue you think so?


--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org

[lgb]

In article om>,
says...
> They could be seen pecking at algae, yes. However, they are strictly
> carnivorous and it was done out of pure starvation.
>
Well, I've got one male in a tank with some platys and he eats their
algae flakes with gusto - after I've fed him his Hikari pellets.

I think every one of the $#%@! things is an individual species :-).

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

[Tynk]

lgb

<< think every one of the $#%@! things is an individual species :-).>>

LOL.....I think they are. = )~
The male Crowntail that I have Molly fry in with him.....
He eats the algae wafer I drop in for the Mollies.
Just like your little dude, mine does it after he eats his normal food.
The algae wafer is tossed in for the Molly fry to snack on throughout
the day.
However, one of the most common problems with Bettas is that they're
PIGS! Some will eat just about anything in front of them.
Others are so finicky that they'll only eat special foods.
You can't really say these fish get boring.
They keep us guessing. = )~

[Elaine T]

Tynk wrote:
> Richard Sexton wrote:
> <<If the fish is happy at 70 it's hard to argue with that. Bettas
> are all individuals rememebr? >>
>
> You missed the obvious.
> The fish isn't "happy" at 70*f. It's about 10 degrees too COLD!
> "Hard to argue that"? Too hard NOT too.
>
Has it ever occurred to you that some breeders might be breeding and
keeping bettas at lower temperatures and thus creating lines of bettas
that don't need 78 degrees to live comfortably? Or that a betta raised
at lower temperatures as a young fish might adapt to them?

A betta kept too cold has a very clear set of behaviors. It sits in a
pile of limp fins at the bottom of the tank, only moving to breathe from
the surface and eat. A slightly warmer betta may swim around a bit, in
case there's food or another male somewhere.

A betta at adequate temperatures prowls the bowl, flares at things,
responds to his keeper, begs for food, and blows bubblenests just in
case a female happens by.

The behavioral difference between a too-cold and a comfortable betta is
unmistakable. "Happy" is merely an anthropomorphism.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Tynk]

Elaine T wrote:
> Tynk wrote:
> > Richard Sexton wrote:
> > <<If the fish is happy at 70 it's hard to argue with that. Bettas
> > are all individuals rememebr? >>
> >
> > You missed the obvious.
> > The fish isn't "happy" at 70*f. It's about 10 degrees too COLD!
> > "Hard to argue that"? Too hard NOT too.
> >
> Has it ever occurred to you that some breeders might be breeding and
> keeping bettas at lower temperatures and thus creating lines of
bettas
> that don't need 78 degrees to live comfortably? Or that a betta
raised
> at lower temperatures as a young fish might adapt to them?
>
> A betta kept too cold has a very clear set of behaviors. It sits in
a
> pile of limp fins at the bottom of the tank, only moving to breathe
from
> the surface and eat. A slightly warmer betta may swim around a bit,
in
> case there's food or another male somewhere.
>
> A betta at adequate temperatures prowls the bowl, flares at things,
> responds to his keeper, begs for food, and blows bubblenests just in
> case a female happens by.
>
> The behavioral difference between a too-cold and a comfortable betta
is
> unmistakable. "Happy" is merely an anthropomorphism.
>
> --
> __ Elaine T __
> ><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

Has it ever occurred to you that some breeders might be breeding and
> keeping bettas at lower temperatures and thus creating lines of
bettas
> that don't need 78 degrees to live comfortably? Or that a betta
raised
> at lower temperatures as a young fish might adapt to them?

No...it never has occurred to me because that would be messing with
Mother Naure a little too much.
How about Iguana breeders start trying to breed Iggy's that enjoy the
frozen tundra of the Arctic.
That would make about as much sense as a Betta breeder trying to breed
and raise Bettas at low temps.
Besides my dear, the Bettas them selves wouldn't want to spawn...their
spawning temp is 83*f and the temp also plays a part in how many eggs
hatch out, and even the sex of the fry.
I don't mean to get snippy with you, Elaine, but what you said was just
ludicrous.

[Elaine T]

Tynk wrote:
> Elaine T wrote:
>
>>Tynk wrote:
>>
>>>Richard Sexton wrote:
>>><<If the fish is happy at 70 it's hard to argue with that. Bettas
>>>are all individuals rememebr? >>
>>>
>>>You missed the obvious.
>>>The fish isn't "happy" at 70*f. It's about 10 degrees too COLD!
>>>"Hard to argue that"? Too hard NOT too.
>>>
>>
>>Has it ever occurred to you that some breeders might be breeding and
>>keeping bettas at lower temperatures and thus creating lines of
>
> bettas
>
>>that don't need 78 degrees to live comfortably? Or that a betta
>
> raised
>
>>at lower temperatures as a young fish might adapt to them?
>>
>>A betta kept too cold has a very clear set of behaviors. It sits in
>
> a
>
>>pile of limp fins at the bottom of the tank, only moving to breathe
>
> from
>
>>the surface and eat. A slightly warmer betta may swim around a bit,
>
> in
>
>>case there's food or another male somewhere.
>>
>>A betta at adequate temperatures prowls the bowl, flares at things,
>>responds to his keeper, begs for food, and blows bubblenests just in
>>case a female happens by.
>>
>>The behavioral difference between a too-cold and a comfortable betta
>
> is
>
>>unmistakable. "Happy" is merely an anthropomorphism.
>>
>>--
>> __ Elaine T __
>> ><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
>
>
> Has it ever occurred to you that some breeders might be breeding and
>
>>keeping bettas at lower temperatures and thus creating lines of
>
> bettas
>
>>that don't need 78 degrees to live comfortably? Or that a betta
>
> raised
>
>>at lower temperatures as a young fish might adapt to them?
>
>
> No...it never has occurred to me because that would be messing with
> Mother Naure a little too much.
> How about Iguana breeders start trying to breed Iggy's that enjoy the
> frozen tundra of the Arctic.
> That would make about as much sense as a Betta breeder trying to breed
> and raise Bettas at low temps.
> Besides my dear, the Bettas them selves wouldn't want to spawn...their
> spawning temp is 83*f and the temp also plays a part in how many eggs
> hatch out, and even the sex of the fry.
> I don't mean to get snippy with you, Elaine, but what you said was just
> ludicrous.
>
's OK. This is the wild frontier of usenet. Besides, I like it when
I'm shot down and it's funny too! Great analogy. I really hadn't
thought of how cold-blooded fish are and how unlikely anyone would be to
breed for temperature preferance when I wrote that.

I suspect a breeder could actually breed a cooler water betta over many
generations by choosing jarred males that bubblenest at lower temps and
spawning and raising each succesive generation in cooler water.
However, I bet nobody has tried since color and finnage are usually of
greater interest.

However, I think what I said about deciding whether a nonbreeding pet
betta is at adequate temps by its behavior and activity level holds. I
also suspect that if Richard thinks his bettas are healthy and happy,
they are. He's an awfully experienced aquarist.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Richard Sexton]

>I don't mean to get snippy with you,

What so somebody held a gun to your head and made you be snippy
cause you didn't mean to be? Or did it just slip out when you
wern't paying attention?

>Elaine, but what you said was just ludicrous.

So is saying Bettas aren't happy unless they're at 80F.

They're a lot happier at 72 with clean water and live food
than they are at 80 with less than that. But if you don't
try it you'll never know.


--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org

[Tynk]

I'm saying keeping an animal in temps that are 10 or more degrees lower
than what they need, created problems for that fish.
Keeping Bettas at lower temps makes them more susceptible to bacterial
infection, and will shorten their lifespan.
Happy? I don't see it.
Just because a Betta flares, moves about and blows a bubble nest does
mean is healthy or thriving.
A Betta kept at room temps is surviving. Big difference.
Of course I wouldn't try keeping Bettas under those type of conditions.
I know better than that, and it saddens me to think how many out there
are being kept like that.
Next to Goldfish, they're right up there in mistreated fish.
Maybe you also think it's fine to house Goldfish in bowls.
Or better yet...keep a Goldie in a 80*f tank. If he's still swimming,
he must happy right?
My point is that just because a fish is swimming around does not mean
that it's in a proper setting.

[Richard Sexton]

In article . com>,
Tynk > wrote:
>I'm saying keeping an animal in temps that are 10 or more degrees lower
>than what they need, created problems for that fish.
>Keeping Bettas at lower temps makes them more susceptible to bacterial
>infection, and will shorten their lifespan.
>Happy? I don't see it.
>Just because a Betta flares, moves about and blows a bubble nest does
>mean is healthy or thriving.
>A Betta kept at room temps is surviving. Big difference.
>Of course I wouldn't try keeping Bettas under those type of conditions.
>I know better than that, and it saddens me to think how many out there
>are being kept like that.
>Next to Goldfish, they're right up there in mistreated fish.
>Maybe you also think it's fine to house Goldfish in bowls.
>Or better yet...keep a Goldie in a 80*f tank. If he's still swimming,
>he must happy right?
>My point is that just because a fish is swimming around does not mean
>that it's in a proper setting.
>

Well I've only been doing this for 30 years. How do I tell if they're
unhappy?

--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org

[Tynk]

"Happy" is a human emotion.
Properly cared for fish, in the proper conditions thrive.
Fish in not so proper conditions survive.
In 30 years you haven't figured that out yet?
Heck, I've only been in the hobby for 27 yrs and I figured that out
when I was a 13 yr old child.

[Happy'Cam'per]

"Richard Sexton" > wrote in message
...
> Well I've only been doing this for 30 years. How do I tell if they're
> unhappy?

*****ing myself at Richard*
I know when my fish are happy cause they're all wearing their white t-shirts
with the big fat happy yellow smiley face on. Easy :) HappyfishRus.com
--
Kind Regards
Cameron

[anemone]

White shirts..
Mine wear blue ones with yellow smily faces
"Happy'Cam'per" > wrote in message
...
> "Richard Sexton" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Well I've only been doing this for 30 years. How do I tell if they're
>> unhappy?
>
> *****ing myself at Richard*
> I know when my fish are happy cause they're all wearing their white
> t-shirts
> with the big fat happy yellow smiley face on. Easy :) HappyfishRus.com
> --
> Kind Regards
> Cameron
>
>

[winddancir]

Mine start redecorating.
"Okay, for a little more class, lets put the plant in this corner, and shove the marble over there. And this floating thermometer is SO last year." lol!

[Tynk]

LOL!! = )~

[anemone]

my snail (seriously) is doing redecorating.....it has a fetish with a black
pebble in the tank...always moves it.....
"winddancir" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> Mine start redecorating.
> "Okay, for a little more class, lets put the plant in this corner, and
> shove the marble over there. And this floating thermometer is SO last
> year." lol!
>
>
> --
> winddancir

[anemone]

heheheh!!!!!!!1 so last yeah...oh yeah!!!! Just like mentos.....
"winddancir" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> Mine start redecorating.
> "Okay, for a little more class, lets put the plant in this corner, and
> shove the marble over there. And this floating thermometer is SO last
> year." lol!
>
>
> --
> winddancir

[Tynk]

<<my snail (seriously) is doing redecorating.....it has a fetish with a
black
pebble in the tank...always moves it..... >>

LOL....well I guess everything needs something to love. = )~

[anemone]

Whats even more funny is my snail sits on the glass so that the bubbles are
touching it..for hours....not moving....must be pleasurable...
"Tynk" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> <<my snail (seriously) is doing redecorating.....it has a fetish with a
> black
> pebble in the tank...always moves it..... >>
>
> LOL....well I guess everything needs something to love. = )~
>