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Try showing him his reflection in a small mirror? Used one on Gofish when I first got him. Then when he got used to his tank, he would flare whenever I came near the tank. I think he began to see me as someone to interact with.

well i used to havew all my bettas in vases (no lilly of course)but now i have 2 males in a 10 gallon seperated with a homemade divider, another male in a diff 10 gallon, and 3 females in a 29, i have an exception though, i have a male in a large vase (more and 1 gallon) sitting in a 10 gallon fry tank currently holding 9 c. schwartzi and before when i had my bettas in vases i tryed to breed them with no luck, months after i moved them, i have 45 betta fry in the 10 gallon next to the cory fry tank, when bettas have more room, they are more healthy, and feel more secure, and they feel comfortable breeding so i say put 1 male in the 2.5, or get a 15, put in a divider for 2 gallons on one side and 13 gallons on the other, on the 2 gallon side put a male, and on the other keep 7 females, or 5 with 6 corys, that would be a very nice looking tank

Actually, a tank is the best bet for any fish, including bettas. Tanks can be lighted, filtered, and heated. Most bowls can not. Fighting fish CAN live in bowls and there is nothing wrong with this. This is as long as the bowls hold at least 1 gallon of water each. However, a tank is just as good, or "betta" (yay for nerd jokes) for them.

I'm not sure if you read my post right. The bettas will not be together. They will be seperated with dividers.

Come to think of this though, I'm probably going to forget the idea. I'm moving soon and I'll be able to buy lots of little betta tanks in my new house. I'll move my betta into a different tank and put some ADFs in the 2.5. This kinda gets rid of the point of this thread though.

Welcome to fish profiles!

1. Lol i dont care how big the tank is, there can be only one dominating the aquarium. . But i think betta does better in a small bowl, therefore a tank should be the last option.

to scuff up glass???? you could maybe try steel wool or a green scrubbie???? I'm not sure i've never tried to do that.




Last edited by Jessnick at 06-Mar-2005 20:44

I'm not saying I'm gona put the fish in, I probably won't. I'm just asking how to scuff up the glass. Unfortunately, 5 minutes of sandparesing didn't do much. Neither did siccors, razors, or a switchblade. Any other sharp objects that might work?

If they are glass dividers, I think you'll find it hard to scartch them enough to make it opaque. Although if they are plastic, you could probably scuff it up enough to work. Those tanks are really just not right for 3 Bettas. Also, keep in mind Bettas contract ailments of their tankmates rather quickly. When I was first in the hobby, I tried that very same thing (because I didn't know any better) and soon enough out of 2 tanks I had 6 dead fish. Sad part is I probably could've avoided making them suffer had I not put them in that situation to begin with. That's the beauty of sharing your experiences with your fellow hobbyists. Good Luck

EDIT:just realized I wrote that same thing above...sorry to carry on..i'll shut up now




Last edited by Jessnick at 06-Mar-2005 17:40

The gekos didn't work...
Aparently the things don't like to be picked up (which kinda get's rid of the point of having a geko) and need tanks bigger than the one I was gona buy for them. Plus my mom has a thing against lizards...

Anyway, it's back to annoying you guys about bettas

I recently found out that you can make a divider opaque by rubbing it with sandpaper. This scraches it so you can't see through it. I was wondering if that would work. I'm not saying that I'm buying more fish. I am just curious if I could fix the dividers becasue I have some sandpaper conviently lying around.

Ok, I haven't bought the bettas yet and I think I will hold off for a while. For now I'm humor myself by asking my mom for some gekos.

Couldn't help but post this, but I really disagree about putting 3 Bettas in a 2.5 gal. tank. I don't doubt one bit that your LFS said it was alright to do that, but I think we'll all agree they'll say just about anything to get you to buy it. But I must insist you reconsider your decision. I agree, Bettas can live in a small amount of water but that doesn't mean that they should. I know the kind of tank you are talking about, and the dividers you are talking about are transparent you will soon have 3 sick Bettas on your hand as they are quick to contract ailments from tankmates. Not to mention the stress they will go through from having nowhere to hide from the sight of the other Bettas.

Edit By Daniel: Refrain from insults.


Last edited by Daniel at 23-Feb-2005 14:26

Ok, I've gone to the pet store and talked to one of the guys there. I didn't notice it, but my tank conveinently has two slots where I can put glass panels. I bought these panels today and put them in without any trouble. This saves me the trouble of cutting glass/plastic, glueing, and such. The store people garunteed that 3 bettas can fit happily in the tank. If you do the math, they have just under a gallon (.8333) to themselves. This is about what is right for a fighting fish and much better than what they would have got if they had stayed at the store or had been bought by another person. Remember, Im not talking about $100 prize fish. These are store fish that need homes. Although the store is nice, they don't have much room and they keep the fish in little glass jars. Overall, I'm happy with the setup and I'll be picking up the other 2 fish later on in the week.

Just to clear things up, the fish will not jump the divider. I'm pretty sure I've said this a few times. I have a cover on the tank and the glass panels are tall enough to touch it. There is absolutely no room for the fish to get through, and I'll be sure to seperate them, when I clean them.

Another thing I want to clear up is that I am definitely not getting the frogs again. First of all, there are only two pet stores near me and neither one has them. The only place I know that carries them (and where I bought them to begin with) is a long drive away. Unfortunately, I have no car. Along with that, the frogs can be difficult to take care of. You can not have one frog by itself, especially with a fighting fish, so I'll need to get at least 3 frogs. I also have to worry about special foods. I can't have sinking food because my betta is too darn slow to catch it before it hits the bottom of the tank. The frogs don't eat the floating betta food, so they get sick and die. Also, I've had the frog/betta setup for 2 years now and I don't have the space for more than one fishtank. I want a change of sceneary. That is why I'm going with a betta tank.

I know I wrote alot, but I hope it clears everything up. Thanks for your help. - Tom

In a tank that size, I agree that one would be best. One problem with dividers is that sometimes the fish will jump the divider if given the chance, and that of course, is not a pretty picture.

...not together, but with dividers. I was thinking mabye 3.

Oh, really? Where are you at?

I've seen ADF's at Walmart, Petco, Petsmart... uh... Pet supplies plus... even Meijer's... and of course, at the independent stores as well. My fav LFS has these cool gray ADF's with darker spots... very cool looking frogs.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

they stopped selling the frogs in my area

If he did well with frogs and snails, why don't you get more? I personally wouldn't want to stress out an elderly betta by subjecting him to a "rival" as a tankmate. *shrugs* Just my opinion though.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

it was been noted that letting males see eachother is a good thing. it provides the betta with healthy mental as well as physical being. now there is a fin line on where u have to stop where as when one betta dulls, gets fear stripes, and clamped fins then enough is enough.

I thought the title would get attention, hehehe...
I have a cover so there will be no jumping or anything like that. Also, the fish is pretty old. I've had him for 2 years, which is pretty good for a fish that spent the first few days/weeks/months of his life living in a dirty bowl in a chain store. He used to live with frogs and a snail, but they've passed (they were even older than him)and now he doesn't look too good. He used to flare and chase the frogs. There was no harm done, but it kept them all in shape. Now he doesn't do anything, and the lack of activity is making him sick. They don't carry any more frogs in my area and I thought it would be good to give him a playmate to keep him healthy. I'm not that serious though, I have a week off and nothing to do and it seems like a fun project (for me).

Exactly Pug, only go with one, you don't want to stress him out! If you insist on having another beta, go get another 2.5 they will really appreciate it. Or even if you are thinking $$$ go with the 1 gallons, they aren't as nice IMO but you can usually get 3 for the price of 1--2.5...just don't put more than one in the 2.5...Heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

A 2.5g is ideal for one beautiful male. It will give them ample room to swim, flare, and enjoy life. I have one that came with a divider. The side with the filter would not leave much room for the betta in that side. Plus there would be the added stress of having a neighbor they can see all the time. If one gets ill, the disease will be easily transmitted to the other one. Resist the temptation...I know bettas are like potato chips...can't eat just one....but one per 2.5g tank is plenty.