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Your little fighter should be vibrant in color, and viral in action. He should be aggressive, almost, angry looking from the moment you see him in the store. They are aggressive little fish, and, settling for anything less but a:

Healthy

Colorful

Aggressive

Energetic

Betta means your probably getting a Betta that is either sick, stressed, or possibly (and unfortunately quite often) near death. If you seek a quality betta, look for one that displays all of these qualities and to keep him that way; keep him in a tank that is a minimum of 1 gallon, with a low flow filtration system (a sponge filter with a carbon pad) is a good idea, and feed him once daily a high quality, low mess betta food, I personally prefer Betta Bio Gold by Hikari (it is the best food for Betta's in my years of experience).

Additional notes:

Betta's are aggressive fish, and will go after fish with long flowing fins that remind them of other males (if put into a community tank) they may also try to do this with other, smaller fish, but because of their big fins, they cannot swim fast, so they will probably be out-swam by smaller more docile schooling fish. If you put a betta in a big community tank though, make sure it is at least 15 gallons, and NOT, overstocked with the WRONG kinds of fish, do your research for good tank mates/decorations for your little friend(s)! Decorations are important, they help the fish feel safe, if they feel safe, they come out more for you to see them.

They are finicky at times, and, may protest by refusing to eat food for various reasons (usually being moved, stressed, or bothered by humans/animals/fish). When this happens, don't spazz, most fish can easily go 1 or 2 weeks without eating (But that is no excuse for lazy feeding!) Betta's are no exception to this rule. Just stick to an easy to clean fish food (Little floating betta pellets are super easy to clean out of the water) in a pinch, fresh, blanched, tiny pieces of broccoli and peas are a good treat for betta's who have digestive issues (usually noted by a bloated appearance/lethargy)

Betta's while hardy, should not be treated like decorations, they are beautiful, and are often bought just to fit into home decor', this is only acceptable to a point. But you still need to remember, they too are living creatures, who can suffer and die horribly like most living things. So do your research, and be willing to drop just a few extra bucks to keep your little friend, happy, healthy, colorful, and hopefully long-living! A healthy fish is a beautiful fish, so remember it is always in your best interest to take care of your aquatic friends. With a little research, and, realistic understandings and financial resources, you can have a wonderful aquatic pet.

Biggest pluses though? Betta's are some of the most affordable fish around to keep and care for. They are quite tough, and can survive a remarkable amount of environments, but still, that should not give you free range to mistreat them, they will get sick and die faster if you do this. Not to mention, they will loose all of their colors from sheer stress. So please, do your research.

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14y ago

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