Breeding info

The first thing you need is a five to ten gallon tank. Then you need an airpump, and an airstone. Than fill your aquarium with dechlorinated water. That stuff (duh) removes chlorine. Now you can get exited. Add some plants(preferably bushy) to the aquarium. This provides the female a place to hide from the male. take a styrofoam cup, cut it in half heightwise, and tape it to the side of the aquarium. The male and female should be floating two separate jars or other transparent container in the aquarium. After fifteen minutes, release the male. He will swim around the females jar, and will spread his gill covers. This looks very scary, but he is perfectly healthy. This is his way of showing off. After awhile(longer with some males, shorter with others) he looks for a place to build his nest. Once he finds the cup, he checks it out and soon starts building. Note: Indian almond leaves work well too. Look around for these! He will build a nest out of bubbles. We breeders call it the bubblenest. The bubbles are formed with his mucus. Gross sounding, but really quite effective. Not as good if he catches a cold. Once he has done pretty sufficient work, you can let out the female. Now you'll see why you needed the plants, and a good bunch of them. The female gets bitten pretty badly, and make sure you buy some sort of medication for bettas in advance so she doesn't develop an infection.

This post under construcion.

Recomended betta sites

Betta Homes
A mission possible

Where they ought to live

A betta should not be confined to a teeny tiny container because:
1. Nowhere to swim or hide
2. The water becomes a mess faster
3. It is hard to clean.

You should not put males in a community aquarium because:
1. Long fins prove to be a temptation for fin-nipping fish.
2. Long fins also tempt bettas.
3. A filter for a community is too strong for a betta, which requires gentle water.

A betta should live in minimum one gallon of water. A good rule to remember: The smaller the living quarters the more frequent the water changes.

Betta Profile-overview

The Siamese Fighting Fish, also known as the betta. The scientific name is Betta Splendens. It originates in Thailand (Formerly known as Siam) in flooded rice paddies. Contrary to popular belief, they do not live in puddles. Perhaps for a short time during the year their water level is reduced, but the still have room to live in. These are carnivorous little fish, and while they are known to chase catfish away from algae wafers to munch a bit, they should have a carnivores diet. They are called fighting fish for a reason: males will kill each other. The first part of the fight is interesting. The males flare out their gill covers at each other. Usually, one backs off. But, if nobody chickens out, they start biting each other, and tearing at one anothers fins. Eventually, the loser displays dark stripes, as if to say "you win" and swims away. If the other male is not removed, he will kill the loser by preventing him from breathing air. Yes, breathing air. They have a special organ inside their heads called the labrynth organ, and can live in low oxygen water. Of course, you must keep the water clean, or they are susceptible to a number of diseases, including finrot, ich, and several others. Please do not fight them, as the fin tearing can leave way for an infection. Females can live together in a group of 3. Never just two.