Top 5 Frequently Asked Questions On Keeping And Breeding Betta Fish
Whether you are a novice keeping these beautiful betta fish as pet or an
expert in breeding betta fishes for commercial reasons, there will be certain
questions that keep surfacing for the hobbyist or breeder in general. Following
are the top five most frequently asked questions on betta fish, also known as
betta splendens or fighting fish in most regions.
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Why do my betta fish look so different after I bought it back home?
For most new betta owners, they will be surprise that the gorgeous betta
which flare beautifully and actively at the pet store becomes dull and is
now floating listlessly at the bottom of the tank. She don’t feed on the
betta food recommended by the pet shop and worst still, she is losing color.
What a far cry from that big, beautiful fish you picked out in the pet
store! -
My betta is sick and I have tried everything and still have no idea
what I am doing wrong?
Water quality issues are the usual suspects and
many helpful soul will give general advice such as changing water and
correcting the pH without knowing that it may be doing more harm to your
betta! There are surprising tips on water changing and water chemistry.
(i.e. Why some hobbyist have beautiful betta although they perform less
frequent water changes compared to you!) Betta fishes are know to be very
prone to diseases like dropsy (bloated stomach), fungus, white spots and
internal parasites. Clamped fins, spilt tails and popped-eyes are just some
of the symptoms to watch out. You need to be fully equipped with information
on how to deal with these problems and engage in preventive measures if
you’re serious in having happy betta as pets. -
What are the best food for my betta?
Betta has a life span of 3 to 5 years in the wild but a average “pet” betta
would be lucky if it can survive half a year. Why such great discrepancies?
Most people keep their betta in a small container and offer it a single type
of food (e.g. pellets or flakes) due to convenience. Water and food are the
two main factors in contributing to the longevity of a betta’s life – it’s
like the air we human breath and the nutrition we get from our daily food
intake. It’s therefore crucial to understand what kind of food to feed your
betta at different life stages and health conditions. -
How to spawn betta successfully?
Think of spawning these beauties? Well, it’s actually much easier to spawn
betta compare to rearing the fry to adulthood! While some will have more
luck getting a pair that will mate easily and produce bubble nest and eggs,
majority of them will not see their fry to grow up healthily, even if the
eggs do hatch eventually! Preparation of the “hatchery” is the key, there
after it’s critical to get the fry the right kind of food during the growth
stage. -
Betta genetics and how to select the correct features that is a must,
in a mating pair?This topic may get into a little bit of chemistry and biological lessons. If
you are serious in reproducing certain traits in your betta (e.g. halfmoon
or double tail) or perhaps even enhance it to produce special strains, then
there are certain genetic and betta reproduction information that you need
to know before breeding the pair. The best advices are gathered from a
collective experiences from breeders, since there are just so much
variations.
With the advance of the internet, the best resources to find answers to these
questions are online! What’s more, it’ll be most useful to participate in a
betta related forum to get specific questions answered since every situation is
unique. One such place where you can get am age-old collection of frequently
asked questions and answers, along with a chance to particle in an interactive
forum is http://www.bubblenest.com
