Betta information guide

Name and classifications
Throughout this article, I plan to discuss the wonderful and popular fish commonly known as the betta. Scientifically, bettas are classified betta splenden. Also commonly referred to as Siamese fighting fish due to the old practice of putting two male betta fish together and watching them fight for dominance and the right to breed, they are a wonderful fish that has become quite significant with fish keepers new and old to the hobby. They are often mistakenly misspelled as beta and the scientific name of the betta is also commonly misspelled as betta splendid. This may be a legitimate mistake of people, or a side effect of the horrible plague afflicting the internet known as autocorrect. The pronunciation of the name: betta, also tends to vary from person to person. They are commonly pronounced Bei-tuh, as with the Greek letter or referred to as beh-tuh. I’m unsure of whether there is a true correct pronunciation, so acknowledgement of the different pronunciations will help in general conversation and discussion of this very common fish. For a full description of the classification of this fish, the animal diversity link in the sources section will provide a full in depth classification.

Difficulty keeping and hardiness
As with all fish, particular care is needed but betta are not that difficult to care for and are often seen as a great beginner fish. There is not a tail type of betta splenden that could not feasibly be kept by a new fish keeper that has a lot of interest in being a good owner to that pet. Betta, or any fish for that matter, do not make very good displays in vases or bowls, even though they are often kept this way by people who disregard their proper care. This does not mean each individual tail type of each betta does not come with its own specific intricate care. From information I’ve gathered from this amino, veiltail bettas are commonly viewed as the one of the worse types to own, due to them being very commonly overbred. Interestingly, betta plakats are commonly viewed as the healthiest type of betta, because they are not weighed down by large tails, but are even more overbred, as they are more common in the hobby. The doubletail betta are also one commonly noted for being generally weaker, because their tail was made by line breeding betta with a shorter spine to achieve the tail type, which has health problems that accompany. Any especially long tailed betta will be weighed down by the weight of the tail, but that does not mean that these fish cannot live good lives. An outlier to the betta types is a dragonscale betta, which can have scales that could potentially grow over their eyes, making them blind. Blindness does not mean that the fish is not physically healthy, but a blind fish does require specific adjustments. King bettas, which are called so for their abnormally large size, also suffer health problems associated with being so large. However, just as stated previously, any betta could make a great pet and live a happy life with proper care.

Minimum tank size
From my own experience and consultations with people far smarter than I, the minimum tank size I decide to follow for any variety of betta splenden is 5 gallons. This does not change with the gender or tail type. Many sources will say 2.5 gallon tanks are the minimum, though 2.5 gallon tanks could potentially be more expensive than other available options that would provide more space and eliminate the option of keeping them with snails or shrimp. 2.5 gallon tanks also have a much higher chance to suffer an ammonia spike. Betta also do not get stressed in larger tanks. They often get stressed due to improper care, and is not a reason for them to be kept in very small tanks. Depending on your available circumstances, the most economic friendly option may be a 10 gallon tank, but this is not true for everyone. If a good owner desires to keep their male betta with tank mates, besides invertebrates, the recommended minimum tank size is 15 gallons of water, or at least a 2 foot or a 61 cm tank. Bettas tend to vary with personality, and may accept tank mates in smaller tanks.

Parameters
A good temperature for a betta tank is 72-78 Fahrenheit, or 22-30 Celcius, with a leaning towards the hotter spectrum of that recommendation. If betta are kept at lower temperatures than what’s provided, they will have weaker immune systems and be more susceptible to common fish diseases and their activity will decrease. However, betta could be kept at temperatures higher than this spectrum, without much difficulty. A good general recommended ph and general hardness for bettas are around 6-8 ph and 18-268 ppm. However, what is more important in keeping all fish is not specifically the numbers themselves, but keeping them consistent. Betta could live in most ranges, as long as those ranges do not change. The nitrate level should not rise above 20 ppm, which is the same with all fish. Nitrites and ammonia should be kept at 0 at all times, which is also true of all fish.

Diet
When searching for good foods for bettas, what is most important is a good source of protein. As an added bonus, one could search for food that boosts the color of bettas as well. For manufactured foods made especially for bettas, Hikari Bio-Gold Betta Fish Food provides both of these, with proven long lasting results. Frozen foods are best avoided as they can carry diseases in them that could potentially bring harm to your beloved fish. For foods that are freeze dried, blackworms provide a strong protein content for your betta. Pretty much most live foods will provide a good amount of natural protein, as long as it is a similar size to their food in the wild. Bloodworms are often considered a good option for diets, but given that they provide almost no nutritional value for fish and if not prepared correctly, could contain hooks that could tear the inside of fish, they do not make good staple diets or treats. Betta should not be fed too much. Only a pinch is necessary for the proper amount of food the fish needs to consume. Over feedings could have bad results leading to a bloated fish, and higher nitrates. Feed once a day and skip one day a week as to prevent any of the aforementioned problems.

Length and longevity
Betta generally grow to a length of 2 inches or 5 centimeters, with an exception of king bettas, which can reach 3 inches or 7.5 cm. They also have a lifespan of around 1-3 years. Note that this is what their lifespan commonly is, and when a betta gets three years old, it does not mean your betta is close to dying. Betta have the potential to live ten years depending on if that betta is kept in optimum care.

Activity and compatibility
Betta are a diurnal species that is specifically noted for what is commonly viewed as aggression. They generally use the majority of the tank and enjoy rests and hides. Without tank mates, bettas can often become slow and tired, as tanks mates provide stimulation to the betta. Given the disposition of bettas and their focus on bright colors, picking tank mates can be tricky. Good tank mates include non flashy fish that will not upset the betta by being a competitor for the prettiest fins. If you do wish to have a small bright and flashy fish, they should be quick enough to evade the attacks and escape. Any creature that is a carnivore and that could potentially view the betta as food should not be kept with that betta. Additionally, fish that will be viewed as food by the betta should not be kept Along side it. Some betta may see shrimp and think of them as food, while another may live happily along side them. That can vary greatly on the personality. As mentioned previously, if you plan to keep a betta with flashy tank mates, 15 gallons is a good recommended minimum. This only applies to male bettas. Female bettas could be handled better in a smaller tank with flashy tank mates. Bettas are also famously aggressive with each other, though not quite the case. Bettas are territorial with each other and males will often fight for dominance and the right to breed with females. This generally can be decreased by overstocking bettas together. In smaller tanks, a sorority can be achieved by overstocking a tank and in larger tanks of at least 55 gallons, males could be kept with each other by overstocking the tank, as well. For more information on keeping bettas together, the betta sorority guide further in the article will provide more information. About betta aggression, they are not nearly as aggressive as most make them out to be. Male betta often battle for dominance within their own numbers, but that is true of a large portion of species. This does not mean that these fish cannot cohabit one space and benefit from that cohabitation.

Sororities
Sorority are a very touchy subject between those that don’t like them and people that are setting one up. In this section, I will be building off of what the member Kking originally wrote describing the ins and outs of the betta sororit and responding to the Why anti sorority wiki, as I have my own personal opinions on how they should be done, and why the arguments against sororities are usually formed on the idea that keepers are either inexperienced, or not prepared for fallout.

Quick beginning to sororities
Sororities are a beautiful thing when they work. You have to put forth all the time and effort it takes to get them together. You also need to know the fish more then you would think.

Elements of the female betta
I have seen tons of people saying that female bettas are just as aggressive as male bettas, or are even more so. This element does not make logical sense, given the different jobs males and females hold in the mating process. The female’s job is to encourage the most genetically strong male to reproduce, and once they do reproduce, to run away as fast as possible. It is the male’s job to defend the eggs, and fend of other males, making them worthy of females. This inherently makes female bettas less territorial than male bettas towards their own kind, and other brightly colored fish.

Female betta aggression
While female bettas are inherently less territorial than males, special precaution should be taken to deal with the possibility of aggression. Similar to African cichlids, females form hierarchies that dictate who eats first, and who is the boss of the tank. It is important to make sure every female betta is fed in a sorority, with dispersion of food around the tank being also significant.

Guides
Sororities need many things to work
-Line breaks
-Bettas that get along
-An overstocked tank
-Proper tank size
-Live Plants
-Backup plans

I will leave the full explanation of the elements Kking originally described, but I will go into what the most important aspects of a tank like this are. LINE BREAKS!!!!! These are very important. Betta and all fish use quick turns to avoid being chased. Though after you get it established the breaks being mandatory and aggression will slowly fade away. The girls will eventually set up a hierarchy, allowing them to live together better. A line break is an object that breaks a fish’s line of sight. This can be a plant, a piece of wood, or pretty much anything that serves to give the bettas a place to hide if things go south. An effective process to add line breaks is overstocking a tank, so additional fish become their own line breaks.

What size, and how many bettas?
For a basic sorority tank, I’d recommend going with a 20 long aquarium. Smaller tanks can be managed, but that amount of room provides a good amount of space a betta to escape. I’d recommend around 6-10 female bettas for a sorority tank, for maximum overstocking.

Plants
Live is always preferred as why would you want a AstroTurf lawn? The plants will make line breaks, so it keeps the girls occupied. Fish in general, like all animals, have one thing on their mind and that’s food. Giving them places to swim around and explore keeps fish acting like they would in the wild. The addition of live plants also serves as a removal of nitrates if needed. If one does not want live plants, fake plants will do just as well at providing hides and line breaks.

Betta that get along!
This is the tricky part. Knowing the temperament of your girls. The more the better, as it keeps bullying to a bare minimum. Finding betta that are already established is great! A good second option to look for is girls that are already set up in community. This allows one to have a good idea of the betta’s existing aggression.

Backup plan
An additional tank should be in hand for every betta at all times. Anything could happen, and it’s just generally a good call if a disease pops up, and the hierarchy needs to be reset, due to one being removed. Whether this takes the place of a quarantine tank, or a tank that is well suited to female bettas does not matter.

Setting up the Sorority
As you set up your tank, keep in mind the girls will want to establish individual territories. Watch and see how they act towards each other. There will be flares because they are Betta. When it’s time to add them, float and release them all at the same time, to the best of your ability. Be ready and watch for any signs that your bettas may be aggressive towards each other. There’s a difference between aggression and setting dominance. Many girls with rub sides in a way of setting up the hierarchy. Have a net ready to remove girls as needed if aggression gets high. If needed, remove all the girls and start again. If aggression gets bad, remove the girls, change the tank design and try again. After it’s set, you need to set aside a bit of time to keep an eye on the tank. The girls will be fine but there still is a chance of them angering each other.

Feeding and maintenance
Watch your girls when it’s time to eat. Many times, the alpha female will eat and the girls lower down in the hierarchy won’t get food. One could keep cups handy and feed the girls solo if this is an issue or distribute food and make sure each girl gets their own chance to eat. I always recommend a 50%-75% water change on the girls once a week, as with any fish. It’s more mandatory than any other tank due to the chemicals that females send out in an attempt to encourage male. Keeping them low is recommended for a successful Sorority.

Flow
As with all bettas, they are anabantoids, and do not need oxygenated water, and should be ran with a filter that has very low flow, if run with a filter at all. Reducing stress is of the upmost importance.

Tank mates
It is important to note that the betta sorority tank is a dedicated to the females. That means that the mid level of the aquarium should only be occupied with bettas, to insure the tank mates don’t endanger the fellow bettas. Mid tier schooling fish such as tetras, danios, and rasboras should generally be avoided. With betta, it is good to avoid any tank mates that could potentially hurt them. This means any other anabantoids, or larger fish that could cause damage. The best bet with tank mates is sticking with bottom dwellers that will not being any harm to the betta.

Betta tail types to avoid in a sorority
While female bettas are generally healthier than their male counterparts, there are a few that should be avoided if one truly cares about the minute details. Veiltail and plakat bettas are an easy pick, as they are notably overbred in the hobby, leading them to having terrible genetics. The second one one may want to avoid is the double tail. Their tail type looks the way it does due to the use of the short bodied gene, which removes a few bones in their spinal chords, leading them to having shorter lives, and unhealthier existences. Dragonscale bettas are a variety of betta that are hybrids, that can have their scales grow over their eyes and lead them to blindness. King bettas also have health problems due to their large size. This does not mean that these types of bettas cannot flourish in the sorority. They are just more prone to problems than others may be.

Bred for aggression
I have noticed through observation and conversation with people more experienced than myself that when bettas are kept with tank mates, they are more stimulated and more active. There are of course some bettas that just don’t accept tank mates, but that is more dependent on individual betta personality than it is a reason why they should not be kept together.

Female aggression
As I already debunked previously in this article, female bettas are inherently less territorial than males. I combed through a few articles on female betta aggression, most of which have been deleted, so I could not find a proper source for them, and I could not find a single one that actually did research to determine what true aggression meant or drew concrete conclusions.

Doomed to failure
This generally is not true, and based on the assumption that back up plans are not in place. Having back up plans is an important part of keeping any fish.

Causes diseases
The inherent nature of the betta sorority, given the constant removal of chemicals the females create negates most of these problems. Given that pristine water conditions are a goal to be upheld, most of these diseases are not found. In addition to this, both diseases are fungal, which can be easily treated with Erythromycin and Methylene blue. Back up tanks should always be on hand, so a sorority can be disengaged to treat illnesses if needed.

Being unnatural
Fish keeping itself is unnatural. If you’ve kept Corydoras with rasboras, that does not occur in the wild. Fish do not live in glass boxes and are fed pellets in the wild. The reason these events don’t happen in the wild is simply because the area these fish have to move around is so vast, that there’s no reason why this would happen in the wild. This does not mean that a situation like this could not work. The bettas we work with today are so far removed from their wild counterparts, generalizing them to being unnatural is an assumption that could be said of anything in the hobby and not a reason sororities should not be done.

Betta sororities
If done properly, a sorority is absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. If one is against sororities, I implore them to look into the specifics of the sorority, rather than outrightly dismissing them. One must think of cichlids. They are aggressive fish but can be house together properly and can get along. Betta are not solitary fish, and calling them so is ignoring simple logic and is an assumption based on the preconceived notion that all bettas are mass murders at heart. As reasonable people, the discussion itself does deserve to be had rather than outrightly dismissed.

Native region and importation
Bettas are endemic to multiple locations in Asia including Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Additionally, they have been introduced through human interference in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, The Dominican Republic, Brazil and Columbia. The natural home they come from are rice paddies that run on for thousands of miles. Their natural behavior is for them to move from rice paddy to rice paddy. After the females breed in one paddy, they often rush off to others as fast as possible to not be hurt by the male. These fish are commonly line bred in Asia where they are endemic. The most common line that is bred are plakats. They are bred in whiskey bottles and shipped in wet newspaper to conserve and lower shipping prices. Often, betta are inbred but the pool of bettas that are breeding is large enough to include enough variation to not cause major genetic problems the majority of the time.

Tank set up
As previously mentioned, a tank less than five gallons should not be used to keep any type of betta. If one intends to keep their male betta with flashy quick fish, the tank should at least be 15 gallons. The filter, if present, should have low flow as to not carry the betta away. A filter is optional in most betta tanks, due to their labyrinth organ that allows them to breathe air directly. A recommended 50%-75% water change weekly should be done whether a betta is kept with a filter or not. If the betta is going to be kept with any fish that do not possess the ability to breathe air, a form of aeration is required. They are not especially bothered by different options of substrate. They do not require live plants, but at least one hide is recommended for every fish, no matter what the differing situation is.

Sexing and variations
There are many differences between the male and female betta. Physically, male bettas are often much considered more brightly colored than their female variants. Though, this is not true 100% of the time, as bettas have been bred specifically to have very bright colors. Female bettas display horizontal lines across their flanks to show signs of stress or that they are ready to breed. Female bettas often feature a wide chest area, while males are much skinnier in comparison. Male Bettas often have much larger fins and tails, to the point that some males can quadruple the fin and tail length of their female counterparts. Females show an egg spot between the ventral and anal fins, that males do not display. All betta fish have a membrane beneath the gills called a beard that they use to flare. Male bettas have much larger beards than their female counterparts. Females also move their heads down when flaring. A trait males do not show. As mentioned previously, female bettas do not display nearly the degree of aggression that males do. This does not mean that female bettas cannot be aggressive and male bettas cannot be peaceful. That largely depends on personality, where male bettas often display more aggressive traits. Male bettas also create bubble nests, which is a sign that a betta is ready to breed. This happens much less commonly in female bettas, that don’t often make them. Beyond differences in gender, betta also differ in tail type. There are 14 traditional tail types of betta, 7 of which, the veiltail, plakat, halfmoon, doubletail, delta, dumbo ear and crowntail, can commonly be found at most stores. The seven others are combtail, spadetail, over halfmoon, super delta, halfsun, rosetail and feathertail, which are all variations of the previously mentioned common tail types and are considered show bettas, and are not commonly sold. Veiltail bettas are bred for the long and swooping tail. They are often considered overbred, as they are quite common in the hobby. A variation of them is the spadetail, that feature short and pointier tail tips and fins and the tail forms a spade shape. Crowntails are bred so that the rays in their tail outstretch the webbing. A variation of them is the combtail, but are bred so the difference in length between the rays and webbing is not as great as in the crowntail. Doubletail bettas are linebred to have shorter spines, that create the two distinct tails. Halfmoons are bred to have tails that can stretch 180 degrees throughout the tail. Variations of them are the over halfmoon, which feature even longer tails and halfsun, which are a combination of the halfmoon and the crowntail as to have the 180 degree tail, with rays that extend a bit passes the webbing of the tail. The delta tail is a betta with a tail that does not exceed 180 degrees. Varieties of these are the super delta, which have longer tails, the rosetail, which features rays that cross over each other and feathertails, that are rosetails with even farther overbranching rays. Plakats are closest to the wild variation of betta splenden and have much shorter tails. Lastly, though not really a tail type, the dumbo ear trait trades long tails for very long pectoral fins. Now, with a few outlier types. The dragonscale betta is a cross between the betta splenden and Betta mahachaiensis, a variation often caught directly from the wild and completely different from betta splendens. These type of bettas feature a white metallic coloring, and their scales may grow over their eyes. Another variation commonly found in betta are ones called king bettas. These bettas are bred for their large size, and often can suffer health problems that accompany gigantism. Finally, there are few other variations of bettas such as koi bettas, galaxy bettas, candy cane bettas and recently, Nemo bettas. They are bred for specific color variation, but do not have any differing aspects beyond coloration and price difference.

Breeding and fry care
When both of the spawning pair are ready to engage breeding, the male will start constructing its bubblenest. The male will defend the bubblenest from the female until it is fully constructed. The female’s flank will start displaying the horizontal lines marking the female ready to breed. The male will embrace the female under the bubblenest and the female will begin releasing and catching the eggs and the male will move the eggs to the nest. The eggs will hatch in 24-48 hours. From there on, the fry should be fed food such as infrosia until they are the proper size to consume larger foods. Constant water changes are important with betta fry so that they will not stunt early. This is the same when raising the baby betta sold at stores. Male betta will be considered fry until they release their first bubblenest and prepared to breed themselves.

Conclusion
Previously in this article, I discussed that all bettas can be kept in 5 gallons of water, sororities can be managed in tanks less than 20 gallons and males could potentially be kept together. I additionally addressed that bettas do not need heavily planted tanks to thrive. All of this information I gained from discussion with other people and in depth research, I will stand by. Though this may prevent this document from being submitted to the wiki, that does no change that this is the best in depth guide on betta fish that I could write with my current knowledge base at my disposal. I do not claim this to be the definitive betta guide. They are controversial fish. This does not change the fact that they are wonderful fish to keep with many intricacies in their personal care.

Sources
[Seriously fish on betta splendens|https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/betta-splendens/]
[Seriously fish on betta mahachaiensis|http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/betta-mahachaiensis/]
[Sandz Aquatics|https://sandzaquatics.com/]
[Japanesefightingfish|https://japanesefightingfish.org/betta-fish-tail-types/]
[Huffington post|https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_3748727]
[Fishbase|https://www.fishbase.se/Country/CountryList.php?ID=4768&GenusName=Betta&SpeciesName=splendens]
[Chewy|https://www.chewy.com/hikari-bio-gold-betta-fish-food-0088/dp/169140?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=f&utm_content=Hikari&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_tONxMmh4gIVrrSzCh1mlAGqEAQYASABEgJnw_D_BwE]
[Animal diversity|https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Betta_splendens/classification/]
[Dragonscale betta image|https://images.app.goo.gl/6g7CbkyTDpV6AGTZ8]
[Sexing bettas image|https://bettasmart.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/male-female-betta.jpg?w=640&h=297]
[King betta image|https://images.app.goo.gl/jZAMoBxkkdGnpJbN6]
[Betta sorority image|https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fdlgdxii3fgupk.cloudfront.net%2Fmyaquariumclub.com%2Fimages%2Ffbfiles%2Fimages%2FIMG_5361-5wgjs1r6ss_v_1508105409.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myaquariumclub.com%2Fbetta-sorority-tips-1085387.html&tbnid=7MFqkmK3vDhZ3M&vet=1&docid=lrYowDC_xpRJXM&w=936&h=1280&hl=en-us&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim]
[Main image|https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2F4.imimg.com%2Fdata4%2FPR%2FEN%2FANDROID-64025151%2Fproduct-250x250.jpeg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiamart.com%2Fproddetail%2Fbetta-fish-19566488548.html&tbnid=O5vdp34aYKv5jM&vet=1&docid=ORTcVRMLJffSvM&w=250&h=230&hl=en-us&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim]
[Background image|https://images.app.goo.gl/6YnS6MbWSbPpT7437]
[Kking’s betta sorority post|http://aminoapps.com/p/r4155p]
[Happyshrimp’s anti sorority post|http://aminoapps.com/p/7bhwbx]