Opinions On Bettas?

[Einstein'sMommy]

Alright, so I have been researching fish and fish keeping in general, and I was wondering, what are your opinions on betta fish? I have had them before but I was very young and didn't know how to properly care for them. Stupid me! I was probably about 10 or so, so it's not like I had access to the internet to research, but still, it's a living, breathing thing and now I feel horrible... Anyways, I've noticed that so many inexperienced people usually go for betta fish and put them in tiny little bowls because they think that is an okay thing to do since in the pet shops they are sold in little containers. Anyways, I am the kind of person that rescues whenever she can and if I am looking for an animal, I go for the ones that are dumped or given up for whatever reason. But at my local humane society, they never have fish up for adoption. So the only place I could get the betta fish would be at a pet store... But I got to thinking, what's different about the worth of the lives of the fish in rescues and the one's at the pet store? They all deserve to be treated with respect and have their owners do research on them before they buy them. So, if I do happen to get a betta at the pet store, it would kinda be like a rescue because I took them from an environment that was less than desirable, and gave him the best life that I could.

Here's what I plan for his/her setup. I have a 20 gallon long tank that I plan to keep him in, and I am going to buy a heater, a power filter, about 4 bags of gravel, maybe 5 or 6 plants, and obviously food and the fish itself. Is this a good setup? I plan to have only one betta in this tank (obviously), so is this a proper aquarium size for him/her? Should I get anymore items for him/her?

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

Everything sounds fine, just make sure you research food options. It is good to give bettas a few options to choose from.

 

[Einstein'sMommy]

Yes I planned on giving him bloodworms every once in a while and also about a quarter of a skinned pea after a day of fasting followed by some bloodworms to help with digestion and constipation.

 

[waterfaller1]

Hi, bettas are wonderful fish. I have three. The 20 long should work well. Anything deeper and he could have issues. Some bettas get nervous in bigger tanks so give him some nice cover. Do you understand how to cycle the tank? I recommend API test kits. Or get an API freshwater master test kit, since you plan on keeping live plants. The liquid kind{titration}, not test strips which are useless.The test kits most needed when starting are Ammonia, Nitrite, nitrate, and PH.
Get a large bottle of Seachem Prime{red and white bottle} Use this exclusively to dechlorinate the water.Will you be cycling the tank with or without the fish?
Do you understand lighting for live plants? Try to get low lighting and plants that can take it. Like anubias, cryptocorynes{known as crypts}, small swords, etc. Bettas do not like high lighting.
Live plants will do better with appropriate substrate for plants. But you can get away with ordinary gravel as long as you feed the plants with root tabs, particularly the crypts and swords.The bottom of anubias, known as the rhyzome, should not be buried. Rather, attach them to a stone or piece of wood. Freshwater safe aquarium sand is a good option, and easier on the bettas fins and tail.
You will be doing water changes, so have appropriate equipment for that, like a siphon tube and a couple buckets used only for your tank. I like to mark my buckets so no one uses them for anything else.
Bettas do not like high flow, so I recommend an adjustable filter like an Aquaclear, or just a simple sponge filter with an airpump.
Do not ever use anything with the name "fix" at the end for a betta. Such as "betta fix" "Pima fix", "melafix". I recommend purchasing some high quality Indian Almond leaves{Catappa} and/or Alder cones. These are used in the tank for bettas to ward off fungal infections, heal wounds, and all around wellness. Make sure to buy high quality leaves, and store them properly{dark and dry} Be sure to put the appropriate amount in the tank. It will tint the water like weak tea. I like to soak mine a day first.
There are some great forums for planted tanks like The Planted Tank Forum, and for Bettas like bettafish.com

 

[waterfaller1]

You do not have to buy from a pet store. You can buy direct from Thailand or Indonesia, etc., by going to Aquabid. You can find the plants & almond leaves there as well, or buy plants from hobbyists really cheap at the planted tank forum. I like to buy the Indian leaves from this mission{I think they are in CA} You can find them on Ebay. Live plants there too, or a site like aquariumplants.com.

 

[Einstein'sMommy]

Hi, bettas are wonderful fish. I have three. The 20 long should work well. Anything deeper and he could have issues. Some bettas get nervous in bigger tanks so give him some nice cover. Do you understand how to cycle the tank? I recommend API test kits. Or get an API freshwater master test kit, since you plan on keeping live plants. The liquid kind{titration}, not test strips which are useless.The test kits most needed when starting are Ammonia, Nitrite, nitrate, and PH.
Get a large bottle of Seachem Prime{red and white bottle} Use this exclusively to dechlorinate the water.Will you be cycling the tank with or without the fish?
Do you understand lighting for live plants? Try to get low lighting and plants that can take it. Like anubias, cryptocorynes{known as crypts}, small swords, etc. Bettas do not like high lighting.
Live plants will do better with appropriate substrate for plants. But you can get away with ordinary gravel as long as you feed the plants with root tabs, particularly the crypts and swords.The bottom of anubias, known as the rhyzome, should not be buried. Rather, attach them to a stone or piece of wood. Freshwater safe aquarium sand is a good option, and easier on the bettas fins and tail.
You will be doing water changes, so have appropriate equipment for that, like a siphon tube and a couple buckets used only for your tank. I like to mark my buckets so no one uses them for anything else.
Bettas do not like high flow, so I recommend an adjustable filter like an Aquaclear, or just a simple sponge filter with an airpump.
Do not ever use anything with the name "fix" at the end for a betta. Such as "betta fix" "Pima fix", "melafix". I recommend purchasing some high quality Indian Almond leaves{Catappa} and/or Alder cones. These are used in the tank for bettas to ward off fungal infections, heal wounds, and all around wellness. Make sure to buy high quality leaves, and store them properly{dark and dry} Be sure to put the appropriate amount in the tank. It will tint the water like weak tea. I like to soak mine a day first.
There are some great forums for planted tanks like The Planted Tank Forum, and for Bettas like bettafish.com

I don't plan on having live plants in my tank at this time. I will be using silk plants so as not to hurt his/her fins.

Edit: Oh, and I will be cycling my tank without the fish.