The Shocking Truth about Betta Care You Don't Want to Hear.

Discover the ultimate guide to Betta fish care in this comprehensive KZbin video from Father Fish and get 5 valuable pro tips for a healthy betta swimming around in your aquarium!
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced fish keeper, this informative video is packed with expert tips and valuable insights from Father Fish, to ensure your Betta fish thrives in its environment and are as healthy as possible in your aquarium, 1 gallon fish bowl or foodweb ecosystem deep substrate Father Fish aquarium.
Dive into the world of Betta fish care as we explore the essential aspects of setting up the perfect habitat, including tank size, aquarium plants, water parameters, and the appropriate diet and feeding regimen that will keep your Betta healthy and vibrant. Uncover the secrets of maintaining optimal water quality, including filtration, temperature regulation, and regular maintenance routines.
FATHER FISH is an advocate for natural aquariums. His research over 25 years provides a wealth of information about the creation and maintenance of natural aquariums.
On this channel you will find scientific research as well as personal testimonials by countless hobbyists who have applied the Father Fish System and are enjoying its amazing benefits.
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0:00 Teaser
Intro
5 Elements
Container
Water
Sand
Water Changes
All clips and images are used for illustrative purposes only.
Clips Used under CC license:
DAH KITE
• Bettafish pop Eye dise...
Franks bettas
• Catching WILD BETTAS i...
Keshi Betta House
• Platinum betta fish br...
That Nate Guy On KZbin
• EXPLORING WE LOVE PETS...
Devaraj Rajagopalan
• Refilling Water from W...
Pets Land
• Video
Aquarium Adventures
• Feeding ALL my aquariu...
Jomatzu
• How to Feed Frozen Blo...
#fatherfish #bettafish #deepsubstratetank #naturalaquarium #fishtube #dirtedtank #bettafishcare #deepsubstrate #bettafish #betta #bettafishtanksetup #bettafishbowl #siamesefightingfish

[@FatherFish]

There is a hardened view that bettas require open spaces to thrive. We know in fact that is not true. I certainly appreciate the beauty of a ten gallon tank well designed with a magnificent male betta and some dithers. It is very nice, indeed beautiful, and pleasing to our aesthetic and perhaps ethical sensibilities. It is not, however, required for the well being of the fish. It is simply the case that virtually every betta in every bowl in the entire world spent the first 6 months of its life in a tiny container of water that was changed weekly at best. No harm is done to the fish by this process. In fact it is thereby protected from fin damage, disease, and contamination. Choosing to keep a betta in a small container is not an immoral act.

[@ellipertzov4429]

But FF, what about water condition, the natural processes of an eco system, the resistance to sickness and the the other things you mention in every video you released in the past year.

[@rcort4864]

Agreed. But another option, if you already have a community tank, is to place the betta in there. You just have to be careful - make sure the other fish are peaceful and will not harm the betta. I have had several bettas in my community tanks over the years and NEVER had a betta harm another fish - it was always the other fish harming the betta that I had to worry about. Most tetras are safe, but I had a group of lamp-eye tetras that were absolute bullies, so this has to be done with caution. But, like you say, a smaller container is perfectly fine. I think a betta is a great beginner fish for anyone, and so easy to keep.

[@ellipertzov4429]

@@rcort4864 yeah, that make sense. There are some great videos about that on the Fishtory channel, who is also ‘friends’ with FF. But i was asking FF about the reasoning of Jars

[@tropicalfishaquatics]

Thank you replying to my comment, farther fish. I was only saying what I think, and I meant no disrespect towards you. I enjoy watching your videos/posts and I subscribe to your channel. It’s really good that you make time to reply like you did the majority of large KZbin channels don’t. Thanks again and keep up the great content you post.

[@kristenhall532]

Thank you for this Father Fish. 💗

[@Apistogramma_cacatuoides]

I had a betta called Blue that i have spawned in my private tank, i sold most of his siblings but i really liked Blue’s personality and colors so I decided to keep him to myself, he had a tank of about 5 gallons just for him and the tank was heavily planted with live plants and had microscopic life such as cyclops that blue can feed on whenever he wants to. I gave him flakes and pellets as a main food as well as live food once a week. *He lived for 7 years, I miss him so much* 😭

[@Slawsers]

Rip bettas are a special kind of fish different personalities, mine is always friendly as soon as he sees me he shoots out his hiding zone like a dog looking for treats lol

[@kristenhall532]

Omgoodness. Thank you for sharing about your wonderful fish and it gives me inspiration that mine too can live that long. I'm sorry, it can't be easy without him. Lots of love to you.

[@GodLovesYou1994]

wow 7 years

[@Apistogramma_cacatuoides]

@@GodLovesYou1994 yes, i know its a very long lifespan for a betta but bc i kept blue in the perfect conditions e had a long lifespan considering lifespan of avarage betta is 4 (i miss him so much🙁)

[@angiebear8727]

RIP Blue 💙 Had a female betta named Pearl I got very attached to. Got her at my lps as a baby out of a batch a patron had bred. Was labeled as a boy. I’m guessing because her fins were quite ornate for a female. She was pure white with blue eyes but as she aged she was a pale pale pink. Kept those blue eyes. Lived in a heavily planted 16 gallon with basically the same food routine you described. She was very active playing with the cories, swimming through hard scape that I would change every four months or so so she wouldn’t get bored with it. Looked like she’d do a little happy dance everytime I rearranged hard scape or added something new. Shared the tank with Amano shrimp, mystery snails and Pygmy corydoras. She lived to about 5. So far she was my favorite betta.

[@eh.440]

I usually agree with FF but in my experience keeping bettas in both small and big tanks they seem to really love larger spaces, all of mine used every inch of their 10 gallon aquariums zipping around hunting etc. As long as they had a lot of plant cover they liked a lot of space

[@eh.440]

@@harry103 an 800 litre would be such a dream tank

[@aqua.togoalex]

I agree - I`ve seen Bettas in bigger Tanks with other (not aggressive) fish and it worked out wonderful like here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGHchXV8rNuobpIsi=kUllp5dBVFW5ULco It´s bad that we do it like in Asia in tiny tanks without other fish - that´s not natural

[@voluntaryismistheanswer]

Depends on the betta, the longfin types handle smaller spaces better than my females and plakats, who can occupy a 29 gallon very nicely

[@sandidsaman7723]

can i feed adult black ants or adult mosquitos to betta?

[@haririod1139]

​@@sandidsaman7723 I tried it with ants. He spat them out and rinsed its mouth and gills with water because of the ant acid. any other insects works

[@jennifers4017]

I upgraded all my bettas from bowls to small tanks, 5 to 10 gallon planted. They are healthier and happier. Much more active, exploring and a lot less issues with their health. You say bettaa don't want to be active but if they did not want to swim they don't have to because the tank is larger. They have plenty of plants and hides, if they wanted to be still they can be, but most that I have are active and exploring and letting them have that option seems like a sensible choice. Bettas natural habitat is shallow water approximately 3 feet deep. A small tank comes closer to this natural environment than a bowl. While they can find themselves in a shallow puddle due to evaporation they are good jumpers and will often leap from puddle to puddle to try get out of that situation and into a larger body of water. Also it is much easier to keep stable water parameters in a planted tank with a heater and filter than a bowl.

[@strangerthings88]

Yup

[@nancyc7819]

I really don’t think he’s had many bettas unless he lives somewhere hot and without air conditioning. I love his content but I completely disagree with this whole video!

[@WNSNCHU3232]

@@nancyc7819he breeds betta. He has hundreds. He said he keeps them in 10s. Their finnage is not conducive to their health. Yes they swim across the whole 10 gallon but their fins will be injured by it. These are not wild betta. They’re bred to have exaggerated features. They are not good swimmers

[@carolinapillow3310]

Seeing how much my betta explores and gets along with his neon Tetra buddies and seeing how active he was trying to be in a tiny cup but couldn’t was sad to see. He’s in a 10 gallon with 5 neon Tetras and thriving in natural plants with hiding places.

[@HaleyTheeHalien]

Personally, I wouldn't do anything smaller than a 3 gallon; I have two Bettas in a 3 & 8 gallon and the 8 gallon is waaay less work, but they both seem equally happy and healthy. Bettas by nature are curious and like to explore their tanks; find new hiding spots or mazes to lap through and (depending on personality) playing in an airstone bubbler. I personally find a Betta specific heater (Amazon) most reliable and loved by the fish (they'll sleep on it). Also, having a sponge filter creating some sort of water flow and clean up, easier to keep a tank from growing nasty. Bettas are hardy fish, so I'd say pick the tank size and additional accessories based on how often you want to clean it and how confident you are in keeping water parameters in check.

[@FatherFish]

What would you do if your bettas spawned and you had 200 baby bettas?

[@luisespindolab_b_b_]

what would you recommend in that case? it hasn't happened to me as i only have a single betta, but i am curious@@FatherFish

[@tammyducharme4397]

You should always have an extra tank just in case... Just like a hospital tank to treat a fish in case of illness. Or if a fight breaks out. It seems very mean to keep a Betta in anything smaller than 10 gallons in my opinion. In a 10 gallon after placing several plants, you leave enough space for swimming/exploring/ hunting. This information about Bettas living happy in bowls, 1 or 3 gallons is very wrong. They are not just a decoration to place anywhere for color. Please do more research.

[@nethiuz9165]

@@FatherFish Sell them.

[@ellipertzov4429]

@Father Fish I must admit, I was a bit taken aback by that video. Initially, I was quite excited when I saw the title, as I was genuinely eager to gain some valuable insights on betta keeping from FF. I usually hold a great deal of trust in your knowledge and accept what you say as being at least somewhat true. While I can understand the rationale behind smaller habitat options for bettas and that they don't require an excessive amount of space, I find it difficult to accept the jars and vases showcased in your video as adequate living conditions. It seems rather implausible to me that a 7 by 7 glass enclosure would suffice when considering the natural habitats of many betta species, which often consist of wetlands and flooded areas with significantly more space. A jar just seems rather absurd in comparison. Where does the emphasis on creating a natural environment come into play? What about the concept of a food web and the importance of establishing a proper habitat for fish, closely resembling their natural surroundings? Even if we assume that a betta can manage in a 7x7 inch area, the water in those rice puddles, wetlands, and flooded areas teems with life, bacteria, beneficial organisms, and plants. These elements ensure that the fish's 7 by 7 inch territory thrives as a healthy environment. How do you plan to recreate such an environment within a jar? And why suggest periodically washing the entire jar and its contents? If this is the solution for maintaining a livable fish habitat, then it renders everything you previously discussed and advocated for essentially irrelevant. Given the range of new content available, it's disheartening to see that this is the topic you chose to focus on-merely how to keep a betta alive. I understand that my opinion might not carry much weight, and perhaps it doesn't truly matter, but I can't help but feel a sense of disappointment.

[@bearbenton5945]

Well said! I completely disagree with you, but I'm so glad you chose to share your viewpoint. Thank you!

[@tomjmadsen]

You're absolutely correct! He is wrong without question.

[@doxiediane6274]

FF is off base on a lot of things. I’m experienced w bettas and do nothing that he suggests!

[@ellipertzov4429]

@@bearbenton5945 thanks for the support :) I wonder though what exactly you disagree with… i even mentioned that lets assume the confined space is fine and the fish is happy with it… what about the rest of the condition of the jar - how would food chain even evolve there with the constant water changes and rinsing of the whole media. It is well known that small container like this, cant really be balanced and prone to all kinds of sharp fluctuations. Moreover, what about all the stuff FF ALWAYS talks about… the natural environment etc…

[@tentyme1]

They might live in a puddle but that puddle has god knows how many gallons moving through it. If it didn’t it would dry up so there’s water turn over and natural filtration. To me a puddle is something you step in less than 2” deep. That would dry up real quick somewhere that’s warm enough to keep the water 80 -85 degrees. If you step in something up to your ankle that’s 4-5” deep and is a lot of water volume. I think FF is a lil confused.

[@pridify]

While it’s true they can live in very small containers (trust me I’m from Southeast Asia- my father put them in used fish sauce bottles lmao), they get bored quickly and tend to not move around at all. If you put them in a 2 gallon or more, that’s when the magic happens.

[@FatherFish]

Your father kept them by the hundreds?

[@erinfunk554]

I had to temporarily transfer my betta from a 12-gallon long to a 3-gallon. He looked bored and miserable in the 3-gallon. He is much more active in the 12-gallon - exploring and defending territory.

[@tanyaroberson9629]

The problem with people who put their betta in small containers is they usually don't heat it or filter it- and put plastic plants in and they get scratched by plastic plants and infections get them.

[@FatherFish]

I absolutely agree that containers of any size with a little colored gravel, plastic plants, too much food, and cold as ice will not be good for the fish.

[@qwmx]

I kept my betta in a 10L tank, it wasn't the size that killed her, she was happy for two years in her fully grown normal size, it was the cold, in the tropical area I was in, we had an unusually cold winter that year.

[@Kersevtech]

Great video! but I honestly wouldn't put a betta in less than 5 gallons. I prefer them having some swimming space.

[@Slawsers]

Yeah my dude is in a 5 gallon but it's fully planted to the max with hiding areas and rocks driftwood some Indian almond leafs and he has to be the healthiest friendliest fish.the tank is so planted that even large size betta can be hidden from my eyes at times I'm wondering where he went lol. I would say 10 gallons for beginners to be on the safe size bigger tank more stable parameters but if you have it lik3 me fully planted with hiding spots and water changes nearly twice or once a week a 5 gallon will be great not to say a walsted or heavy planted deep dirt fatherfish tank wouldn't also work with enough plants to filter and do top offs

[@gryaznygreeb]

I personally think at least 3 gallons is good, 10 gallons is great and looks awesome when planted well. It's nice to see them swim around, and they will have more plants to interact with in a bigger tank. I have a male in a 10 gallon with some shrimp. It's enough space that he leaves the shrimp alone and he uses the entire space of the tank, sometimes resting on different plants or under rocks or drift wood. Eventually I might breed him in the 10 gallon and then raise the fry in there and move him to a 5 gallon.

[@hibana_oonana728.psn.9]

i agree i have my betta in a 5 gallon he still has room for his bubble nest hiding spots in plants and plenty of open swimming room all in a separate area of the tank

[@callmemaddy]

i have mine in a 3 gallon heavily planted tank with some snails and an ADF. From what I can tell, he's very happy!

[@mfstarboy8690]

They swim in half a gallon here. Being just ultra healthy

[@morphman32]

Thank you Father Fish for your sensible and really informative videos about fish keeping. I've always been a believer that fish take care of themselves and all the fish keeper needs to do is keep a natural cycle going that will keep the water clear and healthy and by very careful feeding. I feed my fish on frozen natural foods and I don't feed at regular times every day, infact, I might feed once or twice a day or sometimes miss a day completely and I only feed in small amounts at each feeding and when the fish stop eating I stop feeding. You have taught me so much about keeping fish naturally and they stay happy and healthy. Thank you again. Oliver-Dean. England.

[@FatherFish]

Thank you Oliver. Happy to hear from you.

[@greenclova2486]

Some betta's thrive in 5-10+ gallons, 3 is the smallest I'd go for a betta. Heating is crucial! And filtrated and fresh, clean water is deserved by every fish 💯

[@anga9495]

I have had them in several kinds of containers. Small, medium and large. Alone and community. All were very happy and lived great lives. Reading about their history I think it's VERY very important for Betta keepers! Understanding the history of the ox hoof print and acidic waters as a home and place to mate is very beneficial information to have when you are choosing what's best for them.

[@AsymptoteManuki]

i witnessed tremendous improvement in behavior and health, more spreading of the fins and more vigorous swimming when I upgraded from a bowl to a 10 gallons. Also FF why would you say bettas breath from the surface ? That's only partially true. Their labyrinth organ enables them to do that in survival situations. When the water is clean they'll breathe a lot underwater

[@rcort4864]

They say not to put bettas in a tank that has any water flow. I had many bettas who loved to play and swim through the outlet waterfall of my HOB filter in my 10 gallon tank! LOL 😄 They also loved to occasionally swim really fast back and forth across the tank, like they were exercising or practicing their attack moves. I have two female bettas in my 29 gallon with other peaceful community fish (mostly tetras) and they are doing just fine.

[@kristenhall532]

I think this might be information for beginners. I want to move my Bettas to a bigger tank, Father Fish style of course. 🥰

[@kristenhall532]

My Bettas love playing in the water flow when I change the water, so what would you think a good gentle filter for a ten or five gallon would be? Any suggestions for a 2.5 gallon

[@rcort4864]

@@kristenhall532 You could use a simple sponge filter. You can even make these yourself if you are handy (see DIY videos). All that is needed to power them is a small air pump.

[@jdssurf]

maybe it's just mad at the water flow and trying to beat the shit out of the water lmao

[@subliminaljester73]

Got mine as a baby he’s big beautiful and almost 5 years. He’s in a very well planted, low water flow fall filter,80 degree, five gallon with a couple black kuhli loach. Tannins high with drift wood and almond leaves and nuisance snails. Throw about 10 tiny pellets in every other day and everyone is healthy.

[@user-yg4xf4rs3e]

How is this possible mine was only one he died I'm overwhelmed

[@CK-solutions]

I personally think it's easier management on the human, to give bettas a larger tank. I could never clean their little gallon tank, as much as would be required, because I have problems with their 5 gallon. My water parameters are healthy, I just hate looking into floggy glass. I want to see the fish to enjoy it. I've found the larger the vessel, the easier it is the clean the glass. Also, the longer between having to clean it.

[@mondraymondo]

Yeah in nature they are shallow water dwellers, like rice paddies in SE Asia. I think they are also set on guarding their territory so venturing outwards is not their priority at all. My take, I prefer them in shallow tank that is wider than taller.

[@annadb1793]

My little experience. I had a betta in a 1 gal tank and another in a 5 gal tank with many plants. The first was in great condition, it was active and beautiful. The second didn't swim in the entire tank, but it used only a little part of that space, it was less active and lived a shorter life than the first betta... For the ph, they were kept at ph 6, but it was difficult to keep it stable with water changes and fin rot was the result, so I agree with Father Fish in this too.

[@austinacmes]

I have heard stories where people put their bettas in a large tank like 20g and they would stop swimming and stared at the owner. Once they are back to their small tank, they would become so content. I have bettas in a 20, 5 and 3 gallon tanks. The two bettas in 5 and 3 are constantly making bubble nests. And the one in the 20g never did.

[@TedH71]

@@dadigitechman Yeah and they're hunting for shallow water basically. They can feel exposed out in the open. If you watch a YT video of a man catching them in the wild...even if it was in a big pond, all the bettas were hiding out on the edges of the pond where the plants were growing and they would stay safe from the big predator fishes if any in the middle of the pond.

[@TedH71]

@@dadigitechman Franksbettas. He has several videos. Here's one of them. kzbin.info/www/bejne/epyWmXt8oshsqbM

[@annk.3545]

My experience, as well!

[@sandidsaman7723]

can i feed adult black ants or adult mosquitos to betta?

[@sandidsaman7723]

well i think 10 gallon wont have that problem?

[@peterharrell7305]

My buddy has a betta in a 75 gallon community tank. He basically never leaves the corner. Its his spot and he boots any of the tetras that come near. He is easily the coolest fish in that tank.

[@sandidsaman7723]

whoa! bettas being treated well was like illegal just some time ago

[@KBHURSTHerMenagerie]

This summer I started a two tier pond set up. On bottom there are a couple of goldfish in about 60 gallons and in center top sitting above I have 4 female bettas living and thriving together. All is fully planted. They are my happiest bettas. In winter I get to move everything indoors.

[@FatherFish]

outstanding. need pics. join us discord.gg/sTqVMAGV

[@sandidsaman7723]

can i feed adult black ants or adult mosquitos to betta?

[@tropicalfishaquatics]

I honestly believe they should have a larger tank than a small bowl. I’m not saying a large aquarium but more space to swim then 4.5 litres. And a heater should be used unless you live somewhere very hot.

[@qwmx]

10L is what I recommend. I kept my betta in that. She was really happy.

[@coreyh8589]

Crazy how your recent videos have been EXACTLY what my husband and I have needed!! This specifically-about to setup a 25g rimless cube this weekend and am doing a Betta as the centerpiece!

[@shanrrosh]

I wouldn't recommend a tank size under 30 liters, although 15 liters "can" be done, I wouldn't recommend it. Yes, bettas live in ditches and marsh like conditions where the vegetation can be so dense you can practically walk on it, and the betta crawls more through the plants than swim. But still, the volume of water is still greater than that of a little bowl. It's also easier to keep the conditions stable in a bigger body of water. And the ph thing confused me. A lower ph tends to keep bacteria away, rather than the other way around, and so when I am helping people treating their sick bettas, the first thing we look at is lowering the ph of the water, and looking at the temperature. More often than not, lowering it down to 6 is usually enough to help the betta get well again. From my experience of course. Bettas are very resilient little fish, and can certainly survive in small containers. But keeping them just for them to survive doesn't sit right with me. Give them a little bit of space to move in and help their environment be more stable, so they have the chance to thrive, rather than just survive. I find what is said in this video is very contradicting to most of the other videos on the channel, and undermines so much of what has seemed to be the message for the aquarists world wide.

[@FatherFish]

The intent of the vid is to counter those who demand large tanks for bettas. The betta splendons has been bred in captivity in tiny containers by breeders for at least 500 years. The ancestors of our fish have not know life in the wild for hundreds of generations. The reality is that every single bettas that shows up in a store has been raised with tens of thousands of others in soda bottles in Thailand.

[@nicohusky]

@@FatherFish That doesn't make it right!

[@bamboo9666]

​@@nicohusky i recommend atleast 3-4 Gallons tank with planted for 1 betta. I'm Thai, I have seen people keep them in big bottles since i was a kid.. like 20 years ago, and they are fine, no sign of any stresses. But as i said before, u want a best possible tank for your fish

[@RoxanneRoxanne760]

@@nicohuskyhow old r u? You think u know better than him?

[@nicohusky]

@@RoxanneRoxanne760 What a stupid comment you have made. It's about cruelty ya derp! You can keep a human alive in a 6ftx4ft cage but just because you can doesn't mean you should. 🙄

[@APirateNamedJohn]

Bettas only end up in ditches or puddles when the larger bodies dry up. Most of them are in larger shallow bodies of water.

[@FatherFish]

Of course wild bettas are not fancy finned with all the baggage of being strains that have been in captivity for hundreds of years.

[@APirateNamedJohn]

​@FatherFish also true, the long finned fancy bettas all look like they struggle to swim compared to their short finned cousins

[@Em-by9ez]

Not all bettas have long fins though, and well bred fish should still be able to swim enough to display natural behaviours (hunting, patrolling). Unethically bred fish are the exception to these behaviour, not the rule @@FatherFish

[@Zama_life]

1st time in my life, i just buy a white color Betta _ i m too excited __ today i m going to buy a big house for him

[@februaryschild0216]

Keeping fish should be a hobby accessible to everyone. Not everyone can afford a large set up immediately, but they want the opportunity to care for a beautiful fish. That's the situation I found myself in when I got my betta. I live in Mexico, on a fixed income. I live near the beach in a tropical area. So, I got my gallon tank, set it up like FF recommends, (the soil is very rich here, and getting sand was no problem. I got dead wet leaves in an old fountain that had accumulated water, and created my food web) and so far, my fish has been happy. I couldn't find aquatic plants, but pathos grows wild in my yard, and he loves getting lost in all of the roots. Everyday, he comes to the front of the tank to let me pet him as soon as he sees me moving around. Is it ideal according to all of you? I guess not. But, if I waited until everything was ideal before doing anything great, I would never experience anything. I live alone and there are no "pets" allowed where I live so my betta is my buddy. I watch FF because his suggestions are common sense and I don't have to spend $100 on Amazon to keep my fish healthy (plus the shipping costs). He's non-judgemental and his advice is simple and encouraging. So please stop shaming people for having their fish in smaller environments. You don't know what their situations are. Maybe try encouraging them to make what they have the best it can be.

[@kirstababbitt4220]

I love this and agree. Plus i fully believe its dependant on the fish. I had one betta who loved room to swim. My other two preffered less space and were happier that way.

[@abhishekDeepankar]

While what you said is understandable, a fish is an animal and not just there for enjoyement. if someone doesn't have the resources then they should not keep the fish. While it works with Betta people also do this with Goldfishes and other fish which are not supposed to live in a small space. Making whatever you have is a good thing till it affects only you but the fish should not suffer for that. Again, I am not pointing at you since Betta can survive in small containers, I am just pointing out that the first thing in this hobby is not to keep a fish for the expirience but to keep a fish in the right way where it can actually thrive.

[@rachel-ro7mv]

No, keeping a living creature should not be "accesible to everyone." If you can't afford a proper setup, don't buy a fish.

[@Orwellian-Purple-Grapes-1984]

Absolutely agree on that. Fish keeping should be accessible to everyone.

[@Orwellian-Purple-Grapes-1984]

​​@@rachel-ro7mvIf you can't afford a proper house, then go live on the streets... just like the half a million Americans that are homeless today. 🙄 Fish don't need perfection. Decent housing is good enough, even when that means the Betta gets to live in less than 5 gallons of water. Not all Bettas need 5 gallon villas, some Bettas do well enough in a 3 gallon house or a 1 gallon apartment.

[@samsinilam69]

My betta is in a 50 gallon community tank. And he happy 😂

[@Vkesu]

I had a 72 gallon community bow front tank for YEARS and my betta was all over that tank!! I disagree that they are happy in 1 gallon tank, they may live but if they were happy in a tiny area they wouldn't be swimming all over the tank. Currently I have one in a 6 gallon planted tank and he's happy sitting on a different leaf all the time. Nice to have him come to surface so I can feed him without any waste. :)

[@FatherFish]

Thank you for your input. This is my channel, my way.

[@mirazkhan8738]

thank you for this video. I impulse bought a beta (I blame the human baby) (First fish for me after my cousin bought an aquarium when we were little and all the fish died the same night, one by one, very traumatising). I bought one of those marina 1 gallon something tanks. and I was so happy when he said use drinking water because i could not wait after I got home and realised that the baby's water is room temperature and all the things the fish selling lady told me the fish needed with water conditioner and blood worm food. . the fish didn't die. its been 2 weeks. I'm very happy. I know bettas live in puddles sometimes during drought (General knowledge) so I figured after spending i don't know how much time in the tiny container it would appreciate the one gallon tank. And I really think it did. And then i came online and started watching all the videos with people talking about minimum 5 gallon...And then i found this video that actually makes sense knowing what we know about how they live in the wild. I really believe FF when he says they dont need big aquariums. I ordered some amazon fogbit and OMG my baby fish loveeeeeeeeesss them!(He isn't a baby, just my baby!) he was so happy! started building a nest! I know he was happy because he investigated all the 6 plants one by one. and now he spends most of his time under the nest he built around them the same day! I think he feels safe under there. I have also ordered an amazon sword plant for him. I have ordered a water testing kit, a sponge filter and a thermometer thingy for the temperature. was planning to buy yet a bigger tank. But my heart is happy now that I know my baby fish is happy for now. Next year maybe will get a bigger aquarium with other fish or things for him (Need to let the husband fall in love with him first) Honestly, i'm just glad he did not die the same day. It felt like having an aquarium is so soooooo complicated. And I dont care what everyone says. My baby fish is happy and I love him and I feel like he is starting to be happy too. Never knew you could interact so much with a fish and that they have unique personalities. Kinda thought they were like plants, except they move around and stuff. I love my fish ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and thank you Father Fish for giving me hope!

[@Em-by9ez]

They do live in very shallow water, but large sprawling amounts of it. That is why most say minimum of 5 gal, especially as in tiny volumes of water it only takes very tiny problems with water quality or temperature to hurt the fish. It's great that you are adding plants and enjoying the behaviour of him! Hope he is still well.

[@karendotson230]

I used to have a Betta a few years ago that lived five years. I understand that is a Betta’s life span.

[@janflix8304]

I got some good tips from your vid. I've kept fish for several decades. However, I still think Bettas do better in larger tanks. I was shocked when you mentioned cup warmers. Those things are wicked and uncontrollable. Also wondered why you didn't mention cycling the tank?

[@Annie.xx-xx]

I totally agree. I love all his videos but my betta is in a 20 g with cardinals as tank mates . And a sponge filter and lots more of well established plants . She couldn’t be happier . I could never put her in anything smaller

[@2869may]

@@Annie.xx-xx Yeah... No predators....lol

[@fatrat6929]

The pH of the water in their natural habitat can range from 6.0 to 8.0, while the ideal pH in a Betta tank ranges from 6.5 to 7.5.The important thing to understand is that in water with PH over 7.0, toxins like ammonia and nitrite become exponentially more dangerous.Bettas do best when kept with catappa ( almond) leaves because of their antifungus and antibacterial properties .

[@gracescoglietti583]

Thanks for the knowledge, my bettas been sick for awhile, he's not eating,his tail is torn, and he has a sore near his fin. I returned him to his gallon habitats, treating the water with medacine, trying to nurse him back to health, his sore seems to be closing, can't see any other improvement, it been several weeks.😢

[@TheDISSHonoredOne]

demonitized video sadly - But great betta video - I love my bettas

[@davidcohen7106]

My Betta lives in a planted 55 gallon tank with 25 tetras and 19 Cory cat fish and 1 clown loach. Lots of places to hide. Two over the top 200 gal. per hour filters one powerful air pump with two air stones. the Betta took over a small cave he stays in when he wants to be alone.

[@KhaeLikesCoffee]

My male betta is in a ten gallon with tons of live plants. Watching his activity level I can't imagine keeping the busy little guy in anything smaller. I wouldn't keep a betta in a *deep* tank since they need to come up for air, but they do seem to enjoy having space to explore.

[@FatherFish]

I do not believe bettas enjoy space to explore. That is pure anthropomorphism. Bettas are sedentary lurkers, tiny fish that hide from predators by remaining perfectly still unless searching for food or breeding.

[@butkusfan23]

I’m usually in favor of giving fish as much room as you can. But betta fish are just not built to be mobile. I had a friend that put a male betta in a 55 gallon planted community tank. The dither fish were peaceful, but watching the betta try to actually get anywhere in that huge tank was actually quite sad. It took him so much effort just to get 10-11 inches. I think a 3 gallon tank with lots of plants is perfect, in my humble opinion. That, and I like to have lots of plants to look at in a tank.

[@FaultyCitizen]

@@FatherFish Did the Betta's tell you they don't enjoy space to explore? This persons Betta clearly does.

[@FatherFish]

@@FaultyCitizen Yes. I am the fish whisperer.

[@eye1dry138]

@FatherFish a local LFS here in vegas keeps a huge betta sorority in a 100 gallon tank with lots of plants, they swim all over the place and constantly explore the full tank, so I'm not sure about that, maybe the males act differently

[@cottoncandyaddict]

My grandma back in the 90s had a blue betta (we thought he was a boy but now I know he was a girl haha) and she kept him in a glass bowl with some colorful rocks at the bottom in the middle of the dining table. That little betta lived for about 7 years, just as happy as can be. He didn’t have a plant or anything else, and I’m not saying that was ok, but he sure did live a long happy life, or she, which you see in the background of old childhood photos of my long passes Grandma, great memories.

[@PsychoPlantLady]

Your method of Betta keeping is so much simpler than the instructions and supply list PetSmart said I "needed". Following their instructions I had one Betta live 2 years. He fought ick and then fin rot the first year and a half of his life. Once I finally got him healthy he lived for 6 months and then passed away. Wish I had found your videos sooner, looking at the comments it seems like Betta fish can live longer than 2 or 3 years.

[@helengoodman5869]

Thank you so much, Father Fish, for this very excellent information! I have one betta in a 5 gallon tank and want to move towards an organic aquarium as you describe in your videos. Currently we have a plastic tank with gravel and almond leaves but no live plants. Last year, my betta had ick, and I treated it as the pet store suggested - with Ich-X. The small white spots disappeared, but a small white cottony spot formed on his tail. Eventually, much of the tail fell off. Fast forward to today when we are treating with aquarium salt and Sulfaplex when a white ridge appears along the tail. We have also treated with Kanaplex, but It seems that this white ridge comes and goes. We have been told that this may be a bacterial/fungal infection and is extremely hard to treat. Is there more that we should be doing now? Any advice you can offer would be much appreciated!

[@justthefactslibrarian3935]

Mine wound up in a 20 long snail tank! I tried to do a divided 20. They surfed the divider all day long, fish cursing each other. Then one jumped the divider. I rehomed him to someone I trust who is doing well with him. My 20 betta finbaby rests in plants and kinda has a favorite region of the tank. He's usually in that area

[@i_nvade8098]

Father fish puddles in the wild are bigger than 1 gallon. 78 degrees is fine. 85 degrees seems very high. Mine is happy at 78 degrees

[@oakmaiden2133]

My males are in 3 gal jars with planted, soil substrate. The girls are in a 20 gal long, also planted, soil substrate.

[@hairslayer2638]

Yup !! I have a 1.5 glass small lil tank , no heater , no filter but a pretty good light I put in . I change his water every 3 days . He is active , playful , never any fin rot or clamped fins . I live in the desert so his water is always a perfect temp . I put him in a 10 gallon that I was setting up for my other fish and you know what he did ? He sat at the bottom and barely moved ! When I put him back in his small tank he came alive immediately. So , thank you for this video .

[@FatherFish]

should be no need to change water frequently

[@hairslayer2638]

​@@FatherFish it starts to look thick on the top and I don't like it . There is nothing moving the water around so I feel better keeping his water fresh every 3 days fresh water or else it is stagnate and smells horrible . So , I will continue to change every 3 days for such a small body of water with no filter

[@TedH71]

@@hairslayer2638 Just add a tiny sponge filter and relax. No more changing water. Just add extra water that is to replace the evaporated water. How long was he in the 10 gallon by the way?

[@hairslayer2638]

@@TedH71 almost a month and he layed at the bottom .I have to change the water in my little glass tank or it becomes stagnant and stinks . Every 3 to 4 days he gets 50 percent water change and there is no where for a filter in a 1.3 gallon ,glass cube only a heater

[@zebedeemadness2672]

​​​@@hairslayer2638 Put it back in the 10 gallon with a heater and a small air bubble sponge filter (minimum flow), to make your betta more active just add a couple active fish like Danios, the tank need cycling, beneficial bacteria need establishing, water changes are a must (no one should be waiting for cloudy water before doing so), the less established your aquarium the more they are needed, only if you have a planted aquarium it's then is possible to get away with less often water changes, in well planted aquarium it can even be no water changes. When the 10 gallon is fully established you can do a 25% weekly water change, with a 5O % water change say every two months, if your aquarium water parameters are stable. You need a stable aquarium for beneficial bacteria, Waste food and poo etc, can create ammonia that's deadly, bacteria changes ammonia into nitrite still deadly, then bacteria changes nitrite into nitrate less toxic, but can still kill fish over time, in nature plants feed on the nitrate taking it out the water, if you have no plants, you do water changes to replicate what the plants would be doing.

[@mrsmarvdeep]

Thank you Father Fish! I have my beautiful betta in a 1.5 gallon tank with a filter and heater and he is thriving!!! I pay absolutely NO attention to those that say no less than 5 gallons! If that's what works for them, so be it!

[@pitdicted]

Love your channel. I have bettas and keep them in 2.5 and 5 gallon tanks. I'm interested in getting some Macrostoma Bettas and the ph needs to be 6. I have almond leaves, local floating aquatic plants, sand, dirt but the ph will not go down. I need to get the ph right at 6. What can I do to lower it?

[@FatherFish]

Use RO or distilled water.

[@pitdicted]

@@FatherFish Thank you...I will try the distilled water.

[@mikemace3379]

Hi! Great video I just grabbed the faluval betta prieuim 2.6 gal with low light and slow filtration. Is play sand OK? I refused to pay 47$ for faluval betta gravel.

[@FatherFish]

pool filter sand is about $20 for 50 pounds. Play sand is cheaper. Both are fine.

[@stephanieprovost3855]

Smaller containers are fine, but its a HUGE pet peeve of mine when people dont heat their tanks!

[@FatherFish]

Bettas prefer warm water. They are easily sickened by cold.

[@michellep3814]

⁠@@FatherFishThat’s right! When it’s too cold, it lowers a betta fish’s immune function and it slows down the betta fish’s metabolism. Betta are tropical fish who need warmth. Without it, their food becomes compacted in their GI tract. The heat is needed to keep them going!

[@user-yg4xf4rs3e]

How is best way

[@qwmx]

​@@michellep3814 I kept my betta in a 10L tank, she was happy, what killed her was the cold that winter. We live in Australia but the winter was extra cold in the area where I was.

[@kristenrabeler8727]

Back before easy access to information, 1980's, I had a betta in a typical 1gallon fish bowl. I don’t know why I decided to feed him chicken liver but I did and he loved it. I froze a chicken liver and would scrape off a tiny amount for him each day. I can't say if it's a good idea but thats what I gave him and I ended up breeding him with a female I had in a 5gallon tank. A few babies survived to adulthood.

[@maylinlyon190]

Thank you father fish. I was just hella shamed for taking an extremely lethargic betta out of a poop filled tiny cup from petsmart into a planted 2.5 gal. His color has come back and he looks so much better. Told me he was better off in the cup! I give him blood worms & brine shrimp too!

[@Just_Lurking8]

Happy Father’s Day father.Your’ kid ‘is confused … Before a couple of days I asked if it was possible to do a FF with betta, and got a yes answer… Isn’t this better since it will have more gallons of water, for staple water parameters. Also with FF method can we feed Betta every day? 😮😮😮

[@EstefaniaMonsanto]

Everything you say in this video is completely true. I had my fish in spacious aquariums and they were dying, I moved them to simpler bowls with a plant inside and they are more than happy. Don't pay attention to people's comments. You have experience and your advice does help.

[@_Clayton.Bigsby_]

I have four Bettas, one is in a 5 gallon, the other three are all in 10 gallons. My newest one has been with me for three days now, and he keeps pacing one side of the tank constantly with stress stripes (he's a short fin samurai Betta, which makes it easy to see when he's stressed as the black on his lower body turns white and the stripes are very noticable). When he goes to a different area of the tank, he'll turn black again on his underside, but as soon as he returns to that side it's right back to stressed out. I was thinking maybe he's seeing his reflection, but I've never seen him flare up at himself. Could the reflection still be a factor, even though he's not showing any aggression? Or could it be him still getting used to going from a tiny cup to a ten gallon tank? When i feed, he does eat. He also shares his tank with a small school of six cherry barbs, which there is no aggression from either species towards the other. Just want to see him acting happy and healthy like my other three, just can't seem to figure out what's going wrong in his case.

[@realrebelli0n]

There are no reflections when you’re inside a tank looking out. There are only reflections from our point of view looking inside a tank through one glass onto another glass. The fish don‘t see their reflections because there are none.

[@lisastevens128]

@@realrebelli0n This is not true at all. Glass aquariums with flat sides are famous for reflecting. I am currently dealing with this very issue as I just moved my betta into a glass rectangle 3 gallon. He can see his reflection in the side walls and he has been flaring and patrolling the side walls all day. I've been researching online all evening and people commonly complain of this problem and there are many different opinions/suggestions on how to solve it.

[@lifehakxmedia266]

Hi, I moved my new Beta from two different tanks (trying to upgrade his environment) i did add beach sand …it’s only been one night but he’s got a little of a fungus cloud on a little bit of his tail. I’ve now taken him out of the bigger tank and put him back into a smaller one and added sea salt to see if it will help. Could it have been the sand or the stress of all the moving him about ? I do have a sucker fish who seems perfectly fine in the same tank . Also the Beta isn’t swimming he’s just mostly motionless . Please help, I’ve had other fish without a problem but I’m just trying to save this guy and figure out what not to do again.

[@FatherFish]

fungus is a sign of bacterial infection. Treat for that.

[@howardhudson5475]

Hi. I ran across this video and think it's great. My wife just picked up a Betta and have it in a 10gallon tank It's a great little fish. I have been in the fishkeeping hobby since the mid-0-'s but when I setup my 55 gallon tank last month I ran into a real conundrum with the water. For some reason something kept leaching out the Ph and the water would become very alkalai and nothing I could do would raise the Ph. I used a whole bottle of API's Ph Up1 and it didn't even do a thing. the water stayed very alkali. Do you know of any of the chemicals out there other than the Ph Down that would do this? I thought that maybe the API Aqua Essentials was doing it but now I don't konw. Any ideas you may have would be helpful..

[@FatherFish]

If this is your tap water I suggest you do nothing. Add plants, that will reduce carbonates. If the fish is happy you should be too.

[@howardhudson5475]

@@FatherFish Thanks She seems to be happy about it. I notice is stays on the bottom of the tank mostly although it does move around.

[@rickwilliams7049]

Thank you Father Fish the most cogent Betta site I have found so far. Particularly like the soil sand combo anaerobic brilliance. Thanks FF👍

[@user-jp7ms1zt7r]

Although some bettas live in small ditches, that doesn't mean it's optimal. Nature subjects many animals to difficult lives. My 5.5 gallon aquarium is undoubtedly smaller than what most wild bettas live in. But my betta is in a safe, comfortable environment with food formulated for his health. He spends at least half of his time hanging around one part of the aquarium, and he spends plenty of time taking advantage of the opportunity to swim around, exercise, and explore. Why give him anything less? Although he'd probably be healthy in less space, I want to give him good quality of life.

[@davezzz7664]

I purchased a betta fish after my roommate did. I gave all my attention to the betta fish. I named it, purchased a 5 gallon tank, lots of plants. I fed it with bugbite betta food, small amount everyday. I only used bottled drinking water and I changed 10% water every week. When the betta got fin rot, I tried everything, aquarium salt, indian almond leaves and antibiotics. Then my betta died... 😭 On the other hand, my roommate is a lazy ass. He forgets to change water all the time, forgets to feed his betta fish all the time, fed his betta with expired fish flake(not even betta food), never clean the tank, and he didn't give a damn when his betta got fin rot. However, his betta fish is still alive, with a ugly broken tail but still alive... I'm so tired, I probably won't get betta fish again in next 5 years.

[@FatherFish]

Or you coud learn to create a tank bettas can live in.

[@TedH71]

No need to use the bottled drinking water or even change the 10% each week. Just treat the water you have at home then slowly drip feed it in the tank after you've used chlorine remover prior. I will sometimes feed mine mosquito larvae or flightless fruit flies. They do love live food though because that's what they eat in the wild.

[@Orwellian-Purple-Grapes-1984]

Don't be disheartened. Genetics also play a role in how hardy a Betta is. Mine died of a popped tumor after almost 2 years, because it was overbred. That being said, your problem might have actually been the leaves you added. I once got Indian almond leaves as a gift from a store I purchased other things from and the entire tank suffered from disease after I put those leaves in. Not all leaves come from good sources, so always try it out in a quarantined setting before adding it to your main tank. After being infected, the antibiotics you used to treat your fish probably killed all the good bacteria in the tank, leaving it imbalanced and your Betta no way to recover from its fin rot in a stable environment. Using aquarium salt, doing 10% water changes to prevent too much salt build-up, and being patient should've been enough to treat your Betta. I'm suspecting that you might have babied your Betta too much. Fish can't develop a good immune system when they are loved to death by their owners. Your lazy-ass friend, on the other hand, actually hardened your Betta's immune system by never cleaning his tank (and that ugly broken tail will recover with time). There's a good article at the blog Guppy Truth called «Killing Them With Kindness» by Anthony Fischinger that talks about how fish become much hardier when you allow them to live in less-than-pristine conditions, i.e. green water, a lot of mulm at the bottom of the tank, etc.

[@EstherGS-ru3ww]

I have 2 bettas one in a 10 gallon and a other in a five gallon .I Hope that whit This information Thery are going to live a long Time.

[@FatherFish]

If you are genuinely interested in bettas you will spawn them and raise their fry.

[@marymendez4178]

Father fish I purchased 3 kinds of food for my betta the truth to this matter is that my fish will only eat the bug bites, he's very picky. I named him Azul, blue in spanish. Thank you for this video because you're the only who states the fish don't need more room to swim, indeed is true they don't swim a lot. I have mine in a large vintage glass fruit or salad bowl that was useless in the kitcken. Thank you!

[@Stalemarshmallow]

I noticed that my bettas felt more stressed in larger tanks with bells and whistles than they did in smaller quieter tanks

[@Rorther]

I'm from Brazil, air temperatura is 60 minimum at night, and goes up to 86 on summer days at its peak. I must control the temperature, or they can be fine with that? Also, inside house, even tho it has no controled temperature like air conditioning or anything, it's probably more stable than outsides.

[@FatherFish]

Should not be a problem

[@cyninshadows7041]

Ive had dozens of healthy gorgeous bettas for over 60 years & i TOTALLY agree with the father on this. Bettas are spectacular smart curious companions & the ONLY fish that those of us in limited living spaces can love enjoy & keep healthy & happy & amused by the bustle of their owners beyond the glass. Betta are in fact the best starter fish. They are tough little devils forgiving resilient & far easier to care for than goldfish. And while some bettas may do okay in a 5-10 gallon community tank with other occupants bettas are often bully their tank mates or get beaten up by them. Bettas are by necessity solitary critters. Betta are relatively long lived & fun & FLASHY to own partly because they are FIGHTING FISH by nature & temperment. They are highly defensive & aggressive (and while the males are seen as the more lethal agressors in my attempts to breed bettas i was dismayed to discover that females may kill other females and some even kill their males!) In short bettas live in a perpetual state of fear & fury and as a consequence they crave...safetyin their surroundings. They seem to feel the safest in small familiar spaces that they can survey at glance and easily gaurd from real or imagined threats. In terms of their basic requirements important to note that bettas breath AIR so the quantity of water most fish require for oxygen is not an issue for bettas. But they are warm water fish so a chilly room temperature can mess them up so i always cover their tanks. Most Bettas are now strictly ornamental and heavily finned males are not able to swim too far or fast and given if too excitable they are liable to split & tear their magnifecent fins So males tend to stay near the surface where they float/lay/to rest their heavy fins on follage. They also occupy themselves with building their bubble nests. For all those reasons betta will THRIVE in a 2 gallon "betta tank" or a roomy round fish bowls where they can do laps. Round bowls allow betta to exercise on leisurely laps without having to change course. The number of GALLONS Of water they are in or space they have to "explore" has nothing to do with a bettas level of contentment. Also given the tiny containers adolsecent bettas grow up in (to keep them from fighting) they are very aware of the world "ouside" What bettas REALLY want is attention from their person & lots stuff to watch either i nside their tank or in the room they live in. Bettas like to occupy a work desk a kitchen counter or next to your bed where they can...watch you. And finally...because they truly cant get along with their own kind i have found that an active and decorative apple snail not only keeps their tank clean. A snail is an excellent buddy for a betta.

[@FatherFish]

Well said

Hi, thanks to you I change completily mi mind in acuarism. Why don't use the dirty tank method with bettas?

[@FatherFish]

Great idea

@@FatherFish Thank for the response 😜

[@ryanoakes4629]

❤…feel sorry when i see them in small containers….when nothing in it for weeks on a self…

[@FatherFish]

precisely. Your emotions determine the condition.in which you keep them.

[@EmilyGood-ug9hr]

I have 3 bettas. I kept one in a 2.5 gallon tank and just moved him into a 5.5 gallon. He's already so much more active and playful. I keep him with a couple danios and they love to sprint around the tank.

[@roxstar555]

Thank you for the video! I am a new fishkeeper and I have had my betta for about 4 months. He really just eats freeze dried bloodworms, is it important that I add more variety to his diet for in order to keep him healthy? So far I have had zero problems with his appetite or activity.

[@FatherFish]

Fish do not prefer variety. A live food such as frozen bloodworms would be better than dried. Try hatching out brine shrimp or setting up a resurrection jar to culture tiny macrofauna.

[@ronron14salanguit-po7jh]

FF, what plants can you recommended the most for lost lasting aquarium? Something slow growing and not very invasive

[@CK-solutions]

Anubias and bucephalandra, tend to fall in this category. They grow above soil substrate, either glued/tied to rocks/driftwood. A slower growing stem plant that goes into substrate, is cryptocoryne. These aren't really for the gallon tanks, FF is referring to. But are long lasting from 5/10 gallon upwards. They can still live in a gallon, but just not for very long as they outgrow them quicker.

[@EstefaniaMonsanto]

By the way, I learned everything you say here in my own life by watching one of my fish live well in a tap-type container, with just a plant, some snails and a heater in cold times. It is this little betta fish that has been healthy and alive the longest.

[@bataar_productions7741]

I bought a betta today and hes in a 3 gallon, right now he's a little stressed but cant wait for him to properly set in. He's in there with a bunch of ramshorn snails and a few culled shrimp. Eventually I want to upgrade the substrate becouse my plants aren't doing so well haha. So far so good

[@Apistogramma_cacatuoides]

Happy fathers day father fish :)

[@FatherFish]

Thank you!

[@dakotaeverett5520]

Id love to see you do a video/ your opinions on putting a female betta fish in a 10g or larger heavily planted tank with guppies.

[@sabbya.8112]

I have had a betta in a 3ft community tank he did fantastic. He had a long tail and fins and could swim fast. 😂

[@FatherFish]

Must have been a social butterfly!

[@bruhmoment5020]

I think the most important thing about 5-10 gallon tanks is that they have way more stable temperatures, way less ammonia spikes and overall better water parameters, I see where you're coming from, but a 10 gallon tank with proper hardscape and really dense plant population so a lot of stem plants, floaters and carpeting plants would be much better for the fish and still provide it with small spaces it'd be comfortable with when they want to hide as well as swimming space if it wants some exercize, small bowls are prone to bad water quality and leave the fish with no choice but to sit basically in one spot, so even if they are "used to" being in small containers as a consequence of the way they're kept by breeders, I feel like owners should strive for providing a more comfortable and varied environment for their pets

[@FatherFish]

I don’t agree with you

[@supremepeace.]

Father fish please help me with my betta. His tails are so long and he looks too heavy and having difficulties to swim. I have seen some videos of people who cut their fins to fix the problem but is also riski. What is your opinion in this subject? I feel like it would be a huge relieve if his fins could be little smaller.

[@FatherFish]

Yopu can do that but I do not recommend it. Feed him live food, high protein and he will become stronger.

[@supremepeace.]

@@FatherFish ok, I give him a lot of mosquitoes and earthworms, he loves it. Thank you very much.

[@nadyyyyyk]

I have a 15 gallon fluval flex all in one tank which I’m planning to use to house a betta. Would I be better off not filling the tank to full capacity, or possibly using large rocks to eliminate the amount of water and space in the tank. . 15g is starting to feel like too large of a tank. I’m regretting not getting something smaller now.

[@nadyyyyyk]

Or I could do a very deep substrate?

[@danm8004]

The tank is not "too large" at 15 gallons, that's absolute nonsense. Its barely larger than a bowl. Less water and space is not optimal, it's tolerable.

[@rogerhuggettjr.7675]

I only have a 55 gallon with 7 3" goldies right now and many life plants. Would a betta be safe and happy in that environment or should I hold off until I set up my 29 gallon for smaller tropical fish?

[@FatherFish]

Your call. I would not put a betta in such a large tank with big fish.

[@thelegend54]

Hi, Father Fish! I recentky found your content and I have a lot of things I'm trying to figure out as relatively new owner of a betta. When you were saying a ph of 7-8 will prevent a growth of bacteria, does that mean that the good bacteria in my filter will die if I raise the ph from 6.6 to 7.5? Most people are telling me that the ph has to be between 6.8 to 7.5 and no higher or lower, but I know you have more years of experience in this field and I was hoping you could provide some insight. Thank you so much!

[@FatherFish]

Join us in the Shoal for a deeper look: discord.gg/father-fish-shoal

[@Em-by9ez]

No, it won't. But raising the ph artificially can be tricky, and will be safer (less prone to fluctuation that can stress the fish) in a bigger volume of water.

[@occhamite]

Liked and subb'ed! I'm in the process of setting up (I hope) a perfect, live-planted betta tank, and I'd be interested in your opinion on some things, partly because you didn't mention them: 1.) I like to put gravid (FULL of eggs) glass shrimp in my tanks, because among other things, the tiny hatchlings ought to be good, cheap, live food. Glass shrimp are cheap, readily available, and they do supposedly act as scavengers. The people at petshops are glad to pick-out the ones full of eggs, so it seems like I should be killing 2 or more birds with one stone. But I wonder if there is some down side I don't know about; perhaps they carry some disease or parasite? This could be a special concern with Bettas, since as you say, bacteria can be a particular problem for them. 2.) I also have had good results with maintaining a colony of Malaysian Trumpet Snails in tanks. They burrow a significant distance into the substrate, constantly churning it up and turning it over, and scavenging; fish waste just disappears in very short order, and the surface of the substrate remains virgin. That way, an aerobic layer of substrate is maintained over a deeper anaerobic layer, where the snails don't go (both can be beneficial). BUT, in the wild, snails very often serve as intermediate hosts for parasites...... So what's your thoughts on these for Bettas?

[@FatherFish]

I like it.

[@Masaichi-ux5lf]

Nice job. Good information. About the fish as opposed to the owner. Refreshing. Thankyouverymuch from l.a ca God bless teacher

[@mbenz9389]

I’m keeping two female bettas in a 2.5 gallon tank with pond water and heavily planted. There is no filter,no heater and there are lots of extra small creatures swimming beside the bettas

[@JaniceGhostHunter13]

I'm conducting a little experiment to see how my bettas in a 2 gal (I won't go any smaller), a 10 gal and 75 gal tanks react to the amount of space they have. They all have planted tanks, heaters, and filters with drinking water. No tanks are decorated in a way to limit space too much. I'm two weeks in so far with nothing of note for any of them. All of them, including the 75 gallon betta explore every inch. So far, all are active and none seem upset with their situation. Water parameters are checked every few days and water changes are done accordingly. The smaller tanks need more maintenance for certain. I will see what other things I'll do for this experiment but if I see anything going awry it will be changed.

[@FatherFish]

Join my discord so your research can be noted. There you can annotate and video your findings in the members-channel. discord.gg/father-fish-shoal is the link.

[@soumyabanerjee3039]

Sir I am using pond water in my betta tank. Is it ok? Regards.

[@Andreas-gh6is]

Actually, acidic water discourages bacterial growth. What does happen though is that below 7 or even 6 and very low hardness, the Ph can drop even more and the nitrifying bacteria may crash and that can quickly become fatal in a small container.

[@FatherFish]

Agreed. Some buffering may be needed.

[@empressireneabitfishcrazy]

I feel like the fish community has been trying really hard to break the misconception that bettas need smaller tanks. I had respect for you Father Fish, and I feel like everyone should have a opinion, however I don’t believe we should be telling people to abuse their fish by putting them in a gallon sized tank. That’s basically enough room to do a spin. The others things you said I believe but I really think you should do more research on the tank sizes of bettas.

[@FatherFish]

I have been researching bettas for 50 years. It is standard practice for bettas to be grown out in small jars and bottles. Every betta in the industry spent its entire life in a small jar until it was purchased from a shop and put in a larger container. I keep bettas in 1 gallon containers that are 10 times larger than the containers in which they grew up.

[@kelly-bo-belly]

Also, Bettas are not in ditches less than 5’. This is a misconception. Just go watch people hunting for bettas in shallow ponds. It is disappointing to see someone being told that the information they believe is not accurate, and then watching them double down on a bad take, saying this is the industry standard. We are literally telling you that the industry standard is wrong. You seem to understand this in most aspects of your business practices. Why on earth would you not see the same kind of issue here? Bettas thrive in shallow, long tanks with lots of plants, some nano fish, and of course food critters like seed shrimp. Long fins don’t do well in the tall tanks, but they do love large tanks that are the ‘long’ style. Even if your awful 5’ ditch story were accurate.. that’s WAY MORE than one to five gallons. 🤦‍♀️

[@kelly-bo-belly]

Dude loved his own comment 🤦‍♀️

[@empressireneabitfishcrazy]

@@kelly-bo-belly the misconception goes through drought period. People tend to think of their living conditions when there wasn’t a lot of rain so the water is really low but in actuality they live in vast waters

[@strangerthings88]

@@FatherFishyes that’s how they start out and that’s the problem. They are basically kept like slaves. Aside from that they have the intelligence on par with dolphins. Many wild bettas can get over a foot long. That doesn’t happen in tiny puddles…

[@fishfishfish9837]

I started using sand and aquarium substrate a while back. Way better than gravel....beyond nutrients and other benefits, I find the fauna and flora way happier and the water looks way clearer....

[@cecilia7259]

None of my bettas looked bored or sad no matter the size of the enclosure. However, it was way easier for me to keep the water parameters and everything stable, going on longer periods of time without having to change out the water, if the container was big enough. That even with proper mineral water and tanning and live plants, etc. Just easier on me for the tank to be something other than a bowl, which are also hard to find ones with good quality that would sustain the weight of the water and the transparency needed for viewing pleasure. I've always looked up to people who could make it work in a one-gallon or a small bowl or flask. It looks clean and healthy for them, but I haven't had it work for me yet.

[@hannahryan1875]

How do I raise my ph up natural my tanks oh is very low

[@FatherFish]

add sodium bicarb, tiny amount at a time, need carbonates

[@Nenezilla]

Thank you. I just lost my boy. No local breeders (I had him dumped from a previous owner) but really don't want to support big box pet stores.

[@BrodysBettas]

I'm sorry for your loss! They become family, I understand your pain 😢

[@albertovelazquez4194]

I have two betta fishes and I have them in individual 1.25 gal. round vases and I keep them in rain water that I collect, and they are doing just fine. One of them just keep swimming slowly to the top, then submerges to the bottom with speed. The other he just flooats round and round, up and down in his vase. And when it rains I place the vase outside and they love when the raindrop fall on them. And when I feed them. Ifeed them the quantity they eat. If they don't eat the food I remove it from the water. And for heat. I place a towel completely covering the vase. And they are happy.

[@qwmx]

I would recomment 10L tank. I've seen Bettas kept in 10 and and 40L, their temperment didn't differ from each other nor their behaviour.

[@mchaywood83]

Is there any need for a heater? My office fluctuates in temp from 70 to 80 degrees when we are not there.

[@FatherFish]

You are certainly OK in that r ange. I p[refer a heater because I believe a stable temperature is healthier.

[@mchaywood83]

@@FatherFish followup question is can I just pull up a plant from my pond and use that with some of the dirt as the substrate and I'm good? Got a little .5 gallon cube I was thinking of using and a 5 gallon

[@kasiam744]

I have Betta in 13 gallons tank. Heavily planted with low flow. It's like a forest and he loves it there!

[@FatherFish]

You should cvollect more male bettas. My goal is 25 males for every betta lover.

[@MicheleStJohn-we5wm]

Hi Father Fish. I have a question. I have a Betta that is sick and hasn't been eating. At first I thought he was constipated, but now I think it may be Dropsy. I have a photo, but not sure how to upload it. HELP!! I love him so much and don't know what to do...

[@FatherFish]

join us on the Father Fish Shoal where you can post and discuss your betta. discord.gg/vQJvcQge

[@Boogerboys1990]

My deep substrate 1000 gallon goldfish pond with 2 koi gets so much hate. I love it😅. 0 maintenance water parameters always perfectly balanced. They are spawning and growing fast. I wouldn't have the pond any other way

[@jonisolis9645]

link to this video please!

[@zeb33369]

What's that got to do with keeping bettas? 🤔

[@kristenhall532]

He's talking about Bettas in this video

[@Boogerboys1990]

The deep substrate method applies to all fish when done properly. Is my point and I was venting to FF.. cheers

[@Boogerboys1990]

@@jonisolis9645 kzbin.infoPnhhtDcIveU?feature=share

[@Jake-zp3lz]

I’m not one to be a stickler, especially since there is a lot of popular myths about proper fishkeeping, but I must say I think 1 gallon is just not enough space. I have a male in a 10 gallon, pretty large fins, and he uses the whole tank, top to bottom, very active. While it is certainly possible to maintain good parameters in such a small tank with proper care, usually the kind of people looking to get a 1 gallon betta tank are not going to be up to the task of researching how that can be achieved, and actually following through with it. Even with perfect parameters though, that space just seems much too cramped.

[@FatherFish]

Each to their own

[@FatherFish]

Fine until you decide to collect bettas and end up with 25 or more.;

[@TheRealDXVINCI_PLAYA]

Hi! I have a happy betta fish in a 3 gallon tank. It’s filtered, heated and treated regularly. I have some clips of him on my channel if you want to tell me your opinion.

[@FatherFish]

Will check. Good job.

[@TheRealDXVINCI_PLAYA]

@@FatherFish Thank you!

[@paulp.6399]

I used to have a Betta that loved fruit flies.

[@TheApexAquatics]

I think its funny that the people that say 5 gallon minimum are wrong no matter. Once you add in substrate, plants, decorations makes it around 3 gallons anyway.

[@babykrishu4319]

Can do live in community tanks ?? Neon tetras,shrimps,glow tetra