Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, my name is Katie, and I am 9 years old. My mom, Sharon, is a member of the Meow Chat board. I love all animals, and one of my new favorite shows is Tanked.

I really love fish! My favorite animal in the world is the dolphin. When I grow up I want to be a marine biologist.

My mom teaches me at home with an online charter school called Connections Academy. I've been having a hard time getting focused on school again, so Mom offered me an incentive. She told me that if I stayed focused and got my work done without daydreaming and wasting time, she would get me a Betta. Well, that was too good to miss! I worked really, really hard last week and did everything she asked of me.

Last night, we went to PetSmart. I really, really wanted more than just one fish. Mommy checked with the man who worked there, and he researched whether we could do that with Bettas or not. He told us that we could have two females and one male in the same aquarium, so that's what we did. Alexander, Emme (short for Emerald) and Willa are our newest family members, and I love them already!

I got a little brochure with information about Bettas, but I would like to learn more. While Mom was in her MeowChat last night, one of her friends told her that this would be a good place to get more information. Can you help me? I want to make sure that I take the best care of my fish that I can so that they can live long and happy lives.

Thanks for your help!

Katie
-----
The Zoo Crew
BamBam, Cuddles and Calley
Whiskers, Minx, Misty, Boo, Patches and Tinkerbell will live forever in our hearts.

Bettas are solitary fish. Females can sometimes be housed together, however, it depends on how they get along. After breeding, the males will kill the females. Please separate the male from the females.

General rules for aquarium keeping:
Be careful not to overfeed your fish as this can lead to constipation, and difficulty swimming.
Change 10% of the water every 2 weeks to maintain proper water quality. Fish are especially vulnerable to their environment.
If you have gravel, be sure to clean that at least once a month.

Congratulations on your new additions. I hope everything is going well so far.

I have never had a Betta but I do hear that they do live a long time. Best of luck to you on this one.