A fish for the kids? A Betta?

Rose

New member
Hello everyone!

A girlfriend of mine is moving to Canada and has left us with some of her house plants. There is one in a glass jar full of water that she says you can put betta fish in, but she's never tried it. We already have a zoo, three BIG dogs, a mouse, four rats, two birds(a 'tiel and a 'too), and a rabbit, but I figure a fish to put in one of the older kid's rooms wouldn't be that much more, particularly a betta. I've heard of them being a low maintenance fish, great for first-time fish owners, but I wanted some more information. There's so much conflict on the internet!

Any information you could give would be wonderful; life span, habitat needs, feeding, ect. I haven't promised anything to the kids yet, so if this isn't the fish for us, I'm in the clear. Are betta's sensitive to stressful areas? The dogs don't bother any of the animals, except for the rats. (For some reason there is a weird bond going between one of the dumbos and the bullmastiff. They absolutely love eachother.) The fish, plant/vase and all will be on a shelf, away from wagging tails and other dangers, so that shouldn't be a problem. All the kids are above 12, so no problem there either!
 
I'll just go down the list of info you requested and then add more if I need to :)

life span - 1 to 3 years ina bowl or vase, up to 5yrs in a proper tank.
habitat needs - at LEAST a 2.5gallon tank with a filter and heater.
feeding - 4-6 pellets a day, skip one day a week.
cleaning - you'll need to change 10% to 25% of the water each week using a gravel vacuum.
Are betta's sensitive to stressful areas? not really, unless you're pounding on the shelf making his tank knock around bunch.

basically, YES bettas are great beginner fish and they are easy fish to care for... IF, and only if, you give them proper care. so if you're okay with a 2.5gallon tank with a filter, and your kids or you can handle changing some of the water EVERY week, then a betta would be a perfect fish for your family!
 
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