I need some advice...I have a very small fish bowl that would be good for a betta but I wouldn't be able to have a filter on it so I'd be changing the water by catching the betta taking her out and adding new water,dump the betta back,wouldn't that be too stressful for the fish and it would quickly die.I really want a betta but I'm not sure that would be a good short life.

Is it a good idea to get a betta and how often would I need to change the water would it be too stressful?

Should I just buy a small fish tank but big enough for a filter and get a betta and other fish with it what kind of fish though,I know I couldn't get guppies cause the ones with bigger fins and brighter colors would make the betta think they're bettas I know from experience.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!Thanks in advance!

I had 2 goldfish in a bowl for the longest time. I always had to clean it and it was a smelly, slimy pain. I recently bought a 15 gallon tank with a filter and a light for about $60 at pet smart and it is def. the way to go. Before the fish where a chore and now I can actually enjoy looking at them. Its becoming another hobby for me because now I am interested in collecting different types of fish and decorating my tank with fun little accents. I highly recommend a small tank with a filter and a flourencent light. (Depending on how bright you want the tank)

tanks are cool like skatha said, but on another note i had two that recently died for about 2 years (average span 2-3 years) and i kept mine in two vase's and i always just cleaned them when they needed it, one was dirtier than the other, he pooped alot which made the vase dirty looking, you can tell when it needs to be clean, safely id said two times a week but if there is slime floating at the top and on the inside then clean then, fish can get sick too and need fresh water to breath, hope i could help (there are also fizz tablets that help restore oxygen and the fish like the bubbles)

I used to breed bettas, and was in constant communication online with many betta breeders at that time. It is more stressful to the betta to be in dirty water than to be dumped into a temporary bowl while his home is being cleaned. Some bettas do not do well in filtered tanks as they originate in still water in the far east - small ponds, irrigation ditches, etc., and, in the domestically bred bettas, the long fancy fins can make it stressful for them to live in moving water. Most show betta breeders keep their stock in small bowls, pint to quart sized mason jars (canning jars), or even plastic cups. These are generally cleaned every 2-3 days at the most. Some breeders don't like to net their fish, particularly the show fish, as there is always a possibility that a net can abraid the fish's scales/skin or damage their fins. In that case, the fish is either poured into a temporary container while the home is cleaned and then when returning the fish to the home container, almost all of the water is poured off and the fish is then dumped into the home with just a little of the original water. Often, breeders have extra jars so that there is only one transfer process - the extra jars are prepared with fresh water (aged or treated, if necessary), then most of the water is poured off of the original container and the fish is transferred with a bit of the original water into the new container. It is always better to clean the container and provide new water than it is to try to treat the old water in an unfiltered environment such as a betta container.

Also, 2-3 years is not necessarily the max life span of a betta. Properly cared for and exercised (yes, exercised), bettas have been known to live 5-7 years. To exercise a betta, find something that will make it swim around its container, and get it to swim like that for a bit every day.

T

[This message was edited by catskillgurl on 08-21-04 at 01:40 AM.]

Bettas are one of the most hardy fish of all! My betta lived for three years after being dumped down the drain on acsadent my dad did it, after being dumped by my cat and lasted one hour out of the water! So no worry's!!!!!!