No ordinary Betta Splendens

[Mathieu914]

Hello.

I was planning to get a male Betta Splendens and even add females later in a 40g, but I don't want an "ordinary" Betta if you understand what I mean.

I wonder what are the "kind" of Betta. What is a "King Betta"? a "Plaka Betta"? Are they more fierce, bigger or simply aesthetically different? And what is the price range?

Thanks, Mathieu.

 

[knifegill]

You cannot keep females with males except to breed unless you end up with an oddly placid male. Once you get the basics of standard splendens down, then you can more easily go candy-shopping for morphs and mutants.

All the bettas you've described are splendens. They are different lineages bred for different purposes. King Bettas are just overpriced fighting plakats from Asia. Giant bettas are a more beautiful strain that posesses a trait for gigantism but has some intestinal issues in certain lines. Plakats are male splendens with short finnage, but you can tell males from females usually by length of ventral fins.

For real fun, look into wild bettas after you are skilled with captive strains and have learned what not to do.

 

[komodo182]

I have heard of people keeping males and females together, but I imagine they did a lot of judging with the fish first.
It is not something I suggest for anyone just starting up. Majority of the time (over 99% of the time) it will not end well for one or all of the bettas.

 

[Mathieu914]

Ok, so you suggest me to get a "normal" Betta before moving on sometime more hard.

 

[dragonsong]

If you want a normal betta that is still unique, get a crowntail, they have beautiful fins and are easy to find in most pet stores nowadays.

 

[knifegill]

Certainly, this what I would recommend. I mean, every life matters, but you're going to get a lot more upset if your $100 giant betta dies than if a $3 pet shop betta dies.

How much experience have you have with fish in general? Are you familiar with the actual nitrogen cycle as opposed to what they tell you at pet shops? What are the pH and hardness of your local tap water? All of these factors will determine how well you keep fish.

 

[Mathieu914]

Well, I would rate my experience with general fishs 5/10. Otherwise, I have three tanks of different size all planted. I know that my tap water is hard because of the residual calcium in the pipes but never check my pH level thought.