Izi's Simple Guide to Betta

Sense I moved to the Palouse I have been asked to create a simple care guide for betta with a hint towards tips for this area. Here it is:

Izi's Simple Guide to Betta:

Betta splendens originate from Siam a region that includes parts of Thailand and Malaysia along with some other places. To understand betta care is to understand the region they were coming from. However today Betta have been redesigned by humans to not be able to live in identical conditions but many things have remained the same.
- Betta live in a pH of about 6.5-7.4 but can be acclimated to higher or lower pH. The ideal is about 6.8. This by no means says betta cannot survive in a pH of 8 or more (though anything above 8.2  is not really safe) in fact I have spawned and reared fry in pH over 7.8. Betta are masters at acclimating to different water chemistry hence they love for them as beginner fish. Additions to a tank like filtering through peat or drift wood or indian almond leaves (see betta care for more info) will help turn water more acidic.
-Temprature should between 68*F- 84*F any lower and betta will go into shock or hibernation and higher and they will also go into shock. I consider this the second most important thing with betta. I very rarely see a betta live over a few years without being heated because keeping your house at 80*F isnt normal (unless your incredibly dedicated to your fish).
-By far the MOST IMPORTANT THING when raising betta is clean water. At the end of the day I would rather do a water change with water that has a pH of 8.0 then keep a betta in dirty water.  Anything under a half gallon should be changed every day anything from a half gallon to 2 gallons twice a week and anything over once a week. That is my general rule of thumb and a guide depending on your fish (whether growing out, spawning, or sick all require different things).
-Feed your betta well. Betta are carnivorous and require a well rounded diet centered around protein. When you get food for your betta keep this in mind. And remember the more nutrition per mouthful the less they eat the less waste the cleaner the water.

There are many other things that factor into having a happy healthy fish and many ways to get there. These are my guidelines nothing more I always tell people to go research and find out more and dont use just one opinion.

All my dear ladies....

Turns out I have quite the collection of little girl crowntails. Almost all will be up for sale soon as for now I. Need to buckle down and decide who to keep.  I lost the female from the halfmoon spawn and all but one baby during the move which I consider a huge loss. In any case I will be setting up another spawn hopefully soon as soon as I order in some new males. I am swimming in ladies and, on another random note, I am swimming in gecko balls on the other side of the wall :p I miss spawning and little baby eyeballs looking at me hopefully I will have some soon. 

Gowing out CT

Computer is being a twit so you only get one photo lol one already sold babies are being seperated out to keep agression down so I definalty got some boys :)

Letting go for a little while...

I have been fighting whatever has been plaguing my fish for a long time for now till the time I move I will let the other ones go besides the ct and hm spawn (and the hm parents).... so dont expect much update till august.

Chow! and happy summer everyone!

Ditto Spawn

Sad news still loosing fish to what ever mystery illness is afflicting them. Good news managed to repeat my orange dragon with black platinum dragon female after the roommate put a gourami into the spawn tank >.> Needless to say I want super amused a few survived and I slightly stunted them so that hopefully they will be able to grow together :)

New Babies New Color

They say dont count your chickens before they hatch so lets say this spawn was unintentionally successful.

 Some of the CT babies are showing red now :)

CT Babies all six of them :)

Depends on the amount of males I will get, ones already called for some I will keep and I will post photos of for sale ones in the next few months but they are adorable and doing well. Might have HM babies soon also... I hope....

New boy :) Been nipping his tail though 

Been busy on the saltwater tank look -->