Betta splendens

I may have a free* 55 gallon tank soon; as soon as that is verified, I'll begin a whole segment on setting up a freshwater tank.

For now, one of the easiest fish for beginners; the betta.

They're everywhere. Carried in every fish store, displayed in vases and bowls in offices and homes, and very often are just as mistreated as oscars. For a while, there was a company (or several), selling them as part of a kit; a vase, a fish, and a peace lily stuck on top. The line they gave their customers was that the betta fed off the roots of the plant, the plant absorbed the waste of the betta, thereby cleaning the water, and it was a perfect circle of life. No feeding or water changes required!

This is so wrong.

First, peace lilies are not aquatic. They can live a long time, maybe even a few months, in this arrangement, but they'll eventually run out of stored nutrients and die. The poor fish, being a carnivore and unequipped to eat anything like roots, also eventually starves to death, if the foul water doesn't kill it first. However, people bought the kits and even though the fad passed years ago, people still to this day believe that the system works. Why?

The plant, as I mentioned, lives for quite a while before dying. The betta picks at the roots, sure, giving the impression that he's eating. And he may be, in fact, picking tiny microscopic bugs off the roots -- but it's not enough. All that's happening is a desperate fish looking for any kind of sustenance. Bettas, incidentally, take about a month to starve to death. And the "water cleaning" properties of the plant? A starving fish produces very little waste, and the waste he does produce isn't going to be visible for some time. Much later than the point in time when he dies. I'll also point out that ammonia is not particularly visible in a fish bowl.

Bettas need food. Betta food. High in protein, and daily. Peace lilies need soil, sun, water, fertilizer. The only member of this arrangement likely to be happy is the human, who believes he has purchased something that requires no maintenance at all.

They're fine in bowls -- really! What they need, though, is a weekly water change -- 50% is fine, but 100% is perfectly acceptable, as long as the temperature is kept constant. Use water conditioner. They need to be fed every day, betta pellets are perfectly acceptable, but the occasional bit of frozen or freeze-dried bloodworm is nice. Live plants are awesome, but buy real aquatic plants -- your betta will use it for a hiding/sleeping place, not food. You'll know you have it right when your betta builds bubble nests at the surface of the water. (This really freaks some people out, but it's a sign that he's healthy and keeping prepared in case a girl swims along!)

(Does that bubblenest mean I need to get him a girl? No. He will keep it ready just in case. If you plan to breed them, well, that's a whole other post. Let's just say, it's a lot of work and more trouble than it's worth, generally.)