http://forum.aqua-fish.net/ A forum devoted to aquarium fish, plants, techniques and fish keeping as a whole. en http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=betta-fish-tank#1 I&#8217;m about to start a new Betta fish (siamese fighting) tank, however I&#8217;m new to it so that some advice from experienced fishkeepers would be appreciated a lot. I will WELCOME every suggestion since I want to breed them in the future. Suggestions include but don&#8217;t limit to: 1. Do I need two or even more aquariums? I mean males are aggressive towards each other, so I want to avoid deaths. 2. From what age start males fighting to death? 3. Water chemistry? Do I need to maintain any specific pH and dGH values or &#8217;normal&#8217; (pH about 7 and dGH about 15) values are satisfactory? 4. Diet. What should I feed them? I&#8217;ve heard they like tubifex and larvae. Do they eat beef heart or frozen foods? Brine shrimp, dried food? 5. Water filtration. Is it necessary to maintain strong or nearly zero water current in the tank? Since betta fish come from shallow waters in Asia, they probably like steady water. Just tell me if I&#8217;m wrong or if anyone has different experience regarding tank set-up. 6. Breeding. How do they breed? I know they build bubble-nests, however I&#8217;m looking for more details. How does the spawn process go, how to care about fry, increase the temperature during breeding period? Any other tank &#8217;improvements&#8217; in order to help them breed easily? How long does it take until eggs hatch? Do parents eat the fry or do they guard them? 7. Aeration. Since they are capable to breath air, is it necessary to aerate the tank? If so, do betta fish need low/high oxygen-level? 8. I have 3 caves along many Pistia plants for my future Betta fish tank already. Should I buy other plants species or even other decoration? Any additional information which you&#8217;d like to share are welcomed! Thank you all. Eve anonymous 2008-05-02 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=betta-fish-tank#2 Hi Eve. Here are my answers: 1 - You should have 2 tanks at least. Betta males are aggressive fish and you should bear this fact in your mind all the time. 2 - Once they are 5 months old they become aggressive. Even small specimens eat weaker ones. 3 - pH - from 6.5 up to 7.5 are fine. dGH - 8 to 18 are good enough. These values applies to ordinary life as well as breeding periods. 4 - Tubifex and larvae are welcomed by Bettas! Frozen food is pretty good solution. I used to feed them tablets and such stuff too. 5 - Keep the water current weak but stable. Betta fish is very keen if it goes about water stream. 6 - Yeah, they build bubble nests. More details on breeding can be found after clicking on links provided below. 7 - Aerate enough. It is necessary for proper fry growth as well as for healthy adults. 8 - Buy echinodorus or cryptocoryne plants. Caves are good solution and Pistia plants are suitable for breeding purposes. Good luck! Database profile: http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?what=fish&amp;cur_lang=2&amp;id=17 How to care about Betta Fish article: http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?cur_lang=2&amp;what=article&amp;id=74 Betta fish article: http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?cur_lang=2&amp;what=article&amp;id=23 10 tips for a successful Betta splendens reproduction article: http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?cur_lang=2&amp;what=article&amp;id=50 jan 2008-05-02 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=betta-fish-tank#3 Eve, In answer to your questions: 1. Do I need two or even more aquariums? I mean males are aggressive towards each other, so I want to avoid deaths. Yes, you should get as many aquariums as you have fish: the only exception is when a few females are living together 2. From what age start males fighting to death? I'm not sure; probably fairly early on 3. Water chemistry? Do I need to maintain any specific pH and dGH values or ’normal’ (pH about 7 and dGH about 15) values are satisfactory? Yes, it is essential to maintain correct nitrite, nitrate, alkalinity, hardness, pH, chlorine, and ammonia. Test kits are available at most pet shops 4. Diet. What should I feed them? I’ve heard they like tubifex and larvae. Do they eat beef heart or frozen foods? Brine shrimp, dried food? A good quality pellet or flake feed as a staple diet, and feed frozen bloodworms/brine shrimp sparingly as a treat. 5. Water filtration. Is it necessary to maintain strong or nearly zero water current in the tank? Since betta fish come from shallow waters in Asia, they probably like steady water. Just tell me if I’m wrong or if anyone has different experience regarding tank set-up. The water current should be as little as possible, but you should have a filter. A small sponge filter is best. 6. Breeding. How do they breed? I know they build bubble-nests, however I’m looking for more details. How does the spawn process go, how to care about fry, increase the temperature during breeding period? Any other tank ’improvements’ in order to help them breed easily? How long does it take until eggs hatch? Do parents eat the fry or do they guard them? Unfortunately, I can't help you there. Sorry! 7. Aeration. Since they are capable to breath air, is it necessary to aerate the tank? If so, do betta fish need low/high oxygen-level? I've never used aeration in my 3-year experience with bettas and most books/articles I read don't strongly advise them. 8. I have 3 caves along many Pistia plants for my future Betta fish tank already. Should I buy other plants species or even other decoration? It's up to you! Bettas don't really care what ornaments they have in their tank. Hope this helped! Best of luck to you and your fish! BettaLove<3 2013-01-15 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=betta-fish-tank#4 is it necessary to aerate the tank? jackjacki 2013-06-14 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=betta-fish-tank#5 I have one male betta who is quite mean and bullies other fish in my tank like guppies and orange swordtails also. irwin id 2013-07-18