1. How small of a container can a betta dwell in?
Contrary to what the pet stores tell us, bettas do not thrive in a cup or small bowl.
Humans can be raised in a dark closet but that does not make it healthy.
The smallest betta tank I have used successfully is a 2.5 gallon tank with a small filter and heater. NOTE: BE CAREFUL in putting a heater in any tank less than 5 gallons. My bettas do ok in these but they are definately harder to maintain good parameters. Remember that the smaller the tank is then the harder it is to maintain. My bettas have done best in divided 10 gallons. I have a betta in a 20 gallon but I have to be careful because if the current is too strong in the tank then Betta gets stressed. Remember to keep a lid on your Betta Tank because they get excited and like to leap through the air -- ending up on the floor. If not rescued in a timely manner then they will dry out and die.
2. How to prepare Betta's water? I use Kordon's "Amquel Plus" to deal with Chlorine, Ammonia, and Nitrates and Kordon's "NovAqua +" to further condition the water and help the fish maintain healthy body slime. I also use "pH Down" or "pH Up" accordingly.
3. Proper pH: I try to keep the pH for Betta between 7.0 and 7.2. Some will suggest a range of 6.8 to 7.4.
4. Water temperature: I try to keep the temperature between 75 & 78 degrees. They seem to do well under these conditions.
5. Water changes: I do a partial water change every week or two. I check for Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, pH, and (periodically) phosphate and if there is a greater need to change water then that is what I do. Unless the Nitrates are really high then I only vacumn every couple of weeks or so.
6. Tankmate for Betta: First of all, DO NOT house a betta with another betta. Do not put bettas in with other fish of long fins such as fancy guppies. Do not put Bettas in with fin-nippers -- especially if you have a betta with allot of finnage. Some barbs and tetras will nip at Betta and this will get ugly. Per http://bettas.fishjunkies.com/tankmates.php, some safe tankmates for Betta include:
- white cloud minnow
- tetras- danios
- angelfish
- livebearers *except mollies, which benefit from brackish water
- rasboras
I currently house a betta with danios and cory cats. The only problem I have is making sure that Betta gets his share of the food. The Danios are faster than Betta so they eat his food before he can get to it.
7. What to feed Betta? I use BioGold Betta pellets as a staple and mix up the diet with frozed brine shrimp, daphnia, and other stuff. As with all fish, a varied diet is best.
8. How much to feed Betta? I have found that in a smaller tank, less can be better, perhaps 3 pellets a day. Constipation is a problem in the smaller tanks and the pellets will aggravate this. In larger tanks I never feed more than 5 pellets. These pellets swell and cause pain. Do not be decieved, no matter how much Betta dances for food there is no starving going on. I think a Betta would probably eat to the death if allowed.
9. How to adjust Betta to new environments and other changes? Slowly is the answer. As with any fish, "marinating" the betta is best. This means that you slowly add water from the new tank to whatever water Betta is currently in. Here is a good article on acclimating fish: http://www.bettatalk.com/acclimatation.htm
10. How to adjust water parameters? Slowly is the answer. Check out bettatalk.com to learn about adjusting Betta's water. Personally, I do not use Aquarisol or salt in my betta tanks like this site recommends. This is because they are in tanks that have already been cycled and do not usually require such.
11. What kind of decorations go best with Betta? Soft decorations are best. Bettas get excited, leap, jump, and dart and, as a result, end up with injured scales or fins which can easily get infected. If I'm not using real plants, I only use SILK plants. Any other decoration should have smooth edges.