# Growing Up



## OliviaS (Sep 18, 2014)

Hi guys. I've just purchased my Betta four days ago from Petco. I think he's pretty young, considering how tiny he is. I'd love to attach a picture, but I'm not really sure how. My questions are:

1) When do Bettas reach adulthood?
2) Can I feed him freeze-dried bloodworm now? 
3) So far he's on Hikari Betta Bio-Gold, five pellets per mealtime like the box suggested. Do you think I can do better, both in brand choice and serving size?

Thanks in advance! 

Sincerely,

Olivia and True Blue


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## FishyFriend (Oct 20, 2014)

Bettas mature around 9-12 months, by that time they should have their full finnage.
I wouldn't recommend freeze dried food, it must be thoroughly soaked before feeding & even then may cause bloating, frozen bloodworm would be better but feed it sparingly.
How many times a day do you feed him? 5 pellets each time sounds to me to be too much


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

All mine have matured at three and a half months. However if he was bought from the store chances are he is about six months old already. Many pet store bettas lately are quite small. This is not to say they wont grow but they keep them in the growouts longer. Once jarred they grow much faster. 

As for freeze dried, I would only feed if you soak it well first, as it can still cause bloat. Frozen food would be appreciated though.


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## OliviaS (Sep 18, 2014)

FishyFriend said:


> Bettas mature around 9-12 months, by that time they should have their full finnage.
> I wouldn't recommend freeze dried food, it must be thoroughly soaked before feeding & even then may cause bloating, frozen bloodworm would be better but feed it sparingly.
> How many times a day do you feed him? 5 pellets each time sounds to me to be too much


He's fed once first thing in the morning and then once more before I go to bed. So should I go down to three pellets each mealtime? 

Thanks for the heads up guys.


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## FishyFriend (Oct 20, 2014)

I'd go to two pellets each time & monitor him, if you think he needs a bit more then adjust the feeding, Bettas can be greedy so don't give in to him every time he begs for food.


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## OliviaS (Sep 18, 2014)

FishyFriend said:


> I'd go to two pellets each time & monitor him, if you think he needs a bit more then adjust the feeding, Bettas can be greedy so don't give in to him every time he begs for food.


OK, so how do I know if he needs a bit more? And da*n you're right on that this fish is greedier than my dog.

EDIT: Sorry majerah1 I don't know how to multi quote so I didn't "talk" to you  but since you both essentially gave the same advice I didn't mention it in my first post. But don't get the impression that I'm leaving you out please xx


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Haha no worries! 

With food the best advice I can give is this: The bettas stomach is about the size of his eye. So to properly determine the best amount to feed I would soak a pellet until it swells as you know it will in his tummy. Five would be a bit much so two or three would most likely be spot on.


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## OliviaS (Sep 18, 2014)

I knew those boxes lie!  thanks guys, I'm very new to this.

EDIT: while we're on it, I have another question. True Blue is currently living in a very small tank, because I bought the tank first and then researched later  by the time I realized 1.5 gal is way too small I've already spent $30 on it. I'm looking to move him to a larger tank, but I don't want to stress him out. He has only stayed with me four days, tomorrow will be his fifth. When do you think I can start tank-shopping?


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## discusbreeder (Oct 7, 2014)

Bettas mature at different rates dependent on strain and specific species. USUALLY they range from six to twelve months. Strains that originated in coastal flood areas mature faster than those from more stable inland waters. Coastal strains also tend to be short lived and grow similarly to coastal killifish from flood zones.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

You can move him whenever you feel comfortable doing so. Just be sure if you go larger, to cycle his tank first. He will be just fine in the little one if you keep up with the water changes and make sure he is warm. I suggest a sponge filter for him so you can adjust the flow, and an adjustable heater.

The only bettas I have had take that long to mature have been my wild species, the ocellata, macrostoma and pugnax. Never has any of my domestic strains, from different breeders have taken so long, save one and she was small when I got her. Within two weeks of me feeding her twice daily and giving waterchanges like a young betta needs she was full sized. The growth of the domestics depend on the genetics some, but more on the care given when young. If you feed them three times a day and do daily waterchanges they will grow very rapidly, and be mature by three and a half months old. Also I have never had one to have a short life span when growing fast. 

Keep in mind the domestic strains are all a mix of certain wilds, not just splendens but also imbellis and smaragdinas.


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## OliviaS (Sep 18, 2014)

majerah1 said:


> You can move him whenever you feel comfortable doing so. Just be sure if you go larger, to cycle his tank first. He will be just fine in the little one if you keep up with the water changes and make sure he is warm. I suggest a sponge filter for him so you can adjust the flow, and an adjustable heater.
> 
> The only bettas I have had take that long to mature have been my wild species, the ocellata, macrostoma and pugnax. Never has any of my domestic strains, from different breeders have taken so long, save one and she was small when I got her. Within two weeks of me feeding her twice daily and giving waterchanges like a young betta needs she was full sized. The growth of the domestics depend on the genetics some, but more on the care given when young. If you feed them three times a day and do daily waterchanges they will grow very rapidly, and be mature by three and a half months old. Also I have never had one to have a short life span when growing fast.
> 
> Keep in mind the domestic strains are all a mix of certain wilds, not just splendens but also imbellis and smaragdinas.


I guess I'd keep him in the small one until I move to an apartment then! The tank is sitting on my study desk, so if I get one that is too large I'd have to study elsewhere... which is not helpful, because I like watching him dance around while typing an essay.

I have a bit of a dilemma with the heater thing. Those adjustable heaters are so powerful, 50 watts at the least. They're gonna cook my fish, considering he's in a 1.5 gal. The one I currently have is 10-20 watts or so, which fits the tank size, but it's not adjustable. What I do is keep an eye on the thermometer, unplug the heater to let the water cool down a bit if it gets too warm, and then plug it back in later on. Due to the season though the water rarely gets too warm, so I leave it always on. 

What do you think?


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

For that size tank that is fine, I was meaning when you upgrade.


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