Almost all bettas are picky eaters at first. Some will learn to eat a variety of foods, but others like just one thing. Are your pellets the Hikari brand? I bought another brand once, and they just can't compare. Is she very small? My female tried to eat the pellets, but she's too little, so all I feed her is tiny bits of betta flakes. Get a variety of types of betta foods to coax her into eating. A variety is best for good nutrition anyway. One of my bettas also likes a little algae wafer, though that can get messy after a while.

Did you have them in the 2-gallon together, or was it a divided 2-gallon? You never want to keep two bettas together. Five or more females may be kept together, but never less, and never males. They're very territorial, and need adequate numbers and space to enforce their social rules, or else they'll kill each other. You may have heard of male and female pairs being kept together, but a gentle enough male is very rare, and they need more room than that anyway. If it was divided, was she able to see him? That might cause her some stress and explain why she was hiding.

What's your female in now? Each betta should have two gallons so that they have room to swim and so that they don't pollute the water too quickly. Also make sure each of them has gravel, a plant(s), and a small filter. The Red Sea Nano is ideal for 2- or 3-gallon tanks. The plants are because a betta can actually die of boredom in a bare tank (not kidding, it happens), and the filter is for bacterial colonies (and it also makes cleaning easier). I'll get to the bacteria in a moment.

I'm unfamiliar with Great Bear water. Is that a bottled brand? You always want to use tap water with a good water conditioner because it has minerals in it that fish need. I use Tetra AquaSafe simply because that's what I've always used, but there are better ones for beginners. Get one that detoxifies ammonia and nitrites if you can.

You never want to change more than 50% of a tank's water because it can stress the fish (possibly causing ick, like they said, but also other things) and because it can ruin your bacterial colonies. On my 2-gallon, I like to do 40% water changes weekly because I've determined that the toxicity level is low, but in need of a change after a week. Until your tank is cycled and you know how much toxicity is produced per week, 20% changes twice a week would be best to protect your fish.

Okay, now the nitrogen cycle. When fish do anything (breathe, poop) they're putting ammonia into their water. Ammonia is highly toxic to fish, so ammonia-eating bacteria are required. These bacteria then put off nitrIte, which is also toxic to fish, but less so. More bacteria eat the nitrites, and in turn put off nitrAtes. Nitrate is the least toxic of the three, and fish can live happily with much higher quantities of the stuff. It's removed by you via weekly water changes.

The bacteria exist everywhere in nature, and they'll find their way into your tank all on their own, lured by their favorite foods. The process can take one or two months, but you can buy live bacteria at pet shops if you like, and stick them directly into your tank. The bacteria will colonize on anything they can, which is why it's important for you to never remove and scrub gravel, since it could cause your tank to have a mini cycle. (Meaning that there won't be enough bacteria to handle the ammonia and nitrite for a little while, until the bacteria reproduce to make up for the loss.) Scrubbing the glass is fine since it can't house them, and no one likes to look and at dirty tank glass anyway.

This is why you need a filter. Filters should have carbon (optional), some sort of filter media (for getting the gunk out of your tank, usually a white spongey thing), and something for the bacteria to colonize on (usually a black thing you might scrub your dishes with). The bio-filter (bacterial filter) should never ever be changed or come in contact with non-treated water, since that would kill the bacteria and defeat the purpose of having it at all. Inside the filter is the ideal place for the bacteria to live because all the water in the tank will pass through it multiple times in an hour, ensuring that they eat well and that your fish are in healthy water. Carbon is optional since it's main use is to remove metals, which your water conditioner should be doing. Metals can be added back in food or some other means, but the quantities are so small that it's not a problem, at least for betta fish. If you were to keep creatures sensitive to metal, then I would definitely add carbon. It can be bought at pet stores in many forms.

Now you may be wondering how you know how much ammonia, nitrites, and nirtates are in your water. There are different test kits you can buy, but you want to get one that does at least the three toxic things and pH. I believe the liquid drops are more accurate than the test strips, but I'm not 100% sure on that. I use the liquid, anyway. You can also have water taken to most pet stores to have them do a free water test for you. It's better to have the tests on hand though, what with gas prices and the fact that they could be busy that day. Tests should be done every day while you're cycling and once a week after it's finished.

pH isn't that important for a betta, but you should test it regularly so that if it spikes or drops for some reason, you'll know about it. Bettas are built for a wide pH range, but whatever you keep them at should be constant, as fluctuation will stress them. Chances are your tap water is around 7, and it'll be just fine without you having to mess with it. (I think cycling can cause pH to fluctuate a bit, but I can't remember for sure.)

*takes a breath* That was a lot. I might have said some things you know, and I'm not assuming you're stupid or anything. I just want to make sure you know what you're about right off the bat since most pet store workers will tell you very little. I hope your bettas have a happy life. :)

Wow. Thanks Kitty.

I put them in the vase together to breed. She's showing Vertical Strips and he's nesting, but since she's stressed and not eating, I thought I should take her out. She's in a temporary glass jar, I just did this earlier today, so before I get home, I have to pick her up a little kit and some food you suggested. Actually, I'll have to get one for them.

The Great Bear water was a suggestion from the fish store. They only sell fish and have been at the location for YEARS. Everytime I go in for a question, it's a 40min diatribe, which is helpful, but they open late in the day and I had to get to work. Back to Great Bear...the company uses Reverse Osmosis to filter the water, so quite healthy for the bettas (I'm a ChemE) so I won't have to add any chemicals to balance the water.

From what you said, the bacteria from the 50% water change should suffice, but I can pick up a kit from my old lab to be certain and will get more bacteria from the fish store if needed - per your suggestion.

Thanks again, I'll keep you posted on their progress.

Jewel, a tank will only cycle with a filter. If she (and the boy for that matter) don't have filters, you need to do large water changes and rinse any gravel thoroughly. Large waterchanges won't stress them as long as you let the water age for 24 hours, dechlorinate it and match temperatures. Be gentle during the water changes too. Speaking of the water, you really should be using tap water. Fish need minerals in the tap water that bottled water can't supply. Without the minerals, overy time, their fins can become thin and their immune systems weak. Unless your tap water's pH is above 8.5 or below 5 or not stable, or if there are significant amounts of harmful substancesin it, just go with a good conditioner. It is better for the fish and cheaper for you.

I dunno what all that means about the water, but if you're sure it's good for them, I'll just have to take your word for it. :)

Has she produced eggs yet? Females also get stripes when they're stressed, so it could be that she's just frightened of the male. If she has eggs and was still hiding, something is wrong. Perhaps she's too young and her hormones aren't developed properly to tell her how to spawn? Young fish seem to have the same problems as young mammals when it comes to their first time with babies. Wait until the next time she has eggs and he has a nest, and then try it. There's some info at this page you'll want to read about breeding bettas. The links you want are "breeding bettas" and then "rearing the fry." http://www.bettatalk.com/

That site also has other good info, but not everything it says is acutally a good idea. I think this site is better for general betta care: http://www.fishpondinfo.com/betta.htm

sujewel.....please do read up on keeping and breeding bettas. Here are two books you may want to look for.

1. BETTAS A Complete Introduction by Walt Maurus..this book is a tfh publication

2. Bettas Gouramis and other Anabantoids Labyrinth Fishes of the World by Jorg Vierke.....this book is also a tfh publication.

Lately when I read many of these posts...the information here is not very accurate.....the best thing to do is find good books and magazines that have lots of good info. If you can find a fish club in your area......clubs have people with lots of experience and a wealth of information.

good luck!

Wow, kitty.

You were right, she was totally stressed out by him. I bought her bloodworms because the Petco in Union Sq didn't have small algae wafers. At first, she wouldn't eat them. I sat down and read your post about the vertical stripes and stress.

So, I put a barrier between them and she started to eat immediately. As for Samson, he hates the bloodworms and LOVES Hikari pellets. Geez, only 1 cat out of 3 is as picky as my fishy. And neither of the dogs are finicky.

Thank you all for the advise. I will definitely purchase the books.

Oh, I didn't mean to suggest algae wafers as food for your bettas. I put them in for my snails, and my female just happens to eat some. (A fact which is forcing me to re-house my wet pets. Again.) Algae wafers actually puff up *a lot*, and you have to make sure to soak them a long while before feeding them because foods that puff up in a fish's stomach will likely damage their organs. A small crumb before soaking should end up as more than enough for a betta meal. If you're willing to go through all that, they might like it as a treat now and again. :)

I just discovered a new (to me) forum the other day, and I think this post is definitely a good read: http://aquamaniacs.net/forum/cms_view_article.php?aid=130