See my post to Cheart99 for same info. The water conditioner should be fine in the jug for a week. Once the water is treated, it's done. Good to hear that you are doing partial water changes twice a week.
My betta is sometimes active, sometimes not. Personally, I think they are moody. Mine will eat 2 or 3 pellets twice a day. The betta next door barely eats. These fish have both been around nearly a year. They can go a couple of days without eating, so if you went away for the weekend you wouldn't have to worry. Try to feed him 2 pellets twice a day. If he doesn't eat them, take them out. When he is humgry, he will eat.

Well, when I went to look at him yesterday he was back to swimming around. He was also lining the top of the tank with bubbles. I changed part of the water and moved him to a new location - not as bright and easier for me to see him, too; and he ate a little today. I guess 'moody' is a good description. Hopefully he's OK now. Thanks.

WW

I had one in a 55 gallon tank. They seem to be more active in the warmer water. As for the "moodiness" I think that's just the fish. Sometimes he'd be cruising through the tank, other times hiding in the plants, I think it's just the nature of the fish themselves.

I would be more concerned with his general appearance than his behavior, as they can be very moody!
As long as he has a sleek appearance with no roughness of the scales, holds his fins out nicely from his body, and has no puffiness around the eyes, he is probably fine.

Mine (in a community tank) went into a bit of a decline for a while, and started looking very anxious, swimming with his fins clamped against his body. I finally figured out that in the community tank, he is the slowest swimmer, and the others were eating all the food! Now he gets sinking pellets while the others are eating their flake, and everyone is happy. Nice new growth on his fins. He also seems to really like to nibble the pleco's algae wafers...from everything I read they don't really like veggies, but he loves them.

Redwood

WW Several of my thoughts:

Here is a link for several good books.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/086622288X/judysopeningmenu/104-3622357-2695909

1. Plastic can offgas toxins so perhaps glass container up to two gallon rather then 1/2.
2. Water temperature too low.
3. You don't say, but needs plants, note natural habitat, slow moving, 'weedy' rice paddy, canals, so on....
so perhaps a little pile of rocks with pebbles and some small plants or floating plants, as they like to sit atop them, also they like to pick at plants for food, and algae...

WW, I posted this on another thead, copied it here. With additions/deletions:

Natural habitat: Murky waters of the ...
Malay Peninsula and rice paddies of Thailand.
Wild B. splendens is perfectly at home in the standing, slow-flowing water and shallow, stagnant rain pools of his natural habitat.

Very interesting site with different experiences/perspectives:

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gbetta.html

Others mention them doing very well in the proper sized, planted community tank with proper tank mates... some note a decline in health in larger spaces, and a preference for smaller (not the little bowls most mention 2 gal size at least) Guess it depends on individual and tank set up...

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Another interesting link (note one says this another says that, lol)

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Kick_Betta-keeping.html

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I personally am appalled every time I go to my local NYC petland and see a dozen or so little little small bowls lined up each with a Betta in it. They are listless, and dull and probably in their instinctive fish world, deadened. I once convinced staff to add a plant snippet to each and until the took them out with the every other day cleaning (which is the result of such a small space and a shock to the fish) they came alive, which they were not when thus isolated in those small lifeless bowls. Just by adding a small plant snippet, it was amazing how alive they became...

Just because Betta's can breathe from the surface does not mean this fact should be taken advantage of, ie kept in an isolated plantless small bowl or some such thing. (They actually utilize their gills, and only breathe from the top when their is no oxygen in the water.) The water will get soiled rapidly and frequent water changes as opposed to proper filtration stresses any fish.

They like to hide within plants and are a joy to watch in a larger properly planted tank. AS noted in one of the posts below, my male betta loves to hang out near the top of the aquarium within the floating types of plants.... Best to you, Sherry

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From Exotic Aquarium Fishes, Dr. William T. Innes (I found these editions on an online search, he was the best)

1 - Bettas need acid waters, about 6.8 ph.
2 - They do best in a well planted tank with liberal light.
3 - Water should be clean, clear, but with pleanty of natural sediment. (reference the rice paddy, slow moving water natural environment above)
4. the bettas do best on live foods.... (or supplement dried with, daphnia, mosquito larva, worms chopped, bits of fish, crab shrimp (not cooked) so on...
5. Males kept seperately, females can be kept together..
6. A single male may be kept in a community aquarium and possibly a female also, if the tank is a large one with plants for refuge.
Or, in general the sexes should be kept seperate (unless you wish to breed them) I always kept a pair in a medium size tank with lots of plants and hiding places.

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From another site:
The Siamese fighting fish is one of the worls most intriguing aquatic pets, and also the most misunderstood. These little fishy's are extremely territorial (the males being more than the females). It is true that the males will fight if kept in the same tank, therefor it is only wise to keep them in there own quarters. Females on the other hand can be kept together, along as there is a large amount of vegetation and/or hiding places in case there are "bully's" present. The truth is, that within every community tank there are "bully's" and after a while a "pecking order": will be established.

A misconception is that male Siamese Fighters are happy living in small cups of water. The truth is, they can survive, but are not happy at all, in fact, for a happy vibrant male, it would be wise to give him a larger home, for example, a gallon jar, or a small tank for himself, with a little vegetation (java moss, duckweed and assorted plant cuttings that will eventually develop a root system) for him to hide in and perch on (they are much alike the butterfly's of aquaria). Males can be happily kept alone with other species in a community tank.

Females are quite comfortable living in a community tank with each other. A word of caution is that some powerful filters will provide too much current for these fish, stressing them and tearing their fins. Females are quite drab usually less deeper in complexion than their male counterparts, however they do make good pets with a personality of their own. It is possible to keep one male with several females, but be warned and take caution in the word "several"

Plakat Thais/ Betta Splendens/Siamese Fighting Fish love to be fed small live foods such as mosquito larvae, bloodworms, whiteworms, and wingless fruit worms, however they can also take pellets and flake. The key to a succesful diet is a varying diet that is full of nutrients.

Siamese Fighting Fish are not fussy when it comes to water quality. In nature they are found in small rice paddy's that are exremely muddy. However it is advisable to provide them with clean, dechlorinated, aged water. If you are going to take water quality a step further, Reverse Osmosis water is near perfect and black water extract will provide close to natural South East Asian Water.

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Betta's need warmth!!!

Unless you live in the tropics or in the warmer parts of Asia such as Thailand and Singapore you need to keep your bettas in a heated tank. If the water is not warm enough the fish are susceptible to Ich and other diseases. You will not see alot of movement in them and they will be plain unhappy.

Bettas are carnivorous and love to be fed. A healthy betta will eat, an unhealthy betta wont eat.!! They love live foods like Blackworms, mozzy wrigglers and brine shrimp. The next best thing is frozen food which are easily available at pet shops or you can freeze your live foods yourself. Most bettas will accept dried food also. Its best to give them a mixture and not just one type. If they seem to be constipated or their swim bladder is playing up - as in they are floating up the top on their sides or sinking to the bottom. peel a thawed pea and chop it up. They love them and it should fix the problem.

They like their water clean!!!

To avoid diseases and unhappy Bettas ensure your water is clean and healthy. Depending on the size of the tank you have them in.

If you have them in a larger tank such as a 2 foot tank and it has a filter going you can probably get away with a 25 to 50% clean once a week.

(again, when I raise fish with outside filtration, and healthy growing plants, cleaning is less often needed - so judge by the situation/environment.)

The simple answer is Bettas get sick if their water is filthy.. they are swimming around in their own muck.

Plants make them happy

Bettas dont eat plants but they like to hide in them or lie around near the surface on them. Plants given that their healthy improve the water quality by soaking up the Co2 in the tank. If their unhealthy and rotting away they become part of the problem.

Gravel is not needed in a betta tank. Its good to anchor the plants, its pleasing to the eye but unless in a big tank with other community fish its a hassle to clean the bottom. (again I disagree here, if plants are well established and growing, the root system keeps the soil healthy and also bacteria that grow there and just as with ground soil, soil organisms keep things healthy) Its a lot easier in smaller tanks to syphon up the muck on the bottom to stop it rotting into the water to not have gravel. Its also easier to see when a betta does a poo and if theyve eaten all their food. Hence noting if the fish is healthy.

Male bettas are solitary from their own breed, by this I mean dont be putting a male betta with another male betta as they will fight to the death. Only put him with a female betta if your intending on breeding them and take her out once the deed is done. One male betta may be placed in a tank with other community fish, as long as they are peaceful fish Mr Betta will do fine. Female bettas can be placed together fine, my experience is more than 2 is harmonious. If only 2 are in the tank they will spar to get the top ranking. In a community tank with other fish they do fine.

Alot of fish shops will tell you that Bettas dont need a lot of water so they can live in a cup or something small. Bettas can survive in this environment, it doesnt mean they are happy. As long as the water is kept at the right temperatures and kept clean they can survive. Bettas like all fish like to have room to swing a cat in so to speak. My adult males are all kept in 3 litres of water and if i had more tanks and more space they would get more. My juveniles are kept in coke bottles be it 2 litres or 1.25. As they are smaller they can handle this and its temporary until they are sold. Im sure they are all thinking .."When's it my turn?"
Also, there is a plant site whereby wood with plants anchored to the wood ( or stones in some instances) would be a nice addition to a container with a Betta... link below...

http://www.tropica.com/default.asp

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They loved the warm water! The temperature can be up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. None of them sink to the bottom. They swim around and They eat good. They did not get sick. I find that Bettas get sick if they suddenly get chilled. I tell people to keep their Bettas in the warmest and quietest place in their home. I have been doing this for many years. If someone else in the store has to put the Bettas in cups or moves the Bettas to a bright and noisy location in the store, the fish die.

I'm currently cycling a 5 gal for one of my 2 betta males. Almost there, need to get the ammonia to zero. I'm going to put 2 cory cats in with him when the tank is ready. I'm using a 25 watt heater and a dirt magnet sponge filter along with a glass top.

Tom

Anyone keeping betas should read the response from sherryazure. Granted, it is a lot of stuff to read, but it is worth it. Note that the emphasis is on plant life in their environment. My betas live in the roots of plants that I have growing out of the top of the tanks. I had one that lasted 5 years, another for 3.

For questions about appetite check with a fisherman (or woman). They will tell you that fish do not bite (eat) every day. This is perfectly normal and natural. One of the biggest problems that fish have to deal with is overfeeding.

Well thank you for all this information. I have a Beta, I assume with all its colors that it is a male. We rescued him from Wal-Mart in a tiny cup. Poor fellow. My husband wasn't sure if he would survive. We have had him for a year. How long do these fish live? Also our Beta is very moody. I swear he is dead laying on the bottom of the our 1 gallon plant bowl. But when I check and feed him he lifts himself up to go for the food. When I clean out the water and bowl, I always use stress coat treatment. I will try using warm water next time. My Betta is just inactive.
I feed him around 4 tiny pellets almost once a day. We do have cats that like to eat the water plant leaves. But the Beta doesn't seemed stressed over it. Of course I chase the cats away from the bowl. The cats are not interested in the fish but the greenery. Please let me know if this is normal for a Beta or is he heading for heaven.
Thank you,
Theresa

I was at the store today and I saw these super cute "ghost shrimp"..I was looking at a pamphlet in the store and it said they can go with male betta's, I have a female and I wanted to know if they would be okay in tank with her or not...seems to me that the male would be more likely to attack the shrimp and eat them, but I don't know...any advice is greatly appreciated!

I see this post has resurrected since I left my reply on Dec.9. Well my WalMart Betta passed away Dec 25. I purchased another one at Petco not Walmart. After reading all the information, my new Betta will have a new home the end of this month, January. After i do a week of cycling I will put him in his new home. It will be a 12 gallon glass aquarium 3 stage filtration, heater, light, and plan to have cory cat fish as his companion. I hope my new fish will live longer. Also Bettas are moody, but my new one is always perky and hungry. I also plan to feed him occasionally some live worms for treats to keep him happy.
Theresa

I've kept single male bettas for years, always in one gal. tanks with no aeration, a plany and a bit of gravel, and they are great little thiving fish. The lazy behavior is norm most of the time. Thou my current betta, Glorifindel, is way more active then my old betta Narcissus. He swims at nght mostly. I feed at nite about five "Betta Bites" brand fish food and he loves them, but he hates flake food, so maybe your fish is just a picky eater. Also, if you can leave some standing water outside for a few days and get some live mosqito larva, your betta will love em. (love to eat them that is) As for the bubble blowing, that is natural male behavior, he is building a bubble nest and if you were to breed him, he would keep the eggs there and tend to them like a proud papa. Enjoy your betta!

For RosaBunny:
I'd be careful about combining ghost shrimp and bettas. I had a ghost shrimp decimate the fins on one of my crowntail males. Not the outcome I expected, but the shrimp was fair sized and would grab on to the betta when he stopped to take a rest. This was a 10 gallon tank so you would think the betta could have evaded the ghost shrimp but the shrimp was persistant. Other people may have had different experiences, but mine hasn't been good. (Ghost shrimp are also used as live food for many large cichlids.)

Kayleigh

Just an update from the original poster...

I got an Eclipse corner tank (about 4 gallons, I guess), put some plants in it and a heater, and added the Betta about 3 weeks ago. What a difference in his behavior! He swims all the time, is eating like a horse, comes to the front of the tank whenever I get near it, and is generally acting like one happy fish. Don't know how much I'm really going to get into this aquarium thing, but I do feel like I did the right thing for this little guy.

WW

Yes Weedwoman, you did the right thing for your Betta. I liked the Eclipse tanks but decided on the Nano Cube glass tanks because the acrylic can scratch even though you can buff minor scratches out. Also acrylic will color in age. But by that time you might want to expand your aquarium so enjoy your new hobby. Bettas are a lot of fun to watch.
Theresa

He need to be in 68f try that and see what he dose

Don't feed him to much they will eat when they are hugging

As for the bubbles you mentioned that was in his tank. That's a bubble nest males do that because they are happy and healthy. And activity looking for a female but DO NOT PUT ANOTHER BETA IN THERE WITH HIM UNLESS YOU ARE AN EXPERIENCED BREEDER. You are doing everything right with him man. KEEP HIM HAPPY... Contrary to popular belief he would be happier in a five gallon tank or bigger.