I don't know why, but my parents got me both a female and a male Betta fish for Christmas and a new tank, and I never had these kinds of fish before. So I put them together after putting the tank together, and start reading. And I find out that the male and female will still fight each other, and I went to watch them because they hadn't showed signs, but right then and there he puffed out his face and charged at her. She seems fine, I have her back in the bowl she came with and she's swimming around a lot more then she was when I first received her. I never knew a fish could stress me out until that happened.

Anyways, any tips and advice you can offer would be super awesome. I didn't know they could live in unfiltered water, but apparently they can and that's why they live in tiny fish bowls at stores? Also, I have no idea what to name them, so got any name suggestions? They are both red.

I used to have a male betta and the thing I'll tell you is to make sure that you have some sort of cover on their habitat. They love to jump out!

Reddit (shockingly) has a really nice guide on betta care that covers what you need to know. Always make sure you change the water out and don't overfeed.

What a cool gift. c:

There's a lot of great information here.

That's really good to know, I do have a cover, and I had it mostly on just in-case my cat gets curious. Thanks for the link, that really was helpful. Did you ever try your fish out with other non-betta fish?

Thanks for your link. I'm sure I'll appreciate them more when I get used to how they are supposed to be taken care of.

You're welcome! I had a couple small ones I can't remember the name of. They were about tetra sized and white and he more or less left them alone.

I hope they work out for you! We had quite a few in a row at one point, and they were really cool fish to have. We didn't really know too much about them, but we managed pretty well, and they lived for quite a while all things considered.

We did have a bigger tank in our basement at one point as well, and we had a betta fish in with a bunch of other different types, and we had no issues with them getting along.

i used to had them. store bought bettas usually can live together if the tank is large and have hiding places and place for their bubbles. i mean large tank. otherwise it is best to keep them in separate tank. they are not social fish with each other or other fish. they will fight. often until one gave up and run out of territory, or to the death if the tank is small. male usually more aggressive and will attack both gender unless introduced properly for breeding. even after breeding, they had to be separated.

they are hardy and can live in unfiltered water but it is better to age/treat the water first overnight because tap water usually have chemicals not suitable for them. change water by 50% to 75% only at a time so they don't get shock. they can handle total water change, but it is nicer for them the proper way :) i usually siphon their poop and water using aquarium hose and add new water.

don't overfeed them. when i was a kid, i always overfed them with all sort of food. they got fat and lazy. barely move. even the color got dull.

when i was a kid, a rat spill ashes and drown in my betta tank overnight. surprisingly, the betta survive. they really are tough.

That's really awesome that you got a beta. My husband and I are going to get one as a late Christmas gift too. They are really tough fish, I accidentally covered the aquarium of mine to where he couldn't get any air for a couple of days, and he was fine.

I work in a pet store and the number of female Betas are four, if you want to keep them with the male. Betas aren't hard to keep. They are pretty hardy.

Just make sure you have the proper chemicals to keep fish, such as water conditioner.

they are wonderful fish! they're very intelligent and they actually have an amazing memory, facial recognition, and an ability to act on it! What I mean is, they know who you are, know the difference between you and every-one else in your house, and the difference between each and every person who interacts with them for that matter! They also have feelings on the matter! my beta use to give me the cold shoulder when I was gone on long trips. He would act sick whenever I was in the room and refuse to take food. I'd have to hide where he wouldn't notice me and let my mother feed him. It was ridiculous. ^^ I'm sure that might sound a little silly-- but if you ever do any extensive research on them you'll find it to be quite true! If you need help you're welcome to PM me ^^ The good news is that they're a very popular fish and there's a lot of great forums out there who are crazy about them and do a lot of research on them-- both professional and casual.

The most common mistakes are folks thinking that they don't need much space, improper water temperature, or harsh filtering. Five gallons is the absolute MINIMUM size considered to be healthy; larger is great if you can manage, but five is okay too. and as you've already noticed, males and females should never be kept together. ^^; males are usually less active than females both by disposition and due to the fact that they've got those gorgeous big fins. You should also be careful with your aquarium decor, because those big fins are very fragile and torn easily. :< but both males and female fish will appreciate some open space when they're wanting to zip about, as well as a comfy cave-like area where they can hide should the desire. The cave area is ESSENTIAL. they do indeed like to jump-- and can jump very high. my boy never did, but it's best to be safe than sorry. :< filters need to be done very carefully; the flow must be set on low, and you must ensure there is nor risk of the beta, especially his fins, getting sucked into the filter. the output should also be handled very carefully, because a strong current could distress him and tear his fins, make it hard fr him to reach the surface, etc. If you have a hard time getting the output to remain gentle, you can break it up with homemade buffers.

be mindful of your fingernails-- betas sometimes jump to get food, and may hurt their selves if they bump into your nail in the process. and in case you didn't know, betas breathe air by poking out of the water, so make sure they are able to do so! they can't get air while submerged the way most fish do. It doesn't hurt to take the lid off on occasion at times when you can keep an eye and allow some fresh air circulation.

also for the record, betas can learn tricks-- or on a less involved level, they love it when you change up their surroundings on occasion. I changed up the random items around the outside of his tank often and he really liked looking at the new stuff. some betas will also play with light floating toys like pingpong balls. It's up to you though! as long as you get their water temps, cleanliness, space, minimum furnishing needs, and feeding down.... they should be pretty content even if you don't decide to explore their intelligent side any further. ^^

Females can be housed together-- but if you ever decide to pursue this option, study thoroughly. They have a social order and needs to allow it to form healthily. If they don't form it, they may hurt one another.