Buying a Betta

I have decided that I am going to buy a Betta.

A Betta is one of those fish that people like to call "fighting fish". They can often be found in little cups at the pet store, which I think is cruel. They are kept seperate from each other because they will literally tear each other apart.

The fish themselves are cheap. A Betta will normally run about 3 - 4 bucks. They are usually red, blue, or purple. There are some more out there with some gorgeous coloring, and are sold in pairs, but cost anywhere from $40 - $150! I am not against spending that much on a fish(saltwater), but I would only spend that much on a Betta if I was considering breeding them.

I want to put the Betta in a container that will give him about 1 gallon of water to swim in. I will need to have some sort of cover since a Betta will jump. Now, a Betta can live a lot longer than most other fish out of the water, but at my apartment, it would not last long at all. The reason's name is Laney, and she is the cat that I have mentioned in previous posts.

I hate the look of marbles at the bottom of a Betta bowl/container/tank/etc, so I may look at using plain gravel. I do want to put a plant in it to help keep the water clean. A lot of people are putting bamboo stalks in the water, which looks pretty cool.

As for companions, well, probably not, at least in the type of setup I am planning. If I got myself a setup that was a little larger and filtered, I would probably consider an African Dwarf frog, some Whiteclouds, and maybe a very small catfish.

This will hold over until I setup a nice small saltwater tank which I can't afford to do right now.