They have to be kept alone. They fight & kill other fish as well as their own kind. if you put them in a glass vase with a water plant, they will be happy. The plant will provide sufficient oxygen in the water. Just make sure that it is not kept in a dark room or away from people. they still need attention too.

I was going to get a beautiful male betta (pronounced bet-uh not bay-tuh) recently but declined and here's why: If you go to any given pet store you will see betta fish in tiny tiny bowls or tanks. Because of this people, including myself think that bettas should be out in tiny containers. Because of this, many companies make adorable tiny tiny betta tanks (found out that companies that make pet items don't always care about the well-being of the actual pet). The truth is that these tiny bowls are the only way a pet store can keep the territorial beta fish isolated without having to use 50 separate tanks. I wanted one because I have a small apartment and wanted a low-maintenance pet. I went online to see if these creatures can really thrive in small tanks. The truth is, they can't. If put in a cramped tank they die early and develop problems. Bettas are just as much work as other fish. Their tank should be at least 2 gallons, filtered and temperature corrected. It is really easy to overfeed them as well and they don't do well with being left at home for more than a week or so. Look online. There are many beautiful breeds of betta. The males are more colorful than females. They come in many striking colors and different tail shapes. There are betta care books available as well which can help you. Bummer, I'll have to wait until I can afford to take care of one properly.