Bettas?

Question
Hey!
I was reading through a few of Amber Worman (another expert on fish) 's questions/answers and she said you could pick up the betta with your hand!
Can you really do that? If your hands are clean? LIke... can it bite you? Would it hurt?

Also, I'm buying a few bettas today (3 tops) andd.. I already have one.. and I was wondering is it ok if my water hasn't been aged for exactly 24 hours? It's only beeen like 5.. and it'll probably be another 5 or so until I bring them home...
Should I leave some of their old water in with them?
I'm sharing a tank with two of them (I already have one, he's alone on his side) would it stress out or make my current betta sick to add a bit of the other betta's old water?

OH YEAH!
Should I be keeping two in the same tank, with a divider ? Does even BEING in the same tank (its only 3.5 liters) frustrate two male bettas?
If so, then why do they make stupid tanks that small meant for two? (I've seen even smaller, like 3 cups of water, and a divier, for TWO males)

Thanks, Candace. =]

Answer
Hi Candace,
 You can pick up most fish in your hand provided your hands are clean, wet and don't have any soap (or soap residue) on them.   A betta will not bite and even if it did, it couldn't hurt you.

 When moving fish, putting a bit of the old water in the new tank is generally a good idea.   

 Be CAREFUL when putting bettas together.  Never put two males together in a small tank (e.g., anything less than about 50 gallons) or they will fight and one will likely end up dead.  

 I do not recommend keeping even a single betta in less than a couple of gallons of water, e.g., 10 litres or so.  
People can and do keep them in less water, but I do not recommend it.  Just because a fish can survive in a tiny space, does not mean that such a small space is good for it,
particularly in the long term.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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