i want to buy a betta for a friend

Question
hi! i would like to ask if what would be the things to check if im going to buy a betta? how would i know if it's japanese or siamese or anything else? i want to give a betta to my friend on his birthday 'cause he really wants to have a betta. and what are the ways to take care of it? im planning to buy 3. what do they eat? please answer my question, im planning to buy next week. ;) thanks in advance.

Answer
Hello Ash-

If you plan on getting 3 bettas, you're going to need either three tanks or one tank divided three ways. You'll also need heaters, as bettas do best at temperatures near 80 F. Filters are optional, but you MUST BUY a water conditioner to treat your tap water. You can buy specialized betta food, and three or four pellets twice a day per fish should be fine. If you're keeping bettas in small tanks, change 50% of the water at the end of each week.

Most bettas nowadays are from the US or Thailand.

Here's a great site for betta care, if you need more info:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1918&articleid=2340

Hope this is useful.
-Amber Worman