How long do bettas live?

[Tesla_HV]

One hot summer day, I went to pick up my boy from "Science Camp". He said "Look at what they gave me." It was a small male betta in a plastic bag so cloudy you could hardly see it. I rushed over to the nearest pet store and got it a one-gallon aquarium. That was over three years ago. Lately "Piney" has been looking a bit peaked. His colors have faded to a dull grey and his body is getting fatter than normal. I figure that he is just getting old old. Is three and a half years a long life for a betta?

 

[is300zx]

I think around 3 years is the normal life span for bettas.

 

[Red Tailed Wonder]

I wouldnt expect them to live more than 3-4 years.

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[bettagurl]

I have had bettas live five years in ten galllon tanks,they just love big tanks.

 

[TKOS]

The symptons sound similar to when my bettas have passed. They get listles, dull in colour, hang out on the bottom with an occasional swim up for air and maybe some food. Later food is uninteresting for them.

The problem is the source of the betta and how old it was before you got it. Chances are it is closer to 4 years old now and while they can live longer I doubt the strength of much of the stock out there unless you are buying from a reputable breeder.

 

[icecubez189]

thats a pretty old betta, who knows how old it was when you got it yourself (they usually aren't more than a year old) but they can live between 3-4, and 5 or more if you take extra good care of it.

bettas in science labs and such have been recorded to live almost 9 years, they can plenty of room to swim and exercise and probably got top treatment. its quite rare nowadays though.

 

[webcricket]

Shortly before my last betta died, he got very pale. He did eat right up until the day before he passed. He was probably around 4 (depends how old he was from the pet store). Generally 3 to 5 is a good lifespan estimate on them.