All fighters need heat. I have had mine die in the winter cause I didnt do my research and kept it without a heater. They arent that expensive so definately get one. Also just because they can live in dirtier water doesnt mean that its particularly good for them so go out and get a little filter unit. They dont usually fight any other fish except thier own species but i would have its own tank just in case. I have kept mine in community tanks before with no issues at all. Dont get any of the ammo lock or anything else the pet shop tries to sell u. Just dechlorinator but check on the bottle and make sure it takes out chlorine and chloramines. When you first put the fish in the tank do pretty regular water changes cause the filter will be growing the bacteria it needs and there will be a build up of toxic waste that you will need to keep down. If your fish's fins start looking raggy it usually means too much ammonia and time for more frequent water changes. Go for like 50% of the water at least once a week and see how that goes. Only ever wash the filter and the filter media in tank water cause the chlorine in the tap water will kill all the good bacteria u need to grow. And dont wash your substrate or decorations for at least a month cause the bacteria will grow on/in them too.
They get alot more interesting if you make thier environment more interesting cause lets face it, if ur kept in an ornamental vase with rocks on the bottom and not much else how are you going to spend your days? Id be depressed on the bottom of my tank too. My fighters play in the current from thier filter and I taught one of them to jump out of the water to get the food out of my fingers. Ohh, and get Betta Balls for food not tropical flakes. They are more carnivorous than your average tropical. They are also very intelligent, very pretty and have big personalities. If you need any more info, I wont ramble more but pm me and ill tell u. Been keeping these things for years.
