Ask anyone into betta fish care and theyll tell you that these tiny warriors may just be the perfect pet.
They dont bark, scratch or shed mounds of hair.
They are small. They are low maintenance. Youll never have to take them for a walk.
Even better these diminutive showboats pack a totally macho attitude into a glittering package. A package that comes adorned with long flowing fins in a vast array of brilliant colors. Thats right. Betta fish come in just about any color imaginable. And some you may never have thought were possible. Thats because breeders are doing a bang up job extending the range of colors of these fish from their natural muddy gray.
For example this video of iridescent best of show betta beauties is but a sample of the colors they are capable of. Its a display no true betta lover can resist. Seems each successive fish is more resplendent than the last. My favorite is the flaring velvet red male who makes an appearance towards the end.
FYI you clearly wont find spellbinding bettas like those hanging out in some tiny bowel at Walmart. But you can get an idea of the array of colors that are possible. Which was your favorite?
Socially Challenged At Least When It Comes to Other Bettas
Now as you know bettas can certainly use help in the social skills department. The mere glimpse of another male, or just their own reflection in a mirror, unleashes a surge of territorial testosterone. So for sure they can cop an attitude faster than you can blink.
At that point they brazenly pump themselves up to look all big and bad. Typically their bad guy swagger includes extending their fins and flaring their gills to best bully their perceived rival to back off. Or if this visual spectacle fails to impress they jump into the fray to physically convince the other of their superiority. To the death if need be.
So no shrinking violets these. Which could be why in part you too have become a betta lover. And why you may want to learn all you can about betta fish care to insure their well- being.
To be sure there are some things you need to know about caring for bettas before you rush out to the nearest Petco or start to develop a short list of quirky betta fish names.
What elements of betta fish care do you need to pay attention to avoid dealing with betta fish diseases?
What goes into a proper betta fish tank setup?
What can one do to maximize the life span of your fish?
Betta Fish Care in a Snapshot
Well, heres what were going to briefly cover then.
- Tank Selection A Place to Call Home
- Watching Water Quality
- Maintaining Tropical Water Temps
- Water Changes Important or Not?
- To Filter or Not, That Is The Question
- Plants, Gravel and Caves and Such
- Acclimating the Betta Fish
- Feeding Betta Fish
Lets get into this overview of betta fish care starting with
Tank Selection A Place to Call Home
Sure a betta might be able to survive in a tiny pint sized bowel. Problem is they wont thrive. They wont look their best. And such depressing digs are sure to repress their otherwise winning personalities as they live out their likely short, miserable existence. Leaving them to ask, Is that all there is?
No, most would agree that the ideal betta fish setup would be something all glass in the be 2.5 gallons or larger category. Because the rule of thumb you want to follow is simple: bigger is better.
Sure you might be able to get away with a one gallon sized tank. Just dont expect your betta to last all that long in that tiny watery realm either. But you can expect to be spending more time than you like doing frequent water changes.
So if you want to keep both you and your betta happy and healthy the best advice would be to house your charge in a 5-10 gallon tank. A real aquarium. Complete with silk or live plants and even a bit of filtration.
Also, keep in mind that some betta fish seem to have a death wish in that they love to jump. As in out of the tank. So make sure to cover the tank in some way so you wont find them dead on the carpet some morning instead of racing back and forth across the front of their tank greeting you.
Extra tip: You dont want a tightly fitting cover exactly. Because they need air to breathe. Bettas have labyrinth organs that allow them to breathe atmospheric oxygen just like you do. Now I bet you cant contain the excitement knowing that. NOT! But it still is a reason to allow them some air.
Water Quality
While (tank) size matters for bettas, so does the kind of water you give them. Tap water is okay for the most part. Butit should first be treated with water conditioner and dechlorinator to remove anything they would find to be remotely toxic.
Oh and distilled water, even though considered to be pure water, is a lousy choice. For one it is devoid of essential trace minerals bettas require. Not to mention distilled water often has low oxygen content. Those two reasons alone make it bad water for your betta tank.
Extra tip: If you choose not to use a dechlorinator be sure to let tap water sit for at least 24 hours. This allows the chlorine, as well as any dissolved nitrogen, to evaporate out. Both of which can be lethal to the fish.
Also bettas are what you might call soft water fish. That would mean that ideally you want water that is neutral to just a bit on the acidic side.
Maintaining Tropical Water Temps
The ideal water temperature for your betta fish tank should be 76-82 degrees Fahrenheit. To attain that installing a heater is recommended. It will also keep the temp more or less steady which your fish will appreciate too. Otherwise fluctuating temperatures (especially at night or a tank placed in an air-conditioned room) can cause bettas to be more prone to infections and other assorted betta fish diseases.
For 2.5-gallon tanks or larger: Secure a submersible tank heater that comes with a thermostat and an adjustable temperature setting to insure you get a stable temp. Consider using a 25 watt heater for a tank less than 5 gallons and a 50 watter for 10-gallon tanks.
A Must: Use a submersible thermometer in monitoring the waters temperature.
Water Changes Important or Not?
If you dont have a filter to remove the crap that builds up in the water youll need to be religious about changing water. You want to keep nitrates low. And your tank maintenance should include washing down any ornaments youve got too.
The smaller the tank the more often you need to schedule water changes. Which again is why most find bigger to be better. In the case of bigger tanks if you are diligent about checking the water chemistry, to verify youve got ZERO ppm ammonia and nitrites and nitrates under 10 ppm you can monitor water quality that way.
To Filter or Not, That Is The Question
There is an ongoing debate as to whether the responsible thing to do is to filter betta fish tanks.
Some would tell you bettas dont live in moving water in the wild. So adding any current is going to be stressful for your fish. Which in the end can wear down their immune system.
There is probably some truth to this. Fish with heavy finnage like halfmoons or super deltas may experience more than a healthy amount of stress from too much water movement. So care should be taken when filter shopping to find one that produces a mild amount of water agitation when returning the filtered water back into the tank. Or you can place your silk plants in such a way to slow down the return current too.
Dont obsess about this. Basically there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to filtration. It more or less comes down to how you want to approach betta fish care. The big idea is simple enough. Regardless of how you do it, if you maintain stable, high water quality your fish will enjoy a long life.
Of Plants, Gravel and Caves and Such
It can be fun to decorate your tank with gravel, plants, and caves. Not only do these create a more natural habitat for your bettas, but also they make for perfect hiding spots for them during moments of shyness.
Besides bettas are naturally curious and love to explore. Just be sure to check ornaments for sharp or jagged edges that may accidentally slice into your bettas delicate fins and tails.
This is also why silk plants are recommended over plastic plants. Best of all would be live plants since they also help regulate the temperature.
Finally if this is new gravel be sure to rinse it until all the dust is out of it. Aquarium gems can also be used. Either the natural kind or plastic.
Acclimating Your Betta Fish
Now youre ready to add your newly purchased betta fish to its new home. But as you know you cant simply dump your fish in and wish them well. So what comes next is important. If youve been sleep walking through what came before by all means WAKE UP and pay attention now. As transferring any betta directly from the store cup to their tank can be very stressful. Your fish will be (much) better off if you follow this this simple step-by-step approach to acclimating them.
- Step 1: Let the travel container (store cup or bag) float in the tank water for like maybe 15 or 20 minutes or so. This will give the water in the bag a chance to slowly come up to the temp of the water in the tank.
- Step 2: Next open the bag and add a few tablespoons of tank water to it. For the next hour repeat this every 5-10 minutes. By doing so you are gradually starting to get the fish used to the water in its new home.
- Step 3: Gently scoop out the fish and release them into the tank. You really want to avoid dumping too much of the water in the bag into the into tank because its safe to assume the water theyve been in is pretty disgusting. And you dont want to be pouring any of that nastiness into your carefully primed set up.
- Step 4: Dispose of the water in the bag.
- Step 5: Give your fish a chance to settle in. Explore. Dont be alarmed if it chooses to hide out for a bit as it takes in its new surroundings.
Okay. Now that youve got everything set up and introduced your fish the last element of betta fish care involves feeding time.
Feeding Betta Fish
First remember that bettas are carnivores or primarily meat eaters. Some can be rather finicky eaters at times. The key is to keep your pets diet as varied as possible to avoid boredom. Because think about it. Youd become bored with the same ole same ole pellet every day too.
Besides no one food contains all the nutrients they need. Only a varied diet can provide complete nutrition for your betta. Nutrition they need to live a long healthy life.
Also remember that a common mistake betta keepers make is to overfeed or to kill them with kindness literally. All sorts of bad things can result from that from constipation, to swim bladder problems not to mention what all that eating can do to their water quality. When you look into their eye you are looking at the size of their stomach. Small isnt it?
Okay so what should your bettas diet consist of ideally then? Ideally you want to include a mix of live and frozen foods and betta pellets on the menu.
Live foods are jam-packed with nutrients and closely resemble the typical betta diet in the wild. Plus they feed into your pets killer instinct. You might be able to get your hands on live brine shrimp, blood worms, even wingless fruit flies. The problem here is availability and whether or not you can easily pick them up at your local pet store.
Frozen foods have a longer shelf life, are easier to come by, and more convenient. In the frozen food section of your local pet store you are apt to find packets of frozen brine shrimp, daphnia, bloodworms and the like. If youre lucky you can get a frozen food thats like a variety pack and contains different larvae, worms and such. Just be sure to first thaw out the small amount you are going to present as a feast to your hungry fish.
Pellets make good snacks for bettas. But be sure you get a good quality betta fish pellet and not tropical fish pellets. Although bettas are technically tropical fish ordinary fish pellets wont be able to meet your bettas nutritional demands.
Then how much should you feed your betta fish. Just remember this. Bettas always want you to think theyre dying of starvation. Dont be fooled by this charade. They can go days without eating. In fact its actually a good idea to fast your betta once a week following that occasionally with a tiny hunk of a frozen pea as fiber to prevent constipation.
So thats the highlights of caring for betta fish. Sure this could all be overwhelming for you the first time. But once you get used to the routine of betta fish care, everything should come easy for you. Besides one look at this courting pair will have you dreaming of a new betta.
Dont forget you can find even more help by browsing this site. Youll see that we cover how to take care of your betta fish in much more detail.
In any case, its easy to see why these little jewels are so popular. You might sum up their popularity in three words: dazzling flowing fins. They are just mesmerizing as they patrol their watery realm. So even though they would rather live alone they can fill a tank with their beauty. Pay the slightest bit of attention to this short betta fish care list of tasks and dont be surprised if your betta fish occupy their tank for years to come.
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Ask anyone into betta fish care and theyll tell you that these tiny warriors may just be the perfect pet. They dont bark, scratch or shed mounds of hair.
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