| Betta Care |
| Bettas are one of the more easier fish to take care of. This is mostly due to the fact that they can be kept safely in a bowl, unlike most fish (NEVER keep goldfish in a bowl!). That is why bettas are excellent beginner fish :) |
| The most important thing to remember when picking your betta's new home is that bettas should always be kept ALONE. That reason that they are called siamese fighting fish is because they are highly agressive and will fight to the death! It is possible to keep females together in large groups, but this should only be done by someone who is a very experienced fish keeper. Don't worry about the fish getting lonely, they love to interact with humans. At my house we do "fish races". I'll wiggle my hand at one end of the tank and all the fish will gather around. Then I quickly move my hand across the tank and they all follow and race eachother :) If you have another tank you can put you betta next to it so it can look at the other fish. If you have more than one betta you can put their bowls next to each other so then can see eachother. Avoid doing this often, because bettas will "flare" at other bettas. This is a sign of agression and signals the start of a fight. Bettas can tear their fins by flaring, so it is best not to let them do this often. When picking a bowl to house your betta remember, bigger is better. This doesn't mean you have to buy a 10 gallon aquarium, although you would have better water quality. Atleast one quart of water (about the size of a mason jar) is acceptable. A one or two gallon bowl would be better, though. Bigger rocks like marbles are better because they leave less room for harmful bacteria to grow. You can also see through them, unlike gravel, so it's easier to know when it's time to change the water. Silk plants are best, but plastic ones work also. You can use live plants, but I think they're too much trouble. Once then rot they contaminate the water, and when there is no light they can actually take up oxygen. I stick with plastic and silk. |
| Housing |
| Care |
| The most important thing besides feeding you fish, is to make sure the water quality is good. I heard from one expert that about 99% of fish fatalities result from poor water quality :( The best way to insure good water quality is through water changes. The less the amount of water the more frequent your water changes should be. For a one quart container, you should do full water changes every 3 days. For one gallon+ containers do 100% water changes once a week or a 50% water change twice a week. Having a turkey baster to pick up waste that gets in rocks is good also. Make sure you NEVER USE SOAP it will kill your fish! A paper towel and a good rinse will suffice :) When you do water changes, make sure the new water has no chlorine. CHLORINE WILL KILL YOUR FISH!!! You have a few options on what kind of water to use. If you rent and get free water :) then you would probably want to use tap water. Since tap water contains chlorine you can either let it sit out in a bucket for a day, or you can buy a chlorine remover. Chlorive removers are available at your locan pet store. You can also but bottled water. You should not use distilled water, though, because it does not contain certain minerals fish need. Natural spring water is best. You also need to make sure your water is the correct temperature and PH. Bettas need a temperature between 75F and 80F. Once you get below 65F and 90F your betta is in trouble! Do Not use a heater if your tank is less than 5 gallons. If you do you'll cook your fish!!! You can buy a stick on temp. reader for a couple bucks at a local petstore. When changing the water, make sure the new water is the same temp. as the old water. You can use your finger to test it. The PH level must also be consistent. Buying a PH test kit is also a good idea (again- it's at the local pet store). Bettas need a PH between 6.5 and 7.5. You should also use some of the old water with the new (so it's not actually 100%, more like 95-99%). Just make sure that your betta isn't exposed to drastic water changes, and he/she will do fine :)) |
| Food |
| Bettas are carnivorous in nature, in other words, meat eaters. One of the cruelest things you can do to a betta is to put them in one of those "betta vases" and expect them to eat the plant :((( One of my friends took in a betta that had been in one of those vases, and when she fed it some real betta food it munched like no other!!! Bettas will only eat plants if they are STARVING, so if you know anyone who lets their bettas eat mostly plants please let them know how they are hurting their fish. Bettas should be fed 1-3 times a day. More for younger ones and less for older ones. Only feed your betta what they will eat in a couple minutes. Overfeeding caused water pollution, which causes poor water quality, which causes, yep, a fishie's death :((( So, make sure you don't overfeed. Bettas are very picky about what they eat, so it is best to start out with several different foods. If a betta has been fed shrimp for a year it probably won't eat pellets. If you do feed your fish live food NEVER get it from the wild. Animals from the wild have the risk of carrying infections and diseases. Like brine shrimp are good for a treat, and mosquito larve is a true betta food (hard to find, though. Only use pellets and flakes made for bettas, and soak them in dechlorinated water first. Freeze dried shrimp and bloodworms are tasty foods your betta will love :) |
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