Betta Fish Care

Betta Fish Care

The following tips will help you raise happy and healthy Betta Fish. Having saved them from those horrid plastic cups you originally found them in you now need to give them a proper home.

Betta Fish are some of the most beautiful fish on the planet and they will catch the eye of your guests. With their long flowing fins and vibrant colors, it’s easy to see why the Betta Splendens or Siamese Fighting Fish are a favorite fish for fresh water aquariums. It won't take long to realize that Bettas have a personality of their own. As long as they are happy and healthy, you'll be entertained no end by their waving tails and the little water ballets they perform. They can be awfully cute as fish go.

Tip #1: Your Betta's Tank

Betta fish are equipped with a tipped up mouth and as such, they are able to get air from the surface of the water. This enables them to live in small bowls or those plant vases that are so popular today. Unfortunately, as cool as you may think this is, if you want to keep your Betta fish healthy and long lived this method of keeping Bettas is not recommended.

(It was about the time that I was flushing my 4 year old daughter's third Betta down the toilet {Nemo #3-go figure} that I realized that maybe plant vases weren't the best idea.)

Betta Splenden originate from Thailand, Cambodia, and certain
parts of Vietnam. In the Betta Splenden's natural habitat, the
temperature is usually pretty consistent.

The ideal environment for a Betta fish, is an aquarium tank of 5 gallons or more with proper filtration and heating. The Betta fish live naturally in very shallow water that has little movement. As a tropical fish, it likes the water temperature somewhere in the high 70’s. Your best result is to keep the water heated to 78 degrees and use a filtration system that does not create strong water movement.

The temperature of your Betta Splenden's tank is extremely
important for their health and well-being.

If the temperature drops below 78 F, your Betta's growth will be stunted and they become prone to disease or worse they can die from chronic stress. Constant temperature fluctuations will stress out your Betta.

Tip #2: Quality of Water

To keep your Betta fish happy and healthy, periodic water changes must be done and the replacement water must be properly conditioned. By keeping your tank clean, your Betta's immune system improves and receives essential body salts. Cleaning also rids your fish tank of harmful wastes.

see Betta Fish Tank Cleaning Proceedures.

A good filtration system and the size of your tank are key to
your Betta's health and happiness.

Filtration takes waste, toxins, uneaten food, and sometimes bacteria out of the water, giving your Betta fish a better, healthier environment to live in. You have many choices on filtration systems, but even a basic system will save you time and frustration in changing the water.

see Betta Fish Filtration Systems.

Remember the more often you change your water, the more you'll stress out your Betta fish. The easiest way to avoid changing your Betta's water and still keep the water clean is to;

1)Get a good filtration system.

2)Get a bigger tank.

The bigger your tank, the longer it takes before your water gets contaminated. Hence the longer it takes before you have to change the water in your tank.
An important aspect in keeping any fish is to make sure you do not overload the tank. As a general rule of thumb, 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. If you have a 20 gallon tank, you can safely house 20 inches of fish.

The less fish - the better.

Tip #3: Betta Fish Love to Jump!

Unless the walls of your fish tank are high you will have to place something on top of your aquarium or your Betta fish are likely to jump out.

Tip #4: Betta Fish Diet

Betta Fish should eat mostly meats. Frozen crayfish
eggs, beef heart, baby and decapsulated brine shrimps, as well
as bloodworms/brine shrimps are all great choices. Small amounts of lettuce or spinach can be mixed in for fiber.

Avoid overfeeding your Betta Fish.

see Betta Fish Diet.

Tip #5: Betta Fish Are Fighters!

Putting two male Bettas in one tank is a huge no-no! (see Note 1) Two males will almost always break out into a vicious fight. Female Bettas put in the same tank are also known to fight each other so you might want to avoid this as well. Yes males will fight with females too.

If you're trying to breed Betta Fish then the female Betta should be introduced to the male Betta in such a way as to avoid physical contact.

This can be done by placing a female Betta inside a tall jar and then placing this jar inside the male Betta Fish's tank. By doing so, you'll introduce the two Betta Fish to each another without fear of them tearing each other apart.

see Breeding Betta Fish.

The use of plastic boxes that hang inside the aquarium are a suitable option for keeping more than one male Betta in a tank, or for keeping them in a tank with fish that might nip their fins.

If you need more info on Betta fish care I would recommend this wonderful blog full of tips and advice on caring for your Betta fish;

Caring For Betta Fish Articles and tips about caring for your betta fish

Betta Fish Care

Welcome to my Betta fish care blog. Here you will learn
about Betta fish care and tips on how to raise healthy
and happy Betta fish.