| Betta Care |
| Bettas are great fish that can be very easy to care for if you have the right information. Unfortunantly, most pet stores give you the wrong information when it comes to bettas. This is bad for you and very bad for the health of your betta. Below are some basic guide lines for caring for your betta, along with some information about how I take care of mine. |
| HOUSING |
| Many people are told that bettas can live in the small containers that you see them in at the pet store. That is true but it is not healthy for your betta. It can take up to a year or more for your bettas immune system to deteriorate and for him to show illness. A lot of people are led to believe that bettas in the wild live in small areas of water. This is not true. In the wild bettas live in rice paddies that are made up of millions of gallons of water. They may only have a small territory, but there is a lot of water. Therefore, as owners, I believe it is your responsibility to make sure your betta has the best environment possible. Containers Remember, males must be seperated and sometimes females won't get along either. I have 2 10 gallon divided tanks that house 4 fish each. I love them. A 3 gallon tank with a filter and heater or larger is best for your bettas. If that is not possible, jars or bowls can be used but I do not recommend using anything less then 1/2 gallon. I use a variety of jars and bowls but most are 1 gallon or more. The bigger, the better when it comes to bettas. They like room to move around and the larger the bowl or jar, the less cleaning for you to do. If you use a 1 gallon bowl, a 100% water change weekly is needed. For anything less than 1 gallon, water changes every 3-4 days are recommended. Water Bettas do well in a variety of water conditions as long as the water is kept clean. All I add to my water is aquarium salt, (1 tsp. for 2 1/2 gallons), Aquarisol, which helps prevent parasites, and water conditioner that removes chlorine, chloramines and hard minerals. This is very important because while chlorine will be neutralized in the water by letting it age for 24 hours, chloramine and minerals will not. These will slowly harm your bettas and eventually kill them. It is also important to make sure the water is the same temp when doing water changes. I usually have mine a couple of degrees warmer than the water already in their bowls. A water temperature of 76-80 degrees is best since bettas are tropical fish but if you can not heat them because they are in a bowl, it shouldn't be a problem, just put them in a warm part of the house and make sure that their temp doesn't drop below 65-70 degrees. You can also use a heating pad to heat your jar or bowl but you must watch it CAREFULLY to make sure the temp doesn't get too warm. A good thermometer is critical for this. It is also important to keep the temp as steady as possible. If it cools off a few degrees, it is nothing to worry about but large jumps in temperature will cause stress to your fish. If you do use a tank for your fish, 25% water changes weekly are recommended. This will help prevent algae and will also remove the waste from the bottom of the tank. I use a siphon made of airline tubing to remove waste from my tanks. This can also be used to remove waste from bowls in between cleanings. Decorations I do not put anything in the bottom of my tanks or bowls because I find that it is easier to clean with out them. If you do decide to use something, aquarium gravel or polished river rocks are best. If you use river rocks, make sure that no chemicals were used for polishing because they may seep into the water over time and harm your fish. Plastic or silk plants may be added for decoration also. You may use live plants but I wouldn't recommed it for bowls. I don't use live plants because I have never had them and caring for them on top of my fish seems like a little too much. If you have a tank, any aquarium decorations are fine to use. Just be sure that it doesn't have sharp edges that your betta can tear their fins on. Feeding It is important to feed your betta a variety of foods a couple times a day. Hikari Bio Gold pellets are a good choice along with frozen or freeze dried bloodworms and brine shrimp. Some bettas will not eat flake food, but some will so it is up to you if you try it or not. Live foods such as blackworms, adult brine shrimp, and many others are best for bettas but they are sometimes not available at pet stores and if you buy and raise your own, they also take care. |
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