Caring for Betta Fish

A reprint of an article on caring for betta fish from wikiHow. There's some excellent information on betta fish tanks, betta health, and how to choose a new betta.

How to Take Care of a Betta Fish from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Betta splendens, also known as "bettas" and "Siamese fighting fish", are popular pets recognized for their friendliness, interactiveness, and relatively low cost for maintenance and care. Betta fish can prove to be man's best friend for up to four years. By following these simple steps you can help to ensure that your new friend has a happy and healthy stay with you.

Steps

1. Prepare your betta's home. Here are some points to consider:
   1. Choose a home. In the wild, bettas inhabit Thai rice paddies. Hence, they are fitted to living in relatively shallow but spacious environments. However, you should still consider giving your betta a decent sized tank to help prolong its life, since waste can build up very quickly. Naturally, more water is better, but a 5 gallon tank is an acceptable size for your betta fish. If you wish to keep your betta with other fish or aquatic animals, then you will need a tank of at least ten gallons.
      • If you choose a larger tank you will enhance its quality of life.
   2. Decorate your betta's home. One of the betta's distinct features is its ability to breathe oxygen in both the air and the water, so you will not need to supply aeration. You might decorate your betta's home with gravel/colored stones, silk plants, and a small cave-like structure to hide in. A creative home is a happy home! Remember to add a gentle filter and small heater.
      • Do not use jagged rocks or decorations for your tank, as they tear your betta's fins.
      • Be wary when buying hard plastic plants, as they can be rough on your betta's fins. A good trick is to use the 'pantyhose test': If a plastic plant will snag a pair of pantyhose when rubbed against it, then it will damage your betta's fins. Be safe and buy silk plants instead.
      • While live plants aren't necessary, they are a great addition to a betta tank. Their appearance is better than the plastic or silk ones, and bettas love to lounge on leaves and to have a hiding place in which to sleep.
2. Prepare the water. If you use water fresh from the tap, use a water conditioner before you put it in the tank, as the chlorine and chloramines can harm your betta. Older sources may suggest aging the water, letting it stand for a period of time. It is best to use a water conditioner, since aging water will remove chlorine but not chloramine and heavy metals.
3. Fill your tank. If your tank does not have a top cover, then fill it about 80% high. Bettas are very active fish and can jump over three inches when motivated, so this will ensure that it does not jump out of the tank.
   • If your tank does not have a top cover, you can a mesh cloth over the top to ensure that it does not jump out. It will be much happier if it has access to lots of air as it does breathe at the surface along with in the water.
4. Test the water temperature. Be sure that your tank is maintained at a constant temperature of 78-82 degrees. Purchasing a small heater is a good idea, since the temperature of the water is likely to be much cooler than room temperature and can fluctuate easily.
5. Cycle your tank. This step is important to the health of your fish.
6. Purchase your betta. There are some considerations for choosing your betta.
   1. Visit your local pet store or the vet. You should have a general understanding of what to look for before purchasing your betta.
   2. Observe the available bettas. There are a few qualities that you should look for when choosing a betta fish:
      • Color. Is the betta bright and vivid in color, or does it appear very dull and pale? Bettas come in a variety of colors, so don't be surprised by the choices available. Blues and reds (dark colors in general) are the most common.
      • Receptiveness. Does the betta respond to your movement at all? Does it appear to swim around rapidly at the sight of you, or does it merely sit at the bottom and sulk? You shouldn't repeatedly tap on the container, as you will only agitate the fish, but you should find a way to see if it pays attention to you. On the other hand, don't be afraid to buy a somewhat docile betta. Bettas will generally have many encounters with other people during the day, and may simply be taking a brief rest.
      • Overall health. Are its fins in good condition, or are they torn or otherwise damaged? Are the betta's eyes in good shape? Do you see any odd lumps (parasites) on its body? If you see anything highly out of the ordinary, you may want to consider another betta.
      • The right one. Sometimes, the fish will choose you, not the other way around. If there is one betta that you look at, set down, move on from, but are drawn back to repeatedly, it is probably the right fish for you. Even if it is not completely healthy, you should buy the fish you feel a connection to, rather than the healthiest one there. The betta will likely heal up once he is out of the tiny cup and in warm, clean water.
7. Add your betta. Float the bag with the betta inside it as you purchased it in the tank water for 5 minutes. This allows for the temperature to adjust. Then pour some of the aquarium's water into the bag every 5 minutes. Finally, with a net, put the betta fish in his new home. Don't pour the pet store's water into the tank, as it could contaminate your water. Be careful not to damage your betta's fins when using a net. Be gentle!
8. Feed your betta. Your betta's diet should consist primarily of pellets. For special occasions feed frozen or freeze dried brine shrimp or blood worms
   • Be sure to clean up any extra food that your betta does not eat. Similarly, be sure to watch your betta fish to see if he spits up any food.
   • A diet high in protein yet varied is important. Flakes, live food, freeze dried, pellets, whatever works best for you, but keep it varied. If you don't keep your fish's diet varied, it may become constipated. Constipation in a betta resembles swim bladder disease in which they are unable to maintain their balance. All is not lost. Feed him a bit of a cooked, peeled pea, then no food for a day or two he will be fine.
   • Though live food may be more exciting to watch, freeze dried products still work great. They are also safer and free from potential parasites.
   • Don't overfeed your betta, no matter how hungry or cute he or she seems! Your betta's stomach is about the size of its eyeball, so keep that in mind.
9. Be sure to clean your betta's tank at least once a week, depending on the size of the tank.
   1. Do not remove your betta from the tank.
   2. Clean the tank. Clear up any buildups on the side(s).
   3. Replace some of the water. Don't change all of the water at once, as the abrupt shift in the environment can harm your betta. You should only change about 25%-50% of the water in the tank at a time. For the other portion, use clean water of about 78ºF. Be wary of shifting the water temperature too drastically when you reintroduce your betta to the tank, as it may affect your betta. Don't forget to add your water conditioner.
      • You should do at least 20-30% water change once a week.

Tips

• 'Bettas' are members of the Anabantoid family (gouramis are in this family) and have a back-up breathing system that allows them to breathe surface air. However, they still require a filtration system in their tanks. Bear in mind the long-finned varieties do best with as little current as possible.
• Bettas recognize their owners and will actually learn faces and games. Keep your betta company and say "hi" once in a while, so he learns who you are! Bettas can and do recognize people (mainly because they associate you with feeding time).
• Female bettas are typically smaller and without the beautiful finnage that males possess. However, they can still be equally as beautiful in their own way—and feisty!
• If your betta gets sick, treat it with a proper medication whether it be an antibiotic, antifungal or an antiparasitic. You can purchase these at your local pet store.
• You can use a clean turkey baster to suck up any pellets that fall to the bottom of the tank. This helps to keep your tank relatively clean.

Warnings

• If you are starting a new tank, be sure to learn about the Nitrogen Cycle(also called the biological cycle) before adding your betta. If you introduce your fish before the tank is cycled, it could die from ammonia or nitrite poisoning.
• Male bettas cannot live with other male bettas. They are named Siamese Fighting Fish for a reason! In an aquarium setting, they will fight to the death in order to protect their living space, regardless of the size of the tank. If your tank does not have a partition, do not risk losing one or both of your bettas by allowing them to live together.
• If you have a relatively large tank, you might consider having another fish to coexist with your betta. Although some bettas will tolerate tankmates, it is better to leave the fish with its own space. Avoid purchasing another fish that has brightly colored fins (such as fancy guppies), where your betta might mistake it for another betta. Also avoid other aggressive fish or fin-nippers such as barbs. Some tetras and most rasboras will work. Bottom feeders such as corys (corydoras) and ottos (otocinclus) are also good choices. Read fish forums online for suggestions.
• Female bettas will fight males and vice versa. Don't put them in together. Read up on breeding them if you think you want to try it, but remember that breeding bettas is a huge commitment, and not something to be taken lightly.
• Bettas are sensitive to changes in temperature. In general a change in 2 to 3 degrees can lower its immune system, thus the need for a heater in your tank.
• Do not used distilled water. Distilled water is actually water with all other minerals and nutrients removed. Bettas do not naturally live in distilled water and forcing them to do so can be harmful to their health.
• Keep females either singly or in groups of at least three to lessen aggression. The tank must be at least 15 gallons and have several hiding spots if keeping multiple females. All females must be added at the same time. Don't place only two female bettas in your tank. They establish a "pecking order" and having only two female fish means that the less dominant one gets picked on exclusively.
• No matter what the pet store staff or anybody else may say, don't put your betta in a tiny bowl, vase, or cup! Pet stores usually do this because they don't have enough money or space to keep thirty or so 5 gallon tanks for a single fish. Place it in at least a 5 gallon aquarium or larger if it will share the tank with other fish. Your fish will enjoy having room to move around and it will get more exercise. You will also enjoy watching it more if it can move around and play a bit.

Things You'll Need

• Tank (5-10+ gallons recommended)
• Filter
• Heater
• Water conditioner (chlorine/chloramine remover)
• Fish net
• Betta fish food (high in protein)
• Smooth stones or gravel to cover the bottom.
• Some ornament to decorate your tank, doubling as structure for your betta to rest upon. Dragging fins make your betta prone to bacteria on the floor of the tank which can lead to fin rot.

Related wikiHows

• How to Set Up a Betta Tank
• How to Clean a Fish Tank
• How to Purchase a New Aquarium
• How to Treat Tropical Fish With White Spot Disease (ich)
• How to Name a Fish

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For more information on caring for your betta take look at Caring for Betta Fish by Marcus Song.

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