Taking Care of Betta Fish

Everyone from college students living in the dorms to children learning how take care of their first pet. Aquarists from the beginner to experienced enjoy these dynamic and beautiful fish. Although they can survive in a wide range of conditions, if you want your Betta to live a long, health and happy life you will need to educate yourself. Here are some things to keep in mind when caring for your Betta fish.

Bettas, also known as Siamese fighting fish, are a favorite fish pet because they are hardy and their housing can be relatively inexpensive. Everyone from college students living in the dorms to children learning how take care of their first pet. Aquarists from the beginner to experienced enjoy these dynamic and beautiful fish. Although they can survive in a wide range of conditions, if you want your Betta to live a long, health and happy life you will need to educate yourself. Here are some things to keep in mind when caring for your Betta fish.

The most common misunderstanding is the size of tank needed for a Betta; one fish will need a minimum of 3 gallons. They will survive for some time in smaller tanks but will most likely succumb to a disease, like fin or body rot, prematurely if not given more space to move. While Bettas are capable of living in stagnant pools, meaning unlike goldfish they don't need aeration in their tank because they can breathe from the surface, biological filtration is essential to successful housing. This can be achieved by an external filter with filter cartridges or by ensuring the water and substrate (i.e. gravel) have sufficient bacterial content to handle the biological load of the fish in the tank. To accomplish biological filtration the tank must not be cleaned completely, but instead leave most of the gravel untouched so that the beneficial bacteria have a habitat in which to live and proliferate. Also, be sure to save some of the 'dirty' water, which will contain the beneficial bacteria, to replace in the cleaned tank with the fresh water.

Males must not be housed with other males, but can in some cases live peacefully with females or other types of fishes. Always monitor your fish after introduction to the tank for unanticipated aggression or other incompatibility. When choosing tank partners the fish should be of similar size keeping in mind that most fish will eat any other fish that fits in their mouth. If you plan to keep smaller schooling fish, like neon tetras, with your Betta it can be a good idea to let them establish themselves in the tank before adding the Betta to ensure they know their way around and can keep out of the larger fish's way. Some tetras have been known to pick on a Betta's fins, so watch out for this behavior.