Preparations
Make sure you have the time and the funds(It's not much, although tanks, heaters, and other supplies do cost money believe it or not) for owning a Betta fish. Some of the supplies you need are:
It would be great if you can set up your new Betta's home ahead of time.
A Nitrogen Cycle is not necessary in tanks under 5 gallons (More details on the Nitrogen Cycle later)
- Tank (1.5+ gallon- the larger the better)
- Adjustable Heater (A must! Bettas are tropical fish and need water temperatures 78-82 degrees)
- *Filter
- Dechlorinator
- Food (Not flakes- they cause bloating)
- Pellets, *Frozen foods, *Live foods
- Decorations (Warning: Plastic plants can snag and rip Betta fin
It would be great if you can set up your new Betta's home ahead of time.
A Nitrogen Cycle is not necessary in tanks under 5 gallons (More details on the Nitrogen Cycle later)
Acclimation
So you've brought your new Betta home... now what? Assuming you bought him from a local pet store or Petco/Petsmart, your new friend is most likely in a cup or a plastic bag. Keep the cup! It's really useful. If you haven't set up the tank yet, you might want to do that first. Fill up the tank with dechlorinated water. I recommend using Seachem Prime as a conditioner. Not only does it remove harmful substances such as Chlorine, it also neutralizes ammonia (a toxic waste product of fish). Install your heater and leave it in the water unplugged for fifteen minutes. This allows the heater to adjust to the temperature of the water, so that it can heat accordingly. Make sure the heater is adjustable!
Once your tank is all set up, you can float your betta in his plastic bag/cup in the water. Wait 15+ minutes and release! If you are really concerned for the health of your betta or have an expensive one you can try Drip Acclimation.
Once your tank is all set up, you can float your betta in his plastic bag/cup in the water. Wait 15+ minutes and release! If you are really concerned for the health of your betta or have an expensive one you can try Drip Acclimation.
Feeding
Bettas are pigs. There's no doubt about it. (However, some can be picky pigs.. ) If allowed to, they will literally eat themselves to death. This may seem stupid to us, but makes perfect sense to Bettas. Wild Bettas need to hunt for for food in order to survive. Sometimes food can be scarce. As a result, Bettas developed the instinct to eat as much as they can in one instance just in case they cannot find food in the coming days. In addition, Bettas are carnivores meaning they eat insects and insect larvae. Although some Bettas will eat algae wafers (Some have been known to do so), it is not beneficial to them. A Betta's stomach and intestines have evolved to process meat not plant matter.
What foods are good for them? Ah, there are many here a few:
You may be wondering why you do not see Freeze-Dried foods or Flakes on this list. I personally do not feed my fish flakes as they can cause bloating. Same goes for Freeze-Dried foods. Not only that, Freeze-Dried foods do not contain a lot of nurtrients and is the equivalent to human junk food or candy. They can be fed as a treat once a week. I do not feed Freeze-Dried since I have a variety of frozen and live foods for my Bettas.
I found the two best brands of Pellets are New Life Spectrum and Atison's Betta Pro. I found my container of New Life Spectrum (NLS) at PetCo (Not Petsmart!) and it cost around 8 dollars. True, this is a little pricey, but they pros outweigh the cons. Most pellets contain filler foods (no nutritional value) such as wheat or flour. NLS first ingredient listed is Whole Fish Meal/ Whole Herring. Pellets are great as a staple food.
Keep in mind when feeding that a Betta's stomach is about this size of its eye. Around 2-3 large pellets or 5-6 small pellets should suffice. Do not overfeed! Overfeeding can cause bloating and Swim Bladder Disorder (SBD)
What foods are good for them? Ah, there are many here a few:
- Pellets (My personal favorite is New Life Spectrum)
- Frozen/Live Bloodworms
- Frozen/Live Daphnia
- Frozen/Live Brine Shrimp
- Frozen Mysis Shrimp
- Live Blackworms
- Live Grindal Worms
- Live White Worms
- Live Mosquito Larvae (Just leave a bucket outside ;)
You may be wondering why you do not see Freeze-Dried foods or Flakes on this list. I personally do not feed my fish flakes as they can cause bloating. Same goes for Freeze-Dried foods. Not only that, Freeze-Dried foods do not contain a lot of nurtrients and is the equivalent to human junk food or candy. They can be fed as a treat once a week. I do not feed Freeze-Dried since I have a variety of frozen and live foods for my Bettas.
I found the two best brands of Pellets are New Life Spectrum and Atison's Betta Pro. I found my container of New Life Spectrum (NLS) at PetCo (Not Petsmart!) and it cost around 8 dollars. True, this is a little pricey, but they pros outweigh the cons. Most pellets contain filler foods (no nutritional value) such as wheat or flour. NLS first ingredient listed is Whole Fish Meal/ Whole Herring. Pellets are great as a staple food.
Keep in mind when feeding that a Betta's stomach is about this size of its eye. Around 2-3 large pellets or 5-6 small pellets should suffice. Do not overfeed! Overfeeding can cause bloating and Swim Bladder Disorder (SBD)
Water Changes
Depending on the size of your Betta's tank, the amount of water changes and percentage of water changed varies per week.
Here is a good guide from Bettafish.com
I use a siphon when doing water changes for my tanks 5 gallons and up. For tanks smaller than that I don't bother with the siphon, cup the fish, and dump out all the water (I do not think establishing a Nitrogen Cycle a tank smaller than 5 gallons is worth the trouble).
I bought a Turkey Baster from Pavilions for $3 and use it daily to suck up waste from the smaller tanks.
Starting a Siphon
I hold an open end of the siphon underneath running tap water. When the water is flowing out the other side, I use my thumb to stop the flow of water. Then, I hold one end of the siphon in the fish tank and the other over a bucket (*placed below the water level of the tank) and let my thumb go. Because water travels from a higher concentration to a lower concentration, it will create a vacuum that can be used to suck up old water and waste. **Don't forget to unplug the heater!!!
Adding Water
Movies are awesome and frankly so is popcorn. I love popcorn at movie theatres. Especially when they give you those refillable buckets. I take home those buckets, wash them out really (really really) well and use them for adding water to my fish tanks. Honestly, any (clean) bucket will do, but popcorn buckets were the only ones available to me. I fill up the buckets with tap water and add Seachem Prime (dechlorinator). I use around 2 drops since my buckets are 1.25 gallons, let it sit for 5 minutes and use a Betta cup (told you they were useful) to scoop water from the bucket into the tank. I would prefer not to shock the fish.
Here is a good guide from Bettafish.com
I use a siphon when doing water changes for my tanks 5 gallons and up. For tanks smaller than that I don't bother with the siphon, cup the fish, and dump out all the water (I do not think establishing a Nitrogen Cycle a tank smaller than 5 gallons is worth the trouble).
I bought a Turkey Baster from Pavilions for $3 and use it daily to suck up waste from the smaller tanks.
Starting a Siphon
I hold an open end of the siphon underneath running tap water. When the water is flowing out the other side, I use my thumb to stop the flow of water. Then, I hold one end of the siphon in the fish tank and the other over a bucket (*placed below the water level of the tank) and let my thumb go. Because water travels from a higher concentration to a lower concentration, it will create a vacuum that can be used to suck up old water and waste. **Don't forget to unplug the heater!!!
Adding Water
Movies are awesome and frankly so is popcorn. I love popcorn at movie theatres. Especially when they give you those refillable buckets. I take home those buckets, wash them out really (really really) well and use them for adding water to my fish tanks. Honestly, any (clean) bucket will do, but popcorn buckets were the only ones available to me. I fill up the buckets with tap water and add Seachem Prime (dechlorinator). I use around 2 drops since my buckets are 1.25 gallons, let it sit for 5 minutes and use a Betta cup (told you they were useful) to scoop water from the bucket into the tank. I would prefer not to shock the fish.
The Filter
Filters are not necessary, but can be extremely beneficial. However, some male Bettas are not the best swimmers (the price of beauty) and can not tolerate water movement. If you do plan on using a filter, choose one with low flow or baffle it (There are some great tutorials to be found on google!) Sponge filters are the best filters that can be used for Bettas. They are gentle and create almost no water movement.
Setting Up a Sponge Filter
You will need:
Attach one side of the airline tubing to the sponge. If you are using an Air Stone, attach the airline tubing to the Air Stone and place it inside the sponge. Attach the other side of the airline to your air pump. Then plug in and you are all set! However, if you plan on using a Control Valve (for controlling the air flow) or a Check Valve (to prevent backflow in case of a power outtage), you just attach those to the airline tubing and cut of pieces of a long length of airline tubing as needed.
A Diagram
Air Pump --(airline tubing)---Control Valve --(airline tubing)---Check Valve--(airline tubing)--- Sponge Filter
Setting Up a Sponge Filter
You will need:
- Sponge (not a kitchen sponge)
- Airline Tubing (Standard Size)
- Air Pump (I recommend the Whisper Airpump)
- *Control Valves
- *Check Valves
- *Air Stone
Attach one side of the airline tubing to the sponge. If you are using an Air Stone, attach the airline tubing to the Air Stone and place it inside the sponge. Attach the other side of the airline to your air pump. Then plug in and you are all set! However, if you plan on using a Control Valve (for controlling the air flow) or a Check Valve (to prevent backflow in case of a power outtage), you just attach those to the airline tubing and cut of pieces of a long length of airline tubing as needed.
A Diagram
Air Pump --(airline tubing)---Control Valve --(airline tubing)---Check Valve--(airline tubing)--- Sponge Filter