The Betta Fish ( also known as Siamese fighting fish) is an incredibly popular brackish fish who’s beautiful and vividly colored tails can be plant elegantly swimming in fences each around the world.
Their wild, eye- catching coloring has made them one of the most popular fish in the terrarium hobbyhorse and a lot of misinformation is available online. It’s easy to be mislead if you're a freshman.
That’s why I decided to write this companion – to educate you absolutely everything you need to know about minding for a Betta fish.
This companion will cover everything you need to know from the size of the tank, the filtration system, the water temperature, their diet, and indeed how to embellish your terrarium to directly replicate the Betta fish’s natural terrain.
But first, let’s launch with the basics …
The Betta Fish Care Basics
To take care of a Betta fish, you need to have a clear understanding of its particular conditions. The most important effects to remember when minding for a Betta fish are
- Betta fish are tropical fish. They bear tropical climate water between 75 – 80 degrees. Water pH should be neutral (around 7) and ammonia and nitrates should be as low as possible ( immaculately zero)
- Betta fish are herbivores and eat a protein-rich diet. Do n’t feed them flakes.
- The lifetime of a Betta fish can reach up to 10 times, despite the normal being 3-5. Still, they will be around for a long time, If you look after your fish.
The most important part of looking after a Betta fish is to set up their tank rightly.
It’s their home. You want to make it as nice as possible!
Betta Fish Tank Setup
In their natural niche, Betta fish are generally plant in small, shallow aqueducts and rice paddies in Thailand. These are generally vast, and with the tropical climate, the waters are generally relatively warm.
Our thing with our Betta fish tanks is to pretend their natural terrain as nearly as possible. Effects like temperature, water parameters, filtration, lighting, and diet all need to be harmonious and natural for your fish.
The biggest issue I see with newcomers trying to watch for a Betta fish is keeping them in tanks that are far too small. Betta fish do n’t belong in fishbowls.
What Size Fences Do Betta Fish Need?
Do n’t be wisecracked into allowing Betta Fish can live happily in a fishbowl. The minimal tank size for a betta fish is at least 10 gallons, but that’s a bare minimum. Further is always better.
Still, the size of your tank should be one of your biggest considerations, If you're serious about minding for your Betta fish.
Now we all know this is n’t the cheapest hobbyhorse, so it can soak a little to see the price of some of the larger tanks, but it’s a necessary investment if you want to succeed in erecting a beautiful tank while contemporaneously keeping your Betta fish healthy.
With that being said, it’s true that Betta fish are frequently plant in insanely small tanks and ridiculous crescent-moon shaped coliseums in the pet stores, but that does n’t mean they enjoy being there. Like all other fish, Bettas love as important space as possible.
My number 1 tank recommendation
Still, also please continue full- brume ahead with this companion, If you ’ve formerly got a Betta fishtank.However, also I would largely recommend this one (Amazon), If you have n’t.
They're the best- value freshman fences on the internet in my opinion. They're also 20 gallons, making them the perfect size for a Betta fish but with enough room to add further fish or different shops and decorations.
I ’ve also written an composition devoted to choosing the perfect size terrarium for your own requirements if you need farther help.
How Big Do Betta Fish Get?
Betta fish will generally grow to around2.5 – 3 elevation (not including the tail). The size of the tail will vary from fish to fish but generally speaking, healthier fish tend to have bigger tails.
Fish that are sick will tend to coil up their tails whereas healthy, vibrant fish will have long, extensively opened tails that flow easily.
What Temperature Should My Betta Tank Be?
Hailing from the tropical waters of Thailand, it's Pivotal not to have your water too cold when keeping Bettas. A tropical temperature of 75 – 80 degrees is optimal.
Betta fish come withdrawn and sleepy when their surroundings diverge from the warmer temperature and they're largely sensitive to changes in water parameters.
Keeping an eye on your water temperature with an terrarium-safe thermometer is necessary to maintain steady temperature control.
And unless your ménage temperature is constantly over 75 degrees, you ’re going to need a heater.
When looking for an terrarium heater, there are a many effects to consider
Different sized tanks will bear different heaters. A 100W heater will be ideal for lower tanks (up to 20 Gallon) but larger tanks may bear a 300W or a 500W heater depending on the size.
Choose a heater with a erected-in thermometer. This makes life so much easier.
Make sure your heater has an automatic cut-off medium if the water position drops. The heater needs to be submerged fully in thewater.However, it could potentially be dangerous, If the heater is n’t submerged when it’s on.
Good heaters will bus- regulate the temperature by turning it on and off when needed. It'll also have an external remote to set the temperature. Again, this makes life so much easier. No more wet hands!
The bone that I use and recommend is this one from Amazon. It ticks all of the boxes over and is authentically the stylish quality heater I've used at this price range. You simply set the temperature between 75 – 80 degrees, and it'll bus- regulate the temperature of the water to make sure your Bettas are comfortable 24 hours a day.
A quick note on water position
Bettas are maze fish, meaning they've the capability to breathe oxygen from the face of the water. Because of this, you should aim to leave some space at the top of the tank for your Betta fish to breathe.
The Maze bladder that allows them to breathe at the face requires frequent use in order for the fish to be healthy, so it’s an important factor to consider.
Betta fish are also great minidresses! I would recommend keeping a lid on your terrarium or at the veritably least, leaving plenitude of space between the water and the top of the tank.
Filtration & Lighting
What’s The Stylish Sludge For a Betta Fish Tank?
The stylish sludge for a Betta fish is one that can filter the entire tank multiple times per hour without creating too important inflow. Sponger pollutants or internal pollutants are generally the stylish choice.
My number one recommendation for a betta fish sludge is this Tetra Whisper (Amazon). It’s ideal for fences up to 70-gallons and it provides multiple forms of filtration while slightly dismembering the water face.
In their natural niche, Betta fish live in shallow, slow- flowing gutters and beds of water. They are n’t equipped with the strength to constantly attack the fast- flowing current that some other fish are. Hence why it’s so important to choose a sludge with a low inflow rate.
How Frequently Should I Change Betta Fish Water?
Changing too important water at formerly can disrupt the balance of your terrarium and cause stress to your Betta fish. It’s recommended to change 25 of the water, formerly per week, allowing the sludge to do the rest of the work.
REMEMBER that fish come habituated to the parameters of the water they've been in, so drastically changing the water at formerly, can lead to shock, and occasionally death.
Make sure all water that's replaced is treated with a water conditioner to remove chlorine and other dangerous chemicals.
A quick note on water quality
It’s pivotal that you keep an eye on your terrarium water by periodically using a test tackle to cover the water parameters. Your thing is to keep everything harmonious, with ammonia and nitrites being as near to zero as possible. You can find the stylish betta fish water parameters at the morning of this composition.
For further general information on setting up a fish tank rightly, check out our Starter Attendants.
What Lighting Do Betta Fish Need?
Betta fish bear plenitude of light during the day and darkness at night. The lighting can be natural, or artificial, but natural light is hard to control and too important sun can accelerate algae growth.
A good set of artificial terrarium lights will give your betta fish with the lights they need during the day, without oscillations. Artificial light is harmonious and controllable.
Any live shops in your terrarium will bear acceptable lighting too in order to synthesize and produce oxygen. Live shops also give caching places if your Betta fish decides it wants some shade.
What Do Betta Fish Eat?
Betta fish are herbivores by nature and bear either a high-protein bullet or firmed foods similar as Neptune shrimp and blood worms. The healthiest diet would be the closest to their natural diet of small insects and naiads.
The key to a healthy Betta fish diet is that it’s rich in protein and varied.
You can use a Betta specific floating bullet similar as this bone from Amazon as their diurnal food source. You need a bullet that floats, allowing your betta fish to feed on the face. For an occasional treat, you can try your Betta with a many of these
- Neptune shrimp ( Firmed or dried)
- Krill
- Shrimp
- Bloodworms
While offering your Betta fish a diet of live food can be instigative to watch, and an occasional treat for them, it’s generally recommended to stick to firmed or dried foods, since the threat of a sponger rout with live food is advanced.
How Important Shall I Feed Them?
Overfeeding is a huge issue with Betta fish since their stomach is no bigger than one of their eyeballs! One feeding per day is further than enough.
Just 2 or 3 Betta fish bullets can be enough to keep themsatisfied.However, also that’s OK too, If you feel like they need feeding twice a day. just be cautious of overfeeding.
Only feed your Betta as much as they will laboriously eat. It may take a while to be suitable to gauge this, but it’s worth paying attention to. Uneaten food will make up at the bottom of the tank, and start contaminating the water.
Are Betta Fish Good With Other Fish?
Is it just a coexistence that these fish are also known as‘Siamese Fighting Fish’?
Unfortunately, it’s not. Betta fish were formerly bred as fighting fish, and some of this aggression has kept it’s roots, making them one of the more aggressive brackish fish.
How numerous Betta fish can I keep together?
It’s not recommend to keep a manly Betta fish in the same tank as other males. Fighting to the death isn't uncommon, and the stress from being placed in an unwanted terrain is frequently enough to kill them if the battle injuries do n’t.
Still, not all stopgap is lost. There are certain types of fish that can live harmoniously with manly Betta fish, but there are certain criteria that the tank mates have to meet;
No exorbitantly bright colors, or colors that act another Betta. These types of fish can blackjack a Betta, and as you can imagine, that’s not a great idea!
.They mustn't take all of the room. Betta fish are solitary fish, so they like their space. Make sure there's enough for everyone. Try and aim for at least 5 gallons of particular swimming space for your Bettas.
They don't nibble. Nibbling a fighting fish is a form for disaster. Noway mix munchers with a Betta.
As with all fish, personalities will differ, so knowing your Betta fish before adding them to an terrarium with other fish, is a goodidea.However, it’s common sense to keep them down, but if they do n’t show any hostile geste, If they show signs of aggression.
What About Womanish Betta Fish?
You can keep multiple womanish Betta fish in the same terrarium. Womanish Betta fish aren't as solitary as males, and they would prefer to establish a sorority. That’s why I recommend keeping 3 – 5 womanish Betta fish if you have the space for them.
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