Whether you saw a beautiful fish in the pet store and had to have it, a friend left town and gave you their fish, or maybe you got one just because you always wanted to, somehow you ended up with a pet Betta and now you want to know how to care for it.

Ok, let's start at the beginning...

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What Kind of Container?

If your Betta is living in a small glass globe commonly known as a "Betta Bowl" that holds about a cup of water, then it's time to either make a small investment or dig through your cupboards for a vessel that will hold no less than 1 quart of water. While Bettas can live in those small containers, it's really not good for them. A small container provides only a very small volume of water in which your Betta's wastes can be diluted, and the temperature of the water in a smaller container will fluctuate much more widely than in a larger one. Unclean water and wide temperature fluctuations will stress your Betta and make it more prone to disease.

Hopefully, you did not fall prey to the manufacturers of the Peace Lily Betta bowl which promises you a no-care, self contained environment that it does not deliver! If you did, don't despair; you can still care for your Betta following these guidelines.

Small 2 Gallon Tank About $20

If you're willing to change the water weekly, you can keep your Betta in an un-aerated container. Bettas not only breathe through their gills, but also go to the surface and gulp air which they are able to use with a special Betta organ similar to a lung called a "labyrinth".

Eclipse Explorer 2 Gallon Tank About $20

It's this "labyrinth" which helps them to survive in the shallow rice paddies and puddles where their ancestors came from, and it's also why they can live in an unaerated container. In contrast, most other aquarium fish need well aerated water and require a tank with a filter and aeration system.

You can also keep your Betta in an aquarium. They fit right into a community tank with other peaceful fish (neons, guppies, platies, etc.) provided the water flow through the tank is not too strong. Alternatively, you can also buy a 2 gallon aquarium that comes complete with a tank, top, light, filter, air pump, and gravel for about $20. These make great Betta tanks.

If you keep your Betta in a tank, then care for the tank as you would for other fish: change about 1/4 of the water every couple of weeks, replacing it with de-chlorinated water. Use a de-chlorinator such as Novaqua, Amquel, or Prime, and use water that is about the same temperature as the tank.

Quart Mason jar	Large flower vase	Goldfish bowl	Recycled parrot food container
Some acceptable containers

Temperature

Bettas are more active, show their colors better, and are easier to keep healthy when kept at a temperature of about 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit, but they can tolerate temperatures as low as 65F.

Tank Maintenance

If you keep your Betta in a bowl, then change all of the water weekly.

• First, prepare some water that is at the same temperature as the water your betta is already living in, add dechlorinator, and set it aside.
• Next, remove your fish in some of the water from his bowl to a small container. Dump the water from his bowl out and clean the bowl with fresh water and a sponge or cloth. Do not use soap to clean your betta container--soap residue can kill your Betta!
• Once you have cleaned the bowl, fill it with the water you prepared earlier, then return your fish to its bowl. It is not necessary to acclimate your Betta to the new water as long as the temperature is the same as what it was in previously, and it is coming from the same source you always use (that is, the pH and other properties of the water are about the same as what it is used to).

Feeding

Feeding your Betta is easy. Buy a good brand of pelleted or flake food made for Bettas such as Hikari Betta Bio-Gold, or HBH Betta Bites.

A few of the many types of Betta foods you can buy

You can feed your Betta a few pellets or a very small pinch of flake food daily (follow the directions on the food container.) If you want to make your Betta really happy, you can feed him a variety of live foods including frozen brine shrimp, and even mosquito larvae or fruit flies. Foods prepared for Bettas, like the pelleted foods, are made to float. You will notice that your Bettas mouth is positioned for eating food from the surface. They can and will pick food up from the floor of the tank, but prefer to eat from the surface.

That's really all there is to it - Bettas are easy to care for pets!

 

For more detailed information:

• Refer to the CBS Betta FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) section on this site
• Buy a good reference book (highly recommended!!):
• Check out the information on other web sites
• Join a Betta mailing list (a few are listed here)
• Join a Betta society in your area

Contributed by Jan Carpenter