Betta Fish

Hey, does anybody have any tips for care for Betta Fish?

Thanks,

Marlin

 

Re: Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta Splendens)

I might.. what kind of setup do you have for your Betta fish?

 

A small one gallon tank with a under-gravel heater. I have two plastic silk plants.

 

That's good you have the heater. The big deal with Betta fish is they are from tropical water and like it warm - around 80.

They like meatier foods - you could pick up some dried bloodworms - tubifex - and I believe I saw food by Tetra made specifically for Bettas as well that you could mix it up with. Do not overfeed. Feed just enough - probably a small pinch. Removed any uneaten food with a net after a few minutes. I'd probably feed the fish once a day.

Betta fish like soft water - a pH around 7. If you don't know what your tap water is, you could pick up a pH kit. If it's really high pH, then you could always just pick up a couple gallons of bottled water at the grocery store as it tends to be pretty soft.

I'd do a 50% water change once a week. If you use tap water, make sure you condition it first with a decholorinator and try to get the temp the same as the water in the aquarium.

And, of course, one betta fish per tank as they seem to like to attack each other.

Hope that helps.

 

Also..

I also had a question about these guys...I just put a Golden Snail in with him, he keeps staring at it and flaring up but then just wandering off...do you think it's safe to house these 2 together?

 

I think it's important to have the heater to keep the temp. up. Betta fish live in rice fields, lower water levels and lots of room to roam. I've had some that need bigger tanks and some that thrived in small spaces. Their natural environment is best mimmicked by using a 3-5g tank with hiding places actually and not as we see them, in vases with plant roots. The males will make the bubble nest even without eggs and females, so they need open air space in top of bowl or tank because the nests will take some of that space. I do remove some of the nest if it gets too big, and I use a turkey baster to suck waste out of substrate daily, 50% WC weekly, leaving fish in tank. Some bettas are more sensitive than others to their environment, so we need to learn what our particular fish likes best. Good luck!!

 

keep the water clean... feed them once a day and they be happy ...betta fish are really imo are pretty darn easy to keep. I've breeded them and have them as pets for years now. I feed mine freeze dry bloodworms. keep the water clean is my tip for them to thrive...