Janice
July, 11th, 2003, 04:28 PM
Proper Care and Housing for the Betta Fish
Many times the question has been asked, “How can they live in that small cup?” “Are these lonely fish?” “Do Bettas need an air stone?” “Will a Betta kill all my fish?” these are all commonly asked questions by novice fish keepers.
To put it simply Bettas are excellent pets! They are a great starter fish for novices as they are very low maintenance and have mucho personality. An average lifespan for a Betta is 2 years. Bettas are one of the few fish in the world that have evolved to not use their gills to absorb oxygen, they actually surface for air and store it in labyrinths located inside their heads! These great fish hail from stagnant rice paddies of Thailand. They are excellent community fish; you just want to be careful that you don’t put them in with anything known for fin nipping as Bettas are very docile and can be injured or killed by aggressive fish. Also if you are thinking about getting your male Betta a mate you might want to consider picking up an extra bowl ‘just in case’ as Bettas can be aggressive toward the female gender.
Popular homes for Bettas are bowls, and vases. These are great homes for the Bettas as no filtration or air pumps are needed. Having an aquatic plant in the habitat with the Betta is a great idea as it serves many purposes. Bettas have a symbiotic relationship with plants, as the underside of the leaf is where Bettas like to build their “Bubble Nest” (which is the Bettas way of spawning) and simply enjoy the presence of a plant in their home. Many people will also put water-loving plants like ivy or peace lilies in the plant or vase with the Betta. While there is no harm in this you want to make sure that you feed and change your Bettas vase regularly. It is common myth that Bettas will eat plant roots and there is no need to feed it, but as Bettas are carnivorous there is a need for proper Betta food to be added once a day to his habitat.
When setting up your Bettas habitat it is very important to remember the water conditioner. Tap water contains a chemical harmful to fish, but also contains many great elements and minerals that distilled water lacks. Because of this you want to make sure you use only TREATED, room temperature tap water in your Betta habitat. NovAqua and Amquel are excellent for this purpose. Bettas do prefer a neutral pH of 7.0, but a range of 6.5 to 7.5 is acceptable. They prefer temperatures between 70 and 75 but will tolerate as low as 65. When you are ready to clean your Bettas habitat simply catch your Betta in a soft net (nets can be softened by boiling for a couple of minutes when new) rinse the habitat well, fill with treated water, and release your Betta back into his home.
If you see your Bettas habitat has a foamy appearance at the top of the bowl don’t worry! That just means your little guy is happily blowing bubbles! If you realize your fish looks unhealthy and has stopped eating please call a pet store immediately and describe the symptoms or do your own research online so that you can treat your Betta for illness!
If you are thinking about buying your Betta from a pet store there are a couple things to keep an eye out for to help be certain you are picking a healthy fish:
1) Fin Rot – Familiarize yourself with symptoms and pictures of this condition before you head out to purchase your fish, Bettas can be prone to developing this condition due to the poor water quality inside their “cups” at the pet store.
2) Active and alert – You want to pick out a Betta that seems aware of its neighbors and surroundings. A good way to judge this is to put him next to a new neighbor and see if he flares up or shows interest in the other fish.
3) Ask an Associate! Any pet store associate worth their salt will know what to look for in a healthy fish. If you are new or uncertain ask them to take a look at it and tell you what they think.
I hope that this post has been helpful and informative to you. If you have any further questions on this subject feel free to post here and I will do my best to help you!
If you would like a copy of this article in word format please see:
http://www.haggardforums.com/articles/
Copyright© 2003-Janice James
Many times the question has been asked, “How can they live in that small cup?” “Are these lonely fish?” “Do Bettas need an air stone?” “Will a Betta kill all my fish?” these are all commonly asked questions by novice fish keepers.
To put it simply Bettas are excellent pets! They are a great starter fish for novices as they are very low maintenance and have mucho personality. An average lifespan for a Betta is 2 years. Bettas are one of the few fish in the world that have evolved to not use their gills to absorb oxygen, they actually surface for air and store it in labyrinths located inside their heads! These great fish hail from stagnant rice paddies of Thailand. They are excellent community fish; you just want to be careful that you don’t put them in with anything known for fin nipping as Bettas are very docile and can be injured or killed by aggressive fish. Also if you are thinking about getting your male Betta a mate you might want to consider picking up an extra bowl ‘just in case’ as Bettas can be aggressive toward the female gender.
Popular homes for Bettas are bowls, and vases. These are great homes for the Bettas as no filtration or air pumps are needed. Having an aquatic plant in the habitat with the Betta is a great idea as it serves many purposes. Bettas have a symbiotic relationship with plants, as the underside of the leaf is where Bettas like to build their “Bubble Nest” (which is the Bettas way of spawning) and simply enjoy the presence of a plant in their home. Many people will also put water-loving plants like ivy or peace lilies in the plant or vase with the Betta. While there is no harm in this you want to make sure that you feed and change your Bettas vase regularly. It is common myth that Bettas will eat plant roots and there is no need to feed it, but as Bettas are carnivorous there is a need for proper Betta food to be added once a day to his habitat.
When setting up your Bettas habitat it is very important to remember the water conditioner. Tap water contains a chemical harmful to fish, but also contains many great elements and minerals that distilled water lacks. Because of this you want to make sure you use only TREATED, room temperature tap water in your Betta habitat. NovAqua and Amquel are excellent for this purpose. Bettas do prefer a neutral pH of 7.0, but a range of 6.5 to 7.5 is acceptable. They prefer temperatures between 70 and 75 but will tolerate as low as 65. When you are ready to clean your Bettas habitat simply catch your Betta in a soft net (nets can be softened by boiling for a couple of minutes when new) rinse the habitat well, fill with treated water, and release your Betta back into his home.
If you see your Bettas habitat has a foamy appearance at the top of the bowl don’t worry! That just means your little guy is happily blowing bubbles! If you realize your fish looks unhealthy and has stopped eating please call a pet store immediately and describe the symptoms or do your own research online so that you can treat your Betta for illness!
If you are thinking about buying your Betta from a pet store there are a couple things to keep an eye out for to help be certain you are picking a healthy fish:
1) Fin Rot – Familiarize yourself with symptoms and pictures of this condition before you head out to purchase your fish, Bettas can be prone to developing this condition due to the poor water quality inside their “cups” at the pet store.
2) Active and alert – You want to pick out a Betta that seems aware of its neighbors and surroundings. A good way to judge this is to put him next to a new neighbor and see if he flares up or shows interest in the other fish.
3) Ask an Associate! Any pet store associate worth their salt will know what to look for in a healthy fish. If you are new or uncertain ask them to take a look at it and tell you what they think.
I hope that this post has been helpful and informative to you. If you have any further questions on this subject feel free to post here and I will do my best to help you!
If you would like a copy of this article in word format please see:
http://www.haggardforums.com/articles/
Copyright© 2003-Janice James