How to keep happy and healthy bettas. (Siamese Fighting Fish)

Bettas are beautiful and fun pets. They add a little something extra to any home or office. Here are a few tips you need to know to keep your betta happy and healthy.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Aquarium Salt
• Soft Brine Net
• BettaFix

1. You can choose a variety of bowls and vases to house your betta. This allows you to be creative and give him a home that coordinates with your home.

2. Keep in mind that anything under 1 gallon will have to be cleaned every 2-3 days. One gallon will have to be cleaned once a week. (I like for my bettas to have a lot of room to stretch their fins)

3. Adding aquarium salt is very beneficial to your betta. It will help prevent fin rot, velvet, ick, and it also promotes a healthy slime coat.
   (1 tsp per gallon)

4. Bettas do not like sun. Do not place them in front of a window or in direct sun light.

5. Some people like to add extras, like Stress Coat, every time they change water. I used to be one of those people, but I noticed that the stress coat seemed to make their fins delicate and they tore very easily. I found that my bettas became healthier when I stopped using it and just added salt.

6. Always make sure the new water is the same temperature as the old water before you put your betta back in his home after cleaning.

7. Bettas can be little piggies and will easily over eat. Five or six small granules/pellets of betta food seems to satisfy them just fine.(even if they don't think it does) The smaller granules/pellets are easier for your betta to swallow than the larger ones. They are not fans of flake food. Most bettas will look at you like you are crazy if you attempt to feed them flake food.

8. Look for a small roundness to their belly as he eats. This tells you he has eaten enough. If he looks pregnant, he has over eaten.

9. Skip a feeding one day a week. This gives his system a break and a chance to clean out.

10. Live food, such as brine shrimp, is a healthy treat for your betta. Mine LOVE mosquito larva. They go crazy over live food, and will eat as much as you give them. Be careful not to over feed. Sometimes feeding live food can introduce parasites and/or disease to your fish.

11. If you are nervous about feeding live food, try to feed some freeze dried blood worms or brine shrimp 1-2 days a week instead. Feeding store bought betta food is completely fine, but a little variety is good for them.

12. Don't use plastic plant decorations in your betta home. They can tear your bettas fins. Instead look for something softer, such as silk plant decorations.

13. The soft brine shrimp nets are great for catching the betta when it is cleaning time. They are not as harsh to the betta's body, and their fins don't get stuck in them as easily. Cleaning time is already a stressful enough occasion for the betta.

14. Place a mirror next to his home for about 20-30 minutes every day or two. This will help circulation, temporarily enhance his color, and give him something to do. Since he thinks he is kicking another male betta's butt, he can over stress and injure himself if the mirror is kept there for long periods of time.

15. Remove any uneaten food. Uneaten food rots. Bacteria can grow on this food and then move to the betta's body. This can result in death.

16. Bettas like to jump. You can make several cute covers for a betta home. For example, you can find veil material cut into circles at your local craft store or even walmart. Just use a rubber band to keep it in place. You can also tie a ribbon around it to cover the rubber band for added cuteness.

17. Keep your betta healthy and he will happily greet you every day with a wagging tail.

Tips & Warnings

• I like to add Betta Fix to one cleaning a month. It contains melaleuca, which is an anti-bacterial and promotes healing. If you already use MelaFix for a community tank you may have you can use it on your betta as well. If you use MelaFix, you will want to use half of the recommended dose for a betta.
• Do not put 2 males together.
• Never use soap when cleaning your betta home.

Resources

• bettafish.com
• Betta Talk
• Betta Care For Beginners

[scorpioqueen]

on 9/6/2009 I love bettas! Thanks for the tips on proper care for them 5*

[bjs1979]

on 8/30/2009 Wow, tons of info here! Great article, 5* and rec'd.

[michaelmulvania]

on 8/23/2009 Having colorful fish is a great conversation starter.

[ourlastchance]

on 8/19/2009 Bettas are beautiful fish. 5*

[bellerose]

on 7/25/2009 Thanks for the great details on care! I didn't know these guys jump. There is a hotel in New York, the Royalton, that used to have bettas in tall vases (not sure they still do--have not been there for some time). Now I know why. 5*