Betta Care
There is a lot more to know about having a Betta fish then you may think.
Most people only know Bettas as the fish they see in tiny cups at their local pet stores, when in fact the true Betta world is very different. A Betta that is taken care of can live 3-5 years. They come in a variety of amazing colors and tail tyes. Some more rare then others, but all special in their own way.
Many Bettas you get from the pet store have been bred out by overseas Betta Farms and are usually 8months to a year or older by the time the pet stores get them. Because they are no longer any use to the Farmer they usually liquidate them to pet stores by the hundreds for just a few dollars a piece. This isn’t always the case, some large farms that sell strictly to pet store chains breed for quantity over quality and sell off their stock in bulk orders for next to nothing. They make their money by selling thousands of them every year. This is why you can get a Betta fish form a pet store from $10-$25.
Im here to tell you there is way more to Bettas and there are many Breeders out there like myself that only import from farms that breed quality blood lines. These breeders breed for show quality stock and the bragging rights of having the best. Sourcing out the best breeders allows me to get healthy and beautiful Bettas of all different tail types and colors for my breeding stock. So lets dive right in….
For your Betta to live a Betta life there are a few things you should know.
In this post we are going to cover….
- feeding
- water condition
- tank size
- good tank mates
Feeding
Liveabettalife.com is all about breeding and raising the best and healthiest Bettas. We are going to stick to talking about what Bettas need to be the best and live the longest.
Bettas can be picky eaters. In Asia where most of them come from they are fed live foods as a primary food source. This is because they are farmed in the countries where they exist in the wild, therefore the local water conditions are ideal for them to thrive and the near by ponds and rivers usually are packed with all sorts of natural cultures of worms, bugs and micro organisms that they like to eat. This is also very cost effective for the farmers as well when raising hundreds of ponds and buckets of Bettas and fry.
You amy be wondering what that has anything to do with Bettas here and feeding them. Im a believer in knowing where something came from to better understand what they need moving forward.
I say Bettas can be picky eaters because not all of them will eat pellets. I personally don’t like feeding flakes because the un-eaten pieces make a mess of the water and they are a pain to clean out after. If you get a Bettas and you notice they don’t like the pellets, you can try a different type or give them blood worms once in a while while you are trying to get them used to a different food source. Freeze dried or better yet frozen blood worms are a something your Betta will love. If you only have one, try the freeze dried pieces. I say this because the frozen blood worms come in cubes and a single cube is way to much for your betta to eat. They really only need a few worms in a feeding so the ret of the cube would then go to waste.
I only feed my Bettas once a day. You don’t want to over feed or under feed them so I start with 5 pellets a feeding, if they eat them all right away I may drop in a couple more. Over feeding your Betta can cause bloat and that can be fatal. If you are noticing your Betta is looking a bit skinny with one feeding, try pellets in the morning and a couple blood worms at night.
Because I breed them I always have a culture of Baby Brine shrimp going. If you are someone who has a few Bettas I would highly suggest giving it a try, especially if you think your passion will lead to try breeding.
The products I pulled are from Amazon.ca they are products I use and from time to time order from amazon if I don’t have time to go to the store.
Water Condition
If you have ever wondered how Bettas are able to live in bowls of water without any kind of filtration that is because they have lungs. Bettas start to develop lungs around 6 weeks old depending on how big they are at that stage. The lungs allow them to take in air from above the water surface. This makes it possible for them to live in glass bowls.
Surviving and thriving are two different things. Although Bettas can live in glass bowls this is not a good permanent living solution.
Water condition is very important. If you have a Betta in a glass bowl the water should be completely changed every few days to avoid any nitrate build up in the water. Nitrate is created from the build up of the Bettas waste and uneaten food particles. Without proper filtration the nitrate levels can rise quickly. nitrate burns your Betta, if the water isn’t changed frequent enough they could develop infections and disease and eventually will die.
Aside from water changes you also need to make sure the water is clear of chemicals. Depending on where you live your tap water will have different amounts of metals, chlorines and other additives to make it safe for you to drink. Non of these things are good for your Betta. So every time you are doing a water change you need to make sure you are using a water conditioner made for fish to treat the water before you add it to your tank, or put your Betta into the water.
For my Bettas the betta basic conditioner is my go too for smaller tanks. For my tanks that are much larger I use a conditioner called Prime.
Water Condition is so very important. It is the one thing that you want to get right for your Betta first and foremost.
Another big thing that makes Bettas different from most fish is that they don’t need a tank to cycle completely before they can live happily in that tank. If you are using a new filter and new substrate however there can sometimes be extra particles pushed around the water for the first few days, for this reason I always recommend letting things settle and letting the filter run the water for a couple days before adding your fish. There are also many bacteria additives you can get like ‘Seed’ that adds bacteria into the water to jump start the cycling process. Your Betta doesn’t need it, but it is always a good thing to do especially if you are planning on adding tank mates into the tank.
Many of my bettas live in a 2 gallon cubes with a sponge filter, some plants and a clean bottom (no substrait). With daily removal of any un-eaton foods so they don’t rot, I change the water completely every couple weeks with this system.
If you like the look of live plants look into getting some Pothos. I grow Pothos in my home because they are known for cleaning indoor air. I water them with dirty tank water and they thrive on the nitrates. This plant is special because it grows in soil, but you can also take trimmings from it and put it into your tanks, within a couple weeks the trimmings will start to grow roots while feeding off the nitrates in the water of your tank. I love the natural use of Pothos to help keep your tank water clean.
Incase you don’t know what Pothos looks like I thought Id add a pic. You can usually find them at your local garden centre and they are pretty reasonably priced too.
Another great thing for your water is to add tannins. Tannins help with the PH levels in your water and it also creates a water condition similar to where your Betta comes from in nature. It promotes breeding and it also makes them very happy. Some people think it makes their water look dirty because it turns the water a lite coffee color. I personally am more then ok with it because I know my fish are happy.
These are the ones I use. I order them from amazon regularly. The smaller leafs I put in my Betta tanks with the individual fish, and the larger ones I use for my Bettas breeding. The males build their bubble nests under it, its pretty cool to see.
Tank Size
We have touched a bit on keeping Bettas in a bowl and I know you have seen Bettas in small cups of water at the pet store. If you want your Betta to live a long and happy life I highly recommend setting them up in a tank that holds 2 Gallons of water or more. I find with 2 gallons you have enough space to have a sponge filter, some plants and a cave or hut for your Betta to hide in when they want. They are easy to take care of and do your water changes every couple weeks.
As mentioned before, most of my Bettas are set up on 2 Gallon cubes, my Bettas giants however are kept in 5 Gallon tanks as they absolutely need the large space.
Bettas can bet bored if they aren’t stimulated enough within their environment. They can get stressed and then they stop eating. Bettas sometimes like to interact with their humans by coming out of their caves or plants to come see what your up to when your near and some people even use food to make them do trick, I myself have never done this.
No matter what tank you decide to get for your better, as long as they have the basics and good water condition they will be happy and stay healthy for a long time.
Tank Mates
They don’t call Bettas fighting fish because they are friendly. Bettas once they reach the age of maturity start to develop aggression towards other territorial fish. When raising fry i keep all the babies together until I start to notice dominant males start to pick on other fish, at that time I start to take them out and keep them in separate containers. Its hard up until that point to sex them.
Bettas do not get lonely. They are happy to be in their own space to live and explore. Bettas Males can not live with another male or they will fight, and eventually one will kill the other. Betta females on the other had can be kept in a sorority and live together in one tank. If a Betta sorority is something you are wanting to do keep in mind they usually fight and chase each other around for the first day or two. Sometimes their are casualties, but once the tanks settles they can live together.
If you are going to put your Bettas with other fish I recommend a community fish like a tetra or guppies. You want something that is not territorial or going to pick a fight with your Betta. I have Plecos and Cory Cats with my Bettas and they are curious of them at first but then don’t really care they are in the tank with them. Many people have tried shrimp, some Bettas will leave them alone, others may pick on them, so if it is something you really want to try I would keep a close eye on it for the first few days at least.