Signs that a betta will more then likely not recover and should be put out of their misery

1. Pineconing, their scales are sticking out and make them look like a pinecone. The pineconing is caused by fluid buildup underneath the skin, which is caused my kidney failure. Once the kidneys fail, there’s really nothing else that you can do.

2. Gaping open wounds, i.e you can litterally see through the fish, or exploding egg sacks (it does happen)

3. Laying on the bottom on their side, not moving, barely breathing and they stay that way no matter what you do.

4. Completely covered in fuzz, head to tail, then you have an infection thats so far go that you have no hope of reversing it.

5. The fish is floating on it side and then suddenly begins spazzing and doing flips then floats gasping again.

Ways to Euthanize

There is still ongoing debates about the best ways to euthanize a fish, I’ll list the acceptable methods and the unacceptable ones.

Acceptable

1. First of all use clove oil before doing any of the following! Clove oil will put the fish into a quick, painless sleep, and they won’t feel anything else you do.

2. The most effective and quickest method involves taking the fish, putting him on a flat surface and taking a knife and removing his head (make sure to sever the spine first) This is a very tough method to use on a fish that you are very close to, I couldn’t imagine cutting off the head of any of my bettas, or my other fish.

3. Vodka, after you clove oil your fish, put them into straight vodka, this should kill them almost straight away.

The next to methods have a bit of controversy

1. Boiling, after you clove oil your fish, dip him quickly in boiling water. This will kill him almost instantly, and since he’s already sleeping he won’t feel a thing.

2. Freezing, some people swear by this method, while others condemn it, saying that its totally cruel. Simply clove oil your fish and place him into your freezer for an hour or so. I would personally never use this method.

Non-Humane or unacceptible methods you should never use

1. Flushing a fish down the toilet will not put the fish out of its misery. Instead it will wallow in misery in sewage and harmful chemical levels for hours or even days.

2. Dumping the fish in a local river or pond is not acceptible! Introducing non native live to any natural source is bad for the environment. You just might start an infestation

This article was written by Jaded of Betta Kisses.

Environment

* The number one cause of death in bettas is liver disease, typically caused by a combination of fatty foods and insufficient physical activity. While the accepted minimum housing for a betta is one gallon (or 2-3g by the inch per gallon rule), a larger tank is a wonderful way to give your betta appropriate exercise if you have the space and money. Larger tanks can also have more decorations, be safely heated, and require less frequent water changes. A five to ten gallon aquarium with a mild filter makes a lovely centerpiece and a great new home for your betta!

* Unless you have a tail biter, many bettas find changes in their internal tank environment very exciting. You can do this in different ways. The easiest and most obvious is rearranging the ornaments/plants in the tank with each water change. You could also keep a spare plant or cave that you rotate in and out of the tank so that there is something new/different every cleaning.

* Another option is making the external environment more enriching. This could be done in many ways. You could periodically change the location of your betta tanks. This is great if you have multiple bettas being housed close together; by changing the order their tanks are in, they will be able to see and display to different bettas every time they are moved.

* Alternately, if you can’t move the tank itself, you could place items outside of the tank that would be interesting; one thing my bettas love is a variety of differently colored and shaped plastic dogs. I put a new one there every few days, and they spend hours investigating this new thing outside of their tank. Shiny objects are excellent for this purpose.

* Toys can also interest bettas, though not all are responsive. The most popular is the ping pong ball, or a smaller floating non-painted ball of some sort. The bettas can flare at it, chase it, push it around with their nose, etc. and seem to be very interested by it. If your tanks are bare-bottom, you could also put a lightweight sinking ball (like a marble) for your fish to push around. There is plenty of room for creativity here; as long as it is nontoxic and your betta can interact with it somehow, it can be a toy.

Feeding

* I personally feed 5 different types of pellet and 4 different types of frozen/live foods to my bettas. I’m a big believer in dietary variety for nutrition and for entertainment. Foods that have different shapes, textures, sizes, hardness/softness/etc. can be a cheap and fun way to captivate your fish. Making your betta look for these foods by placing them all around the tank’s surface instead of clumped in one spot under the feeding door is a simple way to keep him or her occupied.

* Because bettas are predatory in nature, a wonderful form of enrichment is live foods, which can be cultivated with ease in your own home or purchased at your local fish store. If you really want to stimulate a natural hunting behavior, feed some live brine shrimp or mosquito larvae so they can chase and kill.

Visual Stimulus

* Depending on your individual betta, your fish may enjoy being permitted to see another betta or a mirror for short periods of time daily. This will encourage aggressive and territorial behaviors natural to bettas, and will normally inspire them to patrol their tank, flare, bubble nest, etc. Just be cautious not to overdo this, as too much flaring can be stressful and harmful.

* Seeing other fish and other animals from the safety of their own territory is a good way to at least keep a betta interested in the environment. If you have a big community tank, see if your betta can be kept next to it without too much stress; the constantly changing movement will allow them to be visually stimulated without the stress of another betta, or another fish in the tank that they feel they must actively patrol against.

* YOU. Bettas tend to enjoy interacting with their owners, and by simply spending some time up at the tank, perhaps having them follow your finger or something of the like, can keep them occupied for short spurts of time.

Training

Bettas are highly intelligent and can be trained to perform simple tricks in a matter of weeks. Activities like swimming through hoops and tunnels, pushing a small ball into a plastic net, taking food from one’s fingers, etc. are all wonderful ways to interact with bettas in a way that is challenging and rewarding for them. Here is a link to a site on training fish.

Conclusion

A variety of simple, cost-effective, and minimally time-consuming changes to your daily betta keeping routine can result in an environment that is stimulating and interactive. By simply rearranging decorations, feeding different foods, or taking time for a flaring session, you can prevent behaviors such as pacing or lethargy. In fact, some tail-biters, depending on their triggers, can even be stopped by creating an enriching environment! So please, consider doing for fish what you would do for any other captive animal - keep him entertained safely by providing daily behavioral enrichment!

This article was written by Lauren Weeks of Friends of Fish.

Bettas have seven fins ,two pairs of paired fins,the pectoral and the ventral fins. The pectoral and the caudal fins are the bettas main source of navigation and the others provide stability.

They are anabantoids which means they have an auxiliary breathing apparatus called a labyrinth organ. This enables them to breathe air directly from the surface.Air passes over the labyrinth organ and out the gill slits. This organ allows bettas to live in oxygen depleted waters that would be lethal to most regular tropical fish. It’s a wonderful adaptation for survival in the rice paddies and also why bettas are usually kept in such deplorable conditions during their time in cups.

Temperature

The optimal betta temperature is 74-82F, the absolute minimum being 68. So when you’re picking out a tank for your new betta you need to consider the temperature of your house. If he won’t be warm enough, you’ll need to buy a small heater. 25w works perfect for a small tank, 2.5 to 5 gallons. A heater in a tank any smaller than that can be risky. If you’ll require a heater,you must buy a bigger tank.

Tank Size

Bettas can live healthy and well in anything from a 1 gallon up. A 1 gallon is the absolute minimum, preferable size is a 2.5 to a 5. Bettas are not the best community fish but it can be done. It’s recommended to avoid bettas in a community if the tank is below 10 gallons. Be sure and research tankmates to avoid too much conflict.

Water Changes

Water changes in small tanks should be very frequent, at least once a week, twice a week is even better. You can do it two ways, 100% weekly changes or 50% cycled tank changes using a gravel vac. Bettas don’t necessarily need filters, that’s up to you. They do make water changes a lot easier,but your betta may prefer his tank water calm. You can purchase small box filters that connect to air pumps, these seem to work well.I prefer cycled tanks, they work the best. This helps to keep your water quality constant rather than building up ammonia each week before a water change.

Choosing a Betta

When shopping for a betta you should look for the most alert fish, look for clean fins, smooth scales, nice belly and clean water. If the majority of the ‘cups’ are clean and there are a couple of dirty water cups, avoid those, those are your dirty bettas. Some are messier than others.

Acclimating

You should take your time when you’re acclimating your new betta. Float him in his tank for a good twenty minutes and then slowly pour 1/4 of his cup water out into the sink (careful that he doesn’t jump out!) Never,ever pour old cup water into the new tank. Repeat the 1/4 water replacements every 15 minutes for a couple of hours until you’re certain it’s fresh water in his cup, then release him.

Diet

Besides clean water and appropriate tank size, diet is the most important factor in keeping healthy bettas. Try to give a wide variety of fresh,frozen and pellet food. I prefer Hikari brand for everything, they’re wonderful and full of vitamins.Though they are carnivorous, they enjoy the occasional veggie,so offer some now and then. Avoid freeze dried treats, they have a tendency to cause internal damage.

This article was written by Jaded of Betta Kisses.

Fungal Infection

If you always add aquarium salt to your betta’s water (1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per 2 1/2 Gal of water) and one drop of Aquarisol per gal, your betta will probably never get fungus. It is contagious, but bettas will more than likely recover if treated promptly.

Symptoms: Betta has white cottony like patches on its body or head. He may be less active, may have stopped eating, fins may be clumped, color may be pale.

Treatment: Do a full water change. Use Meds such as Jungle fungus eliminator or equivalent.

Tail Rot or Fin Rot

This disease comes mainly from dirty water. If you keep his water VERY clean Mr. Betta will never get tail/fin rot. It is not overly contagious, and bettas will more than likely recover if treated promptly. Fins/tail will grow back, though may not have same color or may not look as good or be as long.

Symptoms: Betta’s fins and/or tail seem to be getting shorter and shorter. Or they seem to be falling apart and dissolving. There may be a darker color (or a reddish one) to the edge of the betta’s fins/tail. He may be still active and eating normally, or may have stopped eating, fins may be clumped, color may be pale.

Treatment: Do a full water change and use a medication such as Neosulfex, Bettamax or Melafixor. an antibiotic such as Tetracycline. Once rot stops and fins start growing back you can switch to Betta-Max and use it for a month. Betta-Max will not hurt your fish and also has vitamins, etc. that help the healing process. A small pinch of aquarium salt or rock salt will also help the healing process.

Advanced Fin Rot and Body Rot

This disease starts as a regular fin rot, but the rot progresses quite rapidly and is harder to stop. Soon no fins are left as all tissues have been eaten away. Then the rot proceeds to attack the body. Not a pretty picture.

Symptoms: Fins and or tail start rotting away, usually starting from the edge, but sometimes it starts at the base of the fin (especially dorsal) and attacks the body directly. Diseases progresses rapidly and as the tissues are being eaten away, you might see the fins bones stick out. Once fins have been consumed, rot will proceed onto the body. At this stage the disease is hard to reverse although the betta might continue to live for months if treated properly. If not treated, it will die promptly (and probably suffers quite a bit.)

Treatment: Do a full water change. Preferably provide a new tank (although that’s expensive disinfectant should clear all problems just make sure you rinse it fully disinfectant WILL kill your fish). You must combine several medications to have a chance to stop this thing. Use Ampicillin and double the dose if needed, and use at the same time tetracycline. These medications usually come in capsules. A full capsule usually treats 10 gal of water. So for a 1/2 gallon of water, open the capsule and take the right proportion of powder and sprinkle on jar water. You may steer gently with a disposable plastic spoon. Tetracycline might turn the colour of the water to a dark yellow or red. Overmedicating a little might help! Change water every third day and add a new dose of same medication. Continue until fins/tail stop receding and start showing some new growth. It may take up to 4 weeks to work, so don’t give up. Once healing starts you should treat for one more week to be sure.

Ick

Ick is a pesky little parasite. If you always add aquarium salt to your betta’s water (1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per 2 1/2 Gal of water) and one drop of Aquarisol per gal, your betta will never get ick. It is very contagious, but bettas will fully recover if treated promptly. Frozen live food may carry ich.

Symptoms: Betta has white dots (looks like he was sprinkled with salt) all over his body and head, even eyes. He may be less active, may have stopped eating, fins may be clumped. he may also be darting and scratching against rocks, plants and whatever else he can find.

Treatment: Do a full water change and add more salt (up to 1 teaspoon per gallon) to the water. Raise the water temperature to 85 degrees F.

Velvet

Velvet is another pesky little parasite. If you always add aquarium salt to your betta’s water (1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per 2 1/2 Gal of water) and one drop of Aquarisol per gal, your betta will probably never get velvet. It is very contagious, but bettas will fully recover if treated promptly. Velvet is the number one killer of small betta fries.

Symptoms: Velvet is hard to spot, but can be best spotted with a flashlight. Shine the light on the betta’s body: if it looks like it is covered with a fine gold or rust mist, then it has velvet. A betta with velvet will act sick, so look for clamped fins, scratching against rocks/gravel/tank, loss of appetite, loss of color etc…

Treatment: Velvet is a parasite. Because velvet is very VERY contagious, it is preferable to treat the whole tank when one fish is found to have it. Increase the amount of salt as the procedure for ick (see above). Use a medication for velvet such as Maracide.

Popeye

If you always keep your betta’s water very clean, he is not very likely to get Popeye. Popeye is a bacterial infection usually caused by poor water condition (in other words filthy water because you were too darn lazy to get off the couch and attend to your betta!!!). but popeye can also be the tip of the iceberg, the external sign that something inside Mr. Betta is going very wrong. For example, tuberculosis will sometimes result in popeye. In that case, the popeye may not be curable or even if it gets better the fish will die (because tuberculosis is not curable and always kills its host). In short the fish will have died, not of the popeye itself, but because of the more serious disease that triggered it.

Symptoms: One or both of Mr. Betta’s eyes start bulging out. In about 2 to 7 days the eye might look so grotesque you will be afraid to look at your betta. Sad Casimodo on a bad day will look more attractive then your betta at that point!! Please do not destroy your betta! In many cases, the bettas make a full recovery from it and look normal again, as if nothing had happened. Only some of the popeye cases are caused by the terminal diseases mentioned above and will result in your betta dying. The rest will heal nicely if caught early and treated aggressively (see below). During outbreak, betta may be less active, may stop eating.

Treatment: Tetracycline, Maracyn, Maracyn-Two, TriSulfa or Ampicillin – can be found online and in good LFS!!

Dropsy

This is a most common and most fatal betta disease. oftentimes linked to the feeding of live foods, especially black worms. Very little is know about it, but what causes the raised scales is fluid building up under the skin, inside the betta’s tissue. Usually what causes fluid to build up is simple kidney failure. And as you know, once the kidneys fail, the body dies. I think that is why we have had so little luck (NO LUCK AT ALL) in treating successfully bettas with dropsy. Although dropsy (the symptom) itself is not contagious, BACTERIA THAT CAUSE THE KIDNEY FAILURE in the first place usually are very very contagious.

Symptoms: It is easy to diagnose a betta with Dropsy: Look for two signs: an abnormally big (bloated) belly and if you look at betta from the top, raised scales. Scales will look like an open pine cone. If you see this, you are out of luck, and so is Betta. He will soon go to betta heaven Sad…

Treatment: No known cure. Keep water clean, keep him AWAY from any other bettas etc… On occasion, in the case of a very mild raised scales, I have seen bettas recover on their own. But I suspect that this is because those cases are NOT real dropsy. Real dropsy always kill. So I guess you have to wait and see what happens. Treating is pretty useless. It may take up to 15 days for betta to die, though usually about 5 days. Any betta with dropsy should be immediately ISOLATED!!!! Prayer may not hurt.

Swim Bladder

This is also a common betta problem. It is not contagious. It comes from overfeeding. It is especially common in very young bettas (30 to 60 days old) and can affect some Double Tail bettas when overfed or stressed..

Symptoms: Bettas with a swim bladder disorder will have difficulty swimming, because their swim bladder (located alongside the spine between the belly and the tail) is either too short (causing them to not be able to swim horizontally) or it is swollen (causing them to float on one side). Double Tail bettas, because they have a shorter body, are especially prone to the “floaters” problem. In the case of a short swim bladder, the bettas will not be able to maneuver and swimming becomes so difficult, they prefer to just lie at the bottom, sliding on their bellies, which is why they are called “belly sliders”. And they do look like a pathetic bunch, at that point.

Treatment: Bettas may recover on their own, but since overfeeding induces swimbladder disorders in most cases, the first thing to do is feed a lot less. Brine shrimp and too much of it is the biggest culprit, so if your bettas are bellysliding, stop the brine shrimp for a while and thereafter learn to have a more balanced diet, alternating brine shrimp with microworms or worms (depending on how old your bettas are). DO NOT KILL a betta with a swimbladder disorder. It may recover on its own at any time, and is not suffering. Further more, the ailment is NOT contagious. To help the fish if it cannot eat, lower the water level.

Inflamed Gills

The gill or gills of a betta may become inflamed, because of nitrate poisoning, and possibly bacterial infections, or even a defective gill (if it was born that way).

Symptoms: One or both gills will not close all the way (look at betta from the top it is easier to see it then), gills may look red on the inside (inflamed) or not, in the last stages, the betta may be gasping for air, unable to breath and ultimately die.

Treatment: Isolate sick betta. Do a full jar water change every third day. Every time you change water, add antibiotic (Pick one that treats inflamed gills, like Ampicillin for example) to the water. In the case of nitrate poisoning, simply add one drop of methylene blue in betta’s jar.

External Parasites

If you do not add some aquarium salt (1 teaspoon per 5 gal) to your betta’s water to prevent parasites, your betta may get some parasites, but I cannot say it is common as I, personally have never seen the little pests in my fishroom (hehehehehe…). A reader sent me a photo showing his pet store betta with anchor worms near the gills and fins. It might give you a reference point. but note that each parasite has its own shape. The use of a magnifying glass will be helpful to help SEE them on your fish’s skin.

Symptoms: It is easy to diagnose a betta with external parasites: It will dart and scratch itself against anything it can find, such as gravel, rocks, heaters, tank walls, etc… You may or may not actually be able to see the parasites themselves. Look instead for a behavioral change in your betta. If it looks like it is on speed or acid, then it has parasites!!

Treatment: Do a full water change for jars or a 70% water change for tanks. (To get rid of some of the parasites and their eggs, etc.).

Internal Parasites

If you feed live brown worms, you can easily give your bettas some internal parasites. Those are a real pest because you can’t see them, the bettas behavior does not change, except they start looking skinny despite the fact they are eating normally. This is a somewhat rare disease, meaning you may or may not have to ever deal with it.

Symptoms: Bettas are losing weight despite their eating normally. WARNING: there are other serious diseases that mimic internal parasites because the fish start looking emaciated (fish tuberculosis). So it is easy to confuse the two.

Treatment: Do a full water change for jars or a 70% water change for tanks. (To get rid of some of the parasites and their eggs, etc.)

Bacterial Infection

If the betta‘s water becomes fouled with uneaten food and fish waste, if it is not well filtered or if the jars are not kept sparkling clean, bacterial bloom will promptly occur and infect your fish. Sometimes you keep the water clean and the fish still gets a bacterial infection!! Why? because bacteria is resident in your tap water, in the air, on your hands etc… Usually healthy bettas have their immune system to protect them against these attacks. But bettas with a deficient immune system (when a betta is stressed, because it was scared, or moved or shipped, its immune system will become deficient) will catch whatever is lurking in the water, including the bacteria. They will have a “bacterial infection”. VERY CONTAGIOUS!!

Symptoms: Betta may have clamped fins, lay at bottom or at surface, not eat, lose its color, turn gray, barely swim around. In more advanced cases, its body may start developing red patches, open sores and all kinds of nasty looking stuff. (Even holes in its head!! YIKES!!) Different bacteria affect fish differently. Some will attack the internal organs while others prefer to munch on the skin.

Treatment: Do a full water change for jars or a 70% water change for tanks. (To get rid of some of the bacteria present). Clean filter, change filtering system, remove any uneaten food rotting, or any dead fish!!! Isolate any bettas with symptoms if in a community tank.

You should also treat the whole tank. There is a wide variety of antibiotics available for fish. REMEMBER: Remove carbon from your filters before you add the meds!! The carbon would otherwise absorb all the medication and you would be flushing your money down the tube. Oh, and did I mention money?? Yes, brace yourself, cause your little fishies are gonna cost you a bundle, fish antibiotics can get pretty darn expensive - just as people’s antibiotics are, as you well know!! ANTIBIOTICS TO USE:- Tetracyclin, Kanamycin (good for serious infections) you can get them from good fish stores or online stores!!

Tuberculosis (TB)

This is probably the deadliest of fish diseases, yet most people have never heard of it or know little to nothing about it. It can mimic a large variety of other diseases, making it hard to diagnosis. Only an autopsy can confirm mycobacteriosis. This is a slow blooming disease that may take up to 6 months to affect fish. Ultimately, the bacteria will attack the internal organs, especially liver and kidneys and cause organ failure (followed by sudden death). This is the only fish disease known to be contagious to man. The good news is, unless you have a very infected tank and stick your hands in there and have a big cut or a weak immune system, you will probably never catch it from sick fish. And even if you did, it will not kill you, mostly give you a nasty skin infection which may take a long time to heal. The bug does not like people much (it is a temperature thing), and seems to remain on the skin surface only. Also, just so you don’t become all paranoid now, I must add that there has been VERY FEW documented cases of fish TB infecting people. And in most cases, as I said, the people either had a deep cut or immune system deficiency. The only reason I am mentioning all this is so you are aware of it. Don’t worry, Mr. Betta is not out to get ya! LOL. Fish tuberculosis can be resident in water but has also been linked to live foods (researchers found cases of live foods infected by tuberculosis etc…), and is mainly passed by injection (eating contaminated live food, or eating a dead fish that was a carrier, etc…) Now you can understand the importance of staying away from fish stores where you can see a lot of dead fish! Pick your fish suppliers very carefully and favor a store or breeder that has high hygiene standards in their fish rooms or stores

Symptoms: Affected fish will start deteriorating for no apparent reasons, losing weight (or not), showing deformities (or not), having raised scales (or not), fin and body rot (or not), gray lesions (or not), red patches inside the belly (or not). Sometimes they will seem fine one day and be oh so very DEAD the next. The one thing all the bettas affected by this terrible diseases have in common is that they will all (as in every single last one of them) die. So if you suddenly find a large number of dead fish in your tanks, and more die each day, there is a strong possibility you might be at war with fish tuberculosis (careful though, other bacterial infections can also have similar dramatic death rates).

Treatment: I am sorry to break the news to you but you will NOT win that war because there is NO cure. Furthermore you will probably have to throw away all bowl, tank and fish gear because regular bleach does not kill this nasty bug. My advice? Stay away from live food and from sickly looking pet store bettas and as I said select your fish suppliers carefully. Oh, and do a lot of praying.

This article was written by Jaded of Betta Kisses.

Live Shrimp Brine

The keyword is live food; they are the best food you can serve on the Betta table. Feeding them with live shrimp brine is like having Sashimi for us. It has lots of protein, vitamins and minerals for excellent growth. You can compare the ‘skin color’ of your Betta fishes when they are consistently fed with the shrimp brine. You can find live shrimp brine at the local pet shop, but they can be pricey.

Live Worms

Betta fishes are carnivorous. They like things that will wriggle around, so worms are attractive to them. I like feeding my Betta fishes worms, but maybe only about once every two weeks. Why? Worms are messy and dirty and they can contaminate your tank very easily. I have to clean them thoroughly before I give them to my precious Bettas. Any kind of worms require cleaning first and if they are not frozen, please throw them away after a day. So the trick here is to buy the minimum but enough to keep your Bettas happy for a meal or two. Remember, if it stinks, do not eat it, the rule is applicable to both humans and Bettas.

Pellets

For busy people who want to feed your fishes quickly and spend the rest of the day switching cable channels, try fish pellets. Clean, fast and convenient. Looks for pellets that have shrimp brine mixed in them. Betta fishes are not natural pill eating species, so you might have to take a while before they start to eat them. Do not over feed them also, look at their tiny bellies and estimate how many pellets would fill them up.

This article was written by Ong Hui Woo of To The Fish.

Betta Fish are native to Thailand and Cambodia. The common name comes from the name of Siam, which is now Thailand, and the territorial battles the males conduct. Like many members of the animal kingdom, the males are the gaudier looking, to better attract females. The females tend to appear rather dull, and almost all Betta Fish sold are males for that reason. In the wild, they are dull greens and browns, but breeders have produced far more stunning color schemes.

Some believe that Bettas cannot be kept with other fish. This is not true. Multiple male Bettas is a precondition for battle. Bettas with other fish around will still display and flare their fins, but won’t see this as a mortal insult. They should not be kept in a tank with fish that are aggressive or that nip fins, and only one male should be present. Female Bettas can usually play well with others, and there are cages to be used to separate male Bettas if they are kept in the same tank. These should prevent the fish from seeing each other.

Betta Fish can handle a surprising range of water conditions, but the water should be changed once a week or so, more often if the fish is kept in a small container. They can be fed once a day, or twice if you desire, and aren’t especially fussy about their food. There is specially formulated Betta food on the market. In the wild, Bettas eat live food, insects and their larvae, and like it in fish tanks, but they will eat flakes and frozen food as well. Do not overfeed as this will require cleaning the tank more often. When changing the water, remember to let the water sit for a day before using it in the tank with the fish to allow the chlorine to evaporate. Good choices for Betta food are brine shrimp, Daphnia, plankton, tubifex, glassworms, and beef heart, and may be used frozen or freeze dried. Flakes should be supplemented with other foods from the list.

Many note the odd bubble structures that male Betta Fish build in the water tank. This is perfectly normal. The male is building a nest in which to place eggs, once he successfully impresses a female.

Bettas prefer a pH between 6.8 and 7.4 and a hardness less than 20 dGH. The temperature should be between 75 and 86 degrees, or twenty-four to thirty for those who prefer Celsius. In the wild, they live in rice paddies, ponds and slow moving streams, and are most comfortable near the surface. One of the main arguments about the minimum size for the fish’s tank is heat. Below 75 degrees, the fish are increasingly listless and it is much easier to keep a larger tank at a stable temperature. Bettas also require access to the surface, and will drown without it. There is a special organ, the labyrinth organ, allowing and requiring them to take oxygen from the air. Because they live in still waters, power filters and power heads are not suitable.

Betta Fish are known for their lovely colors and fins, with a wide range of colors available. Blue to red with white are normal, and more spectacular colors like yellow and orange exist.

Metal poisoning easily kills betta fish, and exposed metal should not be used in decorations within the tank. Decorations are important as they allow the fish places to hide, and a layer of gravel helps to provide surface area to grow nitrifying bacteria. Decorations must be smooth and lack sharp points that can tear fins. Silk is preferred to plastic for artificial plants for this reason.

This article was written by Sarah Munn of Betta Care Made Easy.