Siamese fighting fish is a beautiful pet fish. They are also called Bettas, and they are very popular because of their astonishing colors, but also low-cost care. They are best known for their aggressiveness, so if you want to get a Betta fish to be sure not to pair it with other fish, or even other bettas. If you decide to have a Betta fish as your new pet, there are some things you need to know first. They can live up to five years, and some even longer, but you need to know how to take care of them.
Be aware that you need to take care of a fish as you take care of any other pet, the fact that they are in a tank doesn’t mean that you can just put them there and leave them.
If you are prepared for that then we are going to give you 5 best caring tips for Betta fish, so you know how to take care of your new best friend.
1. Choose the Best Tank and Equipment
Like with any other pet, you want to treat your Betta as best as possible. And that means that you need to choose a suitable home and all of the equipment for it. When they are in wild bettas live in Thai rice paddies, and that means that they are used to live in shallow water, but their environment there is pretty large. You should also know that you need to get all of the necessary equipment if you want your fish to be healthy and happy.
You will need:
- A heater with a thermostat – Heater is very important because bettas are tropical fish and they need to live in warmer water. The perfect water temperature is between 78-82ºF/24-27ºC.
- Filter – Bettas do have a back-up breathing system that allows them to breathe air from the surface, but an appropriate filter is recommended if you want your fish to live as long as possible. A sponge filter is the best choice.
- Decoration – This is something that you may think that it’s necessary, but it is. Betta fish are aggressive and they need to live alone. They don’t go in a pair, because they can fight each other. But because they live alone, they tend to get bored, so you will want to make their environment interesting for them. The best decoration is natural – live plants and marimo moss balls. They look the best and your fish is not going to get hurt. Live plants will also help keep the water cleaner.
2. Minimum 5 Gallon Tank
When choosing a tank it is very important to choose the right one. As we mentioned bettas are used to live in shallow, but large environments. On MondestFish.com, they say Betta fish need at least a 5-gallon tank. It will not be too large for them, it is the perfect size for them to live a happy life.
3. Feeding Your Fish
Bettas are carnivores and they should be fed with food that is specifically made for them. You can feed them with pellets and flakes for bettas. And good treats for them would be frozen or even live shrimp and bloodworms. Always be sure not to overfeed your fish and make a feeding schedule. Once for breakfast in the morning, and once for dinner at night. There is a possibility that as long as you give food to your Betta fish will eat it, and that led to overeating, and that can lead to death. You don’t want to overfeed your fish, so be sure to always give the same and decent amount of food. After the fish is done eating, you should clean up the leftover food. You need to do this so the fish doesn’t overeat, and also to keep the tank clean.
4. Clean the Tank Regularly
If you have a filter you will not have a lot of problems cleaning the tank. You should change the water regularly, but you don’t need to change the whole tank. If you have a 5-gallon tank, you will need to add 50% of new water every week. When you change the water be sure to vacuum the bottom of the filtered tank. Nowadays you can easily get accessories that allow you to clean the aquarium while you change the water – you can read more here. Also, you should always add a dechlorinator when adding new water, and always add water that is the same temperature as the old water, so you avoid temperature shock. You can easily check the temperature with a thermometer that you have for the tank.
5. Test Your Water
One of the most important things that you need to do every week is to test your water. You can do this easily with a master freshwater test kit. Always test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. This will help you know when you need to change the whole amount of water in your tank.
Other Things You Should Know
- Don’t annoy your fish – This may sound a bit harsh, but it is what it is. Something that people tend to do very often is tap the glass of the tank. And that is something that you definitely shouldn’t do. Bettas are aggressive and tapping the glass can get them angry or agitate them and it can even cause the fish to go into shock.
- You can play with them – You shouldn’t tap the tank glass, but you can interact with your fish, as a matter of fact, you should do that. You can slide your fingers along the glass or move your fingers in front of your betta. The fish may seem a little afraid at the beginning, but eventually, it will get to know you and it will even remember your face. So every time you come by the tank your fish will come to say hello to you.
If you follow these tips your Betta will be one healthy fish, and it will live a long and happy life.
