How to take care of a betta fish

Bettas, also known as Siamese fighting fish, have a reputation as easy pets. However, the colorful fish still have some basic food, water and living space requirements. Proper care of a betta fish is important to ensure it lives a long, happy life whether in a bowl on your nightstand or in a large office aquarium.

Things You'll Need

  • Aquarium or bowl
  • Aquarium gravel
  • Live or plastic plants
  • pH and freshwater test kit
  • Dechlorinator drops
  • Aquarium thermometer
  • Betta fish food
  • Extra fish container for when bowl is being cleaned
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Instructions

    • 1

      Provide a suitable bowl or aquarium for your betta fish. The best home for your fish is an aquarium that is larger than 6 gallons. An aquarium should have a filter, heater, lights and gravel for the bottom. You may decorate it with either live or plastic plants, but live plants improve the quality of the water. Plants provide cover for your betta to hide and relax in. The top of the bowl or aquarium should have a ventilated cover since bettas are known to be good jumpers.

    • 2

      Feed your betta fish adequate and appropriate food. Bettas are carnivores, so give them frozen or fresh meat-based food. White worms, blood worms, brine shrimp and daphnia are all acceptable foods for bettas. Stores usually have commercial types of betta food as well. Your fish need to be fed once a day. Be careful not to overfeed because excess food particles will dirty the tank or bowl. Only feed what the fish can eat in five minutes.

    • 3

      Keep the fish bowl or aquarium clean. The water must be changed frequently, especially if the betta is kept in a bowl with no filtration system. About 25 percent of the water must be changed once a week. Tap water is treated with chlorine, which will kill fish. If you use tap water, use dechlorinator drops according to the instructions on the bottle. Make sure the water you are adding is the same temperature as the water in the bowl or tank. Use a pH kit to test your local water. A neutral reading of 7.0 is best, so use pH drops to adjust the water if you need to. When cleaning your tank or bowl, gently scoop up your betta in a net and place it in another container with the old water until you are finished.

    • 4

      Reduce sources of stress for your betta fish in order to keep it healthy. The water temperature in your betta's home should be around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Set up an aquarium thermometer to monitor the temperature. Avoid keeping the bowl or aquarium in a drafty area or in direct sunlight. This can cause the water temperature to fluctuate. Never keep more than one male betta in an aquarium because they are aggressive fish. However, more than one female can be kept in a tank. Do not house male and female bettas together unless you are breeding them, and only then for short periods of time. Males and females also behave aggressively toward each other.