How to Care for a Female Betta Tank

Bettas are southeast Asian bubble nest breeders. Very popular as pet fish, the betta is colorful and friendly, readily swimming to people in a curious manner. Female bettas are almost as vividly painted as the longer finned males. The females can be kept together in a tank if they have been raised together since hatching. Some females will coexist in a community tank, but care must be taken to watch for any aggression amongst the female bettas as even female bettas can injure each other. Separate competitive females or use a tank divider to prevent further fighting. Caring for the female tank in general is not difficult as bettas do not need unique water parameters.

Things You'll Need

  • Fish tank (five gallon minimum)
  • Aquarium filter
  • Aquarium heater
  • Water conditioner
  • Aquarium gravel
  • Betta Food
  • Live food (bloodworms, daphnia)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Choose a tank that is five gallons or larger. Choose the largest tank you can for stability of water temperature and cleanliness. Purchase a filter (most filters manufactured for the tank volume will do). Consider filters with low turbulence, as betta females do not like strong currents.

    • 2

      Wash the gravel with water. Rinse it until there is no more dust. Place the cleaned gravel in the tank. Gravel should be between two and three inches deep, with a decreasing slope towards the back of the tank. Add water to the tank.

    • 3

      Set up the filter according to the manufacturer's directions. Add the water conditioner to the tank. Add the aquarium heater and set it to 75 to 80 degrees. Let the tank run for one week. Add safe aquarium decorations, driftwood and rocks; do not leave the tank bare. Use philodendron cuttings in the tank for the female bettas. Note that the philodendron will set root, help to stabilize the ecosystem of the tank and create a habitat for the bettas.

    • 4

      Do not overstock the tank. For instance, a 10-gallon tank can hold no more than five female bettas. Feed the bettas only as much as they can eat in a few seconds. Feed the bettas once or twice a day. Two small meals are best. Add live food or frozen live food, such as bloodworms, brine shrimp or daphnia, several times a week.

    • 5

      Change the water in the tank once a week. Replace 25 to 30% of the water during the water change. Be sure to match the temperature of the fresh water with the temperature of the water in the tank. Add the water conditioner to the new water before pouring it in the tank. Rinse or clean the filter each week according to the manufacturer's instructions.