How to Care for Betta Fish in a Glass Bowl

Siamese fighting fish, also known as betta fish, are colorful and low-maintenance pets. Unlike other types of pet fish, which can require expensive tanks, aquarium heaters and filter pumps, bettas can thrive in freshwater in simple glass bowls with a few decorative rocks in the bottom. With proper care, a betta can live for two to four years.

Things You'll Need

  • 1/2 gallon or larger glass fishbowl
  • Aquarium gravel
  • Bowl decorations or aquatic plants
  • Distilled, purified or spring water
  • Live black worms
  • Aquarium thermometer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place 2 to 3 inches of aquarium gravel in the bowl. Fill the bowl with distilled, filtered or purified water.

    • 2

      Use a thermometer to check the water temperature. Add a single betta to the fishbowl when the temperature is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

    • 3

      Place the glass bowl in a temperature-controlled room where the water will consistently stay between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Avoid putting it near heaters, air conditioners, direct sunlight or anything else that may change the water temperature.

    • 4

      Feed the betta three to four live black worms every other day. Drop the worms directly into the water; they will float. Remove any uneaten worms from the bowl after 10 to 15 minutes.

    • 5

      Change the water when it starts to look cloudy. Fill a second bowl with room temperature water. Use an aquarium net to transfer the betta to that bowl. Pour out the old water in the first bowl. Rinse the bowl, and any decorations and pebbles, under warm water until they're clean.

    • 6

      Replace the aquarium pebbles and decorations. Fill the bowl with room temperature distilled, purified or spring water. Check the temperature again before returning the fish to the bowl.