Betta Fish Care

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 First-time fish-keepers often underestimate how much care their new pets will need. Betta fish (also known as Siamese fighting fish) are beautiful and popular pets that need plenty of care to flourish.

This article discusses how fish keepers can keep their bettas happy and healthy, and how to recognize signs of illness in your pet, and whether or not caring for a betta fish is suitable for beginners.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. Quick Betta Fish Care Guide
  2. Diet and Feeding
  3. Tank Setup
  4. Habitat Maintenance
  5. Characteristics and Compatibility
  6. How to Take Care of a Betta Fish's Health
  7. Should You Get a Betta Fish?

Quick Betta Fish Care Guide

yellow and blue betta swimming in blue water

With a little preparation and care, first-time fish owners can raise healthy, happy bettas.

Here’s a quick list of everything you should consider before you buy a new betta fish:

  • Diet and feeding: Betta fish need a combination of flakes, pellets, and freeze-dried or live food
  • Tank setup: Betta fish need a five-gallon tank, or larger, along with a good water filter and heater. A low-level air pump can help to oxygenate the water, but remember that bettas prefer still water
  • Habitat and maintenance: Bettas like having places to hide. Put decorations, including live plants, in the tank. Maintain water temperature between 76 and 85°F. Change 15% to 40% of the water weekly
  • Characteristics and compatibility: Bettas — especially males — can be aggressive. Keep female bettas together, and don’t combine males with females or with other males. Some bettas are more territorial than others. Bettas are compatible with placid, bottom-feeding, dull-colored fish
  • Betta fish health: A healthy betta is active, alert, and eats regularly. The males should have vibrant colors and show an active interest in their surroundings. Bettas that don’t eat, have dull colors, and act lethargic could be sick

Betta Fish Care Tips

Any good pet owner wants their pet to thrive. Keep betta fish healthy with the proper tank set-up. Here are a few tips that can help you make sure your betta is thriving in its environment:

  • Buy a bigger tank than you need: Bettas aren’t very active fish, but maintaining a larger tank is easier than maintaining a smaller one. If you intend to add more fish to your tank besides your betta, you’ll need plenty of extra space
  • Check your fish every day: Betta fish have recognizable signs of illness and stress. Inspect your betta fish daily for signs of poor health
  • Feed your betta a varied diet: A healthy betta has a good appetite and thrives on a varied diet
  • Wait at least two to four weeks before adding new fish: Betta fish need at least two to four weeks to settle into their new home before adding new fish

Diet and Feeding

betta swimming around planted tank

In the wild, bettas eat small insects and other small invertebrates. You may struggle to feed your bettas live insects, but you can get frozen foods that are suitable for these fish.

Here are a few things to consider when feeding your bettas:

  • Feed bettas a varied diet of pellets, flakes, and frozen or live foods
  • Feed sparingly, once a day. If given the chance, betta fish will eat more than they need. Uneaten food will dissolve and pollute the tank. Feed bettas an amount they can eat within two minutes, and scoop out any uneaten food
  • Feed baby bettas a diet of finer flakes and crushed pellets
  • Give bettas occasional treats. Bloodworms, live food, and finely chopped meat are suitable for bettas. Scoop out any uneaten food

Tank Setup

Prized for their beauty, bettas are very popular fish. Unfortunately, this has led to some pet owners keeping betta fish for their looks and not bothering to take care of them. A common myth is that bettas do just fine in tiny, undecorated glass vases.

Keeping any fish in a tiny living space is cruel, and bettas are no exception. Bettas need clean water and a sizable, decorated tank to thrive.

Before you bring home your new betta fish, set up and cycle the tank.

Here’s what your betta tank setup will need:

  • Tank size: At least 5 gallons in size. If you plan to add more fish to your aquarium, start with a minimum of 10 gallons
  • Water temperature: Between 76 and 85°F.
  • Water quality: Calm water, without strong currents, and with a pH of between 6.8 and 7.5. Use a pH testing kit to regularly check whether or not the tank water is suitable
  • Decorations: Provide plenty of hiding places and decorations for your fish to explore. Live plants can be a good way of introducing oxygen into the water, and can also provide hiding places for your betta

Large fish bowls with the proper equipment are suitable for bettas, but never put any fish into a bare, empty, small bowl.

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