TANK SETUP
MINIMAL: A single male or female Betta requires at least a 5-gallon tank at the minimum. We recommend a heater and sponge filter connected to an air pump to improve their quality of life.
COMMUNITY: A single male or female Betta(s) accompanied by other community fish. Compatible tank mates would include community fish of similar size to your Betta. Recommended tank mates for your Betta are cory catfish, mystery snails, feeder guppies, harlequin rasbora, neon tetras, african dwarf frog, neon tetras, ember tetras, etc. Remember to do your research beforehand!
SORORITY: A sorority consists of 5 or more female Bettas. Remember to provide plenty of space and hiding places to discourage chasing and bullying using tall plants that reach up the tank’s waterline, caves, and hiding spots.
CYCLING YOUR TANK
Next, fill your tank with tap water and treat it with a water conditioner to remove any impurities. Now, wait patiently while your cycling process completes in 4-8 weeks.
When you tank cycles, you force it to undergo the nitrogen cycle. During this time, beneficial bacteria will grow to the point where they will start eating harmful ammonia and nitrites as quickly as they produce.
At this point, you can buy an aquarium test kit to check ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and pH levels to make sure everything is according to recommendations before adding any fish.
WATER CHANGES
- Use a water conditioner to make tap water safe for bettas.
- Filters are essential to reduce ammonia and preserve healthy bacteria.
- Avoid drastic changes in water temperature and water quality. Water changes bigger than 50% can be highly stressful and even fatal to your Bettas.
- Use test strips to monitor water parameters.
- Betta fish are jumpers, always secure a lid on your tank or fill your tank 5-8″ below the waterline.
Ideal Water Parameters for Betta Fish
Temperature: 75°-81°F (23.8°-27.2°C)
Ammonia and Nitrite: 0 ppm.
Nitrate: <20 ppm.
GH: 3-4 dGH (50-66.7 ppm)
KH: 3-5 dKH (53.6- 89.4 ppm)
pH: 6.5-7.5.
ACCLIMATING BETTAS TO THEIR NEW TANK
Before adding new fish, plants, or invertebrates into a shared community tank, quarantine them for at least two weeks. It is essential not to skip this step, as anything you add to your community tank may carry parasites and diseases not visible when they are received.
Instructions
- Test your tank’s water parameters.
- Float the Betta inside its bag on top of the aquarium for 45mins or until it reaches the same temperature.
- Carefully place your Betta with the water they were shipped in on a separate container ( hopefully their quarantine tank for the next two weeks ) and start slowly adding water from your cycled tank to about 60% of it while monitoring your Betta for any signs of stress.
- To reach a similar pH level, introduce a small amount of tank water into the hole of a plastic cup. This will slowly decrease or increase the pH.
- When the acclimation and quarantine period is completed, allow your bettas to swim into their new homes.
LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR BETTA
Vision
The eyes of bettas are situated on the sides of their head that resemble monocular vision. As compared to humans who can see straight, bettas can look in two distinct directions. This is unfortunately the reason why they lack the so-called depth perception.
In the eyes of humans, the curve and shape of the eye lens change to be able to achieve the right concentration and focus. With bettas’ eyes, you will notice that their eye lenses are just the same. They also find it very difficult to do the necessary adjustment to brightness. This is usually linked with how slow their iris works. Thus, this only leaves them with very poor vision.
This issue is solved by a lateral line that measures the water pressure. This utilizes small holes connected to the specialized nerve endings. This will now help the fish betas to be able to avoid all those obstacles. The brain will then deduce the nerve signals being a picture of the environment. This way, bettas will be able to find food. This will furthermore help them before their poor and weak eyesight.
Smell and Taste
The taste buds of bettas are found on their mouth, lips, and fins. Just like humans, they usually inhale by nostrils. These senses help them to react more to the chemicals in the water. The chemicals allow them to know where to find the food around. This is also, especially if there is a coming predator. Nevertheless, bettas could already get a sense if the chemicals are already nearby.
Hearing
The ears of bettas are pretty much simple. They consist of an inner chamber. The betta fishes hear using listening to the vibrations in the water. As per these vibrations, these usually enter the so-called sensory mechanism found in the chamber. And then, the swim bladder will help the inner ear of the bettas by heightening and distinguishing sounds.
Diet
Bettas are insectivores and require a balanced diet high on protein. Omega One, Mosquito Larva, and New Life Spectrum pellets are great choices. When feeding exclusively dried foods to your Bettas please remember to fast your Bettas once a week for their digestive system to catch up. Live foods such as Daphnia, bloodworms, etc… would be great additions as well!
Bettas can survive for up to 2 weeks without food, so remember underfeeding is better than over-feeding! A meal portion should be equal to about 5% of a betta’s body size so remember to provide enough food for your fish to eat in 2 minutes and remove any leftovers.
Bettas also have a reputation for being picky eaters. So try different brands and a variety of foods and eventually, your fish will eat. Don’t be alarmed if the betta spits out its food. Soaking their food in Garlic Guard before feeding could potentially help as well.
Lighting & Plant Ornaments
Betta fish require natural day and night light cycles so please make sure to turn off all lights at night. We also recommend live plants resemble their environment as much as possible. And to avoid decorations with sharp edges that could potentially rip your Betta fins and cause an infection.
The Labyrinth
Bettas originate from rice patties and swamps that are poorly oxygenated. Thus, their Labyrinth organ means the difference between survival and death as it allows them to breathe oxygen from the water and the surface. So never seal their tanks completely and avoid any medications containing tea-tree oil that could cause your Bettas to suffocate such as Bettafix!
CHOOSING YOUR BETTA(S)
We offer a wide selection of exotic and rare bettas that you will not be able to find at other pet stores. Years of commitment to the industry have allowed us to gain the trust of Betta breeders and customers alike. Each Betta purchased at Bettas & Art is inspected and carefully packed before it leaves our location. Get started by visiting our online store and feel free to contact us via our support chat for videos and any questions you may have.