Bettas for Beginners

Contrary to popular belief, betta fish are not

“beginner pets”.

They have specific care requirements just like any other animal. Think of it this way, you’re taking care of the water/environment rather than the fish. Hopefully by the end of this, you will know how to take care of that environment.

Let’s start with the size of your environment.

You need a tank five gallons / 19L or larger for a long fin betta.

Long fin

Short fin

And 10 gallons / 38L or larger for a short fin.

Long fins are ok in a smaller tank because their fins prevent them from moving as much as a short fin.

Long tanks are preferable over tall tanks. Betta fish can breathe air from the surface and this makes it harder for them to get up there.

Video from @aquatic.a_fish_ionado on tt

This is a time lapse of a long fin betta in a 15 gallon. Remember this is their habitat. This is their home, and they don’t get to leave this home like you or I, so it’s important to make it enriching and comfortable:)

If you’re starting to worry about costs, you can check out my page on budget friendly alternatives!

I’m going to try to make this as beginner friendly as possible, but if you want to learn more this button will take you to my pages on that.

In the aquarium hobby we call these “parameters” or “levels”. Let’s start with pH, GH, and KH. These are the parameters that bettas like

ppm = parts per million

dKH = degrees GH

dKH = degrees KH

6.5-7.5

3-5dGH / 50-80ppm

3-5dKH / 50-80ppm

Don’t let the numbers for GH and KH scare you, it’s just two different ways of measuring it. You can figure out these levels with liquid test kits or test strips, although the strips are usually inaccurate. The ones that I’ve linked are accurate liquid test kits.

The master test kit comes with pH and other very important levels! They also last a long time!

The other levels consist of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. All three of these are harmful.

Ammonia is the most toxic, nitrite being less, and nitrate being the least toxic.

ppm = parts per million

0ppm

0ppm

Under 20ppm

Live plants like nitrates!

You can test these with the kit I mentioned previously.

Most beginners clean their tanks by dumping everything out and scrubbing it all, but this destroys the beneficial bacteria that keeps your fish from being harmed by toxic levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Have you ever heard the term “cycling your tank”? It’s the period of time you’re supposed to leave your tank so it can build that bacteria.

Knowing about cycling is very important, you can click here to learn more.

You can properly clean your tank by using a siphon to empty waste and debris into a bucket.

We call this a “water change”, it’s not a good Idea to take more than 20% of the water on an average change. Smaller tanks need more assistance since they have less of their own ecosystem, so for a 10 gallon you can perform a water change once a week or so.

Water heater:

50W it’s good for 10 gallons / 38L give or take

Betta fish need a temperature of 78 to 82F or 25 to 27C

Because they are tropical fish, it is crucial to have a heater. It’s better to get an adjustable one so you can control the temperature.

Filters:

Filters are also very important,

They keep water moving and clean. They also hold a lot of beneficial bacteria, which is why it’s important to not overclean your filter.

Coming soon

There are different kinds of filters. The image above shows sponge filters. I recommend these for betta fish because they create the least amount of water flow and bettas are not strong swimmers. However, you need to connect these to an aerator.

Bettas are carnivores and strictly eat meat. If you look at

The ingredients on products with a lot of fillers, the first three ingredients in most are fish meal, dehulled soybean meal and wheat germ meal, only 1/3 of those are meat. This can give them digestive problems.

Alternatively, you could use frozen foods like mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, etc.. Or consider something like Fluval Bug Bites. These still have fillers, but are much healthier for your fish. Remember fish are like any other animal, They need a varied diet to stay healthy.

One serving is 2 to 3 pieces, feed once or twice a day depending on your schedule.

You don’t want to choose anything

that’s fake

like colorful rocks, or plastic plants. Colorful rocks can leach chemicals into the water, plastic plants can cut your fishes fins, and general fake decor can chip paint into the water.

Instead, try driftwood natural rocks, and live plants.

And if you don’t want to go with live plants, you can go with silk plants instead, these won’t cut your fishes fins!

How to collect and properly clean, driftwood and rocks for free ⬇️

This website has another care page on betta fish