Betta fish are among the most popular kinds of pet fish. However, not all betta fish owners know how to take care of their pet to ensure it has a long and healthy life. Betta fish need a proper environment, healthy food, and other fish in its tank must be carefully chosen.

Betta fish should be kept in large heated aquariums. Because betta fish are from Southeast Asia they are used to warm temperatures and their water should be kept at 76-82 degrees fahrenheit. The more water a betta fish has, the happier it will be. At least five gallons of water is ideal, but from my personal experience taking care of betta fish three gallons can work. A betta fish should be kept in slightly acidic to neutral waters with a pH of 6.5-7.0. A betta fish’s aquarium should have several real or fake aquatic plants for it to be able to hide in or it should have other objects for it to hide in, so it feels safe and secure. A betta fish’s filter should not be a strong type because they are used to still-water in the wild; A betta fish’s water should be cleaned once per week, roughly one third of its water should be replaced during water change; Also, the gravel of its aquarium should be siphoned during cleanings.

Betta fish are omnivores that should primarily eat animal based foods but also small amounts of plant based foods. Freeze dried bloodworms (I.e,; mosquito larvae) ; are a good source of protein for betta fish, along with brine shrimp. Live bloodworms and brine shrimp can also be used; but that would increase the fish’s risk of diseases and parasites. A betta fish’s diet should also be supplemented with flaked fish food so it can obtain necessary vitamins and minerals. Be careful when feeding a betta fish, it may jump out of the water to get food and land outside of the tank.

Never put two male betta fish together; they will fight each other to the death and that is how they got the name “Siamese fighting fish.” Female betta fish can live in one aquarium, but they should be in a large aquarium because they can be territorial of their parts of the aquarium. Also, there should be at least three female betta fish so their aggression is dispersed over multiple individuals. Do not put a female betta fish with a male one unless you are planning on breeding them, they are aggressive and territorial towards each other after mating.

Betta fish should be kept in large warm aquariums with slightly acidic water. They should be fed a diet of flakes with freeze dried bloodworms and/or brine shrimp. Male betta fish are extremely aggressive and should not be kept with other betta fish apart from females for breeding. Female betta fish can be territorial, but several of them can be kept in a single tank.

Works cited
“Bettas.” How to Care for Bettas, Aquarium Info, 7 Dec. 2017.

“The beauty of the Betta.” Pet Sitters International, Pet Sitters International, 7 Dec. 2017.