by Mandy Boyd

Created on: February 15, 2007   Last Updated: May 03, 2007

Bettas are one of the most popular fish in the pet industry today. Millions of bettas are purchased as pets every year and yet most people still don't know the proper methods of caring for these beautiful creatures. Step one as with any pet is to do your home work. Find out as much as you can about bettas and their particular requirements and decide if they are the right pet for you.

Betta's are anabantoids or in layman's terms "Labyrinth" fish. What this means is that they have a very special organ that allows them to breath air from the surface of the water and get enough oxygen from it to live for "short" amounts of time, even if the oxygen in their water is depleted. This does not mean however, that it is alright to cram your betta into a tiny bowl and never do water changes. That my friends is a recipe for disaster.

An adult betta requires at a minimum a 2 gallon tank for regular or extended living quarters. A smaller container will work for short periods of time but you MUST do frequent water changes on them and this can be more work than the average pet owner is prepared for. Betta tanks do not require filtration but their health and color will improve if filtration is provided. Even a simple air-stone driven under-gravel filter will improve your bettas quality of life.

Requirement number two is consistent and constant water temperature. 68 to 78 degrees is an acceptable range. When trying to breed bettas water temp. should be maintained at a constant 80 degrees. The key point is to not have wide swings in temp. as this can be stressful for the fish and stress leads to disease.

Water changes are a bettas best friend, but if not done properly can be your worst nightmare. No matter what your bettas tank size or configuration regular water changes are mandatory. Always be sure to treat the water with a water conditioner to remove the chlorine and heavy metals that can be lethal to your fish. The water most also be the same temp as what is in the tank to begin with. I find it helpful to keep containers of treated water on hand to use in water changes. Water left sitting open to the air for 24 hours will have had the largest amount of the chlorine it contains neutralized even without water conditioners. Many sources will tell you that this water is then safe for your fish, but I still recommend using a water conditioner as the heavy metals could still be present in this "aged" water.

For most tanks(5 gallons or more)once a week, 25% water changes will be sufficient

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