Caring For Your Betta Fish

Caring for a Betta Splendens, or the Siamese fighting fish is relatively easy. You don’t need a large well equipped aquarium that costs hundreds of dollars. A small bowl or vase will work, but if you can get a small 1-2 gallon aquarium with a filter that will work best. If you do use a bowl or vase make sure it is big enough for your new Betta to swim around without bumping into the side. While the Betta can breathe air from the surface it is important that the opening of your Bettas bowl is wide enough to allow good oxygenation of the water.

It is important that you don’t put two Bettas in the same bowl or tank because they are after all called Siamese fighting fish. If two males are put into the same small bowl they will usually fight until one of them is killed. Females will get along better with each other than the males do but they do need room to escape a more aggressive female.

Another point to remember when it comes to caring for your Betta fish is to not over-feed them. They can be fed once or twice a day but only a few pellets of Betta food at a time. They will not eat much at one time and if you feed them to much the remaining food will fall to the bottom and muck up their bowl.

You will have to change your Bettas water once every two or three days. Since they can easily live in a small bowl without any filtration the best way to keep their water clean is by frequent water changes. You need to do this to prevent the build up of ammonia which is toxic. You need to replace 70%-80% of the water every time you do a water change. You will also need to use a water conditioner that removes the chlorine and heavy metals normally found in water supplies. Another thing you can do is let the water sit out overnight in a bucket which allows the chlorine to escape.

The ease of caring for a Betta fish makes it appealing for people who do not have the time or space to care for more high maintenance pets like dogs, cats or even an aquarium full of fish. They can be placed just about anywhere, on a shelf or counter top, in an apartment or home.

If you properly care for your Betta fish they will easily live for 3 to 5 years and provide you with a healthy happy companion that will become more than just a pet.


For additional information about Selecting and Caring for a Betta Fish please Click Here

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Bicknell