Betta Fish Care

Follow these simple betta fish care instructions

and your fighting fish will live a long and happy life. People sometimes think that the amount of care a betta needs is overwhelming, but it is really very simple. Keep him in clean water and use the best betta fish food and you will have a happy and healthy betta – as simple as that! What you’ll find here is just how to achieve those two aspects of betta fish care instructions. If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, please try our betta care FAQ section where you’ll definitely find the answer you’re looking for.

Betta Tank Conditions

Make sure that you keep your betta pet in crystal clear water. You should do a full water change weekly and try ladling out 500 ml of water every couple days and replacing it with bottled water – this will keep your water clear a little longer than normal.

If you’re using tap water to do your water changes, pour it a day or two before and leave it out in an open container. This is important to betta fish care for two reasons. First, bettas do not like drastic changes in temperature. If you leave it on the counter for a couple days, it will rise to the same temperature as your tank water. Second, all municipal treated water has chlorine in it. By leaving it on the counter for a couple days, the residual chlorine will likely all leach out of the water making it safe for your betta fish.

You should also try adding Betta Plus Water Conditioner to your betta tank as this will balance the PH level in the tank and eliminate any residual chlorine. Betta Conditioner also contains tropical almond leaf extract which helps protect your betta’s fins and gills.

Why Betta Fish Fight

Betta fish fight because they’re territorial. In the wild, they protect they’re little section of their Thai rice paddy with ferocity – attacking any of their kind that come close. This is one of those common betta fish care characteristics that has not been bred out of tame betta fish. If you put two male bettas in the same tank you will have a betta fish fight on your hands. With some bettas, this may be alleviated by using an extremely big tank, but bettas have been known to fight even in ten gallon tanks.

Male betta fish will also fight will female bettas. The only time you should put them together in the same tank is when you’re trying to breed betta fish. Even then, make sure you read up on all the steps needed to prepare your breeding betta fish.

Betta Fish at Rest

We often get asked if betta fish sleep and the answer is “kinda”. Different betta fish will sleep, or rest, in different ways. Most of them will sleep by either floating in the tank or laying on the bottom. Some have been known to either float at the top where they can breathe outside air or even lean against the side of the tank. Quietly keep an eye on your betta and you’ll get used to its habits and how it takes its “time off”.

Betta Fish Breathing

Betta fish have a labyrinth lung. This is a special respiratory organ that allows them to breathe outside air from the top of the tank. This is the reason that they do not need highly oxygenated, filtered water as do other aquarium fish. Remember to always make sure that your betta fish have access to the air at the surface of the tank. If your tank has a lid, do not fill it all the way to the top.

Jumping Betta Fish

Fill your tank too hight and you will find out another sport that your little friend is good at. Jumping betta fish have been known to jump right out of their tank and onto the floor or even into an adjacent tank to fight with another betta. Either use a tank with a lid or don’t fill the water up too high to avoid your little Olympian jumping out.

Buying Betta Need to Know

What do you need to know about buying betta fish? Most bettas are not bred under ideal conditions and that can drastically affect a betta fish lifespan. When you buy your betta at My-Betta-Fish.com you’re guaranteed to have a healthy betta arrive at your door. Our betta experts care for our bettas, keep them all in separate tanks with ideal water conditions and feed them the best betta fish food. Feel confident knowing that this is the best location to buy a healthy betta fish.

Breeding Betta Fish

Breeding betta fish is one of the most wondrous undertakings an aquarist can experience. Going through the steps to prepare your breeding bettas, to watching them spawn. Seeing heads and tails appear in the bubble nest, then seeing them break away and swim on their own. Breeding betta fish is not as difficult as it may seem, but you should read through our easy to follow breeding bettas steps.

Betta Fish Names

Statistically, fish that are given names live longer, for one simple reason. If you love your betta, you name your betta and people always take better care of things that they love. Take some time and think of the best name for your new friend that captures his characteristics and how you feel about him. Need some help with naming your betta? Visit our page with common betta names and different types of betta fish.

Aquarium Fish Compatibility

If you have a big enough betta fish tank to accommodate more than one betta, you can add a betta fish tank mate. However, this betta friend needs to be something that is not territorial so it will have no wish to fight with your betta. Betta tank mates can’t be nippy either. You don’t want to look in a few days later and see that your betta is missing hunks of its beautiful fins. Finally, betta tank mates must like the same water conditions as your betta. They should be tropical fish that like warm, slow moving water. In our experience, slow moving bottom dwellers make the best betta fish friends.

You can also add an array of aquarium plants or cultured gravel that will add ambiance without damaging your betta fish.

Betta Fish Diseases

If you follow our simple betta fish care instructions you hopefully will never have to deal with any betta fish diseases, but unfortunately they do happen. The best way to prevent them (other than clean water and the best betta fish food) is to keep a close eye on your betta fish. If you watch your betta carefully, you’ll learn his habits and will likely notice anything different in his routines or his appearance. Most betta fish diseases are treatable if you diagnose them early enough. Take a look at our betta fish diseases page to learn what the symptoms are and how to approach betta fish illness.

Betta Fish Facts

Didn’t find the betta fish facts you were looking for? Check out our detailed betta fish care FAQ section. That’s where our betta experts put the answers to all of the most common betta care questions we receive. Within a few seconds you will have found what you’re looking for.

You should also think of registering for our free Road to Betta Health newsletter. Our betta experts deliver monthly tips on how to properly care for your betta fish and even divulge trade secrets that will have your betta fish looking more vibrant than you can imagine.

Return to the Top of Betta Fish Care