All About Betta Fish!!!

Bettas are one of my favorite types of fish because they are so unique and diverse! Bettas are great fish for those who are just starting out, children, those looking to keep fish on a budget, and those who do not have the space for a large tank. I have had numerous bettas over the years and they have all had their own quirks and personalities.

About The Breed

Bettas are tropical fish that are native to Thailand but can also be found in nearby countries. Since they are tropical fish, they like their water to be between 76°F and 81°F (24.4°C - 27.2°C). This means that they will need a heater in their tank to help keep a consistent, warm temperature. Bettas can grow to be up to 3 inches long and come in so many different types and colors. They like their pH to be between 6.5 and 8.

Aggression

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Bettas are aggressive fish which means that if two betta males are put together, they will fight and kill each other. Females tend to be more social than males but are still aggressive. This leads me to one of the biggest misconceptions about bettas and that is that they have to be kept alone and cannot have tank mates. This is not always the case. I personally have had a betta that I kept with neon tetras and otocincluses. Bettas tend to go after fish that they find threatening. This means bigger fish with bigger fins. Now this does not necessarily mean that you can automatically throw some fish in with your betta. Some fish just prefer to live alone. I have also been in the situation where I have tried to add fish to my betta tank and it didn’t work out.

There are some tips that may help keep different fish with your betta but none of them are guaranteed to work. One tip is to choose fish that are fast enough to get away from the betta. Bettas are not the fastest swimmers because of the drag from their large fins. It will also be helpful to have lots of plants and decorations for your fish to hide in to get away from the betta. The most important tip is to keep an eye on your tank to make sure your fish are not fighting too much. When I had other fish in the tank with my betta, the betta would try to nip at the other fish but it was not too often so I was comfortable keeping them in a tank together.

Bettas show their aggression by flaring their fins, this is a territorial instinct to scare off other fish. If you’re planning on having more than one male betta at a time, I recommend you place their tanks far away from each other or provide a barrier in between the tanks so that they can’t see each other. When a betta flares too much, it can stress them out and actually can cause them to meet their demise sooner. You may have seen mirrors in pet stores marketed to bettas, while these can be beneficial in giving your betta something to do every once in a while as well as allowing them to release some pent up aggression, these mirrors should not be left in the tank for the same reason. Seeing their reflection all the time will cause them to become stressed.

Tanks

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There is a big misconception that bettas can be kept in a small bowl with just some gravel and a plant. This is far from true. All fish require a filter in their tank because the filter houses beneficial bacteria to help break down the waste from the fish. Another reason they cannot be kept in bowls is because the bowls that they sell in chain pet stores are not large enough to ethically house a fish. The rule of thumb for fish is that for every inch of fish, there should be one gallon of water. Bettas can get to be up to 3 inches long which means they should need only 3 gallons of water. If you plan to keep other fish with your betta, you should have at least a 5 gallon tank. Betta fish do prefer more shallow bodies of water so having a longer tank is better for them than having a taller tank. As I mentioned before, bettas require a heater in their tank to keep the water at an adequate temperature. This is another factor that makes it really hard to keep them in a bowl because heaters work best when there is good water circulation to circulate the heated water. Which brings up another issue with bowls is that there is no water circulation.

Check back next week to learn about how to increase oxygen levels in your tank!