Bettas

Bettas make great fish friends.  They fairly low maintenance and are thus good starter pets for children and companions for adults who don’t have time for pets that require more care.  I’ve kept several bettas in my life and they all have had different personalities and traits.  There are many varieties of bettas and they vary in cost.  The variations are mainly based on fin types which are bred into them by people.  No matter the fin type, bettas always come in a variety of colors and blends of colors.  I would say that 99% of bettas sold are male bettas because they have the pretty long fins.  The females have much shorter fins and usually duller coloring.

When purchasing bettas, do not be tempted to buy a male and a female thinking they will make betta babies without be prepared with plan B.  Bettas are naturally aggressive to their own kind and they may not appreciate an arranged marriage.  Attempts to breed bettas should be left to the experienced aquarists who has extra tanks and equipment and is ready to separate if needed.  Even though bettas will fight to the death with other bettas, they can make good community fish in a larger tank.  As long as the tank mates aren’t also long-finned fish of similar size that the betta may confuse as being another betta, it can get along pretty well with most other tropical community fish.

There are a lot of misconceptions about bettas and their required care.  The most common one is that they are cold water fish who rarely need their water changed and only need a small amount of water to live in.  Bettas are COOL water fish, NOT COLD water fish.  Goldfish and koi can live in cold water for extend periods of time, but bettas are still semi-tropical and would be much happier and comfortable in water temperatures in the upper 70’s.  A bettas habitat should be kept away from a/c vents and windows.  If it is close to a vent or a window, I strongly recommend a small heater be used.  There are special heaters for tanks/bowls under 5 gallons.  These heaters are only about $15.  The other misconception is that they can live in a cup of water since that’s how they are generally sold anyways.  This again is not completely  true.  Sure, they can live in a cup of water just like how a person can live in a jail cell but it’s not comfortable.  They should be in containers of at least 1 gallon of water and there is no such thing as being in too much water.  The natural habitats of bettas are shallow pools of water in rice paddies in tropical and humid environments such as Thailand.  These are not cool environments and the water is steadily replenished with rain water.  Bettas can live in stagnant water because they have a special labyrinth lung which allows them to breath oxygen directly from the surface, but that doesn’t mean that a filter with a gentle water flow is not beneficial.  There are several compact filters available that are perfect for betta tanks.  Bettas are not built for strong currents so please adjust the water flow of the filter if it looks like your betta is running on a treadmill.

There was a nasty trend of selling bettas in vases and leading people to believe that the semi-aquatic plants sold with these vases would take all the care needed…that the betta would eat the roots and the plant would naturally filter the water.  This is only semi-true.  Yes, the betta would eat the roots because it’s starving.  The plant is beneficial to the water by absorbing the nitrates and ammonia, but the water still needs to be replenished and changed regularly.  Water changes should be done at least once a month if not once a year.  I feel that most of the tiny and creative looking little betta habitats that are sold are inadequate.  Most of these containers are more focused on form than function.  As I mentioned above, a betta habitat should hold at least one gallon of water.

Bettas are omnivorous and need meat in their diet.  There are special betta pellets that are very good for them, but like any animal, a variety in diet is required for optimal health.  I’ve found that bettas absolutely love blood worms.  Blood worms are mosquito larvae and it is sold in frozen packets at any store that sells fish supplies.  I simply thaw it out and feed 3-4 worms a day.  Bettas are infamous for being picky eaters.  It is not uncommon for a betta to not eat anything for a few days after you bring it home.  Don’t worry too much about it.  Continue to feed and remove what’s uneaten.  It will learn pretty quickly and start eating.

A betta's life span can be several years but this varies due to environmental conditions and genetic disposition.   I my experience, bettas are more susceptible to dropsy than other fish probably due to the lower volumes of water that they live in.  Dropsy is the main symptom of an internal infection.  Dropsy is evident by bloating on the fish and what looks like a pine coning affect on the scales.  It is nearly always fatal.  However, under quality care and attention, a betta can provide years of companionship.