10 Important Betta Fish Care Tips or How to Increase Your Betta's Lifespan

Every betta owner is concerned with the health andsick because he will not get the protein he needs. If
well-being of his precious fish. However, there are ayour dietary beliefs do not allow you to feed meat
lot of less-known issues regarding betta health thatproducts to your betta, don't buy one!
are not always paid attention to.5) Avoid using antibiotics on the water. Although they
The following ten tips for proper betta care shoulddo kill the bad bacteria, they also kill the good
be known to every responsible betta fish owner:bacteria, which can again lead to betta getting
10) When getting a new aquarium, it is essential topoisoned.
have enough "good" bacteria in it in order to process4) Your betta's life revolves around the surface of
the ammonia and nitrites excreted by the betta. In athe water - so don't make it hard to get to. Even if
brand new tank, there are none (unless you put realthere are no females in his tank, your male will still
aquarium gravel in), which causes bettas to sufferenjoy building a bubble nest at the surface and
from "new tank syndrome". The correct way toplaying around with it as if training for the day he'll
handle this is to get a testing kit from your local pethave real babies to raise. This means moving eggs
store, add some Java moss to the tank, replacefrom the bottom up to the nest - and it's something
about 20% of the water each day with fresh water,your male will practice even if he hasn't done any
and keep measuring the ammonia and nitrite levels. Ifbreeding. Sothe bottom line is that you should aim to
they stay at a stable low level, you have a colony ofhave the water depth be no more than 10 inches
good bacteria in place and there is no more reason tofrom substrate (gravel on the bottom) to surface.
worry.3) The water pH levels should ideally be 6.8 to 7.0 -
9) Never use purified or distilled water, since theslightly acidic to neutral. However, don't worry about
mineral content is too low. Nor should you use one ofit if the water's pH isn't in that exact range. Bettas
the carbon water filters that humans use for theircan adjust. The main thing is to not make drastic
drinking water, unless the manufacturer recommendschangesto the pH level. For your little ones, a stable
them for aquariums (and normally they don't). TherepH is the most important thing. Additionally, the
is no need to buy "designer" bottled water either.chemicals used to adjust pH have been observed to
Your plain, unfiltered tap water should be fine if it iscause bettas to become sick and even die.
properly treated.2) There is some disagreement about this issue, but
8) The minimum amount of water necessary for awe have found through extensive research and
fully grown betta not to be miserable is about 2experience that most bettas only need to be fed
gallons. However, there is no real limit, since no bettaonce per day. This most closely approximates a
will be upset with too much water.betta's feeding experience in nature. If you want to
7) Never put two males together. That's the surestfeed twice per day, remember you are running the
way to prevent them from fighting. If your goal is torisk of overfeeding plus you will likely end up having
introduce a female to the environment, do it slowly.to clean the aquarium more frequently to counteract
Start by putting the female into a tank and placing itthe additional waste buildup.
next to the male's tank. Let the male become1) Before handling your bettas, wash your hands. Use
accustomed to seeing her for a week or so. Thena soap that is organic and non-toxic. Sticking dirty
introduce her to the male's environmenthands or hands washed with aggressive chemicals
6) Bettas are carnivores. That means they eat meat.into the tank is a sure way to make your bettas sick.
Feeding your betta a vegetarian diet will make him