Housing a Betta

As they are tropical fish they need to have heated water, kept at a temperature of 26/27c. They do not do well in cooler water and will become listless and prone to disease as it will weaken their immune system. Not only will it keep them physically healthy, it will make them look really beautiful too. An unhealthy fish will not only be listless but dull in colour, Bettas in appropriately heated tanks thrive, not just survive.  

Bettas do not like a strong flow of current, so whatever setup you have for your Betta, you may have to customise your filter to reduce the flow, or alternatively use a sponge filter with a pump and direct the flow onto the glass at the back of the tank.

When decorating your tank be very careful that there is nothing sharp in there as Bettas fins are very delicate and will rip easily. A good rule of thumb is, if you can run a pair of tights across it without snagging them then it will be fine for your Betta. We''d recommend either live or silk plants and if using coconut caves (which they love to sleep in) make sure you sand it down well before placing it in your tank. Happy Bettas make bubblenests, they do this in areas where there is little to no current and where there is something to bubblenest around. Providing plants that float on the surface of the water is a great way to give your Betta something to bubblenest against, as well as giving him some security.

Depending on your size of tank, regular water changes should be carried out. Approximately 50% of the water can be changed weekly, but this is dependent on what type of filtration you are using. Always remember to use dechlorinator when adding new water to a tank and make sure that the water you add back in is at the same temperature as the existing water in the tank. Indian Almond Leaf (IAL) can act as a natural tonic for your Betta. These dried leaves can be obtained from various aquatic stockists and ebay. In a tank smaller than 10 gallons we would advise using half a leaf which would need to be replaced every 3 weeks.

Males must NOT be kept together. They will fight and you will end up with dead fish. Females can be kept together, although they can be just as territorial. It''s recommended to keep a minimum of 4 girls together but more is better, as it will help to spread out the bullying. You''ll also need your sorority (all girls) tank to be heavily planted with lots of hiding places for them. Do however; be prepared to separate females if aggression gets too much in the tank. Having a separate smaller tank to Males and females should only be kept together for breeding purposes and under strict supervision (more details on breeding soon). Bettas will also attack and fight with other colourful or long finned fish. For this reason we do not recommend Bettas to be kept in community tanks... it''s just not worth the risk as they can be aggressive towards other fish and there are fish that will constantly hound a Betta and nip at their fins. If you are looking to add a few tanks mates to your Bettas tank please do some thorough research and ask Betta keepers what they would recommend.

Coconut Caves	Baby Amazon Frogbit

Amazon Frogbit from above	Amazon Frogbit from underneath