How to Properly House Betta Fish @ Home

by Aqua-Man

390K5677

Intro: How to Properly House Betta Fish @ Home

Betta fish are some of the most mistreated fish in the world. In this instructable i will show you how to properly care for them.

STEP 1: Housing Your Betta

To give your betta a good life don't use any tank smaller than 10 litres (2.5 gallons). Bettas come from large rice paddy fields and dont like small spaces. The tank also needs to have a lid because bettas jump.

STEP 2: Heating

Bettas are tropical fish and heaters are a must if you want your betta to thrive.

Many people keep bettas without heaters. These fish are prone to stress and even death because the temperature is not kept stable.

The temperature should be about 26c (78.8 f).



STEP 3: Filteration

Like all fish bettas produce waste products that are harmful to them. A filter should be added to the tank to help remove these toxins. make sure the filter is very low current as a fast current makes them stressed.

STEP 4: Cycling

Before adding your fish you need to do a fishless nitrogen cycle.

Read my instructable on cycling (coming soon).

for now this page will give you all the cycle info.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/fishless_cycling.php

STEP 5: Adding the Fish

1. Float the bag/container the betta is in for 15 minutes.

2. Add 1 cup of your cycled aquarium water to the bag/container.

3. Wait 10 minutes.

4. Gently net the fish into the aquarium and discard the bag/container water.

STEP 6: Maintanace and Tips

# Change 25% of the water weekly with declorinated water.

# Feed a good quality betta food with over 40% protein.

# Wash the filter cartridge in old tank water monthly

# Never replace the filter cartridge even if it tells you to. The cartridge contains good bacteria.

STEP 7: The End

Please comment and add suggestions. Feel free to ask a question.

83 Comments

ArtemisArt 2 years ago

In my experiece a five gallon tank is a good size minnimum, and live plants work best

BritneyK1 8 years ago

I also have another problem, my Betta's gills are black and I'm not sure if they are suppose to be black, and I see a bit of white on his face. Any suggestions? Is this normal? I got him a few days ago from Petco (I could not find a better place, I don't like how they keep them in small bowls)

Dianne Bettas 7 years ago

Most betta gills are black or a light black, and the white stuff is just his face. All of this is just your fish! P.s he's very beautiful! :)

CelineO1 7 years ago

What type of bottled water can I use for my Betta and do I have to treat it and if so with what product? Thank you, Celine

LizN10 7 years ago

I have the round tank with the filter tube in the middle of tank, is the water surposed to go above the tube or just below,I have it just be low and it blows the bubbles out of the top of tube

BritneyK1 8 years ago

I have a problem, my mom only allowed for a tank that was made for a Betta, I could not find the lamp for it. I am worried as I want to get a heater for it but how am I going to put it on the tank in the image. I can't get a bigger one, my mom won't allow it.

JesseK22 8 years ago

New tank. They dont like hot sauce or busch lite ive found

Neobetta 8 years ago

I'm so confused .. Just got a 2.5 gallon for my year old Betta who seems depressed about the change from a one gallon fish bowl .. Also , if I opted for using no filter and I'm hearing so many opinions that are all so different .. What you think ? Thanks

KnightWitch 8 years ago

My betta fish is a year old. I just today upgraded his 1 gallon tank to a 2.5 gallon and got him better quality food. He's doing well. I'm worried about the water strength of the filter. I propped his floating log against it to disperse the water more. Any tips? Also I got a heater for the new tank (old one did not support one). I'm thinking I'll turn the heater on after a few days to let the betta get used to the new environment. He's exploring quite excitedly and blowing bubbles like he used to when he was younger :). Let me know if I should be doing anything! Thanks Ryan :)

BriannaZ 8 years ago

Is my betta fish suppose to change color daily?

star prime 8 years ago

It depends on what "kind" and it's age if it is a young/younger marble betta I wouldn't be to worried. But others can to if it is very dramatic and he is not a marble depending on the color change it could be mood or stress.

Ruby Diamonds 9 years ago

I have 10 litre tank and I only have one betta fish a little hammock and a honeycomb house inside. But now my honey comb house is really bubbly because I always left the light on and I'm only 9 years old so how am I supposed to know.

delicia.ambrosino.1 8 years ago

If you are only 9 years old yet smart enough to write this post then it shows you are smart enough to ask your mom or dad to get you a good betta book so that you can take the very best of care for your fish by reading it well. Then if you have any questions you can always ask someone. But if you do that make sure they know what they are talking about. Stay away from Petco and Walmart and stores like that because even though they sell fish they really don't know much about them and only care about the money each fish can bring them. In fact, I would not buy ANY fish from them. Here is a picture of one of my fish from Ebay-{here you will also need to know who you are dealing with}. As he got older the blue spread out into his fins. This fish is known as a Over Half Moon or OHM Rosetail. These types of fish need extra care. They definitely need a beta hammock, nothing sharp in the tank, and space to move around in. All betta with similar fins need this. I do water changes like this: every 2 to 3 days I do partial changes up to 50% of the water. When I do this I siphon all the poopy off the bottom. I then fill the tank back up WITH SAME TEMPERATURE water using Betta Ultimate water conditioner. Now, you may only be 9 but I believe you can take of your little friend the right way. But it is up to you to learn how. Okay?

bonnie.perry.165 9 years ago

Do you have any tips for fin rot or tail biting? I bought a beautiful twin tail halfmoon betta at pet smart a few wks ago and about 10 days ago his tail fin started to disappear! I dont know if hes biting or if its fin rot, but now less than half is tail fin is there! He seems active and happy, but this is my first time keeping bettas :( I dont want him to die!!! the pic on the left was the day I bought him, the pic on the right is from this morning :( I am using stress coat and melafix right now and a couple grains of aquarium salt, but hes just getting worse after 4 days of this. I use betta ultimate water conditioner, he has an air hose but not a filter, he has a heater that keeps the water at about 78 degrees, His tank right now is only 1.7 gallons but I am working on cleaning out and then cycling a 40 gallon hex tank for him. I do need a new filter for the big tank as the one Ihave might be too strong for Houjin. Please help me!

claire.fowler.351 9 years ago

The poor baby :( Glad he's feeling better! My baby recently had an outbreak of Fin Rot AND Ick. He was hiding behind the filter or heater and not really eating, not even when I gave him blood worms. After researching, I Placed my beta in a small .5 gallon tank to make medication and cleaning easier. Because there is no heater in it, I placed it a bit away's from a space heater to warm the water. All I did was clean his tank everyday, used Aquarium Salt ( 1/2 a teaspoon) for his medication, replaced him in after 24 hours and he's looking tons better since Wednesday! He's just a normal male betta that is purple and red. He looks like this http://www.myaquariumclub.com/replace-fish-469743.html#470887 you'll have to scroll down just a tad. He looks tons better than he did in that photo! His regular tank it a 5 gallon with a healter and Filter.

rygirl2002 9 years ago

Bettas need at least 5 gallons! What are you doing putting him in a .5 gallon? Bettas come from rice patties and their territory is about 10,000 gallons. Im not surprised he has fin rot and ick because they are very prone to deceases in very small tanks.

delicia.ambrosino.1 8 years ago

Please read all comments carefully. She placed him in a .5 gallon for medicinal and cleaning reasons. Not for him to live but to heal. I have a 1 gallon hospital just for any of my fish in case they take ill. After usage it gets sterilized and is ready if needed with a quick rinse of hot water, filled up, dosed with betta Ultimate and whatever med is needed.

Not reading this correctly induced you to point a finger of shame.

OceanLady 9 years ago

Pet store bettas are, unfortunately, usually sick when you get them. The best thing to do is read up on them before buying and see if you can find one that's relatively healthy. You can also ask someone at the pet store when they normally get more bettas and try to get one from a new shipment.

If you're using melafix, use half or less of the recommended dose. There is another product by the same company called "bettafix", which is essentially the same but diluted. Melafix is actually pretty toxic, and bettas are affected by it more than most fish.

I always treated fin rot with just clean water and aquarium salt - about 1 teaspoon per 2.5 gallons of water. I'd put them in a smaller tank (my 2.5 gallon one instead of my 10 gallon one, usually) and change the water every day.

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