Caring for Your Betta Fish

By Brad McCleary
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When you saw him at the pet store you know you had to save him, and now you need to know how to care for your betta fish! You couldn’t help but buy the betta fish, seeing its beauty stuffed inside that little cup with no room to move. I don’t blame you; they are an absolutely beautiful fish. They look so crammed and lonely inside that little cup. You took the first step by taking him home and doing a really good thing for the little guy; now let’s just hope you continue to take care of him.

Taking care of anything is not nearly as easy as the pet store would make it seem. They buy betta in mass quantities, stick them in the little cups, and display them with the intention of selling them before anything bad happens. If one dies they just throw it out and they’ve already raised the price enough on the others to cover their losses. So believe me when I say you did a good thing. Now, on to caring for your betta.

First Tip

Buy a good fish aquarium. Bettas don’t need a lot of room, but much more than a cup! The bigger you decide to go with the tank the better. It will be easier to take care of and you never know, you might want to house some other Betta-compatible fish with it later on. Give the aquarium a rock bottom, preferable rock intended for aquariums, and clean it thoroughly.

Second Tip

Buy an adequate filter for the aquarium, especially if you have more than one fish. This costs a little more but makes your job, and the Betta’s life a lot easier. The filter will help keep the water cleaner longer and you will only need to buy replacement cartridges every month or so. This will also keep the water quality consistent for the fish.

Third Tip

You only need to feed your fish once a day, twice at the absolute most. This is where many people go wrong, they keep dumping flake after flake into the tank. The fish will overeat and that’s not even the biggest problem. By overfeeding your Betta, the food will drop to the bottom and become waste and eventually poison the water.

Four Tip

The majority of Betta deaths are cause by poor water conditions. As long as you filter your water and do a 20% water change every month, you should not have any problems with water quality. If you suspect bad water conditions, especially in the beginning while the water is acclimating, you can and should test the water. It can take up to eight weeks to get the water acclimated and from there it should stay in a safe range. You should always do your homework before purchasing anything, but since you’re reading this you’ve probably already purchased your Betta.

I know exactly how you feel I’ve gotten all my pets from impulse or at least with very little planning. It is now up to you to get all this information straightened out and take care of your Betta. Don’t worry; there are many books out there to assist.

If you’d like a great guide for taking care of your Betta visit http://www.we-review-for-you.com/rbettafish.html

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