Basic Betta Care 101 Bettas are one of the easiest fish to care for provided a well maintained environment and proper diet are made available. There are many different methods to keeping these fish; but this is a very basic guide to the care of Betta splendens. Housing your betta: Bettas have been displayed in simple to elaborate bowls, and are unbelievably tolerant of deteriorating water conditions but surviving isn’t thriving. Steady temperature and regular maintenance is a must. A container of one gallon or more is the preferred size with an air exchange (such as a quarter sized hole) in the top. Please take care in placing your betta’s container - make sure that it is not in direct sunlight or in a draft. Bettas are unique little fish, as they are Labyrinth Fishes (members of the Suborder Anabantoidei). They possess a secondary breathing apparatus (the labyrinth organ) that aids them in breathing air. Bettas will drown if kept underwater and not allowed to take periodic gulps of air from the surface. Plants such as Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana), Java Fern (Microsorium pteropus), Cryptocryne wendtti, and Anubias nana are a good addition to a betta container. I strongly advise against using gravel, as it is hard to clean and traps uneaten food and wastes. If gravel is a must, then use something large and easy to clean for the substrate, such as decorative marbles. An ideal betta set-up includes live plants, warm water (from 76-82 F or 24-27 C), not much surface agitation, and a tight-fitting cover (with air exchange) to prevent jumping. Water Conditions and Water Changes: The optimum conditions for a betta would be a pH of 6.8 to 7.4 and hardness of 3 to 10. However, most bettas will accept most water conditions as long as they aren't too extreme. 100 percent water change should be done once a week on containers that are 2-5 gallons and twice a week if smaller. Gently net your betta to avoid fin damage, and place him in a cup with the old water while you are cleaning out his container. Rinse the container in warm or hot water; and be sure to avoid chemicals and soaps. If you need to disinfect the container use a 5% Chlorine bleach/water solution and rinse, rinse, rinse then fill with water and add a triple dose of de-chlorinator and rinse, rinse, rinse. When all the bleach is rinsed out, there will not be a chlorine smell present. Once the container is cleaned you can fill with warm water. Add your water treatments (Amquel, Novaqua, etc…) then gently net your fish from his holding place and put in the newly cleaned container. Most city water supplies contain more than just chlorine; chemicals like chloride, mercury, arsenic, and chloramines - just to name a few. (It’s scary to think about that in the water, huh?) So I suggest using a de-chlorinating solution. I highly recommend a combination of Amquel and Novaqua to remove most of the toxins. I also add a teaspoon of aquarium salt to 5 gallons of water in the jar to make it harder for parasites like velvet and ich to propagate in the water. It also aids in triggering the betta’s slime coat production. Feeding and Nutrition: There are a few standard pelleted Betta foods offered on the market. You can feed your bettas foods such as Hikari's Betta Bio-Gold, Tetra's Bettamin, or Hikari Micro-Pellets. However, in my opinion it is far better to offer live or frozen/defrosted meaty food daily. Proper betta nutrition needs to have 45% minimum protein content, and not many dry foods offer this protein percentage. Pellets should be supplemented with frozen or live foods. I recommend Hikari frozen food due to its freshness and high quality. Here is a small list of frozen foods readily available at most local fish stores: Bloodworms Glassworms Brine Shrimp Mysis Shrimp Daphnia Live foods are another lesson all together but well worth the effort. Some live foods you can feed to your bettas are: White worms Grindal worms Fruit flies Brine shrimp Daphnia This is a basic guide I hope this will give you a firm foundation for the care and keeping of these wonderful little fish. Above all else ENJOY them. ~Laura : Edited by f250fisherman