Betta Fish Care Instructions: How to Take Care of Betta fish

Siamese fighting fish or Betta splendens are among the most gorgeous aquarium fish for your fish tank. These friendly, interactive fish are best for people who are starting with their first aquarium. Although caring for a betta fish is an easy process, it needs to be kept alone in its tank. Betta fish live up to 2 to 3 years in a fish tank. One can differentiate between the male and female by their physical traits. The females are smaller and do not have the beautiful finnage, like that of the males. Still, females are beautiful in their own sweet way and they are extremely touchy and huffy.

Betta Fish Varieties
Betta fish are available in a wide array of bright colors like royal blue, steel-blue, turquoise, green, cellophane, white opaque, yellow, pineapple, orange, red, copper, black, Cambodian, chocolate, etc. These beautiful fish are named on their patterns like Piebald, Butterfly, Marble and Multi. Their names can also be based on their fin shape like Spade tail, Veiltail, Doubletail,Roundtail, Delta, Super Delta, Halfmoon, Over-halfmoon, Sun or Combtail Halfmoon, Rosetail, Crowntail and Combtail.

Betta Fish Habitat
Betta fish are tropical fish found in Southeast Asia. Bettas have their origins in Siam (hence the name), that is, modern-day Thailand. They swim in the shallow waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and some parts of China. They survive in warm and hot waters at lower altitude regions. They are also found in the slow-moving waters of swamps and rice paddies. In these waters, they find their meaty food, clean warm water and plenty of places to hide.

Betta Fish Care FAQ
Fish keepers are aware of the fact that bettas survive in shallow waters, thus they keep them in cups or tiny bowls. They mostly overlook another fact that bettas require warm temperature. They love heat and can live in temperatures up to 80^oF. They are dispirited easily when the temperature of the tank goes below 75^oF. Another aspect of betta fish care is that they can survive in waters with low dissolved oxygen. People are often mistaken by this fact thinking they require less oxygen than other fish. In reality, bettas have a special respiratory organ called labyrinth. It allows the fish to breathe small amount of air and utilize the oxygen available. Bettas are anabantidae, that is, they can breathe oxygen directly from the air. The water should be warm, soft and have a pH that is neutral to slightly acidic. They can be kept in community tank with suitable water conditions. They should be not kept with aggressive fish like the Cichlids or fin-nipping fish like Danios, Tetras or Barbs. One should remember that only one male should be kept in an aquarium or they should be separated by a barrier or they will fight to death. Females can be kept together in a group of 5 as they do not fight each other and develop a hierarchy among themselves.

Choosing the Right Betta Fish for your Aquarium
When visiting the local pet store or fish keeper, you should look for several qualities in a Betta before buying, like:

Color: Check if the color is bright and vivid. Do not go for very dull or pale colors. The most common colors available are blues and reds.

Receptiveness: Observe if the Betta responds to your movements. See if it swims rapidly when you approach or it just remains sulking at the bottom. It does not matter if you buy a docile betta as it may be resting or it may have become bored of the many people it may have encountered during the day.

Health: Check whether the fins are torn or damaged. The eyes of betta should be in good shape. There should not be any lumps or parasites on the body.

The Special One: It may happen that one fish may be attracted to you and repeatedly swim towards your direction. Even if you feel it is not healthy, consider taking it home. It may get better once it is put in a larger aquarium under your love and care.

Betta Fish Care Instructions for an Aquarium
The size of the tank or bowl should be large enough for these vivid and lively fish to swim happily without injuring themselves. You can keep a betta fish in a dedicated aquarium meant specifically for betta or keep it in a community tank. One male and two to three females can survive in a 10 gallon dedicated aquarium. They require fresh, static water, temperature set at 77^oF to 80^oF and pH at 6.5, in the aquarium tank. You can fill the tank with sand and gravel for decorations. Living plants used in a betta fish aquarium are Cabomba caroliniana or floating plants like Pistia stratiotes. Avoid plastic plants and decorations that can damage the male Betta fish fins. Ample hiding place should be provided for the female Betta fish. Sick betta fish can be treated with an antibiotic, antifungal or anti-parasitic medications. These medications are available at the local pet stores. You can ask the fish keeper or vet the instructions for usage.

In a community tank, bettas should not be housed with fish who have colorful fins like male Guppies, since male bettas may confuse them for another betta and kill them. They should not be kept with aggressive fish.Though they are known as fighters, they are very slow and harmless with other fish.

You should keep the tank clean as these fish love to swim in clean water. You should avoid washing the tank, decorations and gravel using soap. Clean using warm water and abrasive brush. If there is any trace of soap, it may prove fatal for your betta fish. Another important instruction for betta fish care is to cove the top of the bowl or tank. You should fill the tank with 80% of water as these lively fish when excited love to jump over 3 inches and may end up on your floor.

What food do Siamese Fighting Fish Eat?
Betta fish should be fed 3 pellets or flakes once a day or 1 pellet or flake twice a day. Betta fish are carnivores and can be fed brine shrimp, Daphnia, pieces of cocktail shrimp or bloodworm occasionally. Siamese fighting fish can be very fussy and may accept only live food. They are also prone to constipation therefore they can be fed cooked de-shelled pea once a week followed by a day without food. Bettas can survive for a week without food, if well fed beforehand. Do not over feed your fish, you may kill him! Remember, his stomach is the size of the size of his eyeball.

Caring for betta fish is not a very big deal. Bettas can recognize their owners and can learn to play games. They easily become friendly with the person who feeds them daily. Bettas are like any other pet which needs food, attention and love from their owners. It is the owners responsibility to provide suitable conditions and care to the betta fish. Bettas do not require extra attention and maintenance, just provide them basic care. Enjoy the colorful presentations of the beautiful feisty betta fish in your tanks.