Betta Care Sheet

Bettas are a beautiful, hardy fish that do not require much space. These unique fish have a special organ which allows them to breathe air at the surface of the water. This allows Bettas to live in small, oxygen poor bodies of water. These fish are personable and will often come out and get excited at feeding time and can even be trained to eat from a Zoo Med "feeding wand!"

• Common Name: Betta / Siamese Fighting Fish

• Scientific Name: Betta splendens

• Distribution: Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam

• Size: 5 to 8cm

• Life Span: 3-5 years

Habitat

A Betta should be kept in no less than 2Ltrs of water. Marina Betta Kits are an excellent choice for Bettas.

An aquarium substrate such as Marina gravel provides living space for beneficial bacteria and will help keep your Betta tank clean.

Provide decorations and hiding areas such as Betta Plants and Betta leaf Hammock.

Temperature and Water Quality

Betta's are tropical fish. Your Betta's tank should be kept between 23 and 26 Degree's. A BettaTherm® Mini Size Betta Bowl Heater or a Marina Betta Heater will help maintain proper temperatures in your Betta's Bowl.

It is important to keep your Betta's water clean. Do partial water changes once a week to keep your fish healthy.

Be sure to use a water conditioner such as API Betta Water Conditioner to remove chlorine and chloramines from tap water. API Bettafix will also aid in your Betta's overall health.

Food and Feeding

In the wild, betta's eat small insects, worms and crustaceans which provide high levels of proteins and fats. A variety of foods should be offered to keep your Betta healthy.

A good quality pellet food such as Zoo Med's Micro Floating Betta Pellets, API Betta Pellet or Nutrafin Betta food should be given as the main part of your fish's diet.

A small proportion of dried blood worms, mysis shrimp, daphnia and brine can also be given as a treat.

Always remove uneaten food from the tank after about 5 minutes to prevent polluting the water.

Zoo Med Betta Banquet Blocks will help you feed your Betta for up to a week when you are out of town!

Betta Behavior

Betta's are a "lazy" fish that spend a great deal of the day "laying around". A Betta Leaf Hammock provides a resting place near the surface of the water for your Betta.

Betta's are territorial fish and should never be housed together. The sight of another Betta will trigger the fish to put on a threat display. He will flare out his fins and "dance" back and forth showing off his fins. A Betta Exercise Mirror allows your Betta to practice this natural behavior for a few moments a day.

Betta's will often "attack" their food as soon as you put it in the tank. They can even be trained to eat pellets from a feeding wand as available with Zoo Meds Betta Pellets.