Last Updated on 2024-10-18
Of course we’re gonna talk about bettas again, Siamese fighting fish.
This article is an Interview of Father Fish, a Youtuber and Fish Keeper for 70 years.
Let’s read his vision of Betta fish Care.
Intro
So many people buy Betta fish as their first fish, and for many it’s the only fish they ever have. It’s a fish that is so popular in the hobby. But There are all kinds of issues with Siamese fighting fish.
Frequently, these issues result in the death of the animal. So what we’re going to do today is talk about how you can keep a Siamese fighting fish alive and happy and healthy for years. There are five elements to keeping a Siamese fighting fish.
The Container
The first is the container. Now, I know there are people out there who believe that a Siamese fighting fish needs to be in a comfortably large container, five gallon, 10 gallon, 20 gallon tank. In truth, these are fish that live in ditches, in tiny little puddles, in ditches.
They never move very far from where they’re born. If they travel five feet in their lifetime, that’s really a lot. So they do not need a great deal of space.
And the reality, of course, is that because of their finnage, they really cannot swim very well. They move around a little bit, but they pretty well stay in a very small area. So a bowl, about a one quart or a one gallon, I really prefer one gallon bowls, is perfectly appropriate. And it allows you to set it in a nice location in your home.
The Temperature
It is important that they be kept warm. Bettas don’t like to be cold. So keep it in a warm spot.
I’ve known people to set them on coffee cup heaters. That seems to work pretty well, although it has a tendency to overheat. You don’t want to get it much above 85. But 80 to 85 is really a perfect temperature.
So a bowl, preferably something clear that you can see through, in a location where you’ll be able to watch them and observe them on a regular basis all day long.
They’re active, busy little animals that will give you a great deal of enjoyment.
The Water
The second element is water. Now, you can go to a local shop and they may have a gallon or a few gallons of bed of water. And that’s fine. You can use that. It’ll probably cost you a great deal more than if you bought drinking water from your local supermarket. But it’s fine. It probably has a little bit of salt in it. It may even have a small amount of chemical to prevent the growth of bacteria.
Drinking water, however, is really the key. You need water with minerals in it. The minerals are going to hold the pH stable. And that’s the critical component of being able to keep a fish happy and healthy in a very small environment. You need to keep the pH as close to 8.0 as you can get it. If it goes much below that, like down below 7, it has a tendency to encourage the growth of bacteria.
And bettas are uniquely sensitive to bacteria. The blood in their fins does not flow. Or if it does, it’s very, very slow.
So once they get an infection, it becomes somewhat difficult to clear it up. And it does take a while for those fins to heal. So if you can prevent the growth of bacteria, you’re going to be on your way to having a healthy betta.
Keeping the pH at 7.5 to 8.0 is a helpful way to achieve that. Buy a gallon of drinking water. It costs less than a dollar. And it’ll serve you well.
Once you’ve decided on a bowl and have located a place for it, you need about a half a pound of sand. Silica sand, about an inch of sand at the bottom is adequate.
The Plants
You want to also, while you’re getting your betta, buy a little sprig of any kind of aquatic plant. Preferably something that’s going to grow in low light. Now if you can put a light, like a little gooseneck lamp, over the bowl, that’ll be fine. If you can’t, put it under a lamp or in a window where it’ll get some light.
Put the plant in and then put the fish in unceremoniously. You don’t need to acclimate anything because the water is perfect just the way it comes out of the jug. It doesn’t have oxygen in it, but for bettas that doesn’t matter because they breathe from the surface.
So now you have your bowl with sand in the bottom. It’s filled with water that has a high mineral content. You have a little sprig of plant in it and the fish.
The Food
Now the last thing is food. What are you going to feed them? Well there are lots of different pellet foods. I personally do not prefer the pellet foods. Many of them have vegetable matter in them. Bettas do not have the enzymes in their digestive system to digest any kind of vegetable matter. They are strict insectivores.
In the wild they eat mosquito larvae, little worms, other little bugs. So buy frozen bloodworms or frozen brine shrimp at your local pet shop and feed a very tiny amount.
If you will put a little cube, a small piece of frozen bloodworm into a little dixie cup with a lid on it, half full of water, put it in the fridge, let it thaw out, and then feed two or three maybe four of the little worms every day. Once a day is fine. You can feed twice a day.
You want to make sure the betta eats everything. Don’t leave food laying on the bottom of the bowl because it will foul. Now this is a good reason to use sand rather than gravel.
If you want little decorative items like colored stones, put a few in. Don’t cover the bottom, at least not more than one layer deep so the food doesn’t get trapped and rot and foul the water. You won’t need to do a water change until the water becomes cloudy, if it ever does.
If the water gets cloudy, even a little bit, take the fish out, take the plant out, take the sand out, put them in a separate little container, rinse the bowl carefully, pour the sand back in, rinse it thoroughly. No soap, no chemicals of any kind, just water and a microfiber cloth or a wet paper towel to wipe it on the inside. Get it clean, pour your water back in, put the sand and the plant back in, and your betta. You want to make sure you rinse the sand when you’re doing this to get all the gunk out of it.
Well, happy fishing. Enjoy your betta. He’ll be a good friend and healthy and happy and love you if you keep him well for many years to come. Talk to you again soon.
