If you visit most pet stores or chain discount stores, you’ll see brightly colored and beautiful fish swimming around in solitude in small bowls. These fish are known as betta fish or Siamese Fighting fish. They have become very popular today among fish keepers because of their spectacular fins and jewel-bright colors that make them look stunning. A male betta fish has striking color patterns and long fins, while females are somehow dull without the striking fins.
Betta fish are relatively inexpensive and easy to care for. Unlike other types of fish, these fish don’t require to be kept in a big expensive aquarium but just a small tank, which can hold few gallons of water. This has made them not only popular but also the preferred choice by commercial breeders.
If you’re looking to buy a betta fish, it’s important to know how to take care of him or her in order to keep them in good health. In this article, we take a look at how to care for betta fish, starting from how to buy an appropriate tank to how to know they are sick.
Betta Care Tips
1. Buy an Appropriate Fish Tank
While betta fish can be kept in a glass container or small plastic, they do better if they have more room. As such, you’ll need to buy a sizeable fish tank that can hold one to two gallons of water. If you have a larger tank, you’ll need a fish tank heater and vacuum cleaner for cleaning the tank, learn more at SMK Blog.
2. Choose the Right Location For Your Tank
Once you’ve found an appropriate aquarium for your fish, you’ll need to choose a suitable location to put it. You’ll need to ensure that the place is not too close to a window to protect your fish from excessive heat or cold. The tank should be placed on a stable, flat surface to give it stability. Also, ensure that it’s far from radiators or any other source of heat in your house. Lastly, you’ll need to put the tank in a place where you can comfortably view it so that you can get to enjoy your pet.
3. Ensure the Habitat is Comfortable
Betta fish like to hide sometimes, so you should provide him with a plastic plant or cave where he can have some time alone. You can also use glass marbles or aquarium rocks to anchor the accessories in place and add some color or sparkle to your pet’s environment.
4. Feed your Betta Fish The right Amount of Food
It’s important to ensure your fish doesn’t overfeed, as this can cause constipation or other health problems. The recommended amount of food from Koi Carp that you should give your betta fish is about the size of his eyeball. Ensure that it takes all this food in less than five minutes. If it doesn’t eat it within 5 minutes, scoop out the remains and give it less next time.
5. Feed Your Betta Fish every day
Like any other pet, you’d want to feed your fish daily to keep him in good health. But if you skip a day, this won’t harm him in any way so long as you don’t make it routine. If you’re going for a vacation, have someone such as your neighbor come and feed your fish daily or every other day.
6. Change The Diet
Don’t feed your pet the same food every day. Ensure you change his diet weekly to keep him in good health. If possible, you also alternate three different foods each day. Some of the foods you can give your pet include frozen or dried bloodworms, fruit flies, fruit fly larvae, brine shrimp, and frozen beef heart. All these foods can be found in your local pet store. Don’t feed your fish with only dried flakes or pellets as they are not a healthy daily diet.
7. Monitor the Health of Your Fish
It’s important to ensure your fish is always happy and healthy. Monitor signs of illness such as color fading which happens when your fish is not feeling well or is getting older.
Evaluate your pet’s level of activity to check if he is in distress. You can do this by wiggling your finger in front of him and checking how he reacts. Normally, he should swim back and forth and try to interact with you. If he swims towards the top of the tank, he might be sick. Lastly, be sure to regularly look for torn fins, bumps or other physical changes in your fish, as these are signs that he is not healthy. Other indicators of poor health include colored streaks, white dots, and a swollen body.
These are some of the ways to take care of your betta fish. With proper care, your fish may live 2 to 3 years or longer.
Bio
Tim Fox is a writer and co-founder of the SMK blog. He enjoys rising his Betta and Goldfish. If he is not taking care of his fish, he spent his time enjoying the backcountry and hiking trails.
