Cracking the Code to Great Betta Care
Buying and setting up a betta and tank the same day is one of the major mistakes most people make. Like many other animals, there is a lot to providing proper betta care. From cycling the tank to preparing for various illnesses, be prepared for your fishy friend’s arrival.
Betta Variants
Betta Species
There are 73 species of betta. Depending on species, their size can range from one to almost five inches. The most common is the domesticated Betta splendens. Some other species you can buy are Betta imbellis, Betta smaragdina, and Betta mahachaiensis. I wrote this care sheet for Betta splendens. Other species have different care needs.
Betta Types
Despite not being able to keep many other species with a betta, they are brilliant at running the show by themselves. Bettas come in every color of the rainbow, pink, black, white, gray, translucent, and purple. There are distinct patterns, from solid to marble, dragon scale, butterfly, and many others. Some marble variations include dalmatian, hell boy, and koi. If none of those turn your head, some bettas are like living gold, silver, copper, or platinum with the metallic shine to match. They also have a wide variety of fin and tail shapes. Examples are half moon, veil tail, plakat, rose, feather, crown tail, spade tail, elephant ear or dumbo, and more.
Betta Care
Food for best betta care
Bettas are carnivorous fish, so they need a high protein diet. Insects and worms like black worms, tubifex worms, mysis, brine shrimp, and daphnia are good options. Bloodworms are best only as a treat. You can choose between freeze-dried, canned, frozen, live, and dehydrated protein. Live and frozen provide the most nutrition. Another good option is betta pellets. Search for brands with a protein as the first ingredient instead of grain, which can be an unnecessary filler despite providing fiber. Spirulina is the most natural fiber. Good options with a minimum of 15% protein are Biogold, Bugbites, Hikari, New Life Spectrum, and Northfin. A good diet is low in fat and fiber and has a protein like brine shrimp as its first ingredient. In The Study of Different Foods on Spawning Efficiency of Siamese Fighting Fish (Species: Betta splendens, Family: Belontiidae), bettas performed best with the higher protein diet.
Set Up The Betta Tank
The Tank
You will find a lot of tanks sold for bettas you couldn’t even fit a bottle of water in. Despite pet stores raising their minimum tank size recommendation, 2.5 gallons are still too small. Bettas need at least a 5 gallon tank to be happy. In the wild, they live in vast rice paddies and streams. These are shallow waters with a gentle current. To best mimic this, choose a wide tank over a tall one. A five or ten gallon breeder or low boy would be closest to this. However, these are difficult to find and are often more expensive. Regardless, a five or ten gallon tank is adequate. A lid is necessary because bettas can and will jump out of their tank.
An alternative to tanks is aquarium safe plastic bins. The advantage of these over tanks is price and variety. You can get them cheaper in a shape which better mimics a betta’s natural habitat. Safe plastics include #2 recyclable HDPE, #4 LDPE, and #5 polypropylene. Sturdy, clear bins are best so they can hold water and you can view your betta. While bin “tanks” may require some DIY, they can more than pay off for both you and your betta.
Bettas also need a proper, electric filter. Substrates are not a substitute because they only trap settled debris and need occasional siphoning. A bowl shaped tank does not allow room for a filter.
Bettas like gentle to no current. If the filter seems too strong, try adding a pre-filter. You will also need a thermostat and a water heater to make sure the tank water stays at a safe 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit or around 25 degrees Celsius.
Decoration and Hides
New research published in January 2024 shows bettas are more active in a larger tank with enrichment. The study had tank sizes of 2.5 gallons, 10 gallons, 55 gallons, and 100 gallons when converted to gallons and rounded to the nearest half gallon. They also found bettas were significantly more active in the 10 gallon tank compared to the 2.5 gallon. Bettas displayed more natural behavior in tanks with enrichment than in tanks without. The enriched tanks had live plants and rocks.
Try to avoid buying any plastic plants or decoration, because the tank does not benefit and sharp edges might harm the fish. Instead, try adding live plants. They may need occasional trimming, but will help oxygenate the water and be more gentle on your betta. Live plants also help starve out algae by using its nutrients to grow. Filtering phosphates, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates is another benefit of reducing the harmful waste in your tank. When getting tank decor, check for jagged edges, which may damage your betta’s fins. If you still want fake plants, silk or soft plastics are the way to go.
The best types of hardscape to use are granite, petrified wood, quartz, jade, slate, agate, sard, jasper, smooth obsidian, lava rock, shells, and coral. Some unlisted stones are unsafe because they contain metals or toxins which can leach into or react with the water. If your PH is already on the high end, be careful adding shells and other calcium based decorations which raise PH. Most inert materials are safe. Some safe woods are pear, cherry, apple, pear, oak, birch, grapevine, spider wood, and sycamore. Only use wood that is dead all the way through with no green left. I recommend buying online to get started because identifying and treating wood for aquariums can be a lengthy process. Wood can make the water tannic and lower the PH. You may need to rebalance acidity with a buffer.
Cycling the Tank
Before you get a betta, you will need to cycle the tank just like with any other fish to prevent shock and disease. Not cycling your tank is one of the biggest mistakes a new fish owner makes… And the reason for thousands of aquarium fish deaths every year. It is important for the beneficial bacteria built up during cycling to control the nitrites and ammonia. It is also essential to maintain beneficial bacteria by being mindful during water changes.
To cycle, first test the water you intend to use for any preexisting nitrates and ammonia. If there are none, add two ppm of aquarium friendly ammonia to your tank. For ammonia, I recommend Dr. Tim’s Aquatics Ammonium Chloride because it is the most reasonable price and is easier to measure. You will need test kits for nitrites and nitrates as well. Add 2 ppm of ammonia and test it after 25 hours. Keep testing occasionally, watching for a bump in nitrites. Keep the ammonia at 2 ppm, and prevent nitrites from getting higher than 4 using water changes. Higher than 4 is detrimental to your cycle. Try to keep it at 2ppm until it drops on its own. This signals its conversion into nitrate, and may take weeks to occur. Your tank is cycled when the bacteria can turn 2ppm of ammonia into nitrates, shown by 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and high nitrate. Then perform a water change to drop the nitrates before adding your betta.
If you already have your betta in the aquarium and you have not cycled it, you are doing fish-in cycling. This is very dangerous and you may lose your betta, but adding a water conditioner, such as Seachem Prime, may give him/her a fighting chance. It is very concentrated and detoxifies ammonia and nitrites.
Why are bettas sold in tiny cups?
Pet stores keep bettas in small cups because they are often aggressive in a community tank. If a pet store provided all the things each betta needs, an entire wall of the pet store would be betta tanks. This is economically unfeasible. They would have to raise their prices so much people would shop elsewhere. Franchise pet store’s poor tiny cup solution causes many betta deaths before sale. Even more lose their color and become sick, dying after purchase. Chances are you’ve seen this for yourself or heard about someone rescuing a pet store betta. Buying pet store bettas only encourages stores to order more betta stock.
Where to Get a Betta
Okay, we’ve established that a pet store is not a good place to source betta fish. So, what is? The good thing with fish and other aquatic animals is people can ship them through the mail. This makes it possible to buy bettas online. Things to look for are a live arrival guarantee, a stay alive guarantee for a few days after arrival, and shipping right to your location.
Another perk is a “WYSIWYG” policy. This means What You See Is What You Get. So the images and videos you look at and watch are the same fish the store will ship to you. This shows the exact fish coloration, health, and quality before the store ships it. Keep in mind, travel is stressful on any live animal, so initial stress signs after arrival are normal. Some of these stores have higher price tags for bettas than your big box pet store, but some are much closer to a pet store price.
Online Betta Stores
Below is a list of some sites with a WYSIWYG policy and a live on arrival guarantee. I have no personal experience with these, but they have excellent reviews, wonderful variety, and beautiful fish. While I listed the price and a few details, the price should not be the only reason you choose the website. Look at their policies and keeping practices before making your final decision. I get no affiliate compensation from these sites.
Cohabitation
Bettas With Bettas
You can not keep male bettas together because it will stress them out. Bettas are also called “Siamese fighting fish” because for over 1,000 years, people made them duel by putting them together in a small tank. It was so popular, the Siam king taxed and regulated it. Bettas were not bred for looks until about 150 years ago.
You may have heard about successful sorority tanks. The fish in these tanks get no benefit from cohabitating with each other, making it a risk with no reward to the bettas and a high risk of harm. Being in a group is distressing. While flaring and chasing are signs of stress, so is extreme submission. The bettas can not escape each other, so they shut down. Stress stripes, lighter or darker horizontal lines on a betta, is a sign of an unhappy fish. However, these stripes are not apparent in every color. Red and blue are the easiest to see stress stripes on, but lighter colors are more difficult. Other stress signs include hyperventilation, hiding, not eating, and dashing place to place.
Even if you don’t notice any stress signs, all it takes is one fight. People came home to find most of their tank dead and dying from one betta snapping and killing the others, or disease taking hold in one and spreading to the rest. There is constant danger in a sorority. People who house successful sororities are still taking an enormous risk only the bettas would pay for. Bettas will not feel lonely without a friend, they’re proud, independent fish nuggets who don’t need no frien’. They’re happier and safer having the tank all to themselves.
Bettas With Other Species
There are other species a betta can share their tank with. If you are not keeping a betta alone, unless it is a snail, it is better to go with a minimum of 20 gallons. This offers more room for more hiding spaces and less chance of overlapping territories. You need a backup tank, cycled and ready to go in case something goes wrong. Every betta is different, and may not tolerate tank mates.
Snails are the safest bet because of their hard exoskeleton. Nerite and assassin snails are good options. Some shrimp species to try are amino, cherry, and ghost shrimp. Cherry shrimp are the most likely to be eaten because of their brighter colors. Avoid large shrimp which can hurt your betta. A planted tank has a better chance at a successful cohab. Plants break the line of sight, offer more enrichment, and provide more hiding spaces.
You can also keep certain species of fish with your betta, but see how your betta does with snails and shrimp before adding them. Some examples are tetras like glowlight and cardinal tetras, corydoras like pygmy and false Julii corydoras, and rasboras like harlequins and chilis. I previously suggested danios, but later discovered they can be aggressive and prefer stream tanks, making them less likely to get along with a betta. Make sure to do your own research on each of these options to ensure they’ll work with your specific setup.
Betta Care for illness
Dozens of illnesses could afflict your fish. Most are preventable through proper tank maintenance and quarantining anything live before adding it to your tank. Many are also curable or manageable. Test the water for abnormalities and correct harmful deviations before attempting other treatments. If the water parameters are off, it may cause or worsen your betta’s condition. Illness symptoms include appetite loss, rotting fin and tail, lesions, faded coloration, unnatural spots, a white and fuzzy appearance, lethargy, puss or signs of infection, and swelling or eye bulging. Fungal fin decay presents as white, where bacterial can be red or other non-white colors.
Having a first aid kit ready to go can reduce the time between identifying the illness and treating it. This may make the difference between the survival of your betta. Some items to keep in your kit are aquarium salt, methylene blue (antifungal/antibacterial), malachite green (antiparasitic/antibiotic/antifungal), antibacterial, antifungal, antibiotics, and Epsom salt. Be careful the first time you use aquarium salt with your betta because some are more sensitive to it than others. When using antibiotics, put your betta in a quarantine tank because they can crash your cycle. Other medications have this risk, too, so unless there are parasites or fungus also occupying your tank, it is safer to treat your betta in quarantine.
If you decide to treat your betta in its original tank, test the water twice a day for crashing. The earlier you catch a crashing cycle, the less time your already sick betta has something else hurting it. To save a crashed cycle, use Seachem Prime and Turbo Start 700 combined.
Common illnesses include constipation, often caused by overfeeding, improper diet, or the betta eating something it shouldn’t. Feeding a small amount of daphnia may help along with fasting for 2 or 3 days. If that doesn’t work, trying Kanaplex, then erythromycin may cure it. Boredom, low water temperature, and poor water quality can cause lethargy. Test the temperature and water, then add more enrichment if this is the only symptom. If your betta has tail damage, this may be from sharp tank decor or tail biting. Rose, feather, and other large tailed bettas are most likely to do this because it slows them down. Other potential causes are stress, boredom, and aggression. Try adding an Indian almond leaf, aquarium salt, and dimming the light. These reduce stress.
Fungal Diseases
You can use malachite green or methylene blue until you get a more specialized antifungal. However, these may fix the fungal infection without it.
Fish fungus is a secondary infection characterized by mucous, white cottony growths, and white skin bumps. Use API fungus cure, malachite green, or methylene blue until symptoms are gone. Without treatment, this is fatal.
You often notice Fin and tail rot by discoloration and melting fins and tails. This could be bacterial or fungal. It is treatable with an antifungal and/or antibiotic like methylene blue and API fungus.
Bacterial Diseases
You can use Malachite Green or Methylene Blue until you get a more specialized antibacterial. Either of these may cure the issue by themselves. These are treatable with an antibiotic
Popeye shows itself through the eye protruding out of its socket. The afflicted eye may also be cloudy.
Mouth fungus is a bacterial disease identifiable by white cottony strands around the betta’s mouth and white spots on its body.
Dropsy symptoms are body swelling and a “pinecone” appearance when you see the fish from the top. The scales stick outwards instead of being flush with the skin.
Parasitic Diseases
You can use Malachite Green until you get a more specialized antiparasitic. Malachite green may fix it on its own.
Anchor Worms look like short white, green, or red strands attached to your betta. Treatment can be salt or potassium permanganate bath for 30 minutes at a 25mg per liter concentration combined with Diflubenzuron to kill both larvae and adults. Parasitic clear and methylene blue are two other treatment options.
Fish lice are identified by red sores and round parasites on the scales. Treat with aquarium salt and an antiparasitic.
Ich, Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, is a flesh-eating skin parasite characterized by white spots, lethargy, and loss of appetite. Place your betta in a quarantine tank for one week to kill parasites still in the aquarium. Increase the quarantine temp 1-2 degrees every day until it meets 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Then add aquarium salt as directed by the brand’s instructions. Every 2 days do a 25% water change but maintain the same salt concentration. After 10 days, continue the water changes but without adding the salt. Once the water is salt free and if your betta is free of ich, return him/her to the aquarium. If your betta still has ich, you can use malachite green or a specialized anti-ich treatment. Only return your betta to its main tank when it is parasite free.
Flukes mainly infect the gills of your fish. Bettas with this parasite may have red gills, red spots on gills, or red spots on the scales, lethargy, loss of appetite, and gasping for air near the surface. Treat with an antiparasitic.
Identify velvet by color loss and a yellowing “rusty” color on the scales, difficulty breathing, peeling scales, fin clamping, lethargy, appetite loss, and rubbing on tank decor. The rusty yellowing might be harder to detect on yellow fish. You can use aquarium salt, copper sulfate, or specialized velvet treatments to cure your betta.
A parasite causes “hole in the head”, or lateral line disease, treatable with parasite clear or malachite green. Pits in the fish’s head characterize it.
Other Diseases
Tuberculosis can infect fish, other pets, and humans. For this reason, you must be careful if you suspect your fish has it. Do not touch the water with bare hands, or let any other animals drink it. There is no treatment for tuberculosis in fish, and it may be terminal. The best outcome is not adding or removing any fish from the infected tank and doing palliative care for comfort. After all fish die, throw away all the porous materials and do a deep clean of the tank to kill any TB left. Clean nothing without gloves, especially if you have any cuts, scrapes, or rashes on your skin.
Most of the time, tumors are only curable with surgery. If the surgery is unsuccessful, the tumor can return. Without operation, if it is cancer, the fish will die. If it is benign, the tumor may continue to grow until it affects the betta’s quality of life and requires euthanasia. If it is slow growing, your betta might die of old age first.
Swim Bladder Disease affects a fish’s ability to control its buoyancy. Constipation often causes it, and related treatment is worth trying. Other causes are bacteria and parasites. If no treatment works, the organ could be damaged or it may be genetic. Double tail bettas are prone to swim bladder disease and bloat. Palliative care includes lowering water level, hand feeding if necessary, and eliminating any current in the tank. If the condition ends up being chronic, euthanasia might be the best option.
Fin Rot looks like it sounds- the fins of your betta rotting away. White tips, inflamed fin bases, and edge fraying are more specific signs. It has many causes, from bacteria to the environment. Things to try are checking water parameters, changing to a higher quality food, relieving stress, not overfeeding, and treating with methylene blue.
References
APA References
Biokani, S., Jamili, S., Amini, S.H., Sarkhosh, J., & Branch, T. (2014). The Study of Different Foods on Spawning Efficiency of Siamese Fighting Fish (Species: Betta splendens, Family: Belontiidae). DOI: https://doi.org/10.5923/j.ms.20140402.01 PDF: http://article.sapub.org/pdf/10.5923.j.ms.20140402.01.pdf
Dolan, A. (2015). THE EFFECTS OF AQUARIUM SIZE AND TEMPERATURE ON COLOR VIBRANCY , SIZE , AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN BETTA SPLENDENS A Report of a Senior Study by Arielle Dolan Major. https://www.maryvillecollege.edu/media/dsx/manager/Faculty/NaturalSciences/dcrain/Undergraduate_Research/Dolan2015.pdf
Oldfield, R. G., & Murphy, E. K. (2024). Life in a fishbowl: Space and environmental enrichment affect behaviour of Betta splendens. Animal welfare (South Mimms, England), 33, e1. https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2024.1 PDF: https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/2A9DD22C6BC2D833EAC4F03508A8E3B4/S0962728624000010a.pdf/div-class-title-life-in-a-fishbowl-space-and-environmental-enrichment-affect-behaviour-of-span-class-italic-betta-splendens-span-div.pdf
