Betta Fish - Betta Splendens

The Betta Fish, Betta Splendens, aka Siamese Fighting Fish, has a reputation as being a low maintenance pet that's so tough it will live in a small glass jar that is unheated, unfiltered and left in a corner somewhere where it can be neglected and fed only occasionally. This was the story I was sold about keeping Betta Fish when I first came across them in a pet shop about three years ago.

This is what the shop assistant told me and of course she would know because she sold Betta fish, right? So for the last three years, that was my impression of the Betta Fish, right up until recently when I decided I to do some research because I wanted to actually go out and buy one.

So what is the truth about Betta Fish. What size tank do they prefer, should it be heated and does it need to be filtered?

Well if you go to most pet shops or check out the Betta tanks that are for sale in stores or online you might be forgiven for believing that a small container not much bigger than the jar on the right will suffice. That's the advice I was given when I first inquired and to me it really did sound too good to be true..........and I suppose for me that was the problem. It didn't really seem to make sense. Why would a fish prefer to live in a jar as opposed to a fish bowl that was 5 to 10 times larger?

Therefore before I went and bought my first Betta Fish I decided to do some research and here's what I discovered. The consensus from most experienced Betta owners was that a container about 4 litres (1 gallon) was the minimum. This seemed to make a bit more sense to me and when we went and bought our very first Betta it was confirmed right before our eyes.

You see when you go to the pet shop to buy your Betta Fish you will see rows and rows of jars with Bettas in them. They all look inactive and very unhappy. Now when you get your Betta home though and place him in his new 4 litre plus container/bowl/tank you will all of a sudden see a mood change. He will start to swim around, explore and become active. It really ain't half obvious.

So if the guy (or girl) in the pet shop tries to sell you the story about Bettas being happy in a glass jar then don't believe them, as frankly...........you're being conned!

Well not necessarily, the bottom line is this. Betta Fish come from countries in South East Asia that typically have a tropical climate. Therefore they don't like cold water. So if you want to keep your Betta Fish healthy then the minimum water temperature should be at least 20 C (68 F) with the optimum temperature being about 27 C (80 F). So if you live in a warm climate or you can keep your Betta tank in a warm room then you won't have to heat the water. If you live in a cold climate where your house regularly drops below the minimum temperature then you would be advised to heat the water in your Betta tank.

Quite possibly there are Betta owners that do keep their Betta fish in water colder than 20 C but if you do decide to do this then you will find that your Betta's immunity will be decreased, he will be more likely to get sick and his life span will be significantly reduced. You see Bettas will survive in cold water but that is all they will do, "survive", for a while anyway.

So the bottom line is this, if you want to make your Betta happy then keep him at the right temperature.

The short answer to this question is, no. Betta Fish have evolved over time living in shallow, stagnant water and as such don't need filtered/aerated water. In fact many say they prefer to have no current at all in their tank. I'm not so sure about this though.

I use filtration in all my Betta tanks and the Bettas don't seem to mind it at all. In fact Bubbles quite often hangs around the inlet where the current enters his tank. The reason why I use filtration is because it obviously helps clean the water which makes my job of cleaning the tank a whole lot easier.

Another reason why I use filtration is because I also like to keep Bristlenose Catfish in my Betta tanks as well. As you know you can't keep male Bettas together. So rather that keep just one fish by himself I've found the Bristlenose Catfish make great tank mates.

Sometimes they are quite active and it's amusing to watch them race around the tank from time to time. Most importantly though, Bristlenose Catfish will eat algae and help keep the tank clean. They, unlike the Betta Fish, do require the filtration/aeration so the aerated water current caused by the filter is good for the catfish.

I've got two Betta Tanks. The one on the right holds about 12 litres (3 gallons) and has got one male Betta fish and two Bristlenose Catfish. There's a small corner filter at the rear as well as a submersible 50 W heater (although 25 W would suffice) with a built in thermometer. I've used plastic plants as well for ease of maintenance, although they do attract algae, but the catfish should take care of that.

The other point about this tank is that it's plastic and was sold as a reptile terrarium, but it was inexpensive and fitted the bill just nicely. Therefore you don't have to spend a fortune if you don't want to.

My other Betta tank has room for up to 4 male Bettas. Each of the sections contains just under 4 litres and there is a section at the rear where the heater, sponge filter and pump are housed.

If you are new to Bettas this may be a good tank to start off with as keeping Bettas can be addictive. If you don't find yourself leaving the pet shop with more than one Betta there is a good chance you'll find yourself back there fairly quickly buying more. Bettas come in so many colors and fin shapes so if you've got an ounce of being a "collector" in your blood, then be careful. As you know you can't keep males together so plan ahead and consider how you're going to house them.

A word of warning with this set up. The water does travel from one section to the other so if you introduce a sick fish the others will get sick as well. Therefore use a reputable source and it may pay to quarantine the new Betta in a different tank for a while before introducing him to this tank.

If you are new to keeping Betta Fish I'd recommend setting up your Betta tank before bringing your new Betta home. That way you can check it for leaks, test out your equipment, warm the water and condition the water as well. Conditioning your water will depend on what your local water consists of though. Clean water free of chemicals such as chlorine is a must.

I researched this thoroughly on the internet and also purchased some very good eBooks. Betta Care Made Easy was the best of them, it was reasonably priced and jam packed full of all sorts of helpful Betta information. In fact it had answers to questions that I never would have thought to ask and a long list of contents that covered a comprehensive list of Betta topics.

Therefore Betta Fish are relatively easy to keep and it is quite a rewarding hobby. They do have some specific requirements though, but the secret is really doing your research and following the rules. Remember there are some misnomers out there though, but if you use some commonsense you should be able to determine the best path to travel. Once you've got that sorted though, keeping Betta Fish is really easy.