Betta Fish Bowls

Let me guess. You brought home your first fish today. It's a Betta Fish ( Betta Splendens ) , also known as a Siamese Fighting Fish, sometimes erroneously called a Chinese or Japanese Fighting Fish. Sometimes spelled as Beta, one t removed. All in all you have a lovely looking fish and it is no doubt housed in a vase with an easter lilly or some water loving plant sticking out the top. The store you bought it in assured you that the Betta fish was fine with the vase, actually loved the plant, was all in all just okee dokee with the whole set up. Come back in a week and I'll explain why your Betta is no longer with you. No wait... that would be fish murder and I don't want that on my head.

First things first. Your Betta fish is not a happy camper and does not want and certainly doesn't need a plant sticking out of his home. I say 'his' because female Bettas are rarely sold in stores as they don't have the same striking display of fins and colours as the male Betta. Your betta will surely die if left in its current home. The plant will eventually spoil the water to toxic levels and as an added blow it will choke off your Bettas air supply. Unlike most fish your Betta is equipped with a lung like organ called a labyrinth organ which makes him an air breather. Bettas gather oxygen from the waters' surface using their upturned mouths. The plant only gets in the fish's way and eventually closes off all accessibility to the surface as the plant spreads out on the surface. Step 1 - ditch the plant, or better yet, take your Betta out and place him in a bowl for now.

Wait! Let's back up a step. Before transferring your fish you have a few tasks to complete. If you are using tap water you must de-clorinate the water. You can pick up the necessary chemicals for this proceedure at any aquarium supply shop. The water must then be aged for 24 hours by leaving it out. This simply gets it to room temperature. Bettas are tropical freshwater fish who live naturally in rice paddies and ponds in Thailand which means that they like warm water. 78 to 80 degrees is just about right. When these tasks are complete you can transfer your fish to his new abode. Oh wait. Did I mention that while your Betta can survive in a small bowl you will have to change the water constantly and clean it non stop in between water changes?

Here's the thing, your Betta poops. Poop accumulates and makes the water toxic for your fish. The smaller your bowl the faster the toxicity build up. If you are going to use a small bowl you will have to change out 1/2 the water every two days. The poop should be removed as soon as it is produced and all uneaten food must be removed after feeding. This can be a lot of work so maybe you should consider some alternatives.

A simple rule of thumb when it comes to housing fish is 1 gallon of water (4.5 ltrs) for every inch of fish (2.5 cm). Bettas average about three inches when grown so a 3 gallon bowl is your minimum size requirement. Yes this is a bit larger than the vase you brought your Betta fish home in. This is why it is a tragedy that so many Bettas are sold this way. These Bettas are serving a death sentence. Another rule of thumb is; the bigger the tank the longer it takes for the water to become toxic and the less frequent the water changes. Ok, now you have to decide, how much work do you want? My advice - get as large a container as you can handle or have room for and give your fish plenty of room to swim in while lessening your work load.

Water Temperature

The smaller the tank the faster the water can cool down or heat up. This is not a good thing as Betta fish do not respond well to drastic water temperature changes. A large body of water can keep a constant temperature much better than a small body can. Your bowl or tank should not be located in a window or next to a heater in order to avoid temperature fluxuations. You do not need a water heater with Betta fish. Place a light with a 25 watt bulb nearby to keep your water in the 78 - 80 degree range. The water will hold it's temperature through the night with the light turned off if you have a large enough tank.

Filters

One of the advantages of Bettas is that you do not need to filter the water. Regular water changes and tank cleanings are sufficient. Since your Betta obtains his oxygen from the waters surface the water does not need aeration. In the wild, Bettas live in slow moving environments and do not handle fast moving water such as that caused by pumps and filter systems very well. This is one of the main reasons they can survive so well in bowls by themselves whereas most tropical fish require heaters, pumps, filters etc.

This article should save your Bettas life but there is much more to learn. You will want to do a little research on food and diseases for starters. You can find everything you need to care for your Betta at the link below. Be sure that your Betta thanks you for taking the time to learn a few pointers about general Betta care and good luck.

You can find more information on Betta Fish Care at; Betta Fish

Betta Fish Bowls

About the Author

The author is a life long Betta fish lover and his website can be found at Betta Fish or Betta Fish Bowls

You are welcome to reproduce this article on your own site as long as all links are left intact and working.

One World Internet Cafe - ©2006 - All Rights Reserved - Betta Fish Bowls

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