Once you make the decision to be a pet owner you have taken the responsibility to always give the best care for your pet.
Contrary to popular belief, caring for fish is not as simple as bringing them home, putting them in a tank and feeding them once a day.
Betta Fish, also known as Siamese Fighting Fish, have become a popular pet fish since the turn of the 21st century.
With their bright colors and unique personality they are marketed as a fairly easy to care for pet that is suitable for most people.
Bringing Home Betta Before you select the perfect fish at the pet store you need to set up his home.
Fish need one gallon of water per inch of fish.
However, betta fish are known to live in vast, though shallow, expanses of water where they feed on insects.
As such, I recommend you get at least a standard five gallon fish tank for your betta fish.
Fill the bottom of the tank with aquarium gravel and a few underwater trinkets and plants, not only do these keep life interesting for your pet, but they also help filter the tank and promote the growth of beneficial bacteria.
Consider using live plants for betta fish instead of plastic plants because they like to hide and sometimes nibble on the plant roots.
Fill the tank with tap water and allow to sit for 24 hours to achieve room temperature.
Use a water treatment kit to test the pH level of the water.
For betta fish, water should be at 7.
0 for a pH level.
Attach an aquarium filter and heater to the tank to help decrease the regular maintenance you will have to do.
Do not use either of these on tanks that are smaller than five gallons, but why would you want one of those anyways?! Introducing Your Betta Multiple betta fish can live together, but male should not be kept together with other males, and females and males should only be housed together if you aim to breed them and have a separate tank for the mother after the eggs are laid.
If you have a male and female betta fish, place a divider in the tank to separate them.
The easiest multi-Betta setup is between two females.
Bring your fish home and place him into the tank while still in the plastic bag, this will give the fish a few moments to assess his new surroundings and adjust to the temperature change.
Carefully open the bag and put the fish into the tank by moving a little of the tank water into the pet store bag at a time until the fish swims out.
Keep the fish tank away from high stress environments such as areas where kids or pets play.
Also avoid placing the tank near windows or poorly insulated walls where the temperature will fluctuate.
Feeding Your Betta Baby betta fish need to be fed twice per day while adults only need to be fed once.
You will feed your fish freeze dried food as an alternative to their preferred live food diet.
Simply pinch a small amount into the water.
Betta fish become full within 2-3 minutes.
Carefully watch your betta to see the appropriate amount of food to give him.
Do not over feed betta fish or it will very possibly kill them.
If you are adventurous enough to endure live food then use mosquito larvae from the pet store as this is their preferred food of choice.