Bettas 101

This is a crash course in betta care. These guidelines are intended for very busy new betta owners, but when you have the time, come back and follow the links to learn more about each item.

Warning:
Never put two male bettas in the same tank!
Never put a male and fewer than four females in the same tank!
Always have a lid (NOT air-tight) or your betta will jump out!
Always provide your betta with unobstructed access to the surface. He needs to breathe!

Water Conditions:

Proper water conditions are by far the most important for your Betta's well being.

Water temperature:
Bettas are tropical fish and as such require warm water. The acceptable water temperature range for bettas is 24C-29C (75F-84F) with the best temperature being around 26C-27C (78F-80F). So, to keep Mr. Betta warm, you should place him in a warm spot (but not too warm) at home or you should get him a water heater (not recommended for bowls smaller than 3 gallons) and monitor the temperature closely (check every hour or so) after turning on the heater until the temperature stabilizes around 26C-27C (78F-80F).

Bettas are very sensitive to temperature changes, so the water temperature should be kept as constant as possible. To avoid drastic changes in temperature:

• Keep Mr. Betta's tank away from direct sunlight (direct sunlight can warm up his water very quickly) and away from drafts (drafts can cool down his water quickly),
• Never pour cold tap water into Mr. Betta's tank. 24 hrs before making a water change, fill up your container with water, add water conditioner, and place the container close to Mr. Betta's tank. In 24 hrs, the water should be about the same temperature as his water. If you are using a water heater, place the water containter close to a heat source and measure the temperature (it should be within 3 degrees of Mr. Betta's water temperature) before pouring it into his tank.

Water conditioning:
Tap water is chlorinated in most cities and towns as part of the water treatment process. Chlorine kills bacteria, but is also toxic for Mr. Betta. Therefore, it is very important that water conditioner is added to water intended for water changes at least an hour before it is poured into the tank. It is best to let the water stand for 24 hrs before a water change. Water conditioner (and anything else mentioned here) can be purchased at your local pet store.

The Bettas-breathe-surface-air-so-they-can-live-in-tiny-bowls-Myth:
Bettas breathe surface air... - This is true.
...so they can live in tiny bowls - One, this is generally false and two, the second statement does not follow from the first. If you want Mr. Betta to live longer than a week or two, you can't keep him in a tiny bowl. To understand why, here is a rather graphic but very useful analogy. You can probably survive for years living locked up in your bathroom if someone drops by once a day to give you food. But how long can you survive there if you cannot flush the toilet? It won't be more than a week or two before you are poisoned by the odours and toxins from your waste. The same goes for Mr. Betta. It is not the lack of oxygen in the water that's the problem with small bowls, it's the waste...and he is swimming in that waste all the time. The most toxic and deadly waste components are ammonia and nitrite; it is therefore, essential for Mr. Betta's well-being that they are kept at very low levels.

Ammonia and nitrite:
Bettas need very clean water and when water quality deteriorates bettas will develop many health conditions. Ammonia and nitrite are the great silent killers of aquarium fish. Ammonia levels of as little as 0.25mg/L can cause gill damage and levels of 1mg/L over several days will lead to ammonia poisoning and death. Similarly, fish that are exposed to even low levels of nitrite over several days suffer damage to their immune system and are prone to secondary diseases, such as ich, fin rot, and bacterial infections. Nitrite causes damage to the liver, gills and blood cells. If untreated, affected fish eventually die from lack of oxygen, and/or secondary diseases. The first signs of ammonia and nitrite poisoning include fin and tail rot, gasping for air at the water surface, rapid gill movement, and lethargy. The typical betta will saturate about 0.5 gallons of water with deadly levels of these toxins DAILY.

Therefore, it is very, very important that you get ammonia and nitrite testers and test Mr. Betta's water regularly - even daily for the first couple of weeks until you have a good idea of how often you need to make partial water changes to keep the levels of ammonia and nitrite below 0.25mg/L (and preferably at 0mg/L). Note that changing more than 50% of the water is not recommended because it results in drastic changes to the water chemistry and is far too stressful for Mr. Betta. Also, note that a 50% water change will cut the amount of toxins in the water by 50%, for example if the ammonia level is 1mg/L, you need to change about 80% of his water so that the level will drop below 0.25mg/L. Here are some very rough guidelines on how often you should do 50% water changes to keep the levels of toxins in his water low (but make sure you test his water to be sure that the toxin levels stay below 0.25mg/L):

• If your betta's tank is smaller than 1 gallon, store it away for emergency use, visit your local pet store, and get him a tank that is at least 2.5 gallons.
• If your betta's tank is larger than 1 gallon and up to 1.5 gallons, do 50% water changes every other day. Visit your local pet store within the next couple of weeks, and get him a tank that is at least 2.5 gallons.
• If your betta's tank is larger than 1.5 gallons and up to 2 gallons, do 50% water changes every 3 days.
• If your betta's tank is larger than 2 and up to 3 gallons, do 50% water changes every 4 days.
• If your betta's tank is larger than 3 and up to 5 gallons, do 50% water changes every 7 days.
• If your betta's tank is larger than 5 gallons, do 50% water changes every 10 days.

Ammonia and nitrite are always a problem in tanks with no filtration and also in tanks with newly set up filtration that have not cycled yet. If ammonia and nitrite levels are not monitored daily in these cases, they can spike and kill Mr. Betta in a short period of time. Cycling refers to the first 2-4 weeks after setting up filtration (when the water treatment bacteria are not established in the filter yet). During this time, the levels of toxins can skyrocket in the matter of hours. Some refer to this as new tank syndrome, others call it new tank fish loss, but the point is that setting up filtration can be dangerous if not done properly.

If you want to set up proper filtration in Mr. Betta's tank and his tank is smaller than 5 gallons, don't cycle the tank with Mr. Betta in it. If you haven't purchased your Betta yet, set up the tank and filter, add a cycling agent (you can purchase those at any petstore), and monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels until the tank has cycled (this may take anywhere between a week and a month). When the toxin levels in the tank are down to 0mg/L (yes ZERO), it's time to find an occupant for it (that's my favourite part:-)). If you already have a betta, keep him in another bowl/tank with no filtration and make frequent water changes until his new tank has cycled and is ready to be occupied. If you already have a healthy betta with a cycled tank, you can put part of his filter (the carbon or the sponge) in the new filter and the new tank will cycle in no time. I've done this many times and it works very well, but you have to be sure your first betta is healthy (I do this with bettas that have never shown any sign of disease), otherwise you can pass diseases and parasites to your new betta.

If your tank is 5 gallons or larger, you can cycle it with Mr. Betta living in it. Just make sure that you test his water for ammonia and nitrite daily until the levels of these toxins fall and level off at 0mg/L (yes ZERO). Once the tank has cycled, you can test the water less often. If you follow the guidelines below and the ammonia or nitrite levels go over 1mg/L for two consecutive days, you should remove Mr. Betta and give it a few days to cycle on its own.

Do this every day:

1. Test water for ammonia. If the ammonia level is:
   • less than 0.25mg/L, test again tomorrow.
   • 0.25mg/L to 0.5mg/L, do 30% water change. Test again tomorrow.
   • over 0.5mg/L, change as much water as necessary to bring it down to below 0.25mg/L. Test again tomorrow.
2. Test water for nitrite. If the nitrite level is:
   • less than 0.25mg/L, test again tomorrow.
   • 0.25mg/L to 0.5mg/L, do 30% water change. Test again tomorrow.
   • over 0.5mg/L, change as much water as necessary to bring it down to below 0.25mg/L. Test again tomorrow.

Note: Do not disturb the filter when making water changes, i.e. do not wash it, move it, or leave it to dry, as this amy kill the beneficial water treatment bacteria.

Regardless of the size of your tank, don't overstock it with fish when it is cycling. There should be at least 5 gallons of water per fish during that time. Once it has cycled, you can add more fish (but you should still have at least 2 gallons per betta).

Ammonia is a problem usually in the first and second week after filtration setup. As soon as the ammonia levels start to level off, nitrite levels go up. Nitrite is a problem usually in weeks two and three after setup. Once the nitrite levels go down to 0mg/L, usually around week four after setup, the tank has cycled, i.e. the bacteria necessary for water filtration are established in the filter. Now you should test the water once a week to be sure that there is no ammonia or nitrite in Mr. Betta's water. He will be one happy happy fish :-)