| You've seen them in the pet stores, maybe even in | | | | comfortable nor happy, and the small volume of |
| a department store: elegant tubes or vases or bowls | | | | water is almost guaranteed to fluctuate wildly in |
| with a single lovely fish in it, and a promise of easy | | | | temperature. |
| care and feeding. Bettas are beautiful and captivating, | | | | And what about that nitrogen cycle? You need to |
| but the way they are sold in stores definitely isn't | | | | seed their environment with some nitrifying bacteria, |
| the model for how they should be treated at home. | | | | most often with some "seasoned" water or gravel |
| What does a Betta need? First and foremost, it | | | | from an existing tank. Without these little critters, the |
| needs warm water. These are tropical fish, and the | | | | ammonia wastes generated by your Betta won't be |
| water needs to be at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit, if | | | | broken down and he'll slowly poison himself. |
| not more. Even more importantly, the temperature | | | | It's easiest to keep Bettas one at a time, as males |
| of the water needs to remain steady. If it changes | | | | will fight each other, and a male and many females |
| more than five degrees over a twenty-four hour | | | | can be tricky to manage. Master taking care of just |
| period, then the fish will not remain healthy as the | | | | one, before you try adding additional Bettas to your |
| temperature changes diminish its resistance to | | | | tank. |
| disease and allow lower-temperature parasites to | | | | When it comes to feeding, Bettas like variety as |
| take hold. | | | | much as anyone else. Although Betta pellets will do |
| Here's my key piece of advice to keep the water | | | | for much of the time, these are carnivorous fish. Try |
| temperature even: take the fish OUT of the cruel | | | | to mix their diet up a bit with the occasional bit of |
| enclosure it's been sold in and transfer it to a bigger | | | | meat, especially live meat, which you can buy in |
| bowl or tank! Those little "Betta Cups" sold in stores | | | | many forms at your fish supply store. Fresh or |
| are designed by marketing people, not by fish-lovers! | | | | freeze-dried Daphnia, Brine Shrimp, Glass Worms, or |
| Bettas CAN survive in such a small space, if there's a | | | | Blood Worms are just a few of your many choices |
| decent nitrogen cycle going, but it's neither | | | | for improving your Betta's diet, health and happiness. |