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