Betta Fish and Betta Fish Care

Beta fish are many of the beautiful fish you able to have. In their natural habitat betta fish live in dirty as well as cloudy water and survive due to the beta fish can breath air directly through an organ situated on the head called labyrinth organ. Once you have decided to get a new family member a beautiful long flowing finned, brilliantly colored betta fish, please go through the additional tips.

1. Once you select a new betta fish to be your fish, though the beta fish can live in a small bowl, it will be a nice idea to bring in a bigger bowel or a tank of 1 gallon. See that it tank is not large and you have difficultly finding the betta fish hiding in some corner. Betta fish care additional tip #1 buy a reasonable sized bowl or tank, so you don’t feel that you are torturing your new beta fish.

2. If you buy a bigger tank or bowl for your betta fish, you can modify three-fourth of the water in your betta fish bowl or tank and instead of cleaning the bowl every week you can clean it once in a month. Betta fish care additional tip #2, change three-fourth of the water once every week and clean the betta fish tank once every month.

3. Make sure that you add tank accessories to the tank to make it a home to your betta fish. Make sure that the accessories you add are soft as the beta fish long flowing fins might get teared. Betta fish care additional tip #3, add accessories to may the bowl a home to your betta fish and make sure you add soft accessories.

4. Make sure you cover the tank properly, else the betta fish may jump out and fall to die like it happened with my first betta. Betta fish care additional tip #4 cover the tank.

5. Make sure to place the bowl somewhere in the room where it is easily for you to look it, after all it is there to enhance the beauty of your home. Beta fish care additional tip #5, arrange the bowl somewhere in the room where you can watch your beta fish regularly.

Breeding Betta fish at home could be somewhat difficult. Especially with Betta fish, as they tend to be aggressive towards other Bettas. There are many steps you’ll need to follow in order to successfully breed your Betta fish.

You will need to make sure that your fish are at least 5 months old and fully acclimated to their tanks. You must set the male in one tank and the female in another close to each other so they could get used to one another before you bring them together to mate.

Betta fish will initiate to show signs when they are ready to mate; the male will make a bubble nest at the top of his tank where he will eventually place the eggs, and the female can develop colorful stripes.

Your breeding tank should be kept at 80-82 degrees for the baby fish to best survive. You can now place the female in with the male and he will hold her upside down so that she can release her eggs.

Betta fish can release hundreds of eggs, while some have been well-known to release close to a thousand. Her job done, the female will then hide and the male will take over the caring of the young.

It is best to take the mother out of the tank at this point, or the male may view her as a threat to the eggs and may get aggressive towards her.

Once the fish have hatched and are swimming freely, take the male out of the tank as well or he may begin to eat his young and your hard work will have been in vain.

Give the babies about two weeks before you change their water, and be careful that you don’t overfeed them or the tank could become cloudy.

After a couple weeks, you can begin changing the water and separating the fish into other bowls. Now all you will need to do is decide if you want to sell them, or keep them for your family.
About the Author

by Mary Brennecke
Many Betta parents keep their little wet pet in a fish bowl or Betta vase. There is some discussion about whether or not this is healthy and safe for the little fish.
Although some fish lovers are under the initial impression that it is actually easier and less upkeep to keep a Betta fish in a simple bowl or vase – the opposite is actually true in order to even keep your little fishy friend alive.

If you do choose a bowl or vase as your fish’s living accomadations, expect to change the water completely every day or two. You have to because of the small size and lack of water filtration. Without the constant water changes, your fish will flounder and suffer and die in the polluted water.

Of course, a well-fed fish given a variety of appropriate Betta foods in the correct amount is a priority. Likewise, you know that if he eats – well, how can I put this politely? He poops. This is the natural course of things and if enclosed in a tiny bowl or vase with no water filtration system to clean the water, chemical changes take place in your fish’s breathing water and all this toxic waste-filled water gets sucked into your fishy kid’s body and infects him with various fish diseases. Then you’ve got a bigger problem on your hands: You’ve got to attempt to diagnose and cure his disease.

Many times, it’s possible (and certainly better for you and your fish) to prevent these diseases from ever happening if you can keep the water clean and the water conditions right. (tropical temperature, Betta water conditioner, chlorine and chloramine out, no drafts, no direct sunlight)

In any case, the bowl is o.k. at first – although, it’s really some peace of mind for you if you can get a type of vented cover for the bowl so that your betta fish gets plenty of air(Betta fish are labyrinth fish who must breathe both water and come up to the surface of the water for air.) and yet cannot jump out and hurt himself or get killed from flopping on the counter gasping for air. Betta fish are natural jumpers out of self-preservation and a will to stay alive that they developed in the wild many years ago when they had to jump from a small puddle to a bigger puddle in Asia.

So, it’s up to you which home you choose for your beautiful new member of your family, but it’s good to be prepared for high maintenance if you choose a tiny bowl.

Bettas have a fairly short lifespan, and are most successful as breeders when they under a year old (bettas in pet shops are usually at least six months old). They breed in bubblenests and do not require a large tank or special equipment.
Most breeders find that a bare bottomed tank of roughly ten gallons works well, although smaller tanks are also suitable.Ideally the fish should be conditioned prior to breeding, by feeding them a diet of live foods. The water should be at a pH of about 7.0, and temperature around 80 or slightly above.

The male will blow an elaborate bubble nest when he is ready to spawn. The female should be provided with a hiding place, as males may become aggressive during courtship. Even with a hiding place, it is common for the female to lose a few scales or have their fins frayed during spawning.

When they are ready to spawn, the pair will display intense coloration and begin circling each other under the bubblenest. The male will wrap himself around the female who has turned on her back. As she expels the eggs, they are fertilized and begin to sink. The male will scoop up the eggs and spit them into the nest. From this point on the male will tend the brood. It is advisable to remove the female, as the male may become aggressive towards her as he tends his young.

The male will continue to tend the bubblenest, spitting eggs that fall out back into the nest. In one to two days the eggs will hatch, and the fry will be visible hanging in the bubblenest with their tails pointing downward. They will feed off their yolk sack for another thirty six hours, during which time the male will continue to pick up any fry that fall out of the nest. The male should be removed within two days after the fry hatch, as they may eat the young once they are free swimming.

The fry should be fed a couple of feedings daily of baby brine shrimp or very fine baby food. Tetra makes a dry mixture specifically for egglaying fish, and many pet shops carry frozen baby brine shrimp. Take care not to overfeed, as the uneaten food will foul the water and can quickly prove lethal to the fry.

lifespan of a betta fish is about three years. Yet they able to live up to five years. That would be about the maximum betta life expectancy however.
The betta fish you see in stores are already adults as well as at least six months to a year old. A good breeding background and good health when the fish is bought will probably mean a long life. You could keep the fish in good health with a good environment, diet, and medications.
Good environment starts with an adequate sized living space. Those tiny little grapefruit sized bowls do not count. And you should give  fresh water modifies so insure a long beta fish life expectancy.

These exotic beauties can do quite well on a mixture of high quality betta pellets or different food designed for bettas. For instance Hikari Betta Gold. (if your betta doesn’t have any water filtration then Hikari Betta Bio Gold) Plus many live food thrown in for variety a couple two three times a week along with frozen or freeze dried treats. Not only will proper diet help them lead long healthy lives, it will enhance the coloration of your bettas too.
Do that and use the bare minimum of aquarium salts and you won’t need much info on medications. Since most diseases that strike bettas are related to poor water quality. And treating with any medication induces stress. Meaning the best rule of thumb there is “He or she who medicates least medicates best.