Bettas by Jennifer Lapello
We've all seen it. Bettas upon Bettas housed in containers sometimes as small as 8 ounces in pet stores. I can't tell you how many sick and dying Bettas I have seen in local places. One place even sells an 8 ounce plastic Betta bowl for $2.99. The employees are completely unfamiliar with Bettas and their needs more often than not. I have witnessed them telling people that they can live in these tiny containers, and I have heard them doing the sales pitch for the "Betta in a Vase". I will get back to the vase later. The first thing I want to emphasize is that a Betta absolutely cannot live in an 8 ounce container. The minimum size container an adult Betta can be housed in is a half gallon (64 ounce) container. A large Halfmoon male with big finnage should be housed in nothing less than a gallon.
Beanie Baby cases are popular among breeders and hobbyists, because they hold one half gallon of water and do not take up much space. The downside to these containers is that they need 100% water changes every 3 days, and the insides need to be cleaned out before refilling them. It is very time consuming, especially if you have hundreds of Bettas (like me)!
Another popular choice for people with several Bettas is a gallon pickle jar. You simply get rid of the pickles and clean out the container. (See "cleaning containers & tanks", below.)
Some lucky breeders with the room and finances and several hobbyists/collectors use small aquariums to house their Bettas. This is undoubtedly the best option for the Betta! Unfortunately, it is more costly, and it takes up a lot of space.
If you are going to use a tank, you don't need to go too large. They like space to swim, but a single Betta needs no more than a 2.5 gallon or 5 gallon tank. I cannot personally recommend keeping Bettas with other tropical fish. All I can say is sometimes they do okay with other fish, and sometimes they don't. If you put one in with an aggressive species, such as Tiger Barbs, they will probably rip its fins off. If you put one in with peaceful fish, such as Guppies or Cory Cats, they may be bullied (or killed) by the Betta. Many people do successfully house a Betta with other fish, but when you are doing that, you are always taking a chance. Every Betta has a distinct personality, and you just never know what exactly to expect. One thing is for sure. Under absolutely no circumstances can you house two male Bettas together. They will kill each other. Many females will do the exact same thing, depending on how aggressive your females are. My females tend to be very aggressive, so I always warn people who are purchasing females from me intending to community tank them that it could end badly and to be very cautious. If you are going to attempt a female Betta community tank, do it with caution. Provide lots of hiding places and watch them like a hawk. If you can, try to find a breeder that has kept females of the same spawn together since they hatched. Females will usually get along if they are used to being with each other. I always jar my fish at a young age to avoid fin nip damage in the growout tanks, so mine are usually quite hostile toward each other.
Whatever container you use, make sure you have a lid or at least have the water down a few inches from the top of the container! It is commonly thought that Bettas do not jump, but they do. Even with lids, sometimes they will find a small opening and somehow squeeze through. I have found a few on my floor before, even though everyone has a tight-fitting lid. I have tiny holes drilled in the lids for feeding, and a few have really surprised me by somehow squeezing through those holes. If you do have a jumper, if it is not completely dehydrated, you can usually save it. Just pick it up as soon as you see it and plop it back in the water. Sometimes they can look dead to the world, but after a couple hours of being returned to the water, they amaze you by eating and flaring again. If you find one on the floor that is hard as a rock and/or has become seemingly permanently stuck to your flooring, it is unfortunately too late.
Now, back to one of my favorite topics...the "Betta in a Vase". Don't get me wrong. A Betta in a vase done properly is a pretty addition to any living space. However, the pet trade industry has (for the most part) been terribly misinformed about this idea, and some sellers will tell you anything to make a sale. A Betta kept in a vase is not a maintenance-free pet/decoration. Bettas do NOT eat the plant roots. You may see a Betta pick at the roots with its mouth, but that is only because it is hoping desperately to find a living animal organism on the roots to eat. Bettas are carnivores. Therefore, a Betta kept in a vase needs to be fed daily, or every other day. Also, they are labyrinth fish, meaning that they come to the surface to breath. Any plant in a vase with a Betta needs to be cut back if it gets too big to allow the Betta to surface for air. The roots may also need to be cut so your poor fish doesn't have to squeeze its way up inbetween roots just to take a breath. And while the plant will absorb nitrates produced by the fish detrius, you will still need to do weekly or twice weekly partial water changes by siphoning the dirty water from the bottom first and replacing at least half the water.
Bettas love things to explore and plants to rest on. Since they have long, flowing fins, be careful about getting any sharp decorations and avoid getting any moving decorations (such as a treasure chest) for the tank. If you are going to do plants, I highly recommend live ones. Java Moss and Water Sprite are two great plants for Bettas. They will also help to remove nitrates produced by the fish waste, keeping the water in better shape. If you get fake plants, you should probably opt for the silk ones, as opposed to the plastic ones. Most plastic plants are very hard to the touch, and therefore, very easy for a Betta to rip its fins on.
Bettas need to be kept warm. They will survive at room temperatures of 72 degrees or so, but they prefer to be warmer (about 75-80 degrees). Do not place your Betta in direct sunlight to warm it up either, because not only can they overheat and die, but at night, the temperatures will drop, causing too much fluctuation for a Betta to handle. Tank lights provide some heat, but you can't keep them on 24/7, so the temperatures are unstable with those too. If you have your Betta in a 2.5 or 5 gallon tank, you can purchase a fully-submersible tank heater. For a small tank like that, I wouldn't recommend anything higher than 25W - 50W. Make sure you buy a good one too. Heaters are prone to malfunctioning, especially cheap ones. I would recommend looking online for one, since the selection in pet stores is usually very limited, not to mention that they charge much more. After putting the heater in the tank, allow it to stabilize for a couple of days, monitoring the temperature with an aquarium thermometer to ensure it is functioning correctly. I have had heaters in the past that seemed to stabilize in one day, only to find the tank cold or hot the next day. I don't currently use tank heaters, since my fish room is heated, so I cannot recommend a reliable brand. I would suggest reading customer reviews and doing online searches and possibly asking people on fish forums what works best for them.
Bettas need clean water at all times, and how often their homes need to be cleaned out depends on the size of your container/tank. A half gallon container needs 100% water changes twice weekly. A gallon container needs a 100% water change weekly. A 2.5 gallon tank can probably go about 2 weeks, and a 5 gallon tank can be maintained on a monthly basis. In any container or tank, you will want to clean up any leftover food or excessive amounts of detrius as you see them.
A filter can be used in a tank setting to help keep things clean. However, Bettas like slow-moving water, and a Betta can get literally stuck on the intake tube of a power filter, especially if it is heavily-finned. Although not the most aesthetically pleasing, a sponge filter is the best option. These are not found in any pet stores that I know of. They have to be ordered online. You can use a low-powered filter that hangs on the back of the tank, but just make sure your Betta seems comfortable with the current and that it is not creating too much suction, pulling your fish toward it. Undergravel filters are not a good choice. They simply suck all the goop underneath everything, but they do nothing to remove it, leaving harmful nitrate-producing detrius in the tank with your fish even after a water change, unless you choose to disassemble the entire thing every time you change water.
Every type of container or tank will need a thorough cleaning every so often. Sometimes, just scrubbing down the sides and bottom with a scrubbing pad (that does not contain soap and has not been used on anything but fish supplies) will do the trick. However, every container is bound to get gross spots or a slimy feel on the sides at some point. When this happens, you can move your Betta to a temporary home, like a large cup with a lid, empty out the tank completely, and bleach the inside of the tank with regular, unscented chlorine bleach. When you are done bleaching and scrubbing, rinse out the tank and leave it out to dry completely before putting back any decorations/gravel, and especially the fish. If you need to use the tank right away, you can dechlorinate it using a product such as Novaqua or Amquel. Just be forewarned that it is going to take a lot of dechlorinator to remove that much chlorine. You can pour a good amount into the empty tank, then take clean paper towels to spread it and ensure that not so much as a corner is missed. I do not recommend bleaching gravel/filters, etc., unless there was an issue with disease, because it is much harder to get the chlorine out of these things.
Options for housing your Bettas
Types of Containers
Suitable Decorations
Temperature Requirements
Cleaning Containers/Tanks