BettaFish Facts:

Scientific Name : Betta splendens

Diet

A well-balanced Betta diet consists of:

• Food may be flaked, pellet, frozen or live.
• Avoid exclusive food which is not nutritionally complete.

Feeding

Things to remember when feeding your Betta:

• Feed small amounts 1-3 times daily, no more than fish will eat in 3-5 minutes.
• Thaw frozen foods if you choose to feed frozen.

Housing

• Keep in an appropriate size aquarium; provide plants for hiding, various species may prefer sparse or thick vegetation.
• Stable water quality, water temperature, and pH levels are critical to the health of the aquatic life. If you are unsure of your water quality or pH levels, Home Aquatics offers water testing.

Characteristics

• Males are brightly colored and have long colorful fins.
• Female's have shorter fins and are rather drab in color. Females will develop a pale color to the belly when filled with eggs, and they may display horizontal striping when ready to spawn.

Habitat Maintenance

Daily: Check filter, water temperature and other equipment.
Weekly: Check water quality at least once a week.
Monthly: Change 10-25% of the total volume of water every 2-4 weeks, or as needed.
Introduce new inhabitants to the aquarium gradually.

Compatibility

The Betta are peaceful with other peaceful fish of similar size, but avoid similar looking, colorful fish.

Health

Signs of a Healthy Fish

• Clear eyes
• Healthy appetite
• Bright, even coloring
• Clean in appearance

Avoid overcrowded conditions; they are a major cause of stress and disease. Maintain good water quality with regular water changes and adequate filtration.

Red Flags

• loss of color or appetite
• spots or fungus on body or mouth
• erratic swimming
• frayed fins

Common Health Issues

Males should not be kept together as they will fight, but females can normally be kept in groups or 3 - 7. Pairs can be kept together when breeding, but otherwise they may attack each other.

When breeding, males will build bubble nests frequently, usually beneath a leaf. Prior to spawning they should be well conditioned with small offerings of live and frozen foods several times a day. When well fed, females should begin filling out with eggs, appearing very plump with a lighter colored belly and bars will often appear on the flanks.