The Betta fish or Siamese fighting fish as they are commonly known is one of the most beautiful and easiest fish to care for and so it is a popular choice among aquarium hobbyists. If you are considering setting up a betta tank then the following advice may be helpful to ensure your fish remain happy and healthy.

Bringing your fish home

Proper Betta fish care begins the moment you purchase your new fish and what you do in the first few hours upon reaching home with your new fish. These first hours can make the difference your Betta living a long and healthy life or becoming ill and floating belly up in your tank. Here is some important advice to follow to help ensure a happy experience for you and your new Betta fish.

• When transporting your fish home they will be in a plastic bag (with water of course). It helps greatly if you take a cardboard box with you and then rest the bag in the box, padded with bubble wrap. Drive straight home with your fish, do not be tempted to run errands. Your fish may literally overheat on a hot day or suffer hypothermia on a cold one, it doesn’t take long.
• It can be tempting to open the bag and tip your fish into the aquarium upon reaching home. This is one of the quickest ways to shock and kill your fish, it needs acclimatizing first. The water that the fish is in at the pet store may be very different from the water in your home aquarium. The potential shock of being dropped into a tank with water chemistry and temperature different than the original tank could be devastating.
• Take the bag and float it in the aquarium for about thirty minutes, this allows the temperature of the water in the bag to adjust to match that in the aquarium.
• Carefully open up the bag and add a little water from the tank to the water in the bag, about 10% of the amount in the bag should be enough.
• Repeat the above process every 20 to 30 minutes until the bag is full of tank water. This process will adjust the water chemistry in the bag to match that of the aquarium.
• Slowly lower the bag into the water of your tank and allow your fish to swim out.

Essential care for your Betta fish

Once your fish has been released into their surroundings, there is certain basic Betta fish care that you need to follow if you want your fish to remain happy and healthy in their new surroundings.

Changing the water each week

The smaller the housing for your fish the more frequently water changes will have to be made. For instance if your aquarium or bowl is under 2 and half gallons with no filter, you may want to change 50% of the water every alternate day. If your aquarium is over this size and has filtration, a change of 50% weekly is recommended.

Water tests

Water hardness, PH levels, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite should all be tested periodically to ensure the water quality remains within healthy parameters and are an essential part of Betta fish care. Good quality test kits are available for this and should be a part of every hobbyists aquarium supplies.

Getting you new fish home and into their new tank is only the beginning of what will be a very rewarding and enjoyable hobby. After your new fish are settled in you will likely find yourself wanting to learn more about caring for them. The more you know about them the better equipped you will be to ensure they live a long healthy life.

Other aquarium supplies you should consider

• Aquarium heater – This will maintain water temperature between 24 C to 29 C / 75F and 84F. This is especially important if you are interested in breeding Bettas.
• A Betta fish care guide – This will provide specific details about breeding, diseases, water chemistry, food and feeding, plants, lighting, tank mates and other information to help ensure the health of your Betta.
• An aquarium fish reference guide – This will provide details about other aquarium fish species and help you determine if they are compatible with your Betta fish.