Adding a Betta to a Bowl Cleaning Your Fish Bowl
or Aquarium Dirty fish bowls not only look bad, they Caring for
Now it’s time to put your new Betta in are also unhealthy for fish. By following a
their new home! Whenever fish are netted few simple maintenance steps your fish
bowl will always look beautiful. The
Your
and handled, their protective slime coat is
rubbed off. When adding fish to any
aquarium, be sure to add additional water
following steps are an ideal regiment for
keeping your fish bowl looking great.
Betta
conditioner to help relieve stress. The best
method to add new fish is to float the To keep your fish healthy, you should
unopened bag of fish in their new home change at least half of the water in your
for 10 minutes to allow the fish to adjust Betta bowl or aquarium every 3-5 days.
to the water temperature. Then, open the Follow these easy steps:
bag and gently release the fish into their 1. Fill a separate container with tap
new home. The bag water may contain water. Mix hot and cold tap water
fish waste (ammonia), so try to avoid until it is the same temperature as
adding the bag water to the aquarium as the water your Betta is swimming
much as possible. in.
2. Add a water conditioner to the tap
water to remove the disinfectants
that are toxic to your fish.
Feeding Your Betta 3. Remove half of the old water in
It is best to feed your Betta only enough your fish tank.
food that it can eat in one minute. Feed 4. Refill your Betta bowl to the usual
your Betta once a day. Feed a floating level with the treated tap water.
pellet specially designed to meet the
nutritional needs of Betta fish. If food is Do right by your pet.
sitting on the bottom of the aquarium or Do right by our environment.
bowl, the fish have been overfed. Don't release unwanted pets.
Overfeeding promotes fish waste Visit Habitattitude™ on www.pijac.org
(ammonia) to build up to a harmful level,
and is one of the major causes of fish loss.
Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council
www.pijac.org Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council
www.pijac.org
About Bettas What Else Do I Need? more males are placed together. Males are
No other fish has increased in popularity Decorating your Betta home provides a very competitive, flaring their fins and
faster than Bettas. Bettas are one of the hiding place for your fish during times of expanding their gills to show dominance
easiest fish to care for. They come in a stress. You should only use decorations, in the presence of other males. This leads
variety of colors, thrive in a small bowl, and such as gravel, ornaments, and plants, to torn fins and can cause extreme
make great additions to most community designed for use with fish. A small plant, damage to both of the male Bettas. You
aquariums. either plastic or real, will help to duplicate should never place two males in the same
a more natural environment for your container. Male Bettas are only aggressive
Betta. with other male Bettas, and not with any
It is believed that Bettas were first
other type of fish.
discovered in Thailand over 100 years ago.
In the wild, Bettas are normally found in Make sure to purchase aquarium cleaner
still or very slow flowing waters with thick along with the container. Household
vegetation. In the wild, they can be seen cleaning products, including soap, are
nipping at the roots of plants to eat the harmful to fish. Preparing Your Betta’s New
small insects, crustaceans, and eggs of other Home
fish. Because of this, it is sometimes In addition, you’ll need to purchase a Find a location for your bowl or aquarium
believed that Bettas eat plants, but they are water conditioner, which will instantly where it won’t easily get bumped or be
not herbivores or plants eaters. neutralize the chemicals in tap water, disturbed. The location should not be in
making the water safe for your Betta. Tap direct sunlight or near heating or cooling
One of the most unique features about water can be full of dangerous chemicals vents.
Bettas is that they are “labyrinth fishes”. that can harm your fish, such as chlorine
Labyrinth fishes have a unique ability to and chloramines. These are poisonous to Rinse and clean your Betta container with
obtain oxygen from either the water or the Bettas. tap water and aquarium cleaner. Clean both
atmosphere. To do this they periodically the inside and outside of the container, as
swim to the surface and gulp air using a And of course, don’t forget the fish food! well as the decorations you have purchased.
special organ called the labyrinth organ,
similar in many ways to our lungs. This Prepare the water that will go into your
unique feature allows Bettas to thrive in Betta’s new home. Bettas prefer a
small bowls without any additional air Selecting your Betta temperature of 75 to 80 degrees
pumps. Bettas are available in many different Fahrenheit.
colors, with long sleek fins or very wide
crown tails. Take your time and select the
Add the water conditioner, following the
Selecting the Container fish that you like the best.
instructions on the label. When you need to
Bettas will thrive in a small fish bowl or add water to the container in the future,
aquarium, but the larger the container, the Bettas make a great addition to any make sure to condition the water to ensure
better the Betta’s fins will grow and community aquarium, provided no other the water is safe for your Betta. Don’t ever
develop. If you decide on an aquarium or male Bettas are added to the bowl or add tap water without conditioning first.
larger bowl, the water will need to be aquarium. Bettas are also known as
changed less frequently, and the Betta will Siamese Fighting Fish because of the
have more room to swim around. aggressive behavior of males when two or
