A Beginners' Guide to Bettas
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| My betta Pebble |
I
have had a request. After looking for help for post ideas on a couple
of sites, a few people have asked for me to cover a few topics for
those who are new to the betta hobby. Some of those include:
- Tank size
- Ammonia/Nitrate Levels
- The Nitrogen Cycle and how to start it
- Common mistakes people make when first starting out.
Tank Size and Why It's Important
I'm
going to start off with the easiest of these to cover: tank size.
Despite popular belief, wild bettas do not thrive in wee-little
pockets on water in Thailand somewhere. They live in rice paddies,
yes, but said paddies--while shallow--stretch on for miles, and each
male betta sets up his own territory to protect. That territory
equals out to several US gallons of water. Even if it didn't, even if
bettas lived in those wee-little, stereotypical mud puddles in the
wild, the betta fish you pick out at the store has been bred for
generations for its long tail and bright colors, and as such probably
couldn't survive in the wild anyway. That all being said, a betta
splendens requires a minimum of
2.5 US gallons or 9.5 liters of water. Anything bigger than that is
absolutely fabulous! They
also need a heater and a gentle filter.
Chemical
Levels and the Nitrogen Cycle
The
Nitrogen Cycle is a bit tricky. According to "The Nitrogen Cycle
for Everyone," a blog post on myaquariumclub.com, ammonia and
nitrite levels should be at 0 in a heathy tank, while nitrate should
be measuring at levels below 40 ppm. Anyone who has read my post from
August 5th, "Water Conditions and Temperature" remembers
that the ultimate pH level is 7--completely nuetral. However, bettas
tend to wiggle around in the area of 6.5 to 7.
As
for beginning the Nitrogen Cycle, that could take a few weeks, as you
have to let all the beneficial bacteria grow. Fill the tank up with
tap water (don't add water conditioners or other chemicals just yet,
as that could lead to inaccurate results), install your filter and
air stone and let it run. Take measurements periodically. If said
measurements are still hanging out above the levels I shared above,
the tank is not ready for fish yet. But when it is, it'll be great
and your fish will love it!!
Common Mistakes
Small
Disclaimer: These are mostly based on my personal experience.
- Believing everything the guy at the pet store says like it's definite. Now, I'm not saying the dude at the store isn't super helpful sometimes--he might be! I've totally encountered my fair share of knowledgeable pet store employees and LFS owners. But just remember to take what they say with a grain of salt--nobody's perfect. Not to mention, there are those guys whose entire knowledge base is built entirely on a 30-minute run down from their manager on their first day 2 years ago. You can usually find them pretty fast, because they'll usually tell you the standard "Bettas only need a tiny tank" or "bettas don't need a filter." Just smile, thank them, and be kind: misinformation is common; it's not their fault, and we don't need to be rude.
- Not playing with your betta! That's right, you have to play with your fish. Bettas are curious creatures, with individual personalities and lots of love. The best way to find these traits is by spending time with them and playing with them. That usually just means sitting down, talking to them, maybe singing to them, and showing them new and interesting things. Also, bettas are interested in you and your familiy life--they want to be included!--so make sure you put their home in a part of the house that gets a lot of foot traffic and action.
- Not doing research. Okay, I gotta be honest, if you've found your way onto this site, you're probably here for research of some kind. In which case: yay you!! That's the first step to a happy, healthy betta! Just remember, go to a lot of sites and sources, just to make sure you have all of the information you need.
I
hope this blog post is at least a little bit helpful, esspecially to
those who've requested it. For more information, follow the links
under "Sources." Happy Betta-ing! (Is "betta-ing"
a thing? Oh well, is now.)
Sources:
- www.aquariadise.com/water-quality-betta-health/
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