Scientific name: Betta splendens
Common name/s: Betta fish, Siamese Fighting Fish
Originate from: Siam
Temperature: 75-86 F (24-30 C)
pH: Soft (6.8-7.4)
If you have ever looked up betta on Google, you will notice a huge variety of fins and coloration what surprises me is many people do not know that all of these are man made. Like the dog we have over a short period of time genetically mutated the betta to serve us and in turn made it un-capable of surviving on its own. Making it our duty to keep them alive.
Caring for Betta in the Pacific Northwest: How I do it Tips and Tricks
So you have your betta he is in his bowl now what? How do you make him as happy as he can be. Well here are some methods I use in attemt to mimic the betta's natural habitat and life.
Males live next to males: I have heard that this is bad for males because they stress out and can get sick, it also depends on the male, however all of my males can see each other and dont really pay mind to the other one. In the wild a male will steak out a territory ( your males territory being his tank) and guard it against others. Males will build their nests in this territory and will chase out females to that arent ready to breed. My boys live in full view of the others and will be just happy building their nests and flaring once and a while I have never had any negative affects of keeping them near each other.
Indian Almond Leaves, Green Tea and Oak Leaves: Aka Tannins. These products leach out into the water darkening it, softening it and in general making it more like the betta's natural habitat. Indian Almond Leaves are the most natural because they are found in the area of Siam where the fish originates however these leaves are expensive and you usually have to ship them in. Green Tea is a cheap version of this but it must be decaf however personally I like to use Oak tree leaves. The leaves I collect in the fall from plants that havent been treated with chemicals, pesticides, or anything else, I can float in the water and they will leach out into the water giving it a darker look and also acting like IAL, but besides that dried oak leaves are free. You can also, if you have a filter, add peat moss and it will give the same affect. But if you feel uncomfortable doing any of these, they sell balck water in aquarium stores that will do the same.
Summer breedings: I love the natural daylight and with the pressure changes help get my fish ready for the breeding season, of course you can breed other times of the year, but around me its easiest to breed them in the summer also I have an abundance of live foods, in the form of mosquito larva and with the amount of rain we have my fish get a little fat :)
Turn the lights off: Its real simple and it keeps the algae down and gives the fish a regular pattern to follow like said before I like to follow natural rhythms and when the sun goes down the lights go off.
Take Care Of The Water, The Fish Will Follow.
Betta Fist Aid: A review of what to do if things go bad fast
Sometimes even with good clean water, healthy diet and lots of love fish get sick. Like with any animal the first thing you have to do is stabilize them. Make sure that the water parameters are where they should be. If you dont have a test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate get one! Now.
First thing you have to do is make the fish comfortable even if I dont know what is wrong at the first moment, if the fish is stuck on the bottom float him in a smaller cup at the surface so they can reach air if needed. If they hare caught in something catch them so you can remove it. Its like a treat the symptoms style until you can figure out whats wrong.
If you dont know what problems such as ich, swd (swim bladder disease), bloating, velvet, and others look like please go research this page is mostly what I have used to stabilize and get my fish comfortable in an emergency.
Fish Jumped Out!
Betta can breathe air, if they have fallen out of the water just recently place them back in the tank they will be a little stunted and will probably be breathing hard and sit on the bottom or a corner, make sure the light is off and the water isnt moving to fast. You can use a little Aquarium salt after a half a day usually. If they have reached a point where the edges of their fins are crispy take a container of they tank water and place them in there. Dont try to pick dirt and what not off them just leave them make sure they are warm over the container with cling wrap so that the air stays humidified this is important that their labyrinth stays warm. Dont change the water the major worry here is that the fish has lost almost all of their slime coat and with out it they will undergo shock and die. Leave them in for a day, sometimes they wont make it once they have crispified some come back from the dead.
Fish Cant Swim Down (or Up)!
This is probably related to a problem with the swim bladder or bloat. Float them in a container so they can easily reach the surface. Make sure the water is a little warmer, stop feeding. You can treat is with epsom salt (1 tsp per gallon) but more on that sometime later.Fish Is Caught In Something!
It happens, in fact it recently happened to a male of mine who got filter floss through his gills and fins and ripped them all off. He is fine the major thing is to immobilize the fish and move him somewhere where you can get most of the foreign body off. First catch your fish then wet two clean towels (no soap or dyes) I usually use paper towels, one for the fish to lay on and second one to hold the fish down and to keep his face or back end covered. Use sterile tweezers, sharp scissors or a knife to remove most of the material. You dont have to remove all of it just enough that they can swim and move right. Try not to touch the fish with your hands, you will remove his slime coat. If it is in their gills dont try to pull it out, unless its a large chunk then you can pull it out with the gill. Pull it out with the tweezers following the way water moves out, you dont want to destroy the very delicate tissue. If you feel resistance leave it. These things work their way out eventually. Move them back to clean water water when done adding a little aquarium salt to help battle infections is fine.
Fish Has A Bloody Wound!
Fish can hurt themselves on almost anything. The wound can be a minor tear in a fin to a huge open gash in their side. It may look red on the edges this is the wound bleeding, this means its fresh the thing you can do now is add broad spectrum anti-biotic, and a little Aquarium salt. This will hold off infection. This is key to the survival of the fish. If a fungus or bacteria enter the wound and start multiplying it becomes a 100% harder to save the fish. However if you come back and notice an old wound with patches of clear growing in these are new scales keep up with the treatment mentioned above sometimes the fish is healthy enough to keep any sickness at bay. Cuts and scrapes also happen if your fish jumps out of the water usually these are minor though and minor tears can be treated with aquarium salt.Its always important to keep a change of clean water available, also aquarium salt and epsom salt on hand. Anti-fungals, and antibiotics are also very useful to have on hand. And one must always have an extra container or tank to house sick fish this becomes invaluable and you move fish around and need a place to treat sick ones.
Best of Luck to you!
Also note these are my methods everyone has their own way. If you try any of these you take responsibility into your own hands.
