Because of its brilliant colours, beautiful form and hardiness, Betta splendens is one of the most popular tropical fish. Sometimes called the Siamese fighting fish, B. splendens is commonly known by its generic name betta (and by the way, this is pronounced “bet-tah”, not “bee-tah” or “bay-tah”).
Like other members of the gourami family (family Osphronemidae), the betta is a labyrinth fish. It has a special organ which enables it to obtain oxygen by breathing air at the water’s surface. This makes the betta the perfect fish for those who aren't able to maintain a larger aquarium, as a betta can live happily and healthily in relatively simple accommodation providing its basic requirements are met.
Betta splendens is known for its reputation as an aggressive fighter. The spectacular fancy long-finned male bettas, developed through cultivation and selective breeding, are usually seen kept on their own in individual tanks or bowls. However, while betta males are territorial and aggressive toward others of their species, they are not generally aggressive in behaviour or predatory toward other fish. Females and single males can occupy community tanks with selected companion species.
Any betta lover will tell you that bettas have personality! They are inquisitive and love an enriched environment. Bettas like company, and will learn to respond to their owner's presence by wiggling or flaring. They may have definite individual likes and dislikes. Every betta is unique, and that's their charm.
Can I keep a betta in a bowl?
The short answer is yes, as long as the bowl is big enough. You don't need a lot of expensive or complicated equipment to keep a betta, as long you provide the basic conditions your betta needs to stay healthy.
What kind of home is best for my betta?
Your betta prefers stable conditions, so the bowl or tank should be big enough to ensure this. Bettas are tropical fish, originating in an evironment where the temperature stays high all year round. You need to ensure that your betta's home isn't subject to wide or rapid temperature fluctuations (like cold draughts or chilly nights), and stays somewhere between 24° to 28° C. Unless the room is air-conditioned to the appropriate temperature or you live in the tropics, you will need to provide some kind of heater. The tank or bowl should hold at least 4 to 6 litres (1.0 to 1.5 US gallons): 2 litres is the absolute minimum. Keep the water clean, through frequent water changes (and filtration if you wish), and provide a plant for your fish to rest on. An air stone or bubbler is not necessary.
What about those little betta vases?
Would you like to live in a cupboard all your life -- even if it's a really nice attractive cupboard? Restrictive, boring and hard to keep clean! By all means get a beautiful, expensive vessel to keep your betta in if that's what you want, but make sure it's a large one of 4 litres or more. Tall narrow vases aren't suitable as they don't provide enough swimming room, and make it harder for the fish to surface regularly to "breathe". Choose a vessel that's approximately as wide as it is tall. A cover is a good idea, as bettas can and will jump, but make sure it's ventilated.
How often do I have to change the water?
How often you need to change the water in your betta's home will depend on the size of the vessel and whether it's filtered. Smaller containers should have the water replaced every 2 or 3 days, or daily if it's very small. Twice weekly should be sufficient for larger bowl: once a week partial water changes are usually fine for filtered tanks. Use a water treatment that removes chlorine and chloramine, and age the new water for a few days or more if you can. Don't use distilled water.
What should I feed my betta?
Bettas are essentially carnivores: in the wild they eat insect larvae, worms and tiny crustaceans. A diet that includes a range of suitable foods will help to keep your betta fit and healthy. Your betta will enjoy live or frozen bloodworms, blackworms, brine shrimp, daphnia and mosquito larvae, or you can feed commercial dry foods fomulated especially for bettas. Individual bettas differ in their food preferences. Offer your fish a variety of different foods, and include some "green stuff" once a week. Feed once or twice daily, and only as much as your betta will eat in a couple of minutes.
How do I keep my betta healthy?
If you provide proper care, your betta should live a healthy, happy life. Bettas are generally hardy, but may be prone to fin rot. Stress and less than optimal conditions can make them vulnerable to a variety of diseases.
How long do bettas live?
With proper care, bettas can live 3 years or more. Fish from breeders are usually sold young (3 to 4 months), but a full-grown pet shop betta might be as much as a year old when you get it.
How can I tell if my betta is a male or a female?
In adult bettas of the long-finned fancy varieties, the main difference is the length of the fins. Males have long full fins and more intense coloration. Females have short fins and simpler colour patterns. However, it can be difficult to distinguish the sexes of young fish who are still growing, and it's not uncommon to discover that your pet shop female is actually a short-finned male! There are other differences in anatomy, but a fairly reliable indicator is the female's "egg spot", or ovipositor. This is a small white pimple-like dot on the female's belly.
Can I keep males and females together?
Males are usually kept separated from females, and they are only brought together for breeding. (However, in some parts of Europe it is a common practice to keep a male and two or three females in a species tank of sufficient size). Females can be kept together, preferably in groups of 4 or more to disperse any aggression.
Will my female betta have babies like my guppy did?
Bettas reproduce by laying eggs. Your female won't have babies unless she is put with a male and they spawn successfully. (The male will then care for the eggs until they hatch and the fry are free-swimming). She can't carry fertilised eggs and give birth to live young the way guppies and other livebearers do.
My betta's water suddenly has froth on the surface: what's wrong?
Nothing is wrong. Your male betta is just doing what comes naturally -- building a bubblenest in case an attractive and fertile lady betta should happen along! It's a sign that he's healthy and happy.
Why doesn't my betta look like some of the others I've seen?
One of the great things about bettas is their amazing variety. Selective breeding has produced bettas in almost every colour of the rainbow, as well as recognised types classified by the shape of their tail (caudal fin). Most bettas sold in pet shops are 'veiltails'.
What do all these different terms and abbreviations mean?
Betta enthusiasts have their own jargon and technical terms, like any other field of expertise. Refer to the list of terms and abbreviations.
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Bettas live in muddy puddles in the wild
WRONG. In Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia where they occur naturally, bettas live in slow-moving streams, canals, rice paddies and similar bodies of water continually refreshed by tropical rains in the wet season. However, they are able to survive through the dry season and periods of drought in quite tiny remnants of water.
A vase with a plant and a betta makes a beautiful living gift.
Please DON'T be tempted by these vases, often sold with a peace lily or other plant stuck in the top. They are totally unsuitable, usually being too small for the fish's health. The plant's roots and foliage make it hard for the betta to get to the top to breathe, and also foul the water very quickly. And it is NOT true that the betta won't need feeding and will live off the roots of the plant. It will nibble the roots as it slowly starves to death.
Male bettas need to fight: it's their nature.
Male bettas establish and defend territories, and will normally avoid each other. If another male threatens his territory, a betta will attempt to warn him off by making a threatening display, called "flaring". If aggressive display doesn't succeed, the betta may fight the intruder. Usually the weaker of the two will retire defeated: it is rare for a fight to continue to the death of a combatant. While male bettas seem to benefit from the exercise of flaring at another male (or even their own reflection) regularly, it is neither necessary nor humane for a domestic betta to be put with another male and forced to fight. Fighting bettas for sport or entertainment is cruel, and is ILLEGAL in Australia.