The Betta is a mythical fish, very popular and especially known for its aggressiveness when two males are opposed to each other. It is also an intelligent fish that stands out with a wide variety of colors, beautiful sails and a unique look! Bettas are very popular fish with aquarists.
The Betta Splendens is very often (along with the goldfish), the first fish that a beginner aquarist, child or adult, acquires. It is an inexpensive fish in general and can become a good companion for many years.
Its maintenance often seems (too) easy to the point that many make mistakes mainly due to lack of information.
Some will say that a simple glass of water, vase or a mini fishbowl is enough... This is a total myth! This idea would mean that a dog can spend his life locked in a kennel as long as he gets food and water. This is totally unimaginable!
The Fighter is not a very demanding fish but it requires a minimum of respect and knowledge. An aquarium of a suitable size must be brought to him to provide the ideal conditions for his evolution.
But first of all, it is essential to know more about this animal in order to ensure it a happy and healthy life!
Indeed, the purpose of this guide is first to teach you more about this fish: its origins, its life in its natural state, its biotope, etc. Then finally the ideal aquarium for the Fighter: the recommended volume of the aquarium, the perfect biotope, the food, the quality of the water, the maintenance, its needs to avoid certain diseases and states of stress etc.
Introduction
1 - A little history...
The Fighting fish also called Betta Splendens or sometimes Siamese Fighter is a species belonging to the family of Osphronemidae (such as Gourami). This freshwater fish was discovered many years ago in Southeast Asia, on the side of Thailand but also Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos and Malaysia). It is a fish which, more than 500 years ago, was already domesticated in its region of origin, mainly by rich people.
2 - The Fighter in its natural state
The Fighter in its natural environment, lives mainly in small rivers with low flow, but also in rice fields or in bodies of water with little oxygen and shallow depth. Although these habitats may seem narrow for a fish, the Fighter still needs a good volume of water to be able to swim properly, but also many hiding places.
The Betta Splendens generally lives in tropical waters with temperatures between 22 and 28°C.
3 - The
life span of the Fighter
In an aquarium, the average life span of a Betta Splendens is between 2 and 4 years. But it is important to know that a very healthy Fighter, with a suitable biotope and care, can live up to 10 years. The lack of advice when buying a Fighter in a pet shop or other, makes their average life span is also low.
4 - Recognizing a healthy Fighter
Before buying or during maintenance in your aquarium, it is important to check the good health of the Betta Splendens.
A healthy Fighter fish :
· Swims towards you without any problems when you approach its tank
· Is able to show signs of aggression either towards you (nothing serious) or voluntarily by stimulation
· Has bright and intense colors, especially in males
· Does not lack appetite and feeds without problem and regularly
· Has beautiful fins that are not scratched or damaged
For a beginner the purchase of a fish in good health is imperative under penalty of complicating its maintenance.
- Has a lack of appetite that persists
- Is often immobile and constantly hiding
- Has pale colors (even more visible in males)
- Has poor condition and sometimes cut fins
- Has swelling or white spots on the body and mouth
- Swims and breathes abnormally
In pet shops, it is often an aquarist with a strong experience who will be able to go on this type of fish with the first goal to save it.
Offer the ideal aquarium for your fish fighter
1 - The aquarium
For your Betta Splendens, the ideal volume should be around 5.2 gallon (the strict minimum is 2.1 G). In aquarium keeping, there is a rule: the smaller the volume of the aquarium, the more difficult it is to maintain it because of the parameters of the water which can vary very quickly. Glasses, vases and mini fishbowls are to be banned!
The choice of an aquarium of about twenty liters or more is therefore both a wise and exemplary choice to keep your fighter in good health. The stability of the water parameters and the maintenance of the aquarium will be easier for you to manage. In addition, water temperature variations will be more gradual, so there will be no risks. A large enough aquarium will also offer your Combattant a greater number of hiding places, which is perfect for this type of fish.
It is also ideal to use an aquarium closed with a lid or a gallery because Fighters tend to jump out of the water. A space of 2 or 3 cm between the surface of the water and the cover is a minimum to be foreseen because Bettas are surface fish needing to suck air with the help of a unique organ (Labyrinth organ which allows them to live in poorly oxygenated water). The aquarium will not need an aeration system with an air pump.
2 - Lighting
Bettas can adapt very well to the natural light of the room, but also to an artificial light brought by a lamp for aquarium.
The most important thing for your Betta is to offer it a light cycle as natural as possible (light during the day and then off at night), so that it regulates its internal biological clock just like human beings.
If you are using a lamp, we advise you to control it with a daily programmer (about 8 hours per day of lighting). It will allow you to define the moment of switching on and off in a regular way. If you wish to use natural light, place the aquarium in a bright enough place and avoid direct sunlight which could lead to the heating of the water and the growth of unwanted algae.
3 - Plants and decorations of the aquarium
As mentioned above, Fighters live mainly in rice fields and streams in their natural environment. The goal is to create an ideal aquarium for them that mimics their natural habitat (biotope).
It is therefore imperative to provide them with aquarium plants, preferably natural ones, so that they can hide or rest in them. Natural plants have many advantages because they allow you to remove certain toxins from the water. You can also use artificial plants without any risk.
Importantly, the creation of hiding places is essential and allows the fighter to take refuge there to feel safe or simply to sleep. To make the decoration and the hiding places more natural, we advise you to add roots, branches or rocks that are not sharp.
Some decorations specific to Fighters, such as ZOOMED Betta Log, can provide additional hiding places.
Caution: Avoid decorations with sharp edges or other features. There is a simple test to detect decorations that could potentially be sharp to your Fighter's fins. Simply slide a sticker over the decoration. If the sticker sticks, the area needs to be smoothed. A little sanding can do the trick.
4 - The ideal water of the Fighter
The temperature
Note: the water temperature should never go below 18°C and should not exceed 28°C. Water that is too cold can cause diseases and even the death of the fish. It is important to know that not respecting the recommended temperature will considerably reduce the life span of your Combattant.
Water parameters
When setting up your fighter aquarium or for a water change, prepare your tap water by using a water conditioner. It will adapt the tap water into good water for your aquarium in a few seconds. The conditioner is there to remove mainly chlorine from the water and heavy metals. Most of the current water conditioners reduce stress and promote fin health at the same time.
Water filtration
Note: the Fighter is not a very active swimmer. It is therefore important to use a filtration system with adjustable flow if possible, and with a low or very well distributed flow rate in order to avoid creating strong currents in the water. Too much mixing can damage and tear the sails of your Betta Splendens and create stress that can lead to the death of the fish.
5 - Maintenance of your aquarium
In the vast majority of cases, the poor health of a Betta Splendens is often related to the quality of its habitat.
To ensure a healthy life for your Betta Splendens, great care must be taken with the maintenance of your aquarium. Regular cleaning of the bottom of the aquarium allows you to remove the droppings with a vacuum cleaner, before they degrade and pollute the tank. The smaller the volume of water, the faster the pollution!
- Example for an unfiltered aquarium: Water change of 25% - Frequency 1 to 2 times per week, then 100% water at the end of the week.
- Example for a 5 G filtered aquarium: 25% water change - Frequency once a week, then 100% water once a month.
- Example for a 5 G L filtered aquarium with plants: Water change of 25% - Frequency 1 time per week
If your aquarium is smaller than 2.65 G, more frequent water changes should be made.
The Combattant gets used to its ecosystem very quickly and does not like sudden changes. A good sized, planted aquarium will save you from having to make complete water changes. Partial water change cycles will suffice and will not stress your Betta.
To clean your aquarium glass the most practical accessory is the algae magnet. It allows you to clean the inner glass of the aquarium without having to dip your hands in the water. You can also use a blade or sponge scraper.
6 - Feeding your Betta
Fighters are carnivorous fish and need a diet rich in proteins. In their natural environment, they feed mainly on insects and larvae. Some hobbyists do their best to reproduce natural feeding conditions and feed their Bettas with live food (worms, shrimps, etc.), which boosts their vitality. Also, a few Guppies in a tank with a very prolific reproduction, can allow the Fighter to feed on their fry and at the same time limit the population.
In addition to these solutions, there are of course special Betta foods in pellets or flakes based on meat, fish and shrimp, to meet their needs. Beware, Fighters are sometimes demanding on food and may prefer one brand to another. It is therefore necessary in this case to test several foods. Beware also of stress which can prevent the fish from feeding and after 15 days of malnutrition, the death of the Fighter.
For example, 2 to 4 pellets once or twice a day are more than enough.
The shape of their mouth raised upwards, indicates that they feed on the surface. This one must therefore be cleared to give them room to feed.
Note: to reproduce the Fighter it is almost essential to use live food to stimulate them.
Important : in case of short absence, it is better not to feed the Betta for 2 to 3 days, than to anticipate before your departure by giving more food to your fish. Otherwise the best solution is to use an automatic food dispenser.
7 - Co-habitation
As its name indicates, the Fighter is not very sociable because of its aggressiveness. This one has been reinforced because of the selective reproductions since the 1800s. The Betta Splendens can nevertheless live with peaceful species of fish, while avoiding species of fish with large sails or very colorful. In this case, the volume of the aquarium will have to be increased to 30 or 40 liters minimum to leave space for the inhabitants.
Be careful: it is not even possible to place two male Bettas Splendens together, as they are sure to seriously injure or kill each other. Because of their aggressive behavior, it is not even recommended to put a male Bettas Splendens with a female unless you are a confirmed aquarist and your goal is to breed them for a short period of time and then separate them.
On the other hand, female Bettas can cohabit in the same aquarium without exceeding a number of five and provided that they are kept in a reasonable volume of about 10.5 G minimum (1 fish for 2.1G minimum). If not, the use of separators can allow the fighters to be housed in the same tank without risk.
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