| A Betta fish is probably the most ideal fish for a | | | | A temperature between 70 and 80 F is best. |
| bowl or small aquarium available. They are simple | | | | For a bowl this is not really possible, just try and |
| to keep, beautiful, and interact with the owner | | | | keep your bowl in a warm room of your house. If |
| (they make great pets). Bettas also take up little | | | | this is not possible, here are a few suggestions: |
| space and are inexpensive to keep. | | | | An infrared reptile heat lamp works great placed |
| There just a few basics to keeping bettas: | | | | in a desk lamp near your betta with a small |
| Housing (Tank/bowl); | | | | thermometer in the bowl to know how to |
| I recommend at least a ½ gallon (2 liter) | | | | distance your heat lamp. If your have several, |
| bowl, although plenty of aquarists are successful | | | | place your bowls in a Rubbermaid dish basin with |
| with smaller bowls. Your large pea sized gravel or | | | | a small submersible heater. |
| glass marbles for ease of cleaning. A small plastic | | | | In a small tank (5 gallon or larger), purchase a 25 |
| plant or even a sprig of live anacharis makes a | | | | watt heater. |
| good plant decoration (make sure there is lighting | | | | Cleaning; |
| overhead or the bowl is near a window for the | | | | Change water at least weekly. In a bowl, I gently |
| plant to thrive). A ceramic ornament is nice too. | | | | dip the betta out of the bowl with some water, |
| Feeding; | | | | then swirl the bowl marbles or gravel around and |
| A quality food with aquatic based proteins such as | | | | dispose of most of the remaining water. Then |
| whole fish meal is essential. Sanyu makes an | | | | de-chlorinate the water with Start Right or a |
| excellent pellet food. A supplement with FD, | | | | similar product and make sure the water is the |
| frozen or even live brine shrimp is good, along | | | | same temperature as the water containing your |
| with frozen or FD bloodworms. | | | | betta. After this, add your betta back slowly and |
| Soak pellets for a few minute to prevent air from | | | | gently, including some of the water your fish is in. |
| being trapped inside the food and causing intestinal | | | | Another suggestion that I feel very strongly |
| problems for your betta. I recommend feeding | | | | about for bettas kept in a bowl without a filter, is |
| two pellets twice a day, but three once per day | | | | the use of Wonder Shells for the addition of |
| is fine. If your room cools much below 70 F, you | | | | necessary electrolytes, calcium, to aid in bowl |
| may want to feed every other day. | | | | clarity, and even chlorine removal (no need of a |
| Filtration: | | | | de-chlorinator then). |
| Sponge filters excel as small tank or bowl filters, | | | | Illness: |
| for a betta, there is no better filter in my opinion. | | | | With good care, hopefully this will not be much of |
| They are excellent bio filters and good mechanical | | | | a problem. But when an illness arises there are |
| filters in small aquaria. | | | | less options due to the small size of most betta |
| As for under gravel filters, there are small ones | | | | housing. A few potential treatments for bettas: |
| made for bowls or small tanks, but they take | | | | Medicated Wonder Shells, Methylene blue for |
| more maintenance than sponge filters (debris | | | | parasite, fungus or bacteria (do not use MB in |
| tends to collect under the plate). UGFs are more | | | | filtered tanks); Malachite Green for parasites (ich); |
| difficult to clean in small aquaria, as they are best | | | | Melafix, Pimafix or Usnea Lichen for organic |
| maintained by vacuuming, which is difficult in bowls | | | | anit-bacterial or fungal; Triple sulfa and Kanamycin |
| or small tanks. | | | | are good antibiotics to use in bowls. |
| Heating: | | | | |