ACCLIMATING A NEW FISH What to do now that you’ve purchased your new betta? You need to take it home and slowly get him/her acclimated into its new home. To do this, you should prepare the tank the betta will be going into (making sure the temperature of this tank is room temperature (dechlorinated) water), and then slowly introduce water from the new tank into the holding container the betta came home in. Scoop a few tablespoons of water into the cup every 5 – 10 minutes for about 60 minutes. NOTE: if you brought the fish home in a bag, it is recommended to place it into a cup for easier acclimation. Plastic solo cups work well for this purpose. After the 60 minutes, the fish is ready to be carefully lowered into its new home and released! DIET Pellets: HBH Betta Bites, Hikari Betta Bio-Gold Flakes : Should be specifically designed for bettas – high in proteins NOTE: For young or very small bettas, flakes OR crushed pellets are a safer option – to avoid choking. Frozen foods : Adult Brine Shrimp, Blood Worms, Black Worms, Krill, Mosquito Larvae, Peas (*great for relieving constipation – see below) Live foods: Any of the above mentioned frozen foods can be fed live to bettas, but do run the risk of carrying parasites. Other live foods such as crickets, beetles, moths, etc. CAN be fed to bettas, however you must be 100% positive that the bugs have not been exposed to any pesticides, which can harm or kill your betta. *Frozen pea preparation – place a small amount of dechlorinated water into microwaveable dish. Place a few peas (usually one pea is plenty for one betta) into the dish. Microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave, cool, remove shell, chop. Feed very small pieces to betta. Usually 2 - 3 pieces is plenty. Avoid feeding other foods to betta for 2 – 3 days. This should get things moving pretty quickly. TANKMATES It is important to remember that while most of these recommended tankmates may work fine with most bettas, some bettas do not tolerate any moving creatures in their tanks, and therefore caution should be exercised when adding any new creature into a betta tank. The following are considered possible tankmates for a betta (male or female): White Cloud Mountain Minnows African Dwarf Frogs (NOT Clawed Frogs) Large Snails (large enough so betta can not eat them) The following are NOT recommended as possible tankmates for a betta: Guppies, Mollies, Tetras, Gouramis, Platies, Neon Tetras, African Clawed Frogs, Barbs, or any other brightly colored fish that a betta might mistake as another betta. AT NO POINT SHOULD TWO MALE BETTAS BE IN THE SAME TANK. AT NO POINT SHOULD A MALE AND FEMALE BETTA BE PLACED IN THE SAME TANK – except when spawning. It is acceptable for two males to share a DIVIDED tank, so long as the males are not constantly flaring at each other, causing stress. Giving a betta its own tank is generally the best idea. TANK SPECIFICATIONS The ideal tank for a betta will consist of silk or live plants to rest on, some sort of “toy” which could include a bridge, arch, cave, or even a makeshift toy such as a piece of pvc pipe. Bettas are extremely curious creatures and will stick their heads into anything. Make sure that any “toys” which are introduced into the tank has are no holes which a betta’s head could get stuck in. This can cause drowning and/or death, should a betta become too curious and stick its head in. Make certain there are no open gaps anywhere along aquarium lids –bettas WILL jump – right out of their aquarium and onto the floor, if given the chance. Bettas do prefer tropical temperatures, ranging from 75 – 80 degrees. However, it is acceptable to keep a betta at a steady room temperature of 72 degrees or above. Constant temperatures are essential to keeping bettas healthy. TANK MAINTENANCE Regardless of tank size, ALL betta tanks require regular cleanings. ALL WATER that is introduced into a betta tank should be dechlorinated by liquid dechlorinator AND/OR aging, no exceptions. The following water changing schedule is recommended: 1/2 to gallon to 2.5 gallons – 100% water change every 3 - 5 days 2.5 gallons to 4 gallons – 100% water change once per week Larger, cycled tanks (established tanks that have been running with a filter for several weeks) – replace 20 – 30% of the water once a week, and gravel vacuum the tank every 2 weeks NOTE: During 100% water changes, betta should be removed into a holding container (cups that bettas are purchased in from chain stores, solo cups, etc. make good choices) during the water change. Be sure to cover the cup to avoid a jumping betta! DO NOT use a net on a betta with very long fins. This can cause tearing and shredding of fins. Rather, use a cup and gently lower it in the water to catch the fish. Some, or most, of the water will need to be removed first to allow for catching of the fish. Also during 100% water changes, wiping the tank out with a paper towel, rinsing décor and rinsing gravel or marbles is necessary. NOTE: When changing water, there are 2 ways to prepare dechlorinated water – ideally, water should be dechlorinated and aged for 2 – 3 days in a holding tank before using for water changes. Sometimes aging water is not practical, so simply dechlorinating tap water is acceptable. ALWAYS make sure the water that the fish is going back into matches the temperature and PH of the water they came out of. BETTA ILLNESSES Bettas are susceptible to many illnesses. Some are easy to treat, others are virtually impossible. Some common signs of illness include: clamped fins, swollen or bulging eyes, shredded, torn or bloody fins, general listlessness, white spot, gold dustings, swollen belly, pineconing (or puffed out scales), and many more. With any illness, it is a good idea to begin research immediately. There are many great forums on the web which offer great advice and answers to many betta-related questions. (INFO BY: Betta_Momma of UltimateBettas.com -its a really great sight -)