How To Set Up A Fish Tank For Betta

Betta fish are crawly, with their vivid colors and glorious fins they deserve a home that allows them to flourish and live a salubrious life.

In this article, you'll be walked through a simple 3-step guide to setting upwardly a betta fish tank and the ideal environment.

Let's become started.

Step one: Choosing Your Betta Fish Tank and Accessories

A betta fish, Siamese fish, in a fish tank decorated with pebbles and trees with a Black background

Picking Your Betta'southward Tank: Size Matters!

Unfortunately, it'south common to see betta'south housed in tiny plastic bowls. The reality is, this results in betta'southward condign sick and living a poor life.

Simply because betta'southward come up from shallow streams doesn't mean they can be kept in tiny bowls or tanks.

Only, that's not you, yous want to ain a happy and salubrious betta – you desire it to thrive.

Your chosen tank should be no-less than 5 gallon – the BIGGER the meliorate.

And v gallon tanks are the lowest volume of water needed to hands establish the Nitrogen Cycle. Aye, information technology'due south possible in smaller tanks, just information technology's a long and infuriating process.

If you're still looking for a suitable tank, check out this mail service for our recommendations.

Do Betta Fish Need a Filter?

Even though bettas come up from nonetheless waters, you must use a filter. A filter will help go along your tank clean and reduce the amount of harmful bacteria which can lead to disease.a

Betta's long, flowing fins brand it difficult for them to swim in strong currents. So you'll need to purchase a 'gentle' filter.

Bank check to run across if your chosen aquarium comes with a filter. If not, purchase on that's suitable for your tank. Await for a filter with adaptable flow settings. This way you lot'll exist sure you can create the optimal currents.

You tin can see our guide and reviews for Betta fish filters.

To get the best filtration for your tank, use a filter with a GPH 4 times greater than the size of your tank. GPH stands for gallons per 60 minutes, and it'south how much water it volition filter every hr. Example, a 5 gallon tank would be a filter with at least 20 GPH.

Practice Betta Fish Need a Heater?

Aye, yous'll demand to purchase a heater because Bettas come from the tropical waters of Thailand.

You should buy a fully submersible heater which tin go along the temperature between 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit. And yous demand to be able to easily monitor the temperature.

If the temperature drops too depression, you open up the door up to diseases such every bit Ich. Too loftier, and yous'll speed upwards your Betta's ageing procedure.

Cull a heater that comes with a thermostat then it's easy to monitor. And e'er use a split up thermometer, the readouts from heaters aren't always authentic.

Neverput a heater on a tank under v gallons. It can exist dangerous to your betta'southward health, due to the water temperature warming and cooling besides fast.

But that shouldn't affair… you lot're not going to keep your awesome betta in a tank nether 5 gallons, are you?

Getting Your Gravel

Betta's love to swim at all levels, and it's common you'll see your betta cruising forth the lesser. You'll demand to buy small or smooth gravel so your betta doesn't hurt itself.

Your gravel will likewise play an important office in your tank ecosystem. Benefical bacteria will grow on the surface, helping to pause downwardly waste.

If you lot buy gravel made with large pieces of rock, food and waste material can become stuck amid them and hurt the wellness of your tank.

If you're using live plants, you'll need ii inches of gravel to ensure they root. Fake plants (silk but), you lot'll merely need one inch.

Plants and Decorations For Your Betta

Betta originate from Thailand, inhabiting rice paddies, ho-hum-moving streams, and big puddles – all shady places with enough of hiding sports.

Your Betta will dearest swimming in a tank which contains caves to hibernate in and plants that provide plenty shady areas. Betta'due south enjoy lounging on leaves and have comfy places to hibernate and sleep.

It's important you lot check ornaments for spots that could snag or tear your Bettas fragile fins. And if you're going to employ false plants,don'tuse plastic ones, use silk plants.

Live plants are always good considering they'll help clean the water and provide your Betta with a natural surroundings.

Yous tin read our complete guide to Betta fish plants here.

Your Betta can become bored and depressed hands. Information technology'due south a expert idea to rearrange the decor when you clean the tank. This will aid keep things interesting for your Betta.

Lighting for Your Betta

Your Betta fish is only like you lot when it comes to lighting. It prefers a schedule: wake upwardly when information technology'southward light, go to sleep when it'southward dark.

If your called aquarium doesn't come with its ain lighting, I recommend buying one. Y'all'll be able to provide your Betta with a regular schedule it needs to stay healthy.

LED lights work best because you tin control the lite intensity. And some will come up with automatic timers then y'all don't even take to think almost information technology.

Step 2: How to Setup Your Betta's Tank

A betta fish, Siamese fish swimming in a fish tank decorated with pebbles and trees with a Black background

1. Preparing and Placing the Aquarium

Commencement past cleaning out your tank with just water, no lather! Then choose a sport that'southward near a window, but not exposed to direct sunlight.

Make sure the surface is nice a sturdy – you may desire to consider purchasing a stand designed to hole the weight of your tank. Leave five inches between the aquarium and the wall to permit for the filter.

If you lot have other pets, you may want to consider placing your Betta in a room they don't have access to.

2. Install Your Filter

Not all filters are the same, and then unlike types volition require dissimilar installation methods.

It'south very common that the instructions on filters are terrible. I'd actually recommend using Youtube to notice clear tutorials on how to setup your filter.

Brand sure you don't plough your filter on until your tank is filled with water.

3. Add Your Gravel

Give your gravel a thorough rinse with cool running h2o to remove grit which could clog your filter.Don't use lather.

Then add your gravel to the tank. Remember, if y'all're using real plants, you'll need at two inches of gravel. For silk plants, one inch will be enough.

4. Ready up Your Plants and Decorations

Ensure the roots of your plants are properly buried in the gravel. And all your decorations are anchored in the gravel, so they won't come loose.

To become the best views of your Betta, arrange your plants then the taller ones are at the dorsum of your tank.

5. Fill it up!

Place a plate on top of your gravel, and pour water on top of the plate to fill your tank. Using a plate with prevent y'all from displacing the gravel.

During this procedure y'all'll want to check for leaks.

Don't fill your tank all the way up, get out about an inch and the top. Your Betta's an anabantoid, meaning it'south able to breathe the same air as you and me by using a unique organ called a labyrinth. Cool, correct?

If your Betta is unable to apply its labyrinth from time to time, information technology can exist very bad for it's health. That's why y'all leave a gap.

Your Betta is as well a surprisingly good jumper, and then filling your tank to the brim is risky.

Remember to remove the plate after you've finished!

six. Turn on Your Filter and Install Your Heater

Now that you've filled your tank with h2o, it's safe to plow on your filter. Brand sure the water is circulating gently, soothly, and quietly. You lot may need to adjust the settings (that'south why is good to buy an adjustable 1).

Information technology's mutual your heater will come with suction cups to attach it inside your aquarium. Following the instructions, you'll want to set up to temperature and so information technology's betwixt 78 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place your thermometer and then y'all tin easily monitor the temperature.

Retrieve to remove the plate after y'all've finished!

7. Add Neutralizer and Perform a Fishless Cycle

If you lot've filled your tank with tap h2o, it'll contain chlorine. Then add some neutralizer (follow the products instructions), to remove the chlorine.

This is of import because chlorine will finish you from existence able to perform the virtually important step – the fishless cycle. If you don't do this, when y'all add together your Betta it will dice.

A fishless cycle is a humane method of the Nitrogen Cycle.

Beneficial bacteria will go established in your tank and filter media. Allowing ammonia (toxic) to convert to nitrite (toxic), and so nitrite to nitrates (non-toxic).

That's why youcan'tskip this step. The benign leaner will supplement your fish's environs by neutralizing their waste.

For an easy-to-follow guide on how to cycle your tank, read this guide.

Step 3: How to Innovate Your Betta to its New Tank

A betta fish swimming in a fish tank with pebbles and trees with a Black background

1. Buying Your Betta: How to Choose a Good for you Betta

Don't purchase your Betta until your tank have finished cycling. It will just make the whole transition smoother. When your tank is ready, information technology's time to go purchase your Betta!

Here'south how to tell if a Betta is healthy:

Bright body and undamaged fins
The Betta is agile and swimming well
If information technology's flaring at another Betta or you lot
No deformities (missing eyes, fins, or scales etc.)
No white dots or fuzzy substances (signs of illness)

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2. Finally Introduce Your Betta to its New Tank

Don't go plopping your new Betta into your tank. It will stress your fish and is probable to finish in tears.

You lot need to acclimatize information technology to its new surround.

Your Betta is going to come in a pocketbook of information technology'due south own water, which is going to exist different from the water in your tank. Keeping the pocketbook airtight, bladder it in your aquarium until the water in the bag reaches the same temperature as your tank.

This can accept around 1 hour, so be patient.

Once the water in your Betta's pocketbook reaches the same temperature in your aquarium, begin to add pocket-sized amounts of your tank h2o into it'due south container.

When the majority of the water is from your tank, let your fish swim freely into the tank.

Concluding Thoughts

Betta fish are fantastic pets and they deserve to be treated right. After going through the correct method of preparing its tank, make sure you lot care for it properly.

This ways, feeding it Betta corroborate food once a day, beingness careful non to over feed it. Perform 20% water changes in one case a week to maintain a good for you environment.

Monitor your the pH, ammonia, and nitrate levels, correcting any issues. And clean your tank regularly. If you lot're using a filter, you'll need to do this once every few weeks.

Follow this guide, and yous'll have a vibrant happy Betta as a friend for years!

Get out a comment, let me know about your Betta tank or if you take any questions or suggestions.