How to Keep Betta Fish: A Full Guide to What They Eat and How Often to Feed Them
Betta fish - when people hear this name, they may think it is a particularly fierce and aggressive type of fish. In fact, betta fish are not fierce; they only fight over the right to mate once they mature. On the contrary, their temperament is very gentle, and their appearance is very beautiful and lovely. So do you know how to keep betta fish? What kind of food is best to feed them?
How to Keep Betta Fish
Betta fish have a strong constitution, can withstand low temperatures of 3°C, and are easy to keep. These fish have a special suprabranchial organ, called the labyrinth organ, which allows them to breathe air directly, so there is no requirement for the oxygen content of the water. It is worth mentioning that because this breathing organ is so efficient, Chinese betta fish must rely on the air above the water surface. In other words, when keeping Chinese betta fish, you must not cover the aquarium, otherwise the betta fish will suffocate. Of course, having no oxygen requirement does not mean there is no water quality requirement. Chinese betta fish are suited to weakly acidic, clean, soft water, and there must be floating aquatic plants. Suitable water temperature is 25-28°C; breeding water temperature is 28°C; pH 6.0-8.0; hardness 5-19°dGH. Betta fish are omnivorous fish that mainly eat meat, and can be fed fresh and dried insect bait as well as artificial feed.
Although betta fish have a very aggressive-sounding name, they are actually very gentle, and keeping them mixed with other fish of the same size is no problem at all. Their “fighting” is limited to situations where mature males meet, when they will fight fiercely over the right to mate.
What Betta Fish Eat
Betta fish are a fish species that is omnivorous but leans toward carnivorous, so a variety of baits can be fed in combination, and it is best not to let the betta fish's diet be too monotonous. Usually, artificial dried bait has complete nutritional content and is clean and hygienic, and it is an essential bait for most people when feeding betta fish; to suit the betta fish's habit of activity in the upper layer of the water, it is best to choose floating feed. If fresh live bait can be fed at intervals, such as brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, tubifex worms, water fleas, etc., it can make the betta fish's body color more vivid, and at the same time let you fully enjoy the fun of watching the fish feed. However, since most of this kind of bait carries bacteria and can easily infect the fish with disease, it can only serve as a flavor treat for betta fish. When feeding, it must be rinsed first, and each feeding amount should be enough to be eaten within 5 minutes. Feeding once a day is enough.
How Often to Feed Betta Fish
Betta fish are relatively small fish, so we choose to use very fine fish feed, and then feeding about one third of the amount of a little finger each day is enough. Feeding once a day is enough.
Notes on Keeping Betta Fish
Although betta fish have very strong vitality and are relatively simple to keep, there are still some aspects to pay attention to during the keeping process:
1. Try not to change the water frequently, to avoid too large a temperature difference in the water, which affects the growth of betta fish.
2. Betta fish relatively like to stay in cool, shaded places. Try not to place them in sunlight. If the site makes this unavoidable, you can use auxiliary tools to provide appropriate shade.
3. Aquatic plants should be appropriately grown in the fish tank. For example, elodea and water lettuce are very good choices, allowing the fish to breed and hide better.
4. When betta fish are breeding, a separate container should be prepared, with aquatic plants placed inside as well, so the small fish can be moved to better isolation.
5. There should not be too many duckweed plants on the water surface of the keeping water, so as to avoid leaving the betta fish no space to poke out of the water to breathe.
6. If the fish tank is relatively small, pay attention to whether there is a risk of the betta fish jumping out of the tank when it pokes out of the water to breathe.
As described above, if you have the time and conditions, placing a large fish tank at home and keeping a few beautiful, highly vital fish is really quite nice! It can not only serve as a decoration, but also let you see very lively little lives, and your mood will be even happier!