How Often Should You Change the Water for Betta Fish, and Can They Be Kept in Groups?
As everyone's standard of living improves, people's hobbies and interests are becoming more and more diverse. In recent years, keeping pet fish has become a trend, and many households have a large fish tank with a few beautiful and lively ornamental fish. Betta fish are also a particularly popular type of ornamental fish, so how should betta fish be kept? How often do they need a water change?
How Often Should You Change the Water for Betta Fish
Without a filtration system, change about one-fifth of the water every one to two days. With a filtration system, change about one-third of the water every three to six days.
Can Betta Fish Be Kept in Groups
With 10 or more, it is possible. If there are two, they will fight to the death. With three, the fish will target the weakest individual and attack it, and in the end only one will remain. The same principle applies with four. If there are multiple fish together, the fish do not focus their attacks on a single target, or one of the strongest in the group will have very vivid colors while the other fish become dull in color. Of course, the premise is that the stocking density should not be too high. But group keeping also cannot include other types of small fish, as this puts the small fish in great danger too. Whether to keep them in a group or singly is up to personal preference.
How to Keep Betta Fish
1. Water temperature
Betta fish do not have very high requirements for water temperature. As long as the temperature is kept at around 20-30°C, there is generally not much of a problem. The optimal water temperature is 24-27°C. The water is best kept as neutral water, and the pH value is best kept between 6.5 and 7.2.
2. Tank setup
A thin layer of substrate sand can be spread on the bottom of the fish tank. The purpose of putting in substrate sand is to stabilize the roots of the aquatic plants, and it also allows microorganisms to attach better. The ratio of water to substrate sand is best kept at 5:1. If appropriate, hornwort, black algae and the like can be added, which can provide sufficient oxygen inside the tank and also give the fish places to hide.
3. Lighting
Betta fish need sufficient light, so aquatic plants can be used to help balance photosynthesis. We can place a small lamp with soft light in the fish tank.
4. Feed
The essential bait that most people use to feed betta fish should be artificial dried bait, and floating feed is best. Usually, fresh live bait can be fed at intervals, such as tubifex worms, brine shrimp, water fleas, etc. Eating these will make the betta fish's colors look more vivid.
How to Tell Male and Female Betta Fish Apart
1. The dorsal fin, anal fin and caudal fin of male betta fish are all longer and larger than those of females. Their body color is more vivid than that of females, and the individuals are larger than females.
2. Female betta fish have a round “belly button” at the front of the abdomen, which looks like an egg attached to it, while male betta fish do not.
3. In addition, to distinguish male from female in fan-tail and Thai bettas, the female's pelvic fin tip will trail a thin single strand, which is different from the pelvic fin tip of the male.
4. Female betta fish have a white-yellow genital pore between the pelvic fins and the anal fin, and at the same time all their fins are short, unlike males, which can extend them.
5. Female fish all have a white-yellow genital pore between the pelvic fins and the anal fin, while males do not.
6. At the same time, if you compare females and males, you will find that the belly of female betta fish is slightly bloated, while the abdomen of male betta fish is relatively flat.
As is well known, although ordinary ornamental fish are beautiful and lovely, their vitality is not strong, and if you are not careful they are prone to getting sick and dying. However, betta fish are not only beautiful and lovely, but also a relatively easy ornamental fish to keep! Still, keeping fish also requires some skill!