Betta: gear and buying guides
The betta, or Siamese fighting fish, is a territorial labyrinth fish: males must live strictly alone, with no other male or long-finned tankmates. A tank of at least 20 L, heated between 24 and 27 °C with very gentle filtration, suits it well. It breathes air at the surface, so free surface access and a lid are required since it jumps.
Profile : 6 to 7 cm as an adult, 20 L minimum for a single male, heated water between 24 and 27 °C.
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Species profile
- Lifespan
- 3 to 5 years
- Adult size
- 6 cm
- Minimum tank
- 20 L
- Water temperature
- 24 to 28 °C
- pH
- 6.5 to 7.5
- Temperament
- Spectacularly territorial: two males together means a guaranteed fight — hence the name fighting fish.
- Health watch
- fin rot in poor water · constipation and obesity from overfeeding
🩺 This health information is general in nature and does not replace a consultation: at the slightest doubt about your animal’s condition, talk to your vet.
Betta gear, family by family
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Food
A carnivore: protein-rich betta pellets, with frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp once or twice a week. Ration strictly, as bettas are prone to constipation and obesity.
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Care & grooming
It appreciates soft to neutral, stable water with a 20 to 30 percent weekly change. Its long fins are fragile: watch for any sign of fin rot and avoid sharp decorations.
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Toys & enrichment
Broad-leaved plants near the surface for resting, driftwood hiding spots and catappa leaves that gently tint the water. A mirror may be shown for a minute occasionally, never continuously.
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Bedding & habitat
A tank of 20 L or more, densely planted, with almost no current and a clear surface for breathing. A lid is mandatory and water height should stay moderate so it can reach the surface easily.
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Travel & safety
Transport it alone in a small bag or sealed container half filled with water, kept warm as it is sensitive to cold shocks. Drip acclimation over about 30 minutes is recommended.
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Accessories
An adjustable 25 to 50 W heater, a low-flow or sponge filter, a thermometer and a lid. Expect around 60 to 120 euros to fully equip a nano tank.
🍖 Feeding a Betta: carnivore diet, frequency, mistakes
Feeding a Betta: diet and habits
The Betta is a carnivore: live or frozen prey (bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia) plus protein-rich granules. Its table is at the surface: offer floating food, dosed to vanish within two minutes — the surplus only feeds nitrates.
Frequency and variety
One or two small feeds a day for adults, with a weekly fasting day that costs it nothing — overfeeding remains the top cause of tank pollution. Feed at a fixed time: the Betta learns the ritual fast, and you get the best observation window. Alternate dry, frozen and rinsed thawed prey across the week.
The costly mistakes
A fish does not “beg” from hunger but from conditioning: hold firm — the ration is whatever is truly eaten in two minutes. Budget flakes crumble and pollute: serious-brand food costs a few euros more per year, not per month. The rest of the profile is on the full Betta profile.
Quick answers
- How often should a Betta be fed?
- One or two small daily feeds eaten within two minutes, plus one fasting day a week. In doubt, underfeed: the water will thank you.
- What food suits a Betta?
- A carnivore: live or frozen prey (bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia) plus protein-rich granules — served in floating form, as it feeds at the surface.
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🧴 Water care for a Betta: 24 to 28°C, pH 6.5 to 7.5
The Betta’s water: its real parameters
The Betta’s water contract has four clauses: 24 to 28°C, pH between 6.5 to 7.5, zero detectable nitrite, nitrates capped at 25 mg/L. A drop-test kit (NO2, NO3, GH, KH, pH) beats any strip — and the nitrogen cycle, three to four weeks before any fish, is non-negotiable.
Water changes and tank upkeep
10 to 20% of the volume weekly, with water pre-heated to tank temperature: thermal shock stresses more than imperfect water, gentle substrate siphoning as you go and filter media rinsed in tank water, never under the tap: chlorine sterilises your filter.
Health: what stalks the Betta
The Betta watch-sheet: fin rot in poor water and constipation and obesity from overfeeding. Before any treatment, the reflex is a water test — pouring medicine into loaded water is treating the fever by breaking the thermometer. Well kept, a Betta lives 3 to 5 years.
Quick answers
- What water parameters for a Betta?
- 24 to 28°C, pH 6.5 to 7.5, zero nitrites and nitrates under 25 mg/L — checked with drop tests, not by eye.
- How often should a Betta tank get water changes?
- 10 to 20% weekly, water brought to temperature, filter rinsed only in tank water. Consistency beats volume.
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🎾 Enriching a Betta tank: hardscape, territory and occupation
Hardscape designed for its swimming zone
The Betta lives at the surface: floating plants that soften the light and surface clearings sketch out its territory. An aquarium’s enrichment is its hiding places and its currents — not fluorescent ornaments.
Territory and tankmates
A proud territorial, the betta is enriched by catappa leaves, a leaf hammock near the surface and a mirror shown one minute a day at most — displaying exercises it, permanent exposure exhausts it.
Food as occupation
Every Betta meal can become a hunt: release prey into the filter flow and move the feeding point from day to day — occupation comes from searching, not abundance.
Quick answers
- Can a Betta live alone?
- Yes — and males must: two males together fight to the death.
- How do you enrich a Betta tank?
- Three levers: decor set to its zone (at the surface), feeding that changes form and place, and territory legibility. The rest is marketing.
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🏠 The Betta tank: 20 L, hardware and start-up
20 litres minimum: why that number
For a Betta reaching 6 cm as an adult, plan 20 real litres — and remember a big tank is more STABLE, hence easier, than a small one: parameters drift slowly, leaving time to correct. This volume suits a sturdy standard cabinet — just verify perfect levelness.
Hardware: filter, heater, lighting
A filter turning the volume over three to five times an hour, with the outflow broken against the glass — those fins cannot fight strong current, a heater around 1 W per litre set to 24 to 28°C, backed by an independent thermometer — built-in thermostats sometimes lie, and lighting on a timer at 8 to 10 hours a day: any longer and the algae win.
Substrate, plants and start-up
Nutrient substrate under fine sand or quartz, robust plants (anubias, vallisneria, Java moss) and wood to structure the territory. Then patience: a complete nitrogen cycle (3 to 4 weeks, nitrites back to zero) before the first Betta — the step every hurried beginner pays for dearly.
Quick answers
- What tank size for a Betta?
- A real 20 litres minimum — below that, parameters drift too fast to catch.
- Does a Betta need a heater?
- Yes, about 1 W per litre set to 24 to 28°C, with an independent thermometer double-checking the thermostat.
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Guides to read
- Community aquarium or species-only tank: which is right for a first setup?Bedding & habitat
Community aquarium or species-only tank: pros, cohabitation risks and advice for choosing how to set up your first aquarium.
- Best easy aquarium plants without CO2 for beginnersToys & enrichment
Which aquarium plants can you choose without CO2 injection? A selection of hardy, easy plants for a beginner's planted tank.
- Budget for a first brackish water aquarium: the real cost to get startedBedding & habitat
How much does a first brackish water aquarium cost? Tank, filtration, salt and salinity monitoring, budgeted item by item.
- Changing filter media too often: the mistake that wrecks your aquarium's cycleCare & grooming
Why you should never replace all your filter media at once: nitrifying bacteria, replacement frequency and the right habits.
- Restarting a neglected aquarium: a step-by-step guideCare & grooming
How do you restart an aquarium that's been left neglected without endangering the fish? Steps, water changes and mistakes to avoid.
- GH, KH and pH: understanding and adjusting aquarium water hardnessCare & grooming
GH, KH, pH: what do these three readings actually measure, and how do you adjust aquarium water hardness without stressing the fish?
- Upgrading to a bigger aquarium: moving your fish without the stressBedding & habitat
How do you upgrade to a bigger aquarium without breaking the biological cycle or stressing your fish? Steps and mistakes to avoid.
- Aquarium electrical safety: GFCI protection and good habitsTravel & safety
Heater, filter, lighting near the water: what electrical precautions keep an aquarium safe for fish and people?