A pet can go a long way towards improving the quality of your life. Pet ownership has been proven to relieve boredom and stress, decrease blood pressure, improve mood, and provide a purpose in life. Human beings are social animals and by their nature enjoy having something to care for.

Unfortunately, our modern life doesn't always make keeping a traditional pet easy. Dogs and cats are great but there's a lot that goes with them. They need to be exercised, cleaned up after daily, take up a fair amount of space, and eat a lot of food. A great lower-maintenance pet choice is a reptile or fish.

The problem with reptiles is that they just aren't much fun. For the most part they lie around and don't really interact with you at all. They also usually require expensive heating components and can smell bad if not taken care of frequently.

Fish combine the low maintenance of reptiles but can add so much more to your life. They're bright, colorful, and are moving around all of the time. A beautiful fish can be like a permanent flower in your home.

Even with the ease of fish many require big, complicated tank set-ups. That's one of the great things about the Betta, or Siamese Fighting Fish. In addition to being beautiful, bettas are fairly hardy fish that don't need a large space or water flow.

Some great features about the betta are:

-They come in a variety of vibrant colors and fin shapes. They are a beautiful fish sure to captivate your attention.

-They survive well in captivity. With proper care a betta will be just fine. Some fish are very difficult to keep healthy, but not the betta.

-Bettas don't need nearly as much space as other fish. Since they're comfortable in stagnant water, a small tank with a bit of airflow will be fine for them. I do recommend a small tank over the tiny bowl they come in so you don't have to change their water daily, but the tank can still be a lot smaller than what other fish need.

-They're amazingly friendly and animated. Bettas will soon learn to recognize their handler and "dance" around when they see you. They're happy to follow your finger around and play games for you.

When you look at the small cost of the fish, food, and set-up along with the bright colors, ease of care, and great interaction they make the perfect first pet for children. Kids love the pretty, animated betta fish and can learn responsibility while caring for them.

The photo above was taken by Daniella Vereeken

One of the great things about betta fish is that they can breathe from the top of the water as well as through their gills like a normal fish. This is why they do so well in their native habitat of stagnant rice paddies. It's also why pet stores sell them in little cups or bowls.

A lot of people like to keep them in bowls on their desks or around the room. There's something to be said for that but you need to be very consistant with your tank cleaning and water changing. Just because they can live in stagnant water doesn't mean it's good for them.

What I recommend for betta fish is to get a small aquarium. Usually 1-5 gallons is plenty for a single fish. This allows you to set up a pump and filter system to keep the water fresh. It also gives the betta a little more room to move around and let's you put some plants or features in the tank.

These small tanks are very inexpensive and easy to set up. Usually you can get the whole shebang for less than $20 or so. They also don't take up much more room than the bowl you were planning to use.

Go ahead and set up a small betta aquarium. You'll have a happier, healthier pet for very little effort. You'll also spend a lot less time changing water and cleaning aquariums, and we all know that's a plus!

In addition to the pleasure of watching your betta swim around you should take some time regularly with your betta to inspect it. A healthy betta fish has certain characteristics that you should look for. Most of these aren't rocket science, but I thought I'd point them out.

Does your betta swim easily? Your betta should swim around naturally. If the fish looks like it's having a hard time moving through the water then probably it's not doing so well.

Bettas are eaters! They don't pound down food all of the time, of course, but your fish should eat regularly. If your fish has been off of its feed for a while then something might be up.

Does your betta respond to you outside of the tank? What about following your finger around or flaring up at it? A healthy betta fish keeps a close eye on its surroundings.

What do your betta's fins look like? A betta's fins should be smooth and flowing whether it's male or female. Males tend to have bigger fins, of course. If the fins are torn, hanging, or have stuff on them then your betta is unhealthy.

Whatever color your betta is should be clear. A betta that looks dull or drab isn't doing well.

Your betta should be streamlined and healthy looking. If the scales appear ruffled or there are growths and sores on the body then treatment may be necessary.

Regularly inspect your betta to make sure that it's doing well. Your fish will be a lot happier and live a lot longer.

One day you wake up and notice that your beautiful little betta fish is covered with white, granular spots! That's definitely not good, but it's common. What's going on is that your fish is infested with a harmful parasite called Ich, or Ick.

It can be fatal, but there are some good methods to treat it out there. Check them out here!

Picture courtesy of eric.petfish.net