A Betta fish is a beautiful freshwater fish that comes in extraordinary color patterns. It is one of the most inexpensive fish to keep and doesn't need much care at all. You will have a healthy fish if you follow these simple care requirements.

The Betta fish is one of the most well known aquarium fish. It comes in many colors including red, blue, purple, green and white. The males have much brighter colors than females and also have longer fins. Bettas are originally from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, parts of China and Vietnam. They are usually found in very shallow waters, such as rice paddies and shallow ponds. Bettas can live to be two or three years old.

Bettas may look like regular fish, but they are actually very different. Unlike most fish, the Betta breathes air by going up to the surface of the water. This makes them very easy to keep because it is not necessary to have any airpump, filtration, or aeration at all in their tank. They do well in small bowls; you won't have to buy a large, expensive aquarium for this fish.

You must be sure not to keep two male Bettas in a tank together because they will fight to the death. Females can be kept together though. Many people think that Bettas cannot be kept with any other fish but this is not true. Male Bettas and female Bettas can be kept with other peaceful fish species. Just don't put them in with any aggressive fish that may nip their fins.

Bettas must be fed once a day. Be sure you don't overfeed this fish. Don't leave any uneaten food in the bowl. They can be fed freeze dried brine shrimp or freeze dried blood worms. They don't usually like freeze dried worm cubes or flake food though. There are many foods sold at pet stores specifically for Bettas. Any of these will do.

Be sure to clean your fish bowl once a week if you don't have a filter on it. For the water in the tank, start with tap water and add a product that removes chlorine. Follow the directions on the package. Also add one teaspoon of aquarium salt. Make sure any water you add to the bowl is the same temperature as the water in the bowl.

Keep a lid on the bowl because the Betta can jump out if you don't have one on. Just make sure that there are holes in the lid so the fish can get air. It is also good to have a live plant in the fish bowl. Bettas love to rest on plant leaves. They even have a plant called "Betta Bulbs" that you can use. If you put a plant in the bowl, you will need to have gravel. Gravel gets dirty easily so you must be sure to clean it regularly. If the tank gets dirty, your Betta will get sick.

The Betta is a tropical fish, so keep the bowl in a warm spot. They like to be in temperatures around 75 to 80 degrees. Just don't put the bowl in direct sun or in a drafty spot.

If you follow these simple requirements for this fish, it will be healthy and happy. Bettas are absolutely striking fish to watch. You will surely enjoy this fish!

Because betta fish can be kept in relatively simple containers as opposed to large aquariums with complicated filtration systems, many people are attracted to them as easy to care for, yet beautiful tropical fish. But betta fish care does require some frequent work to keep the fish happy and healthy.

One important factor in betta fish care is to use a container that allows the fish to swim around a bit. Bettas can of course survive in the little jars they are often sold in, but this is far from a healthy environment and bettas in such tight quarters may fade in color and become sluggish. Bettas don't need a huge amount of space, but a little room to swim, and a decent amount of surface area for the fish to get gulps of air in, are recommended. As a suggestion, a 1 to 2 gallon fish bowl is a good option.

It is a good idea to have a cover (not an airtight cover!) over the top of your container, as bettas have been known to jump out of their containers.

The next part of betta fish care that is critical to the health of the fish is to keep the container and water very clean. Part of keeping the container clean is to use caution when feeding your fish. Excess food will accumulate at the bottom and cause bacterial growth and cloud the water. I suggest feeding your fish with the standard betta food pellets by dropping in just one pellet at a time, perhaps 3 or 4 times per day. Not only will this help keep the container clean, it will also prevent overfeeding which can cause swim bladder problems which can kill bettas.

Frequent water changes are important to keep toxins from building up. Small containers should have at least one third of their water changed at least twice per week. Larger containers with one to two gallons of water or more can be done once per week, with about half the water being changed out.

I suggest using bottled distilled water to change your betta's water. Distilled water is pure and free of chemicals like chlorine that are toxic to fish. In addition, since distilled water has a neutral pH, it is ideally suited to the needs of betta fish.

Because bettas are from tropical regions, an important part of good betta fish care is to keep the water relatively warm - about 75 to 80 degrees.

Smooth objects without sharp edges make good decorations in the betta fish container because these fish like to rest on objects above the bottom. Bettas have delicate fins, so anything with sharp edges must be avoided, even artificial plants that are particularly rigid.

By following these tips, you are well on your way to having your betta stay healthy and showing a wonderful display of its vibrant colors. A bright, active fish is your reward for good betta fish care.

While betta fish can handle water that is stagnant they do need the water to be cleaned regularly. Since they're not usually kept in tanks with aeration systems it's important to keep an eye on your tank. It's a good rule of thumb to change the water every week in a five-gallon tank. If your betta's container is smaller, you may need to change it daily or every couple of days. If the water is getting cloudy or smells bad, then clean it!
Step Number 1: Carefully remove your betta from the tank and put it in a small dish. To remove the betta use a small fish net. Try to keep startling the fish to a minimum and be careful not to damage their fins.

Go ahead and use old water from the tank in the dish. This is important as it minimizes shock to your betta. Remember to use a dish that they can't jump out of!

Step Number 2: Clean the tank. Save the old water before you begin cleaning the tank. When you do start on the tank be sure to remove any algae or scum that has grown to the sides of the tank. Use some elbow grease if you need to. Don't use soap on the sides. If you're cleaning regularly there shouldn't be anything on them that you can't just wipe off. Step Number 3: Clean your tank accessories. Remember to clean the stones, objects, cover, and anything else you've got in the tank. A good rinse and wipe should be fine. Just be sure to clean all of the scum off.

Step Number 4: Replace some of the water. You do not want to swap out all of the water at one time. This would be a shocking environment change to your betta. Look to change about 50% of the water whenever you change your Betta's water. Fill the remaining space with clean water that's about 78 degrees F. If you alter the water temperature too much it could be stressful to your betta when you put them back into the tank. At this point you'll add your tap water conditioner, aquarium salt, and anything else you're going to put in there.

Step Number 5: Carefully add your fish back. Leave them alone for a while to let them get over the shock of the water change. If you've been careful handling them and maintaining your old tank water then it shouldn't take them long to be back up to snuff!

Fish are living creatures. Cute as they look in your aquarium, it is inevitable that they will die one day. At that time, it is very essential that you evacuate the dead fish from your aquarium as soon as possible; otherwise the carcasses of the fish might pollute the fish tank drastically and can endanger the other creatures living in the tank. Removing dead fish is a very simple process actually, but you have to be sure the fish is really dead. Dead fish will temporarily sink to the bottom of the aquarium, but then soon enough, they will begin floating in the tank in the infamous belly-up position. This is the time when the fish will begin releasing toxins into the water. When you see a fish in this manner, remove it as soon as possible. It is not a good idea, however, to actually handle dead fish. You must use small nets or gloves to remove the fish from your tank.
However, it is not just dead fish that you will need to remove from your tank. Fish that are obviously sick must be immediately quarantined, which you can do by putting them into a fishbowl so that they do not spread their disease to the other fish in the tank. You can understand if fish are sick by looking at their movement in the water. If the fish are sluggish in the way they move (you must compare with how they move normally), or if they are spending a lot of time behind the rocks or plants in the aquarium, or simply lying lethargically on the aquarium bed, then something is wrong with them. The eyes of the fish could also be indicators of disease. If there is anything different with the eye, first remove the fish from the aquarium, and then get it checked by a qualified person.

But the most difficult thing is to remove a live and healthy fish from the tank. There are many reasons why you would want to remove a live fish. The fish might have outgrown the capacity of the tank, or the tank might be getting crowded, or simply the fish might be a danger to other fish due to its violent nature. Betta fish are notorious for attacking other fish in the tanks. Whatever the reason may be, removing live healthy fish from the tank is always a challenge.

There are some obvious problems. Live fish will squirm and wriggle around a lot in protest when you try to remove them. Some fish, like the surgeonfish, will also harm you if you try to touch them. Then there are toxic fish that you have to be worried about. Also, when you try to remove a live fish, there will be a lot of thrashing and flailing about, due to which the entire setup of your aquarium tank could be disturbed.

Your best bet to take out a live fish from your tank would be to use a line, hook and bait, just like you do when you go fishing. But you will have to use a blunt hook so as not to harm the fish. Tie up a morsel of the fish's favorite food on the hook and dangle it in the tank keeping the line tight. The fish will take the bait, and then you can transfer it to another tank.

Another way to do this effectively is to confuse the fish. Most fish are startled when there are sudden changes in light, because deep under the water in their natural habitat, there are never any quick light changes. Anyways, you can keep your tank in darkness for several hours and then suddenly put all the lights on in the room. Taking advantage of the confusion of the fish, you can manually take them up, using protective gloves. An alternative to this is to come up to the tank in the middle of the night and then to shine a torch suddenly at them.

Putting fish into a tank is many times easier than removing them, especially if you want to retain fish that are still alive. You will need to be patient and careful so that you accomplish the task without harming the fish in question and the other inhabitants of the tank.