Betta fish is one of the beautiful fish to keep in the aquarium. Another thing is that betta fish are very easy to keep at home compared to other fish. Since betta fish are very hardy, keeping betta fish at home is ideal for beginners.
So we want to keep betta fish at home, but before keeping betta fish at home we need to know some things like, betta fish tank setup and betta fish care. So today our topic is about Betta fish tank setup.
How to set up a betta fish tank?
We have seen many times that Betta fish are kept in a very small glass container which is not correct at all. Betta fish need a proper environment to keep at home. We can keep Betta fish at home by adopting some proper methods.
Ideal tank for Betta fish:
Betta fish are highly territorial so keeping a Betta fish in a tank is ideal. A betta fish needs a tank or aquarium that holds at least 5 gallons of water. But we should try to keep the betta fish in as big a tank as possible.
If we want to keep other fish with betta fish, or later breed betta fish, we need a tank that holds at least 15 to 20 gallons of water.
Although we can keep betta fish in large aquarium glass bowls, they require some special care.
Step_1: To determine a proper tank for Betta fish, it should be carefully washed and dried in a little sunlight.
The right substrate for a betta fish tank:
Substrate is a very important factor for a betta fish tank. Generally we use aquarium sand, aquarium soil and small pebbles for betta fish tanks.
The reason we usually use substrate in betta fish tanks is because we use a variety of aquatic plants in our tanks. Also, excess food and fish waste from our tanks accumulate at the bottom of the aquarium, so if there is no proper substrate, the aquarium environment will continue to deteriorate.
Step _2: The aquarium sand, aquarium soil and gravel brought for our betta fish tank should be applied to the aquarium, and spread well around the aquarium. At least a 0.5 to 1.5 inch layer should be created.
But one thing to check is that the substrate we are using is completely clean. Otherwise, the small pebbles should be washed and cleaned. Although aquarium soil and aquarium sand are always clean, there is no special need to wash them.
Bio filter for better fish:
Do betta fish really need a good filter? The correct answer is, yes, filters are definitely needed for betta fish tanks. This is because the excess food and feces of the Betta fish accumulate at the bottom of the aquarium.
Which is later converted into ammonia and this ammonia is very harmful to our fish. Lower the amount of ammonia in our tanks, the better, but there is a guideline that is 0 to 0.25 ppm.
But if we use a filter, the excess food particles and fish waste at the bottom of the tank absorb the filter. The filter contains good bacteria that help the nitrogen cycle take place. Ammonia is first converted to nitrite by biological oxidation with bacteria, and subsequently to nitrate. Although nitrates are not very harmful to our fish.
Therefore, using a filter in the aquarium greatly reduces the chance of ammonia build-up. As a result our fish are very healthy.
Step_3: After purchasing the filter for our betta fish tank, wash it in clean water and set it well in one corner of the tank.
Best plants for better fish:
Plants help improve our aquarium environment. Sufficient amount of aquatic plants helps to keep oxygen in our tank under control.
Betta fish like to nap on the right surface and certain aquatic plants are ideal surfaces for betta fish to nap on. Not only that, aquatic plants help to control the amount of ammonia in our aquarium.
But that doesn’t mean we can keep any aquatic plant in our betta fish tank. Plants whose roots contain calcium oxalate should never be placed in our betta fish tanks.There are some ideal plants for Betta fish tanks like, Java fern, Moss ball, cryptocoryne, sword plant etc.
Step_4: Purchased plants for betta fish tanks should be washed in clean water before use.
One thing we must always keep in mind is that whenever we transplant the plant into the tank, dig a little in the substrate and insert the plant root into it.
Some plants work well with the roots of hardwood or small pieces of stone as a substrate.
Uses of heaters in betta fish aquarium:
The ideal temperature for Betta fish is 75° to 80° F. Therefore it is very important to control the temperature in the Betta fish water using a good heater.
If the temperature in our betta fish tank drops too much, our betta fish’s immune system will continue to decrease and our fish will get sick very quickly.
Not only betta fish but the aquatic plants used in our betta fish tank or the betta fish mates also require a certain temperature for which we need to use a heater.
The nitrogen cycle that takes place in our aquarium requires a certain temperature. If for some reason our tank water temperature drops too much, the nitrogen cycle cannot function properly. This can result in an increase in ammonia in our tank which is very harmful to our betta fish.
Step_5: We always try to use an automatic thermal heater for our betta fish. The water heater is to be used on one side of our betta fish tank.
Before using the heater we need to keep two things in mind, the first is to use the heater on the opposite side of the aquarium where we will put the filter. Secondly, always ensure that the heater is completely submerged in water.
Along with the heater we should use a thermometer in the tank so that we can see the correct temperature of the water.
Betta fish water preparation:
Ideal water pH value for our betta fish should be between 6.8 to 7.5 and ideal water TDS should be between 100 and 250 PPM.
Generally our tap water quality is like this. So we can use tap water for our betta fish tank. But the quality of tap water is very bad in many places so we have to use water brought from aquarium pet shops in all those places.
But whatever water we use we should be aware of the pH and TDS of the water.
Step_6: We will very slowly fill the aquarium with water using a small container. As a result, the aquatic plants, filter, heater and aquarium ornament used in our aquarium will be in the right place.
We should always try to fill the aquarium a little lower than the height it is. We will never completely fill a betta fish tank.
Importance of light for betta fish tank:
Using lights in our aquarium makes the aquarium look much more beautiful. But lights have some special roles in our aquarium.
The aquatic plants that we keep in the aquarium with the help of light, carry out the process of photosynthesis and prepare food for themselves. So indirectly, light has a special role in controlling the amount of oxygen in our aquarium.
Light helps increase the activity of our betta fish. So we should use a light in our betta fish tank. But we can keep the light on only for 6 to 8 hours, 24 hours light can be annoying for our fish.
Step_7: We can set the lights with the lid of the Betta fish aquarium. But care should be taken to ensure that the LED light is fully current shock proof. However, most aquarium lights these days are very high quality.
Final steps to setup a Betta fish tank:
First of all, we need to place the aquarium in a place where a small amount of sunlight reaches every day
We set up our betta fish tank using the methods mentioned above. The heater, filter and lights should then be turned on and the tank left on for 3 to 4 days so that the tank can properly prepare the ideal water for the betta fish.
After purchasing the Betta fish, the fish with the packet should be left in the tank for 20 to 25 minutes, so that the temperature of the water in the tank and the temperature of the water in the packet equalize.
Then the betta fish should be caught through the aquarium net and released into the tank. We should try to observe the fish for at least 10 to 15 minutes keeping a little distance.
Necessary toolkit for Betta fish tank setup:
To keep betta fish we need some tools like,
- Aquarium fishing net,
- Suction pipe to clean aquarium,
- Magnetic algae cleaner to clean aquarium glass,
- Some small and medium sized water containers.
Can I use tap water for betta fish?
The correct answer is yes, we can use tap water if the pH value is between 6.5 to 7.5 and tds value is between 150 to 250 PPM.
However, most tap water has the same water quality. But if for some reason the quality of tap water is worse than this then that water should not be used for our betta fish. In that case we should use the water brought from the aquarium shop or aquarium water.
Does betta fish like light?
Light is a very important factor for the betta fish tank. Using lights in our betta fish aquarium greatly increases the activity of betta fish. As a result our betta fish are very healthy and our betta fish live longer.
Not only this, the lights help the aquatic plants in our fish tank to prepare food through the process of photosynthesis. And we know aquatic plants help improve our tank environment.
Do bettas need a filter?
The correct answer is yes, the filter helps absorb the unwanted food and waste at the bottom of our betta fish tank. The nitrogen cycle then takes place resulting in the conversion of ammonia to nitrite and subsequently to nitrate.
This greatly reduces the chance of ammonia build up in our betta fish tank. When harmful ammonia is reduced in our fish tank, our fish are much healthier.
Does betta fish need an air pump?
Betta fish tanks do not require an air pump. Instead of an air pump we can put some aquatic plants inside the betta fish tank. As a result, a sufficient amount of oxygen will be supplied to our aquarium.
Usually we don’t use a very large aquarium for betta fish, so using an air pump will increase the air pressure in the aquarium. Which is not exactly right for our betta fish.
Welcome to our website Aquarium Fish Zone. My name is Sagar Ghosh and I live in Kolkata. I am a science graduate.
I have kept fish in aquariums since I was very young. I loved seeing the colorful fish in the aquarium.
I have always tried to maintain and care for the fish properly. So me and my team members have created this website.As a result, we can provide you with accurate information about how aquarium fish are kept.