Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta)

Minimum 19 to 20 litres per betta, and a bowl or vase is never acceptable. The tank must have a heater and a gentle filter, because bettas are tropical and produce waste like any other fish, but they dislike strong current so choose a low-flow or baffled filter. Aquascape with live or silk plants (soft leaves only, no sharp plastic that tears fins), plus a cave or two for resting. Fit a tight lid with no large gaps, as bettas are strong jumpers.

Bettas are carnivores and insect eaters, so feed a quality betta-specific pellet as the staple, with occasional frozen or live bloodworms, daphnia, or brine shrimp as treats. Feed only 2 to 4 pellets once or twice daily, an amount they finish in a couple of minutes, and consider one fasting day per week. Overfeeding is the most common mistake and causes bloating, constipation, and fouled water.

Keep the water at 24 to 27 C (about 76 to 82 F) with a heater, as chilling weakens the immune system. Aim for pH 6.5 to 7.5 and soft to moderately hard water. Most important of all, the tank must be fully cycled with ammonia at 0 and nitrite at 0 and nitrate kept low (under 20 ppm); a new uncycled tank poisons fish. Always treat tap water with a dechlorinator before it touches the tank, and change about 25 percent of the water weekly.

Male bettas are strictly solitary and will fight, often to the death, so never house two males together and never keep a male with a female except briefly for supervised breeding. They can share a peaceful community tank with non-nippy, non-flashy tankmates in a large enough aquarium, but many bettas do best alone. Female sororities are possible but are an advanced, higher-risk setup.

Provide floating plants and a broad leaf near the surface as resting spots, along with caves and dense planting to explore and hide in. Gentle flow, a dark substrate to show off colour, and the occasional new decoration to investigate all reduce boredom and stress.