Buying your first Betta or Fighting Fish can be a wonderful experience that can have you hooked on the hobby for a life time after all they are a truly beautiful fish with a great personality to match. While it should be an exciting time it can also be a rather confusing one. With so many so called “Betta” products on the market you may find yourself unsure of what sort of tank you should buy your new fishy friend. What you may not realize is that the choice that you make when it comes to buying your fighter a home could have a large impact on your Betta’s health.

Perhaps the most controversial topic when it comes to keeping Bettas is tank size, and if you’ve done any research on the topic you will no doubt have found that there is a lot of conflicting information out there. Many pet shops display and sell tiny Betta tanks and while these are convenient for the pet shops to display the Bettas that they have for sale they are NOT suitable for a Betta to live in long term. No fish including fighting fish can survive in these tiny tanks. Ammonia builds up very quickly (ammonia is toxic to fish) and either kills them outright or puts them at risk of often fatal bacterial infections.

The minimum sized tank that you should buy for a single male or female fighting fish is 10 Liters with the ideal size being 20-25 Liters. Fighting Fish are beautiful creatures it is only in a tank of this size that you can hope to keep your betta healthy and enjoy the full benefits of these beautiful fish, they love to stretch their fins and go for a good swim. No one wants to see such a magnificent fish cooped up in a tiny tank lying on the bottom looking depressed because he is ill from the water and has nothing to live for.    

Another important topic to take into account when buying a tank for your Betta is the tanks shape. There are many different shaped tanks on the market and although unusually shaped tanks may be appealing you need to first take a few things into consideration before rushing out and buying one. Fighting Fish are well known for their excellent jumping abilities which can obviously land them into some serious trouble, they have even been known to wriggle themselves through tiny gaps in the lid which means that having some sort of lid or cover for their tank is a must to prevent disaster.

As far as bowls are concerned I personally would not recommend buying one for a fighting fish. Apart from the fact that bowls are usually less than 10 Litres in volume and therefore unsuitable for any fish to survive in they usually do not come with a lid. Their round shape also makes fitting a heater to the side near impossible and because of their small surface area after adding a filter there would be little room for the fighter to move. In fact a lot of the more unusually shaped tanks have this problem and it is for this reason that I consider the traditional rectangular shaped tank the ideal tank for Bettas.

Once you have bought a suitable tank for your fish you need to buy some essential equipment to run it. Like all tropical fish fighting fish cannot handle fluctuating water temperatures as it lowers their immune system and puts them at risk of all sorts of nasty often fatal diseases. To keep a fighting fish healthy you will need to provide a constant water temperature using a fish tank heater. The size of the heater that you will require for your new tank will depend on how many liters that the tank holds. The general rule is that one watt heats one liter of water so a 25 liter tank would require a 25 watt heater. You can work out the approximate volume of your tank my multiplying the length x Width x height (of the water level) and then dividing the answer by 1000. These measurements must be taken in centimeters for this calculation to work. 

For example- 45cm length x 25cm width x 20cm height = 22500

                      22500 divided by 1000 = 22.5

A tank with these dimensions holds approximately 22.5 liters.

When you buy a heater make sure that it has a thermostat (if it doesn’t then it could cook your fish) also ensure that it is a fully submersible heater as they are much safer to use. It is a good idea to leave heaters plugged in all year round. Although they won’t come on much during summer if there happens to be an unexpected cool snap in the weather then you won’t have to worry about your fish getting sick because of the sudden change in temperatures. Many pet shops do not sell heaters smaller than 25 watts, it is okay to use a 25 watt heater to heat a 10 liter tank as long as the heater has a thermostat to stop the water overheating. It is always recommended that you buy an aquarium thermometer so that you can keep a regular check on the water temperature. 

Filtration is another important topic when it comes to betta health. Filters help to maintain water quality and prevent the water in the tank from going stagnant. All fish tanks including betta tanks require some sort of filtration. It is important to take into account when buying a filter that fighting fish are not the best swimmers which means that a lot of filters create a current that is far too strong for a fighting fish. Most internal power filters have this problem. The ideal filter for a betta is the simple corner or box filter as they only create a gentle current that suits bettas perfectly and with the help of an airline valve the strength of this current can even be adjusted. To run a box filter you will require an air pump and some airline tubing. A word of caution avoid buying a tank with an inbuilt power filter as these filters are often way too powerful for the size of the tank and completely unsuitable for fighting fish.

Now that you have a suitable tank and all the essential equipment to run it the fun really begins because now you can decorate your tank. There is really no limit as to how you can set up your fighter’s home however there are a few guidelines as far as decorations go. If you want plants in your aquarium don’t buy plastic ones as these will tear your fish’s fins and may scratch his sides so either buy live aquatic plants or if you don’t have time to keep real plants then silk weed is a good alternative. As far as ornaments go avoid anything with sharp or pointed edges. Also be wary, although most ornaments that are specifically designed for fish tank use are safe always keep an eye out for things like peeling paint. As long as you take care to avoid these things you can let your imagination run wild when creating your betta his own little world.