Q&A for How to Acclimate Your Betta

Its eyes will be clear, and its fins will not be tethered. It will also be actively eating.

Frequent flaring, distressed breathing, swimming abnormally, change in appearance, and loss of appetite are all signs of stress.

They are tropical, so 76 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

It's important to have aquarium gravel in the bottom of your betta's tank, yes. The gravel should be neutral colored, which will keep the fish calm. Bacteria that build up in the gravel help break down the fish's waste, so it's important to have gravel in the tank.

It depends on your experience with these fish. If you're new, a veil tail is a good choice. If you have some experience, go with a crown tail or any variety of other "fancy" finned betta. Certain fin types need different water parameters. For example, crowntails need their water quality controlled near perfectly or else they'll run into serious problems.

The process doesn't have to take exactly 24 hours, no. But it is important to properly acclimate your fish to the tank water, otherwise the fish may die from the stress.

No. float the bag and use the drip method. It's what we do for stingrays. Slowly fill the container with water from your tank by using a 5mm air tube as a siphon. This will help.You should always acclimatize your fish before introducing them to your tank.

A half gallon is too small! The absolute minimum size for a betta is 2.5 gallons.

All fish need conditioner to take harmful chemicals like chlorine out the water. Betta fish vary in which foods they like, but I have found that either flake foods or small pellet foods are best, supplemented with freeze dried bugs like bloodworms.

No. There are multiple problems with this situation. Bettas need 5 gallons or more to feel comfortable in a tank situation. That's not enough time for a nitrate cycle to go through for any size of tank. Because of the size of the tank, water quality would always be an issue. This means you'd have to cycle your tank every time you did a water change, which would be almost every day.

No, but I would recommend bigger if you're going to keep more than one. 2 gallons is large enough for a single betta.

The best way to acclimate your betta is to put it in a clear plastic container with a lid, and fill it with original water from the tank, or water that is around the temperature of the tank water, then put the filled plastic container with the betta in it and the lid on in the slightly drained tank to prevent overflow. There are several videos on YouTube that will walk you through the process.

Totally. As long as you have a single betta, you do not need a filter. A filter is needed for a large tank for several fish. Make sure when changing your fish's tank water (about every 3 days or so) that you place him in a separate container with some of his old water. If you do not, he will die, because he needs his natural bacteria that he has always lived with.

Bettas are very curious fish that love exploring! It normally only takes them a day or two to get used to living in their new tank.

No, you can not use anything else in the home. You must buy dechlorinator and kickstart. I use API kick start. A simple dechlorinator is sodium thiosulphate, it removes chlorine and breaks up chloramine (you have to get rid of the ammonia released with something else), but you need to measure the correct amounts. If your tap water is treated with chlorine only, you can stick an aerator in a bucket of water and bubble air for 24 hours for the chlorine to evaporate.

Once a day. If you use pellets, use four of them. Bettas will over-eat if given the chance.

Gravel and stones both work. Just make sure the gravel and/or stones aren't too small, or your betta may try to eat them.

Temporarily, yes. But as the fish gets bigger you'll want to upgrade the tank to at least 2.5+ gallons. Be sure to do daily 100% water changes with the 1 gallon tank.

Even though it may seem that your betta was happy in a 1 gallon, he most likely was not. Even if he was, a bigger tank would make him even more happier! It’s just like if you were to live in a closet since you were born. You wouldn’t know what it felt like to live in a bigger space, so you would be content with your surroundings. But if you finally walk out of that closet and see that there is a whole world to explore, you would definitely be much happier!

Rosetails have very flown, feather looking fins as deltas don’t. If you got your betta from a pet store, he most likely isn't a rose tail. Most popular pet stores don’t sell real rosetails, yet they label them as rosetail.

This means you betta is happy and healthy, this also means it can breed. If you are interested in breeding read how to selectively breed a betta fish.

You can try to lure it out with food, live or not live. If your Betta is hungry, he or she will go after the food.

I would wait 15-30 minutes after adding conditioner so the water can settle. And always remember you can't overdose conditioner.

Add gravel, then the decor, then water. The decor might not sink if you put the water first. Also, with the decor, cover the bottom part with gravel to keep it in place when water is added.

Check the fins. Baby veiltails usually have the long anal fins adults have, while rosetail babies still have the big tail.

If it is a male, he might make bubble nests. Happy bettas swim and explore a lot, swim up to the tank to get a good look at you, eat as much as you'll let them, are healthy, and might do a little wiggle dance when they see you.

A healthy betta doesn't have eye popping. Consult Prevent and Treat Popeye in Betta Fish .

Your betta will have a bigger belly than normal if overfed. If you overfeed it, it is okay to skip feeding once a week until it returns to normal.

No, you add a little bit of water and then wait 15 minutes. Don't add too much water, because that can cause the fish to go into shock.

Yes, and you definitely should because they need hiding places. Do not put the tank in sunlight or else the fish will die because of poor water conditions.