Betta Fish Bowls

Betta Fish Bowl Maintenance

2007-01-15T12:53:00.000-05:00

A Betta fish is probably the most ideal fish for a bowl or small aquarium available. They are simple to keep, beautiful, and interact with the owner (they make great pets). Bettas also take up little space and are inexpensive to keep.

Maintaining your fish bowl can be difficult sometimes. However, your fish bowl should be kept as hygienic as possible. Doing so should help prevent any health care problems for your fish. When you are cleaning your fish bowl, do it as quickly as possible, because it is dangerous for your fish to be out of its fish bowl. Only clean your fish bowl with a cleaner that is safe for your fish.

When buying any pet, planning is necessary. Fish are not the exception to this rule. Their habitat might be very self-contained, but it is to be their home nonetheless. Temperature, space and environment are all key factors in ensuring a long life. For your fish's sake buy a book or use the internet to look into some of the basics of simple cold water fish care.

Water is a prime example. To many of us water's water, right? Well, no. You wouldn't plunge a new baby into a freezing cold bath and you shouldn't do the same to a fish either. If your goldfish comes in a plastic bag, float it in the bowl for some time before opening it, so that the bag temperature and the water temperature closely match. And that's before we even get on to acidity and alkalinity: pet shops again can provide solutions to test for these, as waste products and plants can change the nature of the water as, once again, changes aren't good for your fish's health.

Then there's the bowl. Fish bowls are the single most important factor in your fishes happiness and health. No other decision you make as a fish owner will be as important as what fish bowl you get for your fish. Many new buyers purchase the smallest round bowls, with little thought of how many fish they will be containing. Fish need their space too. Any reasonable pet shop will tell you the capacity for a size of fish in each bowl or tank and normally it will surprise you. Don't be conned by the old five second memory myth: as a child I had a fish that miraculously survived and swam for years around a murky round bowl. My parents eventually relented and bought a tank. My poor Goldie (original naming) couldn't cope - it kept hitting into the glass as it no longer had any idea how to turn round on its own. It died within days, unable to even properly raise itself to the surface for food. These fish develop habits that they can't change five seconds later.

I recommend at least a ½ gallon (2 liter) bowl for Bettas, although plenty of aquarists are successful with smaller bowls. Your large pea sized gravel or glass marbles for ease of cleaning. A small plastic plant or even a sprig of live anacharis makes a good plant decoration (make sure there is lighting overhead or the bowl is near a window for the plant to thrive). A ceramic ornament is nice too.

Plants, rocks, bits of wood: all of these provide the owner with additional things to look at and your fish with a more pleasurable environment to live in. All cost very little. Wash them and your bowl or tank regularly, especially if you haven't got a filter to do it for you, or an air pump to oxygenate the water. This will help stop the spread of illnesses and diseases, treatments for most of which can also be bought at most pet shops.

Filtration:

Sponge filters excel as small tank or bowl filters, for a betta, there is no better filter in my opinion. They are excellent bio filters and good mechanical filters in small aquaria. As for under gravel filters, there are small ones made for bowls or small tanks, but they take more maintenance than sponge filters (debris tends to collect under the plate). UGFs are more difficult to clean in small aquaria, as they are best maintained by vacuuming, which is difficult in bowls or small tanks.

A temperature between 70 and 80 F is best. For a bowl this is not really possible, just try and keep your bowl in a warm room of your house. If this is not possible, here are a few suggestions: An infrared reptile heat lamp works great placed in a desk lamp near your betta with a small thermometer in the bowl to know how to distance your heat lamp.

Cleaning;

Change water at least weekly. In a bowl, I gently dip the betta out of the bowl with some water, then swirl the bowl marbles or gravel around and dispose of most of the remaining water. Then de-chlorinate the water with Start Right or a similar product and make sure the water is the same temperature as the water containing your betta. After this, add your betta back slowly and gently, including some of the water your fish is in.

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Caring For Your Betta Fish Tank

2007-01-11T14:24:00.000-05:00

by Phyllis Wasserman

How to check aquarium water Today, aquariums have advanced to the point that the tanks are self-sufficient. Water conditions are important to check, since in each area of the world, water is different. In fact, some area waters are more contaminated than other areas. The types of fish factors into water, as well plants play a role too. Tetras is a type of fish, which naturally habitats in rainwater, or when in aquariums the fish enjoys soft waters. Therefore, when you test waters for these fish make sure that the waters are soft.

Cichlid is another species of fish that prefer harder water. The specimens came from the Rift Valleys of Africa, which contains dissolved salt. The salt was available from natural sources, such as lakes and rock lining.

How do I avoid hardening the water? If you want hard waters, then do not add limestone. Limestone should be avoided, especially if you intend to use it as rocks or gravel.

How can I tell the condition of waters after testing pH? After you test the waters, pH readings should give you a figure. If the number is below seven, then the water is acidy. If the figure is higher than seven are then the water is alkalinity or alkaline. The neutral pH figure is pH7. If the water conditions are below or higher than this figure then your water is too alkalinity and/or acidity. If you maintain a correct temperature and balance of water, your fish and plants will live long and healthy. More...

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Freshwater Fish In Your Tank
by Phyllis Wasserman

Advantages of choosing freshwater fish is that the fish will adapt nearly to any type of aquarium. In addition, freshwater fish are easier to take care of then saltwater fish. Accordingly, freshwater fish are ideal for beginners. Freshwater fish include the tropical and coldwater fish. Regardless of the type of fish you decide to raise however, you want to consider tanks first. Saltwater fish tend to do best in Reef tanks. Reef tanks have underwater ridges, which are similar to ocean ridges, in that the reef tanks include rock and coral. The tank is filled with water, and the top of the water is just above or below the surface.

Goldfish would not benefit from reef tanks, since these fish receive their oxygen intake from the surface of the aquarium.

Brief Goldfish History Goldfish are diminutive ornamental fish, which are generally orange-red. The fish come from native eastern Asia waters, which these fish are commonly stored in tanks, aquariums, or ponds. Goldfish got its Latin name from Carassius Auratus.

When considering aquariums you want to make sure that you know what to avoid when spotting the tank. For instance, it is recommended that you do not store the aquarium near doors, windows, or heaters. In addition, you should store the aquarium in an area of your home were the room temperature remains constant. When you purchase your aquarium, make sure you consider medicines, equipment, food, electricity supply, filters, and so on. Gravel, floss, buffers, and filters should be on the list as well. The most important thing you will need outside of food is filters. The filters help to keep your aquarium free of algae and harmful chemicals. Online you will find a wide assortment of external, internal, and under-gravel filtration systems. In addition, if your tap water is unclean, you may need to purchase a water purification system. Otherwise, you can take certain actions to eliminate a great amount of chemical production from the water. More...

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Maintain Aquariums and Fish Care
by John Ugoshowa

The tools you will need to maintain your aquarium include; siphons, scraper, net, bucket, water treatments, and so on. You will also need filters, gravel, ornaments, air pump, plants, etc. The filters will help you to keep out unwarranted chemicals. In all you can purchase biological, chemical, or mechanical filters. The filters help to remove waste, such as debris and ammonia. The filters include under-gravel, internal, and external filters. The better choice filters is the external filters, yet these filters more costly than the internal and under-gravel filters. In addition, you are recommended to combine under-gravel filters with either the internal or the external filters.

How to choose gravel It is recommended that you purchase gravel from local pet stores, since the people working at the pet store can give you the best direction. However, most people prefer the pre-washed products. If you purchase non-washed gravel, you will need to boil, cleanse, and prepare before using. Therefore, pet stores offer you the best products, since the wrong gravel could also affect the pH water levels in your tank. When pH is not balanced it will affect your fish. Still, if you purchase pre-washed gravel, make sure you rinse it before putting the gravel into the tank.

How do I choose ornaments? Like gravel, you may have to boil particular ornaments before inserting them into the fish tank. Therefore, it is recommended that you seek advice from the pet store reps, or else read the labels. More...

Caring For Your Betta Fish Tank

Betta Fish Bowls

2006-12-19T16:15:00.000-05:00

Betta Fish Bowls

Let me guess. You brought home your first fish today. It's a Betta Fish ( Betta Splendens ) , also known as a Siamese Fighting Fish, sometimes erroneously called a Chinese or Japanese Fighting Fish. Sometimes spelled as Beta, one t removed. All in all you have a lovely looking fish and it is no doubt housed in a vase with an easter lilly or some water loving plant sticking out the top. The store you bought it in assured you that the Betta fish was fine with the vase, actually loved the plant, was all in all just okee dokee with the whole set up. Come back in a week and I'll explain why your Betta is no longer with you. No wait... that would be fish murder and I don't want that on my head.

First things first. Your Betta fish is not a happy camper and does not want and certainly doesn't need a plant sticking out of his home. I say 'his' because female Bettas are rarely sold in stores as they don't have the same striking display of fins and colours as the male Betta. Your betta will surely die if left in its current home. The plant will eventually spoil the water to toxic levels and as an added blow it will choke off your Bettas air supply. Unlike most fish your Betta is equipped with a lung like organ called a labyrinth organ which makes him an air breather. Bettas gather oxygen from the waters' surface using their upturned mouths. The plant only gets in the fish's way and eventually closes off all accessibility to the surface as the plant spreads out on the surface. Step 1 - ditch the plant, or better yet, take your Betta out and place him in a bowl for now.

Wait! Let's back up a step. Before transferring your fish you have a few tasks to complete. If you are using tap water you must de-clorinate the water. You can pick up the necessary chemicals for this proceedure at any aquarium supply shop. The water must then be aged for 24 hours by leaving it out. This simply gets it to room temperature. Bettas are tropical freshwater fish who live naturally in rice paddies and ponds in Thailand which means that they like warm water. 78 to 80 degrees is just about right. When these tasks are complete you can transfer your fish to his new abode. Oh wait. Did I mention that while your Betta can survive in a small bowl you will have to change the water constantly and clean it non stop in between water changes?

Here's the thing, your Betta poops. Poop accumulates and makes the water toxic for your fish. The smaller your bowl the faster the toxicity build up. If you are going to use a small bowl you will have to change out 1/2 the water every two days. The poop should be removed as soon as it is produced and all uneaten food must be removed after feeding. This can be a lot of work so maybe you should consider some alternatives.

A simple rule of thumb when it comes to housing fish is 1 gallon of water (4.5 ltrs) for every inch of fish (2.5 cm). Bettas average about three inches when grown so a 3 gallon bowl is your minimum size requirement. Yes this is a bit larger than the vase you brought your Betta fish home in. This is why it is a tragedy that so many Bettas are sold this way. These Bettas are serving a death sentence. Another rule of thumb is; the bigger the tank the longer it takes for the water to become toxic and the less frequent the water changes. Ok, now you have to decide, how much work do you want? My advice - get as large a container as you can handle or have room for and give your fish plenty of room to swim in while lessening your work load.

Water Temperature

The smaller the tank the faster the water can cool down or heat up. This is not a good thing as Betta fish do not respond well to drastic water temperature changes. A large body of water can keep a constant temperature much better than a small body can. Your bowl or tank should not be located in a window or next to a heater in order to avoid temperature fluxuations. You do not need a water heater with Betta fish. Place a light with a 25 watt bulb nearby to keep your water in the 78 - 80 degree range. The water will hold it's temperature through the night with the light turned off if you have a large enough tank.

Filters

One of the advantages of Bettas is that you do not need to filter the water. Regular water changes and tank cleanings are sufficient. Since your Betta obtains his oxygen from the waters surface the water does not need aeration. In the wild, Bettas live in slow moving environments and do not handle fast moving water such as that caused by pumps and filter systems very well. This is one of the main reasons they can survive so well in bowls by themselves whereas most tropical fish require heaters, pumps, filters etc.

This article should save your Bettas life but there is much more to learn. You will want to do a little research on food and diseases for starters. You can find everything you need to care for your Betta at the link below. Be sure that your Betta thanks you for taking the time to learn a few pointers about general Betta care and good luck.

You can find more information on Betta Fish Care at;
Betta Fish

Betta Fish Bowls

Betta Fish Bowls

2006-12-04T11:46:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my Betta fish bowls blog. Here you will learn about Betta fish bowls
and if you should choose an aquarium tank instead of your Betta fish bowls.