Archive for: December 2006

There is an old saying — ” one must know how to ‘ rear water ‘ before he learns how to rear fish “. Although betta is a very hardy fish that can survive with very little water , we must understand more about water chemistry so that we can enjoy our fish keeping hobby better. This is especially important if one were to breed the new generation of bettas like halfmoons. Because of its huge finnage , halfmoon betta fish needs very good water condition.

Ammonia is the result of fish waste and decomposing food in the aquarium. Ammonia is fatal to fish , it is the number one killer. New tanks need to be conditioned first before introducing any livestock. This is true for a typical aquarium. However in the case of betta , we normally house them in smaller containers or tanks , then an overnight aged water will do.

Normal tap water contains chlorine. Leaving the water overnight and gently bubbling (optional ) it will expel the chlorine.

Betta are generally very adaptable to slight variation to PH. Typically PH should be at about neutral. There is no requirement to raise or lower PH for betta keeping , so long as you do not subject your betta to sudden PH change.

Ensure no overfeeding and remove excessive food if uneaten.

There is lots to discuss about water chemistry - ammonia , nitrite , nitrate , PH , chemicals and heavy metals in water etc. … which will be reviewed in next few posts in this category.

 

Like humans , betta needs variety of food at different stages of its life. What food do you feed to your betta frys once they are born ? How , and what do you feed them at this very young age ? How do you progressively change its food as they grow bigger ? These questions are really Food for Thoughts for you and your bettas …

Betta is carnivorous and it feeds on live food in the wild. Dried food or flakes are generally not preferred , tough you could train them to take dried food. In nature bettas feed mainly on mosquitoes larvae and other live food like daphnia , tubifex and worms.

Daphnia are small freshwater crustaceans and are found in ponds or rivers. They are one of the important food source for bettas in the wild. In today’s environment you may not be able to get this live food at all. What are the alternatives ?

Other betta food includes vinegar eels , grindal worms , white worms and brime shrimps which are especially important to young betta fish. How do you culture or hatch these ?

We shall review the know-how of getting these food sources to your beloved betta fish in the next few posts in this category.