BETTA 101 | How To Care For a Betta

Heidi's Fish Tank

So you want to set up a betta fish tank. There is so much conflicting information about betta, sometimes called siamese fighting fish, care. So I thought I would do my best to represent all sides of the betta controversy so you figure out everything you could possibly need to take care of a betta in this betta 101 video. JOIN OUR NEW BETTA FACEBOOK COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BettaFishBasics/ FISH CARE GUIDES PLAYLIST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYJ0mGoQuZw&list=PLXrMDdnqxmKCDVTXF2MIYq3dg9-mhZH1x THE STUDY(please note that this study is far from perfect it's just the best I could find.): http://www.maryvillecollege.edu/media/dsx/manager/Faculty/NaturalSciences/dcrain/Undergraduate_Research/Dolan2015.pdf VIDEOS MENTIONED LEARN ABOUT THE NITROGEN CYCLE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCqxuguzgUk&index=7&list=UUuBUqAUBH7TTOdDfS1g3GYQ ALL ABOUT NATURAL AQUARIUMS BY AQUARIUM CO-OP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT5ow2ZI1Oo CREATIVE PET KEEPING'S DIY SPONGE FILTER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkmUUo3xMEI LIFE WITH PET'S DIY SPONGE FILTER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmXWmgOJAcY CHANNELS MENTIONED: INGLORIOUS BETTAS: https://www.youtube.com/user/Skylrrider/featured BLAZING BETTAS: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC79DFylxDRPdI_Y9ZmGMClw CREATIVE PET KEEPING: https://www.youtube.com/user/CreativePetKeeping LIFE WITH PETS: https://www.youtube.com/user/gardnerk9 3.5 gallon kit($19 on sale now, includes lid, filter, & light): http://go.magik.ly/r/heidikimtv/34153/ Or 10 gallon kit($29 includes lid, filter, & light): http://go.magik.ly/ml/4vmo/ Heater($13.99 for 2-5 gallons): http://go.magik.ly/ml/4vmj/ Dechlorinator: http://go.magik.ly/ml/4vmn/ Test kit: http://go.magik.ly/ml/4vmm/ Food: http://go.magik.ly/ml/4vmp/ Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/heidikimTV Check out my other channels Parenting channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/heidikimTV Vlogging channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/SuddenKimpact Makeup channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/HeidiKMakeup *contains affiliate links

BETTA 101 | How To Care For a Betta 162 9

Betta 7 years ago 7,644 views

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Mika Chan - 7 years ago

thanks for ur advice dear

Andrea Shelton - 7 years ago

I have a half moon...pink face, blue marking on white, with white to clear edged fins. I named him Murphy after Corey’s Puffer. One of the things I love most about Bettas, is their personality.

Andrea Shelton - 7 years ago

Thanks for this vlog

Aimee Banovsky - 7 years ago

BET TA

Mcrish Plays - 7 years ago

I have a beta called Fred

Ruzselle dela Cruz - 7 years ago

Would you need a heater if ur house temp is really hot?

Cham Toreno - 7 years ago

Thoughts on Marimo moss?

Joni 19 - 7 years ago

i had a male betta. he is micro he is still living in a small container T_T i tried

Rachel Speedy - 7 years ago

I have a 40 gallon tank, it seems ridiculous to invest in a smaller tank, will this work for my beta? I had a hamster in their when I was in high school, but now I'm in collage and I'm looking for a low matinace pet.

10. comment for BETTA 101 | How To Care For a Betta

Fun Kids tv - 7 years ago

You are the coolest do bigger vids plz i love this

sasi rooban - 7 years ago

That some person is u?

coolowlbro - 7 years ago

This is wonderfully informative, thank you so much!

Carolyn Bolden - 7 years ago

Thank you for posting. Best Betta video I've seen so far. My Veil Tail "Lucci" is happy with your advice

Recklessly Arrogant - 7 years ago

I'm not a beginner, I have 6 bettas and been doing this for two years all ten gallon tanks. Watching this video only because I enjoy watching people talk about something that they have knowledge in like this video is great please everyone with a new betta do what she says. Thumbs up.

SquirtleBro9000 - 7 years ago

Thank u for adding link this helps me soooooo much

fil - 7 years ago

would you recommend that for beginners to use silk plants instead of real ones? or do the real ones help with water levels and stuff?

Fashionix03 - 7 years ago

Filzah Abdul ive had many betta fish and silk plant/not real plants are just as fine! if you want to add some really low maintenance live plants get marimo moss balls!! they are actually algae balls but are living and are great for bettas, cycling water and you can get them on amazon which is cheaper but also available at most pet stores

Cattedtatlady yyy - 7 years ago

Love your informative videos! I would love if you filmed with your tanks as a background and maybe a camera angle change

Stephanie Marzell - 7 years ago

I currently have 2 crown tail bettas, Spencer & Sinclair. They each have their own planted 10 gallon tank. Sinclair had a severely damaged face. I found him at Walmart, it looked like his entire face had been ripped off along with his top lip. All he had were 2 huge black eyes. He was very pale and almost lifeless. I wasn't sure if he would make it but he looked at me with those eyes and I had to try! 2 years later he's still going strong, although his face is disfigured. He has TONS of personality!!!

Toyricx - 7 years ago

any ideas for a betta name

20. comment for BETTA 101 | How To Care For a Betta

Awkward Turtle - 7 years ago

anyone else think the thumbnail said betta LOL

Svartr - 7 years ago

I have a Half-Moon Betta named Jordache - his colours are like that of faded old blue jeans with some red accent on his dorsal fin and a bald, pearly green face. He was a complete impulse buy several weeks ago and I was not planning to get him! But my brain zeroed in on him out of a wall of other Bettas while I was looking for cat supplies in a pet store.

In Canada, it seems fish supplies such as aquariums are pretty much at least twice as much as what they can be found in the US. A very basic 10 gallon set-up ended up costing just under $100 when I first got back into keeping fish in October 2016. So, with that said, it's really going to be different price-wise depending on where you live (I sooo wish we had $1/gallon sales here).

I agree that it's possible to keep small tanks cycled - my Betta is currently being kept (temporarily) in a 1 gallon acrylic cube with a DIY filter that has BB seeded filter material from a well established 10 gallon aquarium (see above) that houses Harlequin Rasboras and RCS. I also scooped out some of the gravel and that helped get the 1 gallon cycled in under 48 hours and my water parameters have been steady since. We're having a warm summer so ambient temperatures are keeping his water at 78F so I don't need to worry about getting a heater just yet (but will be a definite must by the time September hits).

I just recently, as of a few days ago, bought a new ten gallon for Jordache and currently have a small sponge filter in the established tank to get seeded up with bacteria. He's doing great in his temporary 1 gallon home and even healed a hole in his tail since I've had him, so I'm not at all concerned about his health until his 10 gallon is good to go. I do think people are very quick to judge others when they don't know the full story or circumstance of others. I personally think pet stores heavily market Bettas as a cheap, impulse buy pet and that leads to many beginners not providing the best they could for their Betta. I like your approach to gently educating and not shaming people who don't know.

Lesley Avila - 7 years ago

I would like to see your fish they never seem to be in your videos

Princess Lunchbox - 7 years ago

I have to say I was quite surprised by how accurate this was. Most people get it wrong. Also thank you for distinguishing between breeders and hobby keepers. I have my fish jarred for a month of growing out before selling and in my 1 gallon jars I'll do 100% water changes every other day I want to touch on two quick things though. First of all tank size. Though 2.5 is the minimum for a hobby keeper. I've been keeping and breeding for about 20 years and in my own personal experiences I've found keeping males in 5 gallons, with lots of live plants, filtration, brackish water, temps of 80-84, feeding a predominantly frozen diet (brine shrimp, bloodworms, beef heart) supplimented with live (white worms, grindal) and vitamins while also getting daily stimulation by seeing other bettas leads to them living well over 8 years. I have also kept males in those same conditions in 2.5 and they only lived 4-6 years. Same diet, able to see other bettas a few times a day yet my 5 gallon males consistently lived much longer than my 2.5 gallon males. I now keep all my breeder or retired males in planted 5 gallons. Just my personal experience.

Princess Lunchbox - 7 years ago

Svartr Svartr I believe it has something to do with the fact that they are far more active in 5+ gallons. Think of it this way if you have a dog that you exercise daily chances are it will be healthier and live longer than other dogs of the same breed who didn't get daily exercise and weren't in as good shape. I believe it has much to do with this and also their diet and water conditions. I started breeding as a young girl and made many mistakes along the way but I kept diligent notes and have noticed many things that made my fish live longer, healthier lives. What I feed and how I keep my water plays a huge role in my fish living as long as they do. In a 5 gallon they get a few extra years, but the biggest change I saw in my fish was when I started mixing "brackish" water and feeding more whole foods while avoiding pellets. I still believe that if you're just owning on a hobby level you should try to give each of your betta 5+ gallons. They are just so much more active and the males from my 5 gallons could always breed much later in life and were active and spunky up until death whereas my 2.5 gallon kept males tended to stop breeding around 3 and would have declining health further down the road. If you're gonna own a pet why wouldn't you try to give it the best life possible and with most (keep in mind I said most) cage/tank/terrarium kept critters bigger is always better.

Svartr - 7 years ago

You obviously have tons of experience with Bettas then! I think anecdotal evidence is valuable and should be considered when researching and you seem to have a strong case to support that bigger is ultimately better. I'm wondering if you could share your thoughts on WHY you think your 5 gallon males lived longer... thanks!

Jenn - 7 years ago

I have a male betta ,his name is Bagel, and he was originally sold to me as a "paradise male" ( i got him from petco, my petco is actually pretty nice to the betta fish but they still keep them in death cups :/ ), but I have identified him as a delta tail, mustard gas male. Bagel lives in a five gallon fluval chi tank ( fluval chi tank is not the best tank but it works out. It gets quite a lot of algae on the light tho. the light in in the tank :/ ). I have had him for about two months now, and he for some reason has recently (like two days ago) started to fin bite pretty bad. his back fin looks like it has been shredded. He has all soft plants and only lives with two amano shrimp. Does anybody know what could be going on? I did do a huge water change ( i normally do smaller water changes more of the time) but i was gone for several days (with my mom taking care of Bagel) and the tank got heavily hit with algae. maybe he has anxiety from the big water change?

Jenn - 7 years ago

thx! I will try to do 50% water changes every other day but the tank is too small for any more decorations and there isn't a place near me where i can get that kind of live plant :( i will try and go online and look for a place that sells duckweed tho. i don't have another tank to put the shrip in (except for my brothers tank but if i put them in there im afraid they might get eaten). i have been putting aquarium salt in the tank with every water change but hopefully the salt will work better with the 50% water changes every other day. and sadly i don't have a gmail or any other kind of social media except for this. :(

Princess Lunchbox - 7 years ago

Bagel the Betta Sounds like the tank is trying to cycle and perhaps has caused your fish to get some fin rot. The nitrites should be 0. If I was you I would do a 50% water change every other day until the nitrites are 0. Live plants can help, duckweed especially is like a sponge for ni and na. I really respect you for being a first time betta keeper and trying so hard to do it all correctly. Your dad (sounds like an big hobby keeper) should be proud. Do you have the ability to move the shrimp to another tank temporarily? Adding aquarium salt at a dose of 1 tablespoon salt per 5 gallons of water will help Bagels tail heal faster, but I don't think the shrimp are good with salt. I don't always get notifications on this so if you want to email me directly bigcitybettas@gmail.com I can help you troubleshoot further and maybe give more detailed instructions. Amber

Jenn - 7 years ago

i have checked the parameters (with my dad helping me cuz im a first time fish owner besides a goldfish that lived in a 30 gallon when i was 3 and my dad has had THOUSANDS of fish ) and ammonia was 0, nitrite was 2, and nitrate was 7.8 on the low one, and 4 on the high one so i put in an extra almond leaf. so far his tail hasn't gotten worse, but it hasn't gotten better either :/

Princess Lunchbox - 7 years ago

Bagel the Betta You said he's a delta tail, is his caudel overly heavy and drapey? Also what are your parameters? Ammonia, nitrites and nitrates would be helpful.

Svartr - 7 years ago

It's possible the large water change stressed him out - sometimes, it can be better to do smaller but more frequent water changes. Do you know what your water parameters are? Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate?? Some betta may also self-dock their own tail if they're having issues swimming with it. I'm also wondering if your algae growth might be from too much light - maybe adjust the amount of time the light is on and definitely move or shade any natural sunlight that might be reaching the tank. I have no experience with armano shrimp so no clue if they're contributing to the problem. Indian almond leaves might be a good addition to consider as it will help calm any irritation and help prevent infection from the tail biting.

bryan depew - 7 years ago

Bagel the Betta k

Littlebean and Me - 7 years ago

I just came back to watch this video - i just decided yesterday to use my 10g that has been sitting around (since we upgraded to the 65) and i saw a BEAUTIFUL dragonscale betta male with an iridescent white/brown dragonscaling with red fins. Huge fins. He has some damage from living in the cups at the pet store, but i'm sure they'll start repairing now that his water quality is better. I named him Drogon :) He lives in our kitchen now and it's perfect. Anyway, I found this super helpful! I just rewatched Cory's video on substrate yesterday too because i decided to plant this tank. I love his channel. He is so informative (as you are too!)

Thunderflash85 - 7 years ago

I have a betta it's a veil tail and its name is comet

Thunderflash85 - 7 years ago

Ummm

Michelle Beno - 7 years ago

I have a ten gallon for my soon to be here betta fish! I'm not a new fishkeeper but this will be my first betta! I'm using a ten gallon because I want a heavily planted tank and possibly tank mates (not sure yet). Also- It's what we had the most spare parts for (filter, light, hood , etc) I found you on my youtube Betta care videos binge & love your content! Currently my tank is in the first few days of it's nitrogen cycle. I can't wait for it to be stable so I can go purchase a betta! :)

Mark's Fish Keeping UK - 7 years ago

I have subscribed to your channel :)

Heidi's Fish Tank - 7 years ago

+Mark's Fish Keeping UK thanks so much for subscribing. Welcome!

30. comment for BETTA 101 | How To Care For a Betta

ladyblakeney - 7 years ago

Currently have two betta fish, one I had planned for months ahead and gathered things slowly for, did tons of pre-fish research, and got everything set up perfectly . . . and then one I got from a friend who didn't want hers anymore and was like, "YOU LIKE FISH? PLEASE TAKE MINE!" Their names are Giorgio (my planned for half-moon) and Belushi (a very fat, very ragged-finned crowntail--I think he had tail or fin rot and never quite grew everything back). I've been slowly doing tank upgrades on Belushi's tank--he came with very few decorations--but the current crisis is my poor little Giorgio, who has somehow developed a bacterial infection of some kind. :/ The people at the local pet store know me on sight by now, I've been in so often these past few months!

ladyblakeney - 7 years ago

Thanks! I'm focusing on keeping up with water changes for both of them, and we'll see how they heal from there. I just finished dosing Giorgio's tank with an antibiotic, so hopefully there will be improvement pretty shortly!

Heidi's Fish Tank - 7 years ago

+ladyblakeney How precious! Great job doing your research and rescuing your little Belushi. The biggest thing that will help both of them heal is good water quality and proper temperature. Sounds like you're already ahead of the game.

Cichlids 5 Aquatics - 7 years ago

I have 5g with heater and Aqua clear 20

Cichlids 5 Aquatics - 7 years ago

I put it on low flow rate

Heidi's Fish Tank - 7 years ago

+Cichlids 5 do you find the aquaclear 20 to be too strong? Did you have to buffer the filter?

Janet McNulty - 7 years ago

I love the way you make water chemistry seem do-able ! I didn't know about the cycle with my 1st tank but thankfully was told about the API test kit. All the tetras survived the venture with a TON of water changes and testing. They are forever my heros for that. Now, 6 months later, I am on Day 3 of using ammonia to cycle a new tank. Thanks for all the info !

Missy Bowling - 7 years ago

I have two Betta fish. Both Male. One is a blue/white Marble Crown tail. His name is Einstein. I also have a black and blue Veiltail name Darwin. They live in separate five gallon aquariums are quite spoiled. Love Bettas.

Heidi's Fish Tank - 7 years ago

+Missy's Channel oh my gosh I LOVE your fish names! My husband studied molecular and cellular biology in school and both our daughters are named after scientists.

Kyle's Fish room - 7 years ago

Great video Heidi, your a natural on camera

Heidi's Fish Tank - 7 years ago

+Kyle's Fish room thanks Kyle. I have some practice from other channels but I love filming videos.

Jacqueline Phillips - 7 years ago

Totally fangirling right now!! Yay!! Thank you for making this video!!

Heidi's Fish Tank - 7 years ago

+Jacqueline Phillips I hope it was helpful. It can be a little controversial

Heidi's Fish Tank - 7 years ago

Do you have a betta? What kind? What's it's name?

Cactiss - 7 years ago

Heidi's Fish Tank i have 4! Paul, Clyde, Drago, and a lady fish we havent named if anyone has a suggestion

Ashley Strickland - 7 years ago

Heidi's Fish Tank I own a Velta tale betta male named Mushu

QudsiaA - 7 years ago

lily

QudsiaA - 7 years ago

berry the veiltail

TheCavyShack - 7 years ago

Heidi's Fish Tank
Yes I have a Dragon Scale male betta, named Camo like camouflage.

Junpei Kun - 7 years ago

Asmodeus the Crowntail

Jxssie Playz - 7 years ago

I Have A Paradise Male Betta Fish! His Name Is Fin! I Named Him Fin Because He Was In A Bin!

Recklessly Arrogant - 7 years ago

I have 6 tanks. Rex, black, bubbles, Dixie, sandy, and emerald.

Porcelain Doll - 7 years ago

I have two bettas. One is a veiltail blue and red male named Walter because he's grumpy . I also have a red and emerald green plakat male named flipper because one of his fins is smaller then the other one.

Olivia Butcher - 7 years ago

I have a female veil tail named Angus

RoboticMoon - 7 years ago

Heidi's Fish Tank i got a half moon betta named Lupin III! (named after a cartoon character, not because i had two fish before him named lupin.. i didn't. lol this is my first betta fish.)

D i m a - 7 years ago

+Heidi's Fish Tank I have betta fish. Two crown tails there names are spike and frost

Aliya and Anna - 7 years ago

A purple/pink veil tail named Jesse

Brengga - 7 years ago

Toyricx How about Marco?

Toyricx - 7 years ago

i have a purple veil tail betta with no name any ideas

Daxisapit AJ - 7 years ago

I have a 4 year old male crowntail! His name is Sebastian.

Karem Hernandez - 7 years ago

Heidi's Fish Tank dragon scale , name is Harry

Jacrouls's Fish life - 7 years ago

I have a dumbo half moon male and his name is aroww

Evelyn - 7 years ago

Betelgeuse the Delta Tail male

Debbie Clayton - 7 years ago

I have a betta that I keep in my classroom during the school year. He is a red crowntail and the kids named him "fish stick".

Jenn - 7 years ago

I have a male betta that was originally sold to me as a "paradise male" but that's a marketing name. I have identified him as a delta tail mustard gas male, and his name is Bagel and I love him.