Giant Betta Fry
These Bettas come from Halfmoon giants lines and are just over a month old. They are a combination of Halfmoon Plakats and Longtail Halfmoons. They come from Sydney and if you’d like the full story here it is at My Bettas
Males
Females
Possibly Related Posts:
- Siamese Fighting Fish Tank
- Before You Buy Your Betta Fish
- How I set up my Betta Tank
- The Best Betta Tank Set up I could find
Siamese Fighting Fish Tank
If you’re new to Siamese Fighting Fish you may wish to read my 3 posts on Buying your first Betta Fish
After I set up my 4 Berth Siamese Fighting Fish Tank I wanted to set up a smaller tank to house just one male Betta Fish. Now if you find yourself in this situation you will be faced with myriad of choices and one of them may be the following. Many first time Betta owners are quite often tempted to go for a small glass or plastic container to house their new Betta and they’ll probably do it for two reasons.
Firstly, they may be talked into it at the pet shop by the sales assistant who will possibly say, “it’s all that’s required” and “Bettas actually prefer small containers”. So they’ll buy one of these small containers through ignorance or just through lack of credible information. Secondly they may do it because they want to take the cheap option and don’t want to spend the money on the extra equipment.
So if you find yourself falling into the first group then please take some time to read about how I educated myself about keeping Betta Fish. But if you find yourself falling into the second category then here’s how I went about setting up a Siamese Fighting Fish tank without breaking the bank.
The Tank
Therefore the first thing you will need is a tank and yes, size is important. Don’t go for anything smaller than 3.5 to 4 litres (1 gallon). I’ve touched on this before and I’ll say it again. If the person in the pet shop tries to tell you your Betta fish will be happy in anything smaller than this then they either don’t know what they’re on about or they’re just straight out lying. Remember, there is a difference between being happy and just surviving.
Now you can get a specific Siamese Fighting Fish tank if you want but it’s not necessary. Therefore if you want to save some money you have two options. First you can just use some glassware or plastic container you already have in your cupboard just gathering dust. This will cost you nothing and is exactly what we did when we bought Bubbles home. You should have seen him when he was introduced to his new home. He went from a depressed looking, inactive fish at the pet shop to an active, happy little Betta that swam around exploring his new bowl like he owned that world. To witness this, is proof enough that size does matter.
The next challenge you will have is heating. If you can keep your Betta tank in a position where the water temperature won’t drop below 20 C (68 F) then you probably won’t have to heat the water in your tank. If that’s the case for you all you’ll need to do is add some gravel, a plastic plant or two and on course some conditioned water. Therefore you end up with quite an inexpensive Siamese Fighting Fish tank.
If you happen to live in a cold climate though and don’t want to have to heat an entire room 24/7 then you will have to heat the water in the tank and this is why I elected to go with the following tank and the reason why is this. The heater I bought was better suited to a tank with straight sides.
Therefore this is what I found. A 12 litre (3 gallon) plastic reptile terrarium from a discount shop for just a few dollars. This tank also came with a plastic lid so my Betta couldn’t jump out, a small door on the top to make feeding easy and most importantly it had straight sides so the heater could be easily attached.
So if you want you can search around as I did and find an inexpensive container. You don’t have to spend a fortune and you certainly don’t have to keep your Betta Fish in a purpose built tank.
Now before we go any further, yes I know, it’s not very stylish. You probably wouldn’t place this in the best room of your house for you guests to admire but I keep this in my office near the computer so I’ve really only got myself to impress. Nevertheless this is quite functional and is just to show you what you can do if you want to. Get the picture?
If on the other you do want to keep him in a Siamese Fighting Fish tank and don’t want to pay pet shop prices then check online. There are deals everywhere in the internet and you can save quite a bit this way.
Therefore now you’ve got your tank and the first thing you will need to do is clean it. There will possibly be residue on it that may prove to be toxic to your Betta so the best way is to rinse it with hot water. Don’t use detergents or cleaning products. Just rinse it thoroughly with hot tap water. The same goes for everything else you put in the tank as well.
Heating your Siamese Fighting Fish tank
On the right is an example of the type of Aquarium heater you may wish to use. Now the first thing you may notice is this one is 55 W which is larger than necessary. A 25 W heater would have been more than sufficient for this size tank.
The reason I went for the 55 W was because it still fitted quite easily into the tank, it gave me the versatility to use it in a larger tank at a later stage (if required) plus it was only a couple of dollars more than the 25 W heater.
Also notice this heater is also submersible and comes with a built in thermometer. I’ve found heaters in stores that aren’t submersible and don’t have a thermometer. for about the same price I paid for this one. Therefore look for a quality heater and then look at sourcing it for a good price.
The other thing about heaters you will need to know about, is safety. We are talking about electricity and water here. Therefore read, learn, understand and know the safety instructions that come with your heater. This can be overlooked, so don’t underestimate the consequences of placing a damaged heater into the water of your fish tank.
Filtration

Filter & Air Pump with one way valve and air regulator to set air flow to filter. It is possible to buy air pumps with a knob that regulates air flow.
No you don’t have to filter the water in your Siamese Fighting Fish tank. Siamese Fighting Fish have evolved in shallow, stagnant water and as such don’t need filtration.
Having said that though, I have chosen to add filtration to my little tank for several reasons. Firstly, it helps keep the water clean, which means tank cleaning is easier and less frequent. Secondly I’ve chosen to add 2 small Bristlenose Catfish (they appreciate it) to the tank to help keep the algae at bay and thirdly it does allow for the build up of good bacteria in the tank which is beneficial to the long term health of your Betta.
Therefore I’ve just used a corner filter with filter wool and a layer of carbon pellets to help keep the water clear and absorb any odours that may occur. The other thing that’s required is a small air pump. I’ve also added a one valve which is recommended if the pump is placed below the water level and a small air flow regulator to adjust the airflow to the filter.
So you don’t have to use a filter and pump if you don’t want to but it will make the job of keeping the tank water clean, easier. The amount of required airflow to the filter isn’t great either and the air pump I’m using supplies more air flow than is really needed. That’s why I’ve added the small white plastic regulator.
Aquarium Plants
Aquarium Plants of course are optional. I’ve added them for several reasons. They help disguise the heater and filter, they add to the visual effect of the tank and it gives your Betta some privacy and security. And yes, just in case you’re wondering these little fish do have personalities so they can get stressed. That’s just another reason why small glass display containers aren’t a good long term option.
The other thing about aquarium plants is you can use either plastic or real plants. I’ve chosen plastic plants though for ease of maintenance. Plastic plants can however get a build up of algae growth though. This is where the Bristlenose Catfish comes in handy.
Now the other thing that I’ve done is modify the bases on the plastic plants I bought. You may not have this problem but just in case you do you may want to choose to follow what I did. Firstly, the bases of the plants used to secure them to the bottom on the tank where too small and too thick. As a consequence, I needed to add way too much gravel around the base just to secure them to the bottom.
Therefore I removed the old bases and replaced them with thin, flat pieces of plastic sheet that covered a larger area. As such, much less gravel was required to secure them to the bottom of the the tank. This I have found also has a positive benefit for the health of your tank. You see using a thinner layer of gravel makes it easier to clean your tank and vacuum out any fish waste or uneaten food.
Just one more point though, about plastic aquarium plants. Make sure you don’t buy them with sharp edges as they can cause damage to the fins of your Siamese Fighting Fish. Look for plants made from a soft plastic that won’t catch on the tail and fins of your fish.
Feeding Your Siamese Fighting Fish
What and how you feed your Siamese Fighting Fish does have an impact in the health of your tank.
Firstly, I’ve tried both the foods in the photo on the left.
I have a preference for the Freeze dried Black Worms and the reason why is this.
They float.
This means any left over food can be removed and doesn’t sink to the bottom and go rotton. The food on the right though, floats for only seconds and some even sinks straight to the bottom. It then falls in between the gravel and the Betta doesn’t even get the chance to eat it.
Therefore I go for the Black worms.
Tank Mates
As I’m sure you’re already aware you can’t keep two (or more) Siamese Fighting Fish together. Even if you have a large tank, don’t even think about it.
Keeping a group of females together can be a good solution. Now despite the fact that the females don’t have the spectacular finnage like the male you can still get some brilliantly colored females. Therefore a combination of differently colored females can be an option.
Keeping a group of females with your male isn’t recommended though. I remember when I first inquired at the pet shop about keeping Siamese Fighting Fish I was told that the ideal number was 1 male and 3 females. Apparently (as the story went) by having 3 females 2 could rest while the other was being chased by the male. The idea being they could take turns at getting chased.
Now does this sound like cohesive situation to you?
Therefore it may be best to steer away from this scenario unless you’re experienced in keeping Siamese Fighting fish and in a position to make a decision based on your experience.
Therefore pick your tank mates wisely. Probably the best solution is to go to your local aquarium and see what suitable tank mates for Bettas they have available. They should be able to advise you.
As a rule of thumb though, despite the name “fighting fish”, Bettas aren’t aggressive to most other fish. It’s more that fact that Bettas aren’t fast swimmers and can be threatened by other faster, more aggressive fish.
I’ve got two small Bristlenose Catfish in this tank and they get on just fine with the Betta. As I said before, the Catfish will help keep the algae away and despite not being the most attractive fish I still like them as they are interesting to watch. After all, your Betta fish is meant to be the star so you don’t want to try and out do him when it comes to who’s the best looking.
Water Quality
This is vitally important and just because Bettas live in shallow, stagnant water in their natural habitat, it doesn’t mean they prefer substandard water quality in a tank. They do prefer good quality water that isn’t contaminated with waste and rotton food. Also chlorinated water needs to be treated as well. Therefore you will need to treat the water.
Now if you want to investigate this further there are a myriad of considerations to take into account such as pH, ammonium, nitrate and nitrite levels. It’s also recommended you age your water as well before adding your fish as all these levels will fluctuate after the water has been initially treated.
I must admit though when I first researched this topic it left my head spinning. It appeared as if there was just so much to consider. What I did in the end was this. I added a conditioner that removed Chlorine, Chloramine and Ammonia, Detoxified Nitrate and Nitrite and Provided Slime Coat. I also added some Aquarium Salt and some Live Bacteria. It was as easy as that.
Now what you will need to do to your water though will depend on the quality of water you have available to you. So you will need to do some local research and your local aquarium may be the best place to ask.
The most important consideration is this. Keep your water clean as the quality of the water will have an effect on the health and life span of your Betta fish.
Conclusion
Keeping Siamese Fighting Fish can be very rewarding and how much pleasure you get from your hobby will be reflected by how well you look after your Betta. Bettas that get sick and die young obviously do have a detrimental effect (especially if they’re kids pets) so the idea should always be to keep your Betta comfortable and happy. That way they will stay healthy which at the end of the day will make things a lot better and a lot easier for you.
Setting up your Siamese Fighting Fish tank correctly will have an effect not only your Bettas health but also on how much work you have to do to maintain it. And remember, you don’t have to spend a fortune to make him happy. Therefore you just need to keep your Betta warm, give him some space to swim and make sure the water in clean. That way you’ll be well on the way to having a happy, healthy Siamese Fighting Fish tank.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Giant Betta Fry
- Before You Buy Your Betta Fish
- How I set up my Betta Tank
- The Best Betta Tank Set up I could find
How I set up my Betta Tank
Part 2 of 3 On buying your first Siamese Fighting Fish
Part 1. Before You Buy Your Betta Fish
Part3. The Best Betta Tank Set up I could find
The day had come to go to the aquarium and pick out our Siamese Fighting Fish and despite having researched the subject fairly thoroughly I was still fairly undecided as to the extent I was going to go with the tank set up. Basically, I was going to see what was available at the aquarium and then make a decision from there.
So when we got to the aquarium the story we got there was once again…….all that’s required is a small glass/plastic container that’s unheated and unfiltered. Now I must say that having done the research I was happy to concede that filtration probably wasn’t necessary in a small container but because we were coming into winter here in Melbourne heating definitely was going to be a good idea.
Therefore this is what we did. Firstly we purchased our new little Siamese Fighting Fish who my daughter straight away named “Bubbles”. Then we purchased some water conditioner, some Betta food, some coloured gravel and a small plastic plant.
THE BETTA TANK
Next up we had to get a small Betta Tank and this is what we did. My wife had a 5 litre glass bowl that was gathering dust in the cupboard that would be ideal, so that’s what we used.
Now when you go to the aquarium you will find all manner of small glass and plastic containers from the size of a glass of water (jar) to all the way up to sizes that are way too large. Therefore you’ll probably be encouraged to purchase a small container somewhere, between 1 and 2 litres (1 to 2 quarts) with a statement that goes something like, “from our experience anything larger than this is too large as Bettas prefer small containers”.
Well, really? You know I’ve now been keeping Bettas for about 2 weeks, as I write this and I reckon this statement is an urban myth. Why? well I’ll explain shortly. But first of all most Bettas enthusiasts recommend at least 1 gallon (about 4 litres) and I tend to think that’s fair.
So why is a 1 or 2 litre tank too small? Well everyone watches TV right and I’ll bet you’ve all seen prison shows before. So you’re well aware of how small most prison cells are right? Pretty small hey. You don’t even have to go to prison imagine how difficult it must be to be locked in a space that small. It would be a difficult existence. So why would you think that a fish would prefer a smaller space to a larger space? This is a ridiculous statement. So therefore the question should be what’s the minimum space you need to keep your Betta happy? Well as I said the consensus with most Betta experts is 1 gallon minimum (about 4 litres) and as far as I’m concerned that seems fair enough to me.
But just in case you don’t believe me this really became apparent to me when we placed Bubbles in his new bowl. In the aquarium Bubbles was in a glass jar and along with all the other Bettas there, he looked very depressed and inactive. Once we put him in his new 5 litre bowl he then came to life and started swimming all around. It was obvious he looked so much better in his new environment so that pretty much summed it all up for me.
Therefore don’t get conned into believing Betta fish are happy living in the hoof print of a Buffalo. They might survive in it but they won’t thrive in it and as you know there is a difference.
Therefore go for at least 1 gallon or what I’m about to show you in the next post. So please read on.
CONDITIONING THE WATER
The next decision was to do with conditioning the water. Many Betta experts recommend treating your water to remove chlorine and flouride and then waiting a week for the pH to settle and for good bacteria to build up before introducing your fish. Whether you decide to do this will depend on what your local water is like. I’d recommend you research this some more as water ain’t water everywhere you go.
Here in Melbourne our water quality is very good but it does have chemicals added. We have a filtration system installed at our house that removes all additives and impurities so I just added this purified water to the bowl along with some conditioner (just to make sure) and Bubbles was added just minutes later. Therefore Bubbles went into unconditioned water without any adverse effects but this obviously doesn’t mean that you will get the same result I did.
The other thing that I did was to tip the water from the aquarium down the sink as I didn’t want to add this water into Bubbles’ new home. This was to minimise the likelihood of adding any potential nasties from the pet shop into the new tank.
FILTRATION
Next up there was the question of filtration. Most of the opinions on this were in agreement. Small containers of about 4 to 5 litres won’t require it but you will have to change the water about once a week. Larger containers will be better with filtration and sponge filters are recommended as the sponge allows for the built up of good bacteria which is essential in a larger tank.
HEATING
The next question was heating. This is something I thought about long and hard. All the pet shops and aquariums told me it’s not necessary with Melbourne’s climate but I was very sceptical. Melbourne does have overnight lows of 0 C (32 F) during winter with the inside of our house dropping to about 10 C (50 F). Now Betta fish do come from tropical climates and I had read that the water temperature shouldn’t get below 18 C (64 F). Therefore an unheated tank probably wasn’t going to work.
The problem was this though, I couldn’t find a pet shop that sold heaters small enough for a 5 litre tank. On further investigation I was told that heating tanks this small was not a good idea as it caused problems but I believe the real reason was that the pet shops I asked didn’t stock heaters that were suitable. I did find a solution though but I’ll write about it on the next post but for the time being I decided to just try Bubbles out in his unheated tank overnight as we still weren’t into the cold weather yet.
Therefore Bubbles got to spend his first night in his new bowl without a heater and here’s how he faired.
That night the temperature inside the house dropped to 16 C (61 F), 2 C cooler that the recommended minimum so it was going to be interesting to see how Bubbles coped with the cold water temperature.
So the next morning when I went and checked on Bubbles and found him just sitting quietly on the bottom of his tank. Was he still alive? Obviously yes, as dead fish tend to float (I’m led to believe), but he certainly wasn’t moving. Maybe he was still asleep or was he just very cold? Anyway I decided to watch him for a while and tapped the side of the tank a few times. Still no movement. I then started to wonder what to do. It was obvious he wasn’t enjoying the cold as the side of his bowl felt colder that the 16 C room temperature and just waiting for the water in the bowl to warm up as the room warmed from the heater was going to take forever. Therefore I had to find a way to warm the water in his bowl.
So what I did was this, I filled the kitchen sink up with water that was a bit warmer than body temperature and then placed his bowl inside the sink. Within no time at all Bubbles came to life. You could see him moving his fins and then he started to swim. He looked so much happier. I then left his bowl in the water for awhile so it would warm all the way through and then placed it back on the table.
This little lessen had answered my question. I was going to have to get Bubbles a heater. Siamese Fighting Fish don’t like cold water. Bubbles had survived in 16 C water temperature for one night and for how many subsequent nights he would have survived I have no idea. And to be honest I wasn’t prepared to put it to the test. Therefore I had to find a way to keep the water in Bubbles tank warmer.
Therefore just in case you’re wondering what the recommended optimal water temperature for Betta Fish is about 26about 26 C (80 F). One source said the minimum temperature should be 20 C (68 F) and another 18 C (64 F) but from my experience 16 C seemed too cold.
So to summarise your Siamese Fighting Fish will be much better of if you can keep the water temperature above 20 C. Therefore if you live in a climate where the temperature drops below this then you have 2 options. You need to find a place in you house where you can keep the tank warm by some other means (don’t place it in sunlight though as this promotes algae growth) or you can heat the water with a water heater.
I chose the later and the next post describes how I did it.
The Best Betta Tank Set up I could find.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Giant Betta Fry
- Siamese Fighting Fish Tank
- Before You Buy Your Betta Fish
- The Best Betta Tank Set up I could find
The Best Betta Tank Set up I could find
Part 3 of 3 On buying your first Siamese Fighting Fish
Part 1. Before You Buy Your Betta Fish
Part 2. How I set up my Betta Tank
There are many different types of Betta fish tank set ups (some are better than others) but at the end of the day you will be limited by by what you can source. Therefore I’m not suggesting the Betta tank set up I came up with is the best way to house your Siamese Fighting Fish, it is just the best I could come up with at short notice. Nevertheless I still reckon it works pretty well.
Therefore the statement I’m about to make is a generalization but there is a very good chance that it may possibly apply to you so please take heed.
WARNING! Keeping Siamese Fight Fish can be addictive. There is a very good chance than after you buy your first Betta fish that you will then start looking at purchasing your second. That is of course if you just don’t walk out of the pet shop with more than one right from the start.
You see there are just so many different colour combinations and fin variations that you may find yourself becoming a collector (even just on a small scale). Therefore do yourself a favour and consider this tank combination right from the start. You see one of the reasons I bought my Betta Fish was I wanted to try breeding them (which I’ll write about soon) so not only did the below pictured tank solve my original problem of housing more than one Betta fish but it also solved my heating problem. You see this tank is larger which means I can now use 50 W heater.
This tank came with a build in sponge filter and air pump plus provision for a heater. Perfect! Now I can keep my Betta fish in clean, warm water and despite the fact that Betta fish like stagnant water, Bubbles seems to enjoy the pump inlet that enters into his quarter of the tank and quite often swims around the current at the top of the water.
Now the other thing about this tank that I should confess to you is that each compartment is 3.5 litres which is just under the recommended minimum, 1 gallon. Therefore at the risk of contradicting what I said earlier I have found this to be adequate as the Bettas are forever swimming around and seem quite active and happy.
This I feel is a good Betta set up. The only problem I can envisage at this stage is that because the water circulates from one compartment to the next, if one fish gets sick then the rest probably will as well. Therefore you may be better off buying your 4 Betta fish from the same source as inadvertently introducing 1 sick fish from a separate source will infect your other healthy fish.
Since we’ve bought Bubbles though, I have also purchased 3 other Bettas, of which I’m going to breed 2. And just in case you’re wondering, no I’m not going to use this tank for breeding. I’m currently preparing a breeding tank at the moment, so I will write about this soon.
So in summing up. If you’re thinking of buying a Betta Fish or several they are pretty easy to look after. The secret to keeping Betta Fish successfully though will come down to doing some quality research. If you have read this article though you obviously already know the value of research and sincerely hope that you have found what I’ve written to be of value to you.
The important thing to remember is this though, Betta fish will survive in a Spartan environment but their lifespan will be considerably reduced, keeping them in their optimum environment will increase their lifespan considerably but the good news is that I believe that there is middle ground but the only way to find the middle ground is to do your research properly.
For me middle ground was finding a cost effect method of housing my Betta Fish that requires a minimum of ongoing maintenance in an environment that I feel my fish are happy in.
There is much more to the story of keeping Betta fish than what I have written about here but the sources that I used for research were the internet, a very helpful breeder that I purchased my other 3 Betta fish from and a combination of 4 eBooks that I purchased online.
If you just want keep Betta fish (and not breed them) then there is plenty of free Betta information on the internet. The 4 eBooks I purchased were all very good, were inexpensive and best of all got straight to the point so for a small amount of money I saved myself the time of searching through multiple web pages and references that had straight to the point information intermingled with fluff.
Therefore if you like to get straight to the point when it comes to sourcing information I’ll soon do reviews on each of the eBooks so you can make an informed decision on which one offers the best information to for you.
Read more about Siamese Fighting Fish Tanks
Possibly Related Posts:
- Giant Betta Fry
- Siamese Fighting Fish Tank
- Before You Buy Your Betta Fish
- How I set up my Betta Tank






















