BASIC DECOR GUIDE

   AIR
       Betta fish needs access to air. This is due to their labyrinth organs, a lung like organ which developed to compensate for the oxygen poor waters of their natural habitats. Do leave room above the water for your betta to breathe, else they may drown!

   WATER CHANGES
       Water changes are a must. Water changes ensure that toxic ammonia, nitrite and nitrates are eliminated and is usually performed weekly, according to your tank conditions.

   Water Conditioner
       For most of us, the water that comes out of our taps contains an amount of chlorine/chloromine that is lethal to fish. This calls for the need of a water conditioner. Water conditioner neutralizes the chlorine in tap water. Try to look for a brand which takes cares of both chlorine and chloramine. Some water conditioners such as Prime by Seachem also locks down ammonia for a short period of time.

   Test Kits

       Test kits test water parameters such as ammonia, nitrite, nitrates, PH, Gh and KH. Knowing ammonia, nitrites and nitrates is important when cycling a tank. It is also good to have a test kit on hand to test for problems with the water parameters when you encounter a sick fish in your aquaria. These are recommended, but not needed.

   FEEDING
       Bettas should be fed a varied diet of highly nutritious foods. bettas are carnivores and should be fed a staple that is high in protein. It is important to check the ingredient label and verify that some of the first listed ingredients are indeed meat products rather than plant products.

   Quantity and schedule
       A betta's stomach is around the size of its eye. this means that it should not be fed too much at once. As the sizes of pellets vary, it is up to you, the owner to decide how big the stomach is, and feed accordingly. Over feeding can create water issues, constipation and bloat. Most feed their fish once in the morning and once at night. 

       It is recommended to give your betta a "treat" (such as freeze dried bloodworms) once a week in place of the usual pellets. It is also a common practice to fast (not feed) your betta once a week. 

   

INTRODUCTION TO BETTA CARE

BETTAS
    Betta fish are one of the hardiest fish in the aquarium hobby. Unfortunately, this is taken advantage of by the pet fish industry. Bettas are often marketed as low/no maintenance fish that can be kept in small glass bowls. This however, is very misleading and untrue.

    Comparatively, bettas are indeed one of the easiest fish to keep in the aquarium hobby. But, no matter how "easy" they are to care for, Bettas still need the basic, basic equipments for keeping tropical fish: heater, water, water conditioner, food and care. In this introduction to Betta care, we will walk you through these basic fish keeping necessities.

   ANATOMY

   HOUSING

       Never keep a male betta fish with any other betta fish, be it female or male. Bettas of either gender are aggressive to their own kind, and will readily fight to death in the limited confines of the home aquarium. Females can be kept together in a sorority if specific measures are taken.

      Bettas can also be housed in a divided tank or a community tank (usually 10 gallons or larger). As bettas are aggressive fish, care must be taken when introducing a betta fish in to a community tank.

   TANK SIZE

      Generally it is recommended to keep a betta in no less than 1 gallon of water. Larger and/or more active bettas will need bigger tanks. This is to ensure a stable environment for the fish as well as an ethically acceptable space for swimming and exercise. The bigger the tank, the less tank maintenance is needed.

      It is recommended for tanks 5 gallons and over to be cycled. It is possible to cycle smaller tanks as well, but such cycles are know to be less stable than that in a larger volume of water.

   Placement

      To prevent temperature fluctuation, tanks should be placed on a sturdy surface of contant temperature. Room heaters, windows, areas of direct sunlight or cold drafts should be avoided

   HEATING

      Bettas are tropical fish, this means that they should be kept in tropical temperatures. A good temperature for bettas is from around 76F to 82F. Many do just fine when summer temperature hits the 90s. A good betta environment should have as little temperature fluctuations are possible. With large fluctuations (especially on the cooler side) bettas may go into temperature shock. (think of it like a really sudden painful brain freeze o_O)

      In cold water (room temperature water is usually considered too cold for bettas) bettas will become lethargic and sickly.

   Heaters
       In the majority of cases, heaters are an integral part of fish keeping. They help maintain a stable water temperature and prevent fluctuations.

       A standard 25w adjustable heater works well in tanks 5 gallons (<20 Litres) and under a 50w will be good for a 5-10 gallon (20-40Litres) tank.

   Thermometer
   To know how warm the water is, you will need a thermometer.Checking the thermometer should be a daily habit as it is one of the primary indicators of a healthy betta environment

Deltas (D) & Super Deltas (SD) Betta

    Deltas (or "D") and Super Deltas (or "SD") are very similar to HM's but have less than a 180 spread when flared. Super Deltas are nearly an HM but not quite, Deltas are far less than an HM. Deltas and Super Deltas are differentiated from Veil Tails by the fact that if you drew a line from the nose to the tip of the caudal fin, on a Delta or Super Delta there would be an equal amount of fin on either side of the line, whereas on a Veil Tail there would be little tail at the top, and the majority below. 

     A Delta tail is the right name for any single tailed non-Halfmoon Betta. A non-Halfmoon is when the tail has straight caudal edges just like a Halfmoon, but they don’t reach 180 degrees.  

Double Tail Betta

     The double tail Betta, as you can tell by its name has its caudal tail split in two equal lobes rather than one. They have two caudal peduncles.

While flaring, their tail almost makes a full circle. They have shorter bodies than other tail types, leaving them more prone to Swim Bladder problems (read BETTA DISEASES). Double tail bettas are often crossed into other strains, as they have lovely broad dorsals.

      The Double Tail (or "DT") can be seen combined with Plakats, Halfmoons and even Crowntails. It is a genetic trait that causes the caudal fin to grow into two lobes rather than one. The genes that cause this also cause the body to be shorter and the dorsal and anal fins to be very broad. As the body is effectively stunted in length, DT's are more prone to  swimbladder problems and this also affects fry survival rates.

Crown Tail Betta

    The Crown Tail Betta has a striking, elaborate tail that differentiates it from other Bettas. The Crown Tail has a teardrop shape to its tail while the Twin Tail is split, almost giving the suggestion of having two tails. The Crown Tail Betta is a type of "Siamese" Fighting Fish. These fish have been bred over the years to enhance the fins and remarkable variety of colors of the males, as well as making them increasingly combative. Therefore, only one male should be kept in a tank; however, smaller, shorter-finned females may be housed together with caution. In addition, a male and a female should only be housed together temporarily for breeding purposes. Females can be as colorful as the males, although, they rarely have the long finnage that is seen with the males.

      An ideal environment for the Betta is a well-filtered aquarium that holds a steady temperature of between 75° and 86°F. Though the Betta is often sold in small bowls in department stores, for best care, Betta splendens should be kept singly in aquariums of at least 1 gallon. It also prefers a variety of hiding places amongst the foliage of freshwater plants.
      The Betta can be bred in the home aquarium. For breeding purposes, males and females can be temporarily housed together. Once laid by the female, the eggs are placed inside a bubblenest and tended by the male Betta. Fry appear in about 24 hours and must be fed very small food initially, such as crushed or powdered flakes and newly hatched brine shrimp. Fry will also take finely chopped hard-boiled egg yolk.
Provide the Betta with a carnivore diet consisting of a quality flake food, frozen or freeze dried bloodworms and brine shrimp.

Halfmoon Plakat Betta

   The Plakat, or Plakad, is a short-tailed Betta, and is the most closely related to wild Betta splendens or traditional fighting Bettas. Plakats can often be mistaken for female Betta to the untrained eye, however, males will display elongated ventral fins, a rounded caudal fin and a sharply pointed anal fin. The term Plakat is often abbreviated to "PK". There are 3 sub-categories related to this tail type. There is the traditional Plakat where the tail is rounded, sometimes with a point.

    Now, due to selective breeding and crossing, there is also the Half Moon Plakat (or "HMPK") where the tail has a 180 degree spread when flared and the Crown Tail Plakat (or "CTPK") has the tail is either rounded or with a 180 degree spread and with elongated rays giving it a "spiky" appearance.

Halfmoon Betta

    Betta fish are low maintenance, beautiful fish that can add personality and interest to your life or home. Often called Siamese fighting fish, Betta's are vibrant fish that can survive without the help of a filter or expensive aquarium filter, and they are the only fish that can do so well.
   Contrary to popular belief, goldfish do require filters to survive, although they can live shortened lives (by about 70%) in simple bowls. In my more naive days, I still believed the cartoons that portrayed happily swimming goldfish. It was a very Dr. Suess-esque dream that was shattered upon the rapid succession of goldfish terminations that I suffered. Calypso, Cinnibar and all the rest weighed heavily on my conscience until I discovered betta fish, more specifically, Halfmoon Betta Fish.

    Halfmoon betta fish are one of the rarest species of betta fish and weren't bred until the late 1980's. They are considered one of the prettiest species due to their often unusual coloring and 180 degree, fan-like tail. However, this can also make them somewhat expensive. I paid 13.99 for my halfmoon male betta, but it was worth it. He's a handsome fish and I've grown quite attached to him.
  Because of breeding efforts and the newness of the variety of bettas, they can be somewhat more susceptible to fish diseases, like ich. However, these diseases can be easily treated with medicines purchased at your local pet stores.

   Another unique attribute posessed by halfmoon's is their lack of aggression. Most betta's are known for their fighting flare and killer ways. Halfmoon Betta fish may still fight each other for a female, but they will be less likely to fight and less likely to kill or maim one another, which makes owning them a little less worrisome as you aren't as likely to lose your investment.