ZOO MED’S
GUIDE TO
BETTAS
by Ashley Rademacher
ZOO Med’s
GUIDE TO BETTAS by Ashley Rademacher
taBLe OF COntents Introduction .............................................................................1 Types of Bettas ........................................................................2 Color Patterns .........................................................................4 Is a Betta the Right Pet for You? .............................................5 Selecting a Healthy Animal......................................................5 Habitat .....................................................................................5 Temperature and Water Quality ...............................................6 Foods and Feeding .................................................................7 Diseases and Health................................................................8 Betta Behavior .........................................................................8 Breeding Bettas .......................................................................9 Caring for Young Bettas ........................................................11 Summary ...............................................................................12 ISBN 978-0-578-05913-6 Copyright ©2010 Zoo Med Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the permission of Zoo Med Laboratories, Inc.
intrOdUCtiOn
Have you ever been into a pet store and seen a display of small colorful fish with long flowing fins in small plastic cups? These bright, solitary fish are known as Siamese Fighting Fish, Bettas, or known scientifically as Betta splendens. There are many reasons that these fish have become such popular pets. They are beautiful, hardy fish that do not require much space or expensive equipment. These unique fish belong in the Anabantoid family. Members of this family have a special breathing organ called a labyrinth organ which gives them the amazing ability to breathe air at the surface of the water. This allows the Betta to live in oxygen poor rice paddies and slow moving streams. This unique adaptation makes Bettas an ideal fish for a small nano aquarium or fish bowl.
Why are they called Fighting Fish?
Bettas are native to the tropical lands of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. In these countries they have been kept and selectively bred in captivity for thousands of years. Males used to be forced to fight each other much like dog fights or cock fights. Due to the aggressive and territorial nature of these fish, they would often fight to the death. These male fish are usually housed singly and should not be kept with other individuals of the same species as males will fight with other males and females. Allowing fish to fight is considered inhumane and cruel and should never be practiced.
How can they live in such a small amount of water?
Bettas are highly specialized fish which have adapted to living in small puddles in the wild. We do not recommend that a Betta be kept in less than one gallon of water. Smaller containers allow waste and toxins to build up in the water too quickly and may cause unnecessary stress for your fish.
Is it a Male or Female?
Most Bettas sold in pet stores are males because they have the long, beautiful fins that females do not. Males tend to be more aggressive and often more colorful than female Bettas.
Anatomy of Betta splendens
Dorsal Fin
Pectoral Fin
Caudal Penduncle
Eye Mouth Operculum
(gill cover)
Beard Ovipositor
Caudal Fin (tail)
(female only)
Ventral Fins
Anal Fin
tYPes OF Bettas
Wild type Bettas are not as colorful and do not have the long flowing fins like those found in pet stores. Through selective breeding over more than a thousand years, now a wide variety of fish are available. You can find Bettas with different types of tails and dorsal fins and in all different colors and patterns.
Types of Tails
Round – This tail is rounded and has no sharp corners.
Veiltail – most common long tail.
Delta - Straight edges fan away from body at a 45° angle.
2
Types of Tails, Continued
Spadetail – spade shaped.
Plakat – Short tail.
Crowntail – appears frayed.
Giant - Giant Bettas have a body length of 3 inches or longer! They are also known as King Bettas.
Half Moon - Caudal fin should form a perfect “D” shape when flared.
Split or Double Tail – Has two Caudal fins. The two lobes should be equal in size.
Color Patterns
Solid Color: Examples are red, blue, yellow and additional rare colors such as platinum and black.
Bi-colored : The Body is one color and the fins are all a completely different shade.
Cambodian : Have a pinkish- white or salmon colored body with highly colored fins (usually red).
Butterfly : Body colors that partially blend into the color of the fins which is ideally a transparent color.
Marble : Has a dark body with a pinkish, white, or salmon-colored head. Has a combination of dark and light colors. Also known as piebald.
Irregular Multicolored Bettas : Can have many different colors throughout the body and fins. Very commonly found in pet stores.
4
Is a Betta the Right Pet For You?
Bettas are colorful, fascinating fish. They do not require as much equipment or space as many other fish and can be fun, low maintenance fish. This is an ideal pet for an apartment, dorm room or office. A basic set up will house your Betta for its entire life. Bettas live an average of about three years but have been known to live up to five. If you are looking for an exotic, interesting pet that does not require too much up-keep, this may be the perfect animal for you!
Selecting a Healthy Animal
When selecting a Betta, it is important to look over the entire animal and its environment. Bettas are usually housed in small plastic cups at the pet store or they may be kept in a community tank with other species of tropical fish. No matter what the tank size, the water should be relatively clean and clear. White cottony patches on the fish may be fungus which can be hard to combat. Some stores will keep Bettas in bluish looking water that is treated with a preventative medication. This is normal and does not always indicate health problems. An unhealthy Betta is fairly easy to spot if you know what to look for. A healthy fish’s body should be full and streamlined but not look bloated. The scales should be shiny and flat against the body. They should not be dull or sticking out. Try to avoid purchasing a Betta with scars or obvious discoloration on the body. Irregular white, gray, red or black patches or spots on the body or fins may indicate disease. The fins should be full and not shredded (except for Crowntail or Combtail varieties). Torn fins may indicate bacterial or fungal infections that will heal but may leave scars. A fish that keeps its fins pinned close to the body may be very stressed or sick. While Betas are lazy fish that lay around a lot, they should be feisty and responding to outside activity. The fish should appear to float upright and should not be constantly lying on the bottom. These fish will rest a lot, so handle the container gently to get the fish’s attention.
Habitat
Bettas are naturally found in small, shallow ponds, rice paddies, oxygen poor puddles, and even slow moving streams. They are not well equipped for swimming against a current and should not have much water movement in their habitat. Only use a low flowing filter in aquariums of at least 2 gallons for Bettas. Provide plants and decorations such as Zoo Med’s Floating Betta Log for hiding and bubble nest building. A layer of sand or gravel can help keep the tank clean by allowing beneficial bacteria to develop. A Zoo Med Betta Bed Leaf Hammock will provide a good resting place for your Betta. They will
sometimes spend hours lounging near the surface, gulping air without even getting up!
Temperature and Water Quality
One key to a happy, healthy Betta is good water quality and the proper temperature. Tap water is usually treated with chlorine and can have other heavy metals which are harmful to a fish’s gills and health. Preparing the water for your Betta is important but not difficult. First, rinse everything that is going into the tank. Gravel, plants, and decorations should be rinsed in cool water to prevent contamination and remove dust. Fill the bowl with bottled water (not distilled) or tap water and add a water conditioner to make the water safe for your fish. Zoo Med’s Betta H20 Water Conditioner will remove chlorine and chloramines and detoxifies nitrite and heavy metals BP-10 Betta H2O making the water safe for your fish. It will also add Instant Betta Water electrolytes to relieve stress and promote healing. Conditioner Be sure that the water in your Betta’s new home is at the appropriate temperature – ideally between 76-78 degrees. Before introducing your fish to the bowl, the fish should be allowed to slowly acclimate to the temperature in the bowl. This can be done in a couple of ways. Place your Betta in a plastic bag with the water from its cup and seal it closed. Allow the bag to float in the bowl for 15 - 20 minutes. Do not forget to release your Betta from the bag to the bowl as it will eventually run out of air. When you release your fish into its new habitat, it will most likely swim for a short time, then go to the bottom to rest. Your Betta probably will not eat right away and should be given some time to get used to its new environment – about 3-6 hours. Maintaining proper water quality is very important to the health of your fish. Water quality is defined as the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water. The most important aspect of water quality for Bettas is ammonia, nitrite and nitrate content. These are all bi-products of waste. There are a few ways to prevent unhealthy levels of any of these contaminates. Complete or partial water changes should be done on a weekly basis. Water changes can be done by siphoning some of the water out of the tank or bowl with a “gravel vacuum” or by emptying the entire bowl and cleaning and refilling it. There are a couple of advantages to doing partial water changes. This method allows you to remove much of the 6
waste and 30-40% of the water from the bowl then replace it with fresh water (treated with water conditioner) without having to re-acclimate your fish to its home. Partial water changes also allow much of the beneficial bacteria in the bowl to remain which is very important for water quality. Bettas are not very active fish and do not use a lot of energy so it is not necessary to feed them very much. Any uneaten food becomes waste and dirties the water faster. Overfeeding is a common mistake that can lead to poor water quality and the need for more frequent water changes. Although Bettas should not have much water movement, a couple of types of filtration systems are acceptable. A small under gravel filter or sponge “dirt magnet” run by an air pump can help remove waste with slow water circulation. Bettas are tropical fish native to Southeast Asia and should be kept in water temperatures between 74 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Ideally, the temperature should be kept between 76 and 78 degrees. In some cases, room temperature is BP-1 Betta Pellets sufficient and no heating elements will be required. Use of a Zoo Med Bettatherm Heater will help maintain proper temperatures for your Betta fish. Bowls should never be kept on a windowsill as this could cause the bowl to become too hot in the sun or too cold at night or on a cold day. Do not keep the bowl in direct sunlight as this will likely cause excess algae growth and can overheat your Betta.
Foods and Feeding
BP-5 Betta Dial-A-Treat
In the wild, Bettas eat insect larvae, small worms and other small insects. These foods provide high concentrations of proteins, fats and highly unsaturated fatty acids. One of the Betta’s favorite foods is live mosquito larvae! There are many different nutritious foods available for Betta owners to offer their fish. Commercially prepared diets such as Zoo Med’s Micro Floating Betta Pellets should be fed as a staple. Bettas should be fed a small amount once or twice daily and should eat all of the food offered within five minutes or less. Any leftovers should be removed to prevent polluting the bowl. Many other commonly available food items for Bettas include fruit flies, Mysis shrimp, Daphnia, Brine shrimp, bloodworms, blackworms and krill. These
insects and crustaceans can be purchased live, frozen or freeze dried and should be fed as a treat twice a week. Zoo Med’s Betta Dial-A-Treat includes Mysis, Daphnia and Blood Worms which Bettas love.
Diseases / Health
Bettas are generally very hardy fish and with the proper conditions should not experience many health issues. If you find that your fish is not behaving normally or appears to be ill, it is best to consult your local pet or fish store or a veterinarian that has experience with tropical fish. There are a few diseases that are more common than others. Most of these diseases can be prevented by keeping your Betta’s home clean and at the proper temperature, feeding a proper diet and avoiding stressful situations such as unnecessary handling or movement of the fish and its habitat. Some of the most common diseases that affect Bettas include “Ich” and “velvet”. These diseases can look like salt granules on the body and fins, velvety patches on the body or otherwise discolored patches. Red sores near the mouth could indicate a bacterial or viral “mouth rot”. Shredded or frayed fins may indicate “Fin or Tail Rot”. “Dropsy” is a disease that makes the fish look like it is bloated with a big, fat belly and makes the scales stick out from the body. If your fish shows any of the above symptoms, you should perform a water change and bring the water temperature up to 78- 80 degrees. Consult your local fish store to find the proper treatment for the disease. When caring for animals, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” so maintaining the proper BL-20 Betta Bed Leaf environment is imperative Hammock to having a happy healthy Betta.
Betta Behavior
Unlike many fish that live in lakes, rivers and the ocean, Bettas do not have the need to swim around all day. They can often be found resting on the bottom of their puddle or even on a plant near the surface. In an oxygen poor puddle, these fish must swim to the surface and “gulp” air to breathe. They will excitedly swim around when food is present, attacking their prey. Bettas are very aggressive and territorial. Since they live in such small areas in the wild, they must defend their territory. This is why they are often housed BE-10 Floating Betta
Exercise Mirror
8
alone. When a male Betta sees another Betta, he will flare out his fins and beard. This display could be an aggressive territorial display to warn another male Betta that he is ready to fight or a mating dance to attract the attention of a female Betta. Under human care, their behavior will not be much different from their wild counterparts. They should never have to worry about defending their territory, escaping from predators (unless they are unprotected from a family cat or toddlers fingers) or actually searching for food so they will spend much of the day resting. They may be seen sitting on the bottom of the bowl or anchored in a plant. Zoo Med’s Betta Bed Leaf Hammock provides an area for your Betta to rest near the surface of the water so he doesn’t even need to get up to breathe! Without any need to display or defend its territory, your Betta may seem to be a little bored. The use of Zoo Med’s Floating Betta Exercise Mirror for short sessions (5 minutes at a time) a couple of times a day will keep your Betta moving, alert, and active. When your Betta sees his own reflection, he will react like it is another fish. He may attack the fish in the mirror but will most likely just swim around it showing off his beautiful fins. Be sure not to leave the mirror in for too long as this could be too stressful for your fish. Because of Bettas’ aggressive nature and basic needs, it may be difficult to find a suitable tank mate for your Betta. A male Betta should never be housed with any other fish from the Anabantoid family or with any fish that might provoke aggression such as a fancy guppy. The long fins of these types of fish can confuse a Betta and make him believe that this is a Betta he must fight. Most other fish from the pet store have more elaborate needs than a Betta so will not be able to share a bowl. With time, your Betta will probably begin to recognize you. When you approach the bowl, he may become alert or come to the surface if he suspects it is feeding time. You can use the Feeding Wand included with Zoo Med’s Micro Floating Betta Pellets to train your Betta to eat from the wand. This is a fun way to interact with your pet. If you ever look at your bowl, particularly the day after doing a water change, and see a bunch of bubbles or foam at the surface of the water, congratulations! You have a happy male Betta! Bettas are “bubble nesters” and building the nest is the male’s job. Warm, clean water may prompt the male to make a nest in hopes that a female will soon visit his puddle or bowl. He makes this nest by blowing bubbles and covering them in a slime produced in his mouth. This slime makes the bubbles strong, sticky and anti-bacterial. This nest would serve as a home to eggs and babies if the male had a chance to breed.
Breeding Bettas
After owning one of these beautiful fish for a while, you may think you want to try breeding them. Breeding Bettas is fascinating and fun but can be more labor intensive than one would think. Here are some basic steps to breeding Bettas but it is important to remember that every situation may be different and call for slightly different techniques. If you choose to
breed your Bettas, you should first make sure that you have, or can get everything that you will need before starting. Before breeding, both the male and female must be in proper breeding condition. A skinny or otherwise unhealthy fish may not breed well or the stress from breeding may kill it. Fish should be fed live or frozen foods in addition to pellet food for two weeks before breeding. Some widely available food items are blackworms, bloodworms, brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and mosquito larvae. These foods may be live, frozen or freeze dried. The male will not eat for a number of days after breeding and the female will use a lot of energy when laying eggs, so well fed fish are important to successful breeding and recovery. Next, the male’s breeding tank should be prepared. It is best to use a bare bottom, five to ten gallon tank. A sponge filter or dirt magnet can be used with a small air pump to help maintain water quality through the breeding and rearing process. Betta breeding tank The water level should be (5 to 10 gallon size) dropped to only 4 – 6 inches and the temperature should be set between 80-82 degrees. Add a fake floating plant or half of a Styrofoam cup to provide Water level a nesting area for the male. (4” to 6”) He may like to stick his nest to something on the surface of the water. The tank should be covered to keep out dust and other contaminates and some kind of light should be added. An aquarium light will work Heater Plastic plant (80° to 82° F) (for nest building) well for this purpose. The male should be acclimated to this tank then released into it. He may take a little while checking things out but eventually will get to work building a nest. He may take hours working on the nest. Most likely you will look in the tank one day and there it will be! The nest should look full and fairly firm. The bigger the nest the better. This nest will need to hold the eggs and babies near the surface for a number of days so a good nest is very important. A good nest is also important to the female. If the female is introduced to the male and doesn’t find his nest to be good enough, she may destroy it and become aggressive toward him. After preparing the male’s breeding tank, the female should be placed in a jar or cup having a lid with holes in it. This cup or jar should be placed in the male’s tank so that the fish can see each other. This visual contact should prompt the male to do a mating dance and may promote nest building behaviors. During this time the female’s horizontal stripes will change to vertical stripes. These stripes indicate that the female has eggs that are ready to mature for breeding. The eggs will not mature until she is placed in the same water as the male. 10
When a good nest is present in the male’s tank and gravid coloration is present on the female, the two are ready to be introduced to each other. The female should gently be poured into the male’s tank. The pair should be carefully observed for overly aggressive behavior. Be prepared to remove the female if the two begin to fight. It may take several introductions like this before successful breeding occurs. The female may be curious and want to explore the tank, but if she has eggs to be laid, she will be looking for a nest. She should inspect the males nest and determine if she approves. If she doesn’t destroy the nest and attack the male, she will turn her attention to the male who will be “dancing” all around her. His dance is very beautiful. He will flare out all of his fins and beard and turn his body diagonally in the water. He will then swim back and forth all around her until she submits to breeding. The male will approach the female and flip her upside down then fold his body in an upside down “U” shape over her. They will remain in the position until the female releases 1-15 eggs and he fertilizes them. After she has released her eggs, she will go into a temporary “coma” and float to the surface of the water. While she is floating, the male will catch the falling eggs and pick up eggs from the bottom of the tank then “spit” them into the bubble nest. If the female wakes up before the male is finished collecting eggs, the female will eat any remaining eggs. They will repeat this process for many hours until the female has released up to 400 eggs. Once the female has laid all of her eggs, she should be removed, placed in a smaller container, fed and allowed to rest. The temperature in her container should be maintained in the low eighties as this will promote healing and recovery. After the female is gone, the male will continue caring for the eggs. The water level can be dropped to about 3 inches to make the male’s job easier. (Pressure at the bottom of a deep tank will kill the babies). For the next three or four days, the male will catch falling eggs, pick up eggs from the bottom and do his best to keep them in the nest. He will clean them in his mouth and maintain the nest by blowing more bubbles. He will not eat or rest for a few days, so do not provide any food as it will only pollute the tank. After about 24 hours, the eggs will grow tails. The tails can be seen pointing straight down from the nest. The babies will begin to swim around after 3 to 4 days. The male will continue trying to keep them in the nest until they are good swimmers. At this point he will usually become frustrated and begin eating the fry. At this time, the male should be removed and placed in his own jar or container. He should be fed and allowed to rest in nice warm (in the low eighties) water as he will be tired and hungry.
Caring For Young Bettas
After removing the male, it will be your turn to care for the new baby fish, or fry. They will be growing and will need plenty of food. To maintain their health, they must have excellent water quality of the proper temperature. Warm, humid air just above the surface of the water will aid in the development of their labyrinth organ. The first step after removing the male will be to replace the cover from the tank with plastic food wrap taped in place. New air will be allowed in during feeding and cleaning and
with the air pump, but this practice will help maintain temperature and humidity in the air in the tank for the next three weeks. When the fry start darting around near the surface of the water, it will be time to feed them. Fry will usually be free swimming in about 3 days. Most breeders will feed infusoria and “green water” for the first couple of days followed by newly hatched baby brine shrimp. Brine shrimp eggs and hatch kits should be available from your local pet store, fish store, or online. Hatching brine shrimp takes about 24 hours, so be sure that you have all of your materials ready before your babies are hungry. For the first few weeks, the babies should be fed at least 2 – 3 times daily. Daily partial water changes may be necessary to maintain good water quality. As long as your babies are good swimmers, you can gradually begin to increase the water level to help maintain water quality. When the fry are about 3 weeks old, they may need to be transferred to a larger grow out tank. Remember to make all changes gradually to avoid shocking your babies.
sUMMarY
Bettas are fantastic little fish with fascinating personalities. They can be kept without too much work, space or expensive equipment and are a great starter pet for anyone. By reading this book, you should have a greater understanding of how to care for a Betta throughout its lifetime. If you believe that a Betta would be the right pet for you and you would like to learn more, the following reading is recommended: Bettas: A Complete Pet Owner’s Manual by Robert J. Goldstein, Ph.D. The Guide to Owning Siamese Fighting Fish by Gene Wolfsheimer
Websites:
www.ibcbettas.org
Shopping List
1 to 5 gallon Bowl or tank Zoo Med Betta H20 Conditioner Zoo Med Micro Floating Betta Pellets Zoo Med’s Aqua Accents – River Pebbles or Sand Plants and decorations Zoo Med Betta Bed Leaf Hammock Zoo Med Bettatherm Heater Zoo Med Floating Betta Log Zoo Med Floating Betta Exercise Mirror
12
ZOO Med Has a COMPreHensiVe arraY OF PrOdUCts FOr tHe Care OF YOUr Betta.
BP-2 Betta Pellets BP-1 Betta Pellets With Betta Feeding Wand
BP-5 Betta Dial-A-Treat
BP-10 Betta H2O Instant Betta Water Conditioner BH-10 Bettatherm Mini Size Betta Bowl Heater
Bettamatic in action BF-1 Bettamatic Automatic Daily Betta Feeder
LOOK FOr tHese QUaLitY ZOO Med Betta PrOdUCts at a Pet stOre near YOU!
BE-10 Floating Betta Exercise Mirror
FA-50 Betta Log
BL-20 Betta Bed Leaf Hammock
BL-10 Floating Betta Log
Aqua Accents Decorative Aquarium Substrate BA-1, BA-2, BA-3, BA-4, BA-5, BA-6
ISBN 978-0-578-05913-6
Item# ZB-90
ZOO MED LABORATORIES, INC. 3650 Sacramento Dr. San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Phone: 805-542-9988 email: zoomed@zoomed.com
www.zoomed.com 14