Betta splendens - Important Water Change Tips

In order to establish and maintain ideal water conditions for your Betta, you must first familiarize yourself with their background so that you can replicate their natural environment as closely as possible.

Understanding information such as where they originated from and their socialization habits is key to maintaining ideal water conditions.

The Betta splendens, or Bettas, are a tropical fish that originated from the southeast region of Asia known as Thailand.

They are members of the gourami family, and like some species of that family, they have a somewhat aggressive nature---particularly the males against other males. That is why they are often called Fighting Fish. Sometimes, quite inaccurately, you will hear them referred to as Chinese Fighting Fish, and you may also hear them called Siamese Fighting Fish because until 1939, Thailand was known as Siam.

The healthy Betta, especially the male, is astonishingly pretty and delicate in appearance. They come in an attractive, vibrant range of colors with a neon like quality and long, flowing fins. If your betta is unhealthy, it will have dull, lifeless coloring, and the fins will be limp and often tattered looking.

Remember: Most health issues with your betta will be directly related to problems with the water that they live in.

Betta splendens have a relatively short life expectancy of somewhere in the range of about 2 years. With good care, I have had a few that have lived over 4 years. As is true with all tropical fish, good water quality is essential to the health of the fish.

In this article, I discuss five important water change tips for keeping Bettas healthy. They are:

1. Water pH
2. Aquarium salt
3. Water temperature
4. Essential bacteria
5. Chemical control

The pH scale is a measure of how acidic the water is with the highest level of acidity scoring a 0 and the lowest a 14. In other words, the more acidic the water, the lower the pH score. Water that is "pH neutral" has a score of 7.0 which is why you will often read that aquarium water must be maintained at that pH.

Truthfully, nature does not maintain an exact pH level of 7.0 in streams and lakes, so most freshwater fish live in water with a pH that falls in the "Normal" range of about 6.0 to 7.5.

Where aquarium fish are concerned, pH levels are most often discussed in the context of a fish's ability to breath oxygen through the gills. Since Bettas have the ability to breath air from the water surface, the greater concern is the effect of pH levels on the scale and eyes. Just as acid would damage your skin, it also damages that of a fish!

pH is tested by using a test kit that you can pick up in almost any aquarium or pet store. For water that is out of the normal range, the test kit will come with a commercial acid buffer to lower the pH level and an alkaline buffer that raises the pH level.

Most people are surprised to learn that salt should be added to freshwater aquariums. In fact, adding salt to the aquarium is extremely beneficial in the prevention of fish disease and illness.

Let's be clear that when we speak of salt, we are referring to aquarium salt not table salt. Table salt contains an element that prevents it from clumping when exposed to moisture in the air that is unhealthy for your betta.

Adding salt to a fresh water aquarium aids in a process called osmoregulation or, simply put, the way that oxygen passes through the gill membranes. Since bettas primarily breath from the water's surface, it isn't as important in that regard as it is for fish that breath only through the gills, but It is important as a stress reducer and for fighting diseases.

When adding aquarium salt, be sure to follow the directions on the packaging, and remember: even though the water in your aquarium evaporates, salt does not, so it is not necessary to add salt when you top off the water in your aquarium. When doing water change outs, replace the aquarium salt proportionately with the amount of water you change out.

Water Temperature is critical to keeping healthy aquarium fish, and bettas are no different.

Keep in mind that betta splendens are from the southeast region of Asia where the temperature rarely drops below 70 degrees farenheit, so you will either need to keep your aquarium in an area that maintains a minimum temperature of 70 degrees, or you will need to add an aquarium heater. They will be most content in water temperatures in the 75 to 78 degree farenheit range.

The location is especially important if you are keeping your betta in a bowl. You will not want to place the aquarium bowl near windows, air conditioning vents, or heat registers as these can cause extreme temperatures and dangerous fluctuations.

Remember that when doing water change outs, you must always let the water come to room temperature before adding it to your aquarium.

The chemicals found in regular tap water are extremely harmful to your betta.

According to a 2005 study published by the Environmental Working Group, there can be up to 260 different harmful contaminants found in tap water, and since bottled water is often just tap water that has undergone extra filtration, it isn't much better.

One of the most harmful of these contaminants for aquarium fish and your betta specifically is chlorine which is added by municipalities to kill bacteria that might be transported through the public water system.

While Chlorine will evaporate from the water if it left in an open container for 24 hours, that does not address the other harmful chemicals found in the water supply. Most aquarists deal with these chemicals by adding a water conditioner that not only removes harmful chlorine and chloramines but also neutralizes heavy metals. I recommend that you purchase one that neutralizes ammonia and promotes the fish's slime coat as well.

In addition to the harmful chemicals that may be present in the water you use to top off your aquarium, you also need to be mindful of ammonia that builds up in the water from fish and food waste.

Nature's way of dealing with ammonia is through the buildup of two beneficial bacteria that live in the aquarium's substrate (the gravel) and the filtration system. The first of these bacteria, known as Nitrosomonas, converts the ammonia into nitrites and the second form, known as nitrobacter, converts the nitrites into nitrates. Aquarists will often refer to this process as "tank cycling".

It is important for you to remember that the absense of this bacterial colony is the main reason why fish in new tanks, or after water change outs, die. Improper water change outs can kill these bacteria too. So remember that in caring for your betta, you will not want to harm this bacteria. Remember to rinse items gently with tepid water and never handle the gravel with soapy hands.