Nov 24 2007
A Better Betta Bowl
In which the author moves her betta fish to a better home for good.
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My Betta fish used to live in a bowl, just like most bettas I’ve seen in homes and offices. The truth is, B. splendens can certainly live that way. Bettas are adapted to live in very tiny spaces - originally evaporating rice paddies in the Orient - by gulping air from the surface into their labyrinthine lungs.
But merely ‘living’ isn’t being good to your pet. A betta can live for many years with good care. I decided to treat him as a family pet should be treated - given the best food, toys and housing for his needs. An actual tank would provide a better air-to-surface ratio, more water for a cleaner environment overall, a decent amount of gravel (for a buildup of beneficial bacteria), and more room to swim about.
So, today I moved Boromir, my blue 1 year old betta, to a 2.5 gallon rectangular tank, a $9.95 purchase from PetSmart. I added gravel (which I didn’t use in the bowl at all), some decorations to swim through, and used dechlorinated water to fill it up.
Then I added my betta. I saw that it was easier for me to watch my fish, gazing through a straight-sided tank wall, rather than around a curved glass bowl.
Boromir immediately seemed intrigued by it all, swimming through his new decorations, touching everything with his “feelers”. Looking closely, I noticed his colors were not as bright as when I bought him, and that his fins were a little crumpled looking, from being cramped up in his bowl.
“Spread your fins,” I encouraged him. I figured he’s been so used to a small space that he’d forgotten about being a fish. Guilt kicked in retroactively, and I felt a warm sense of well-being in providing him a nicer home.
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I also picked up a variety of betta foods, since it’s better for your fish to have a varied diet. Now he has Blood Worms Freeze Dried Treats(.28-oz can) and Bettamins Flakes in addition to the Betta Bio Gold Pellets that I’d been giving him. Maybe his colors will pick up as a result.
I also made sure to place his tank in a busy area of my home - out of drafts and direct sunlight, of course. Since Boromir is a curious betta, I know he will enjoy having people and cats and dogs to watch, in between patrolling his piece of real estate.
Jill Florio
Click on the fish posters to order from Art.com!
Some Better Betta Books:
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