Violet Veiltails Betta Blog

Many people overlook this step because it seems rather simple: Give your betta some water and he’ll be fine. Well, it’s not quite that simple. There are several variables that you need to worry about, but since I realize you all may not be amateur hydrologists, I’ll try to keep it simple. For your betta, the two things you should worry about are temperature, pH level, and water hardness.

Temperature

Temperature is actually very important to bettas. You’ve heard me complain about betta bowls being susceptible to temperature fluctuations because of their size. Which is true. The less water you have, the easier it is to change the temperature. Of course, the opposite is also true. More water = harder to change. Which is why you’ll hear betta owners say that you need more space for a betta than a half-gallon bowl, for more reasons that one, but mostly to control water quality and temperature.

For a betta, temperatures between 74 and 80 degrees (Fahrenheit) are fine. ALWAYS ADJUST TEMPERATURES IN A FISH TANK GRADUALLY. Otherwise you could end up throwing your fish into shock, which is much more lethal to fish than it is to us. Ideally, you want to find a heater with an adjustable thermostat. If you can’t find one, then find a heater that holds a steady temperature within the range for a betta. I’ve got a Tetra Submersible Heater, which holds at a steady 78 degrees. Of course, you should always have a thermometer, which you should place on the opposite side of the tank from the heater. Use one of the floating ones with the suction cups; the ones you stick on the outside glass of the tank aren’t nearly as accurate.

Water Acidity (pH)

Water acidity seems easy to control at first, but if not monitored regularly, it can quickly spin out of control. Water acidity is measured in pH (per Hydrogen), and is easily tested for. In a nutshell, pH measures the amount of hydrogen ions that is diffused in the water on a scale of 1 (the highest) to 14 (the least) Acids, like battery acid and tannins, increase the amount of hydrogen ions while bases, like bleach and liquid pipe cleaner, decreases the number. Now, both extremes are bad. That’s why I’ve always tried to maintain pH levels around 7, which is neutral. Most fish live quite fine between pH levels of 7.5 and 6.5, although some African cichlids live around 8.

For a betta, the water needs to be slightly more acidic, somewhere around 6.8. Most tap water is actually a little more basic than anything. Try to avoid using chemical pH “balancers”, as they actually tend to throw off your pH levels more than anything. But there are some useful things you can do to lower the pH naturally, like:

Filtering the water through peat moss.
Adding some natural bogwood to the tank décor (Make sure you buy the wood from a pet store)
Use a terracotta pot as some décor. (Make sure the terracotta pot has never been used or touched fertilizer.)
Age the water before you use it (which you should do anyway.)

Water Hardness

Water hardness indirectly ties in with pH levels. Hardness actually is a measure of the amount of dissolved minerals and substances in the water. More minerals = harder water = higher pH (basic), is the general rule of thumb. Tap water has a lot of dissolved minerals in it, hence it’s higher pH level. Water hardness, however, isn’t nearly as difficult to maintain. Once you age tap water and treat it with your starter chemical, the water hardness should fall to around neutral levels, which your betta won’t even notice.