How to start your betta's home!

Supplies

Before you buy your betta fish, you should get all the supplies that you will need beforehand. There are many different things that you can get for your fish to make it happy. What type and style is all up to you, but here are a few things that you will need to start making a home for your betta fish, which you can find within a few miles of the UNH campus!

• A fish tank
• Gravel
• A plant of some sort
• Betta food
• Most importantly, Water!

Having good supplies is key to making your betta fish happy! Make sure to buy supplies and have them ready for your betta! You can find good supplies offline from Petco!

Here's a good video to watch and see how to care for your betta!

Click here to see the video!

How to feed your betta fish

To feed your betta fish, you'll need to get food for him/her. You can buy any kind that you would like from your local pet store. You only need to feed your betta once a day! Most food comes in flake-form, so just pinch a little in your fingers and sprinkle into your betta's tank. Steps on how to feed your betta:

1. Obtain food, any good brand with the right minerals will do, such as:
   • Bettamin flakes©
   • live feed (such as small worms)
   • Pellet feed
2. Pinch a little of the food in your fingers and sprinkle on the top of your betta's tank.
3. Watch to see how much he eats of it, this is a good way to see if you are feeding him a correct amount, if he doesn't eat it all, don't give him so much next time, maybe cut what you're giving him in ¹/₂!

WARNING!

Do not overfeed your betta! by overfeeding your betta you can cause serious harm, and potentially kill your betta such as cats might do (see what cats eat secion here!)

Betta fish are known as fighting fish for a reason...

Yes, that's right. Betta fish are often called fighting fish! They're named this because they do not get along with other fish! If you put two betta fish in the same tank, chances are after a few hours you will only have one of them still standing. This is because betta fish are extremely territorial animals, and will fight each other over the space of the tank. They're explained as Betta is also known as Siamese fighting fish. This is because it was first reported from Siam or what is known as Thailand today. (http://www.bettafishfacts.net/)

Wait, what's with all the bubbles at the top of my tank?

This is a normal sign for betta fish. When betta fish are happy or content, they build what is known as a "bubble nest". This is more for mating purposes to hold their offspring when they're in egg form, although it also signifies a happy betta fish! Betta fish enjoy water that is >74° and <78°. Many betta's won't do this if the pH level is off, such as too high or too low. The pH level is how basic or acidic the water is, and betta's like their tanks to be a neutral pH level. If the pH level is too low or high you should alter the pH of the H₂O ASAP to prevent damage to your betta fish!

Bettas should be kept in tanks where water is roughly neutral. In fact, the tanks should have a small tilt towards acidity. Measuring pH value for betta fish tanks thus becomes a very important part of its caring process.

Before you get your heart set on a certain color for your fish...

Be aware that Betta fish are priced by what colors they are, and by how big their fins are. Certain colors are more rare in betta fish's scales, which will up the price! Bettas can range anywhere from $1 - $1000! So, before you decide you want that special fancy looking betta, check the pricetag!

Interested in UNH's CS403 class instead?

Well here's a random link to the CS403 homepage!

Oh, and here's a picture of a butterfly as well.

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