Are you someone who is lately thinking of getting a pet Betta fish or have you already got one?
Regardless of whether you are a seasoned hobbyist or you are new to the business, you should understand the life span of a Betta fish to know what to expect from it. You also need to know how to take care of them properly to help them increase their life span.
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Betta Fish Care – How to Increase Lifespan Of Betta Fish
An average betta can live for about 3 years but that doesn’t mean that your beta can’t live longer. Why is it so? When you purchase a Betta fish from a pet shop, you do so when it is already one year old.
The male Betta fishes are totally mature and hence their colors and prints are developed fully by then. On the other hand, female Betta fishes are sold at a young age as they can be sold off when they are at least six months of age.
If you are confused about how to increase the lifespan of your Betta fish, you need to know that one of the keys is buying a healthy young fish from a reliable and trusted pet shop owner. If you make the mistake of buying a pale fish, this indicates an already diseased one that may not live long.
The famous Betta fish should not be ragged or torn. The eyes of the Betta fish should not be bulging out and should be clear. Watch out for any symptoms of source or injuries on the body of the fish. When a Betta fish is healthy and active, it will immediately respond when you place your hand on the glass of the aquarium.
The lifespan of a Betta fish
The usual lifespan of a domesticated Betta fish is 2 to 3 years. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t live longer than that. There are instances where a pet Betta fish has lived up to 6 years and even 10 years. You just have to ensure you provide it with the best fish environment that is possible for you.
Since Betta fishes are adults when they are sold at pet stores, you need to ask the pet store owner whether or not it is possible to get a younger one in a healthy condition.
The Secret tips to keep your Betta fish happy and healthy
When you visit a pet Store, you find these small colorful fishes kept in tiny containers. Have you ever wondered why they are sold in such a manner? Well, it is because they can’t be kept together in a large tank as the mail fishes tend to fight a lot.
However, it is also true at the same time that these small thanks are not an ideal space for the Betta fishes to live in. They will need a personal space of five gallons in a fish tank.
Now, if you are a fish lover who decides to save such a tiny and colorful Betta fish from its small tank, you need to arrange a Betta tank, Betta fish food, Betta fish accessories, and Betta fish plants to ensure they live in a favorable environment. Read on to know more about the tools that a Betta fish owner should have at his disposal.
As already mentioned earlier the ideal tank size for a Betta fish should be a minimum of 5 gallons but there have been several pet owners who have managed with tanks of 1.5- 2 gallon sizes. Still, we feel that 5 is that magic number that can ensure a happy and healthy Betta fish that can live longer.
Apart from the tank requirements, you also have to take into account the ideal food to offer your Betta fish. The betta-specific fish food has been perfectly made in such a way that it considers the natural diet of the fish and also matches up with the natural requirements of the fish. So, as long as the food is concerned for a Betta fish, you should get their ideal diet from a local Pet store.
How about offering a source of retreat to your Betta fish? Well, you can keep a few live aquarium plants for the fish to move around and hide whenever needed. Moreover, these plants can also offer enough shade to prevent algae from growing fast inside the fish tank. Therefore it naturally filters out all waste and impurities that tend to sediment in the lower portion of the tank.
How long does a Betta fish live?
One of the biggest benefits of keeping Betta fish as a pet is that it can be kept peacefully in a comparatively small size tank. The cons of keeping a Betta fish in a small size tank is that the natural waste products from the fish contaminate the water faster. you need to make sure you clean the tank regularly and remove at least 10 to 15% off your water replacing it with fresh new water.
One tip that you need to keep in mind is that a female Betta fish will live slightly longer than a male fish. Most hobbyists choose male Betta fishes because they are more attractive and have longer fins with an extremely fancy look. One tricky way of determining how long your pet Betta fish will live is by calculating its age.
Is it possible to help your Betta fish live longer?
If you want your Betta fish to live longer than its average lifespan, you have to feed it with the best possible betta fish food like blood worms, brine shrimp, and other food items marked for bettas. Even when you go out for a vacation, make sure you have a plan in advance.
Betta fish may have a tendency to choose their food and they generally love tropical fish food without which they won’t eat. However, you need to remember the fact that over-feeding your Betta fish can have similar effects as underfeeding. Giving them a few pellets a day can be fine. You may even leave a day out in a week if you don’t want them to suffer from constipation.
One more factor that decides how long a Betta fish can leave is the temperature of the water inside the aquarium. If you want to take care of your Betta fish by helping it to live longer, maintain a water temperature between 75 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit.
Get a reliable and reputable aquarium heater and a tank thermometer so that you can keep a tab on the temperature. You may also have a 25 Watt heater as that can also serve your purpose.
In case you decide to keep a Betta fish in a small tank, you should not use a heater. If you keep a small tank heater inside a fish tank that is not too big, this can lead to a sudden rise in the temperature.
This is certainly not good for the Betta fish as it will seem like they are getting boiled in hot water. So in case of keeping your Betta fish in a small time, look for a warm corner in your home.
Tips from give your Betta fish a longer life
Among the different steps that you can take to give your fighting fish for healthy and long life, here are a few steps involved.
Give your Betta fish adequate room for swimming: You may find a 5-gallon fish tank to be big enough for keeping a single Betta fish but if you have more space you can opt for a bigger fish tank. For Betta fish, exercise is important and hence they need a large size tank to make sure they can do plenty of activities.
Buy a healthy-looking fish: You will find Bettas in all pet stores over the world but there are a few bettas that seem to be healthier than others. You should therefore watch out for healthy fish or purchase a Siamese fighting fish from a legitimate and reliable store.
Clean the fish tank at regular intervals: Even though you put your betta fish in a large tank that is 10 gallons, you need to clean it often. The recommended time to clean a fish tank is once a week. However, if there are signs of algae or build-up of bacteria, you should clean it more often.
How to keep your Betta fish comfortable
Only taking care of the space that the need to swim won’t be enough. You also need to try out new ways of making your pet Betta fish comfortable. Here are a few things you may try:
Offer them some toys: can you believe it if we say that your Betta fish can get bored very easily? But you have ways to keep your Betta entertained by providing them live food and ample toys. When they have live food in front of them, they can spend some time chasing it and this will also give them the exercise they need. Decorations are also a smart idea as long as your Betta fish entertainment is concerned.
Fish should be kept warm: Betta fishes are common household pets and you should ensure that your fish is warm enough in spite of being under indoor temperatures. The preferred temperature is around 80 degrees.
