In a large tank, pH and temperature fluctuations will occur less frequently, and you won’t need to perform water changes as often. Wild betta patrol territories of up to three square feet, so a big tank will more closely mimic their natural environment.Īlso, a big tank will enable you to add many plants, like your betta’s natural habitat. Ideally, you should provide your betta with a tank of at least five gallons or bigger if possible. While betta can survive in a tank of that size, they won’t live for very long, and he certainly won’t be a happy fish! It’s an urban myth that a betta fish will be happy in a tank as small as one gallon or in a glass bowl. However, according to veterinarians and research carried out by Adelphi University, bettas should be kept in at least a two-gallon tank with an efficient filtration system, heating, and lighting. Unfortunately, that behavioral quirk means captive bettas are often kept in tiny bowls or vases with no oxygenation or filtration systems. Bettas have a breathing organ called the labyrinth, which enables them to survive in dirty, oxygen-depleted water. Wild bettas live in shallow, stagnant water, including rice paddies, marshes, and flood plains.ĭuring the dry season, bettas live in puddles, feeding on insects and insect larvae. These bettas come from the Chao Phraya and Mekong river basins in Thailand (formerly known as Siam, hence the fish’s other name, Siamese Fighting Fish. However, the species that most fish keepers know is the Betta Splendens.īetta Splendens are the species that are generally kept as pets. Bettas are freshwater fish that belong to the family Osphronemidae, and there are no fewer than 73 varieties!

The betta fish, also known as the Siamese Fighting Fish, is native to Southeast Asia.

Fluval Stratum is made of mineral rich volcanic soilīefore we look at how you can provide the perfect environment for your betta fish, let’s look at the kind of world the wild betta fish inhabits in its natural home.

Stimulates strong aquarium plant growth.

Simple and modern betta tank design