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Bringing Home Your New Betta By: BettySplendens Submitted: 9/16/2003 Orange STM Okay, so you were naive enough to walk by those rows and stacks of bettas in cups at your local pet department, and were suckered in by the pleading eyes and 'look at me! look at me!' dancing that seemed aimed just for you. Well, more than likely it was. Bettas are intelligent fish and often try to interact with people. So now you have a new betta. What next? Obviously you can't just bring him home, fill a drinking glass with tap water, and just dump him in. Bettas may be tough, but they are still sensitive to sudden environmental changes, and often tap water contains chlorine and ammonia excesses that can kill them. If you bought the betta on an impulse (and we've all been there...) he will be ok in his little cup overnight while you prepare a suitable living place for him. First, choose a container. The betta has most likely been living in a dinky little cup for far too long. What you want to do is choose a container that holds at least a half gallon (a gallon or more is better!) with a wide surface space. I've seen people try to keep bettas in wine bottles; a cute idea until it comes time for the betta to breathe and discovers that the narrow neck of the bottle doesn't provide sufficient oxygen. It is also darn near impossible to take the bettas OUT of these kinds of containers, something that has to be taken into consideration for future water changes. Next, fill with water straight from the tap. Do not use distilled water, as it often lacks minerals that bettas need. Often just leaving the container next to your cupped betta overnight is sufficient for 'aging' it and getting it down to the same temperature. You could also instantly age the water with any number of products on your pet store shelf that serves this purpose. I use Amquel or Novaqua. But remember, even treated tap water has to be the same temperature (within 2 degrees) of the water the betta is in, or he could go into shock and die. Water from the tap is usually quite cold, and needs to be allowed to reach room temperature. Assuming all the necessary criteria is in place, you can begin transferring your betta to his new quarters. First, 'float' his cup or bag in the water of his new home. Add a small amount (about 2 ounces) of the new water to his bag or cup, and let him steep for about an hour. Continue adding water and letting him gradually adjust until his bag or cup is nearly full (shouldn't take too long). Now pour the cup of water, betta and all, into the new container. Now usually by this point there may be a lot of 'undesireables' from the cup that housed the betta - defecation, uneaten food, even pet store heebie-jeebies. Therefore it is necessary to change your bettas water about 2 days after introduction to his new quarters. Some people choose to pour the betta into a net and place him directly into his clean water (thus eliminating the 2-day water change) but I find this to be stressful to the betta, and adjusting to a new home is stressful enough without also being put through the netting process. In two days, you can net him to put him in his clean water (see 'Plenty of Food...Plenty of Clean Water'). If you want to introduce your betta into a community tank, the steps are the same as for most other aquarium fish. If he's in a bag, float the bag in the water, gradually adding some of the tank water to his bag, as outlined above. If he's in a little betta cup, gently pour him into a plastic bag and proceed. It is possible to float the betta in his cup, but it would have to be taped to the side of the aquarium, otherwise the cup will tilt and spill the betta into the tank! In the case of introducing a betta into a community tank, it is probably best to use a net so that parasites/bacteria/fungus that may be present in his water are not dumped into your aquarium. When possible, ALWAYS use a quarrantine tank for new fish. Keep an eye on new arrivals and be alert for signs of disease and infection.

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