Preparing Your Betta Fish's New Home
Taking the time to plan and prepare the perfect environment will help to ensure that your Betta fish thrives.
Because Betta fish don't react well to stress, there are several factors to consider when deciding where to set up your Betta's new home. Of course you're going to want to place the tank somewhere where you'll be able to see it and enjoy it, but there are also some other practical considerations to take into account. For example:
The Ideal Tank Size:
Actually, there is some controversy about the best tank size for Betta fish. Because in their natural environment they live in small shallow water, some people believe that Bettas can - and even should - be kept in any small container - such as a goldfish bowl or large glass vase.
Others believe this is cruel to the fish, and believe that on a psychological and emotional level Bettas experience less stress, and are happier when they've got room to swim around.
One important factor that people forget is that, when they're in their natural environment, although they may live in a small, shallow pool of water, it is part of an entire eco-system that is constantly being fed with fresh water, which helps to clean and maintain it while removing harmful bacterium. You won't have that in a small fishbowl or aquarium. And the smaller the tank size, the more difficult it is to maintain the constant water temperature your fish needs.
No matter what tank size you choose, make sure that you've got some places for your Betta to hide, and especially if you're putting him into a tank with other fish, that he can choose for his own private territory. And remember, if you run into water quality issues, or one of your fish has a disease, it's going to spread like wildfire in an overcrowded tank!
[This is an example of an overcrowded fish bowl - and is a bad idea. Not only will it stress the fish, which could kill them, but putting too many fish in too small of a tank will cause fighting and injuries.]
I'm squarely in the middle of the tank size controversy and believe that the minimum tank size for a Betta should be at least 3 gallons (11.36 liters), and up to 10 gallons (37.86 liters), especially if you're going to keep other fish, or have more than one Betta in the tank. (Get anything bigger than 10 gallons (37.86) liters and you'll run into issues with cleaning the tank and maintaining the proper water temperature).
The Ideal Site for Your Fish Tank:
Make sure that whatever surface you place the tank on is strong enough to support it, and large enough that the tank isn't going to be close to any edges, and can't be easily knocked off or bumped by passers-by.
Never place your tank where it will be in direct sunlight, or heating or air conditioning units, or near a draft. (Not only canthe sun raise the temperature of the tank too high, it also spurs the growth of certain algae which are bad for your fish. Likewise, water that's too cold, or constantly fluctuates can be deadly for Betta fish.)
Choose a site that has a natural day/night cycle. (In other words, don't choose a location that has light or dark all the time so that your Betta doesn't get agitated or depressed.)
In order to keep the water temperature constant, you'll need to invest in a heating system. Which means you'll need an electrical outlet near the tank.
Make sure that the tank isn't near stereo or video equipment, especially if you like loud music.
The constant vibrations will, over time, stress out and agitate your Betta fish, and chances are, he'll react by getting sick, or becoming listless and inactive.