Betta care
Betta splendens · Shallow marshes and rice paddies of Thailand and Cambodia
A betta needs a 5 gallon or larger tank with a heater (76 to 82 °F), a filter with gentle flow, a lid and plants or leaves to rest on near the surface.
- Tank size
- 5 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 76 to 82 °F (24 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- Alone (one male per tank)
- Temperament
- Semi-aggressive
- Adult size
- 3 in
- pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 3 to 12 dGH
- Lifespan
- 3 to 5 years
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Care level
- Easy
In a 5 gallon: Aqueon 5½
16 3/16 × 8⅜ × 10½ in outsideHow to keep bettas
A betta needs a 5 gallon or larger tank with a heater (76 to 82 °F), a filter with gentle flow, a lid and plants or leaves to rest on near the surface. Keep one male alone or with small, calm tankmates that do not nip; never two males together. Bettas breathe air from the surface, so leave a gap under the lid.
Diet: Carnivore: betta pellets, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp. What to feed a betta · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Top of the tank.
Betta tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
German blue ram
3 in · 20+ gal · 78–85 °F
Cockatoo dwarf cichlid
3 in · 20+ gal · 75–84 °F
Peacock gudgeon
3 in · 15+ gal · 72–79 °F
Bamboo shrimp
3 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Indian glassfish
3.1 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Zebra pleco
3.2 in · 20+ gal · 79–86 °F
Bronze corydoras
2.75 in · 20+ gal · 72–80 °F
Sterbai corydoras
2.6 in · 20+ gal · 74–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: bettas need 76 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Dwarf gourami: Bettas fight with gouramis, their close relatives.
Honey gourami: Bettas fight with gouramis, their close relatives.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
African dwarf frog: African dwarf frogs are slow and get bullied or outcompeted by bettas.
Sparkling gourami: Bettas fight with gouramis, their close relatives.
What a betta tank needs
A tank of 5 US gallons or more (such as the 5 gallon: Aqueon 5½) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aquarium Co-Op Easy Flow Sponge Filter, Nano
A sponge filter gives gentle flow and cannot pull in small fish. It runs from an air pump, with airline tubing and a check valve, all sold separately.
hygger Hang-on-back Canister Filter 5W
Rated by the maker for up to 10 US gal, which covers a 5 gallon betta tank without being built for a far bigger one. Its maker names a flow control: turn it down so the betta isn’t pushed around.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter up to 5 gal
Rated by the maker for up to 5 US gal, which covers a 5 gallon betta tank without being built for a far bigger one. Its maker names no flow control: if the betta struggles against the current, slow the outflow with a sponge over it.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 50W
Bettas need 76 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding bettas.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 76 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a betta tank · Heaters for a betta tank · Filters for a 5 gallon tank · Heaters for a 5 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common betta problems
- Fin rot: ragged, darkening fin edges. Clean water and stable warmth come first; frequent small water changes.
- A swollen belly: overfeeding is one cause, but infection or organ disease can cause it too. Feed a few pellets once or twice a day, as the food’s label suggests for the fish’s size, and see a vet who treats fish if the swelling stays or the scales lift.
- A betta lying on the bottom is often too cold; check the heater and thermometer.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Betta splendens. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Betta ivabalk (Pixabay), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- German blue ram Eric Mengel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cockatoo dwarf cichlid William Kreijkes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Peacock gudgeon Dirk Godlinski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bamboo shrimp Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Indian glassfish opencage, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zebra pleco Peaceinpianos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bronze corydoras Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sterbai corydoras Matthew Mannell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf gourami Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Honey gourami Antoon Dommerholt (Dutch Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- African dwarf frog Stuart Halliday, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sparkling gourami BEDO (Thailand), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pearl gourami h080, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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