Tips for Caring for Betta Fish in the Spring

, originally uploaded by prismaviolet.

Nippyfish A Betta Blog is on a bit of a spring break while Christie (that’s me) focuses on her crazy busy day job and wedding planning. We don’t want to leave you in the dust though so please use our betta blog search engine to find answers to your fighting fish questions. There are hundreds of articles and reader questions answered there.

For now, enjoy this list:

Caring for Betta Fish in the Springtime

1. With warmer weather comes increased aquarium water temperature. Make sure you have a thermometer in your tank and check the temperature daily. When the summer hits, you may find running a room fan over the surface of your betta tank will help keep the temperature at a comfortable level. What is a comfortable level for bettas you ask? About 76 – 82 degree Fahrenheit with little fluctuation.

2. The days are getting longer and your betta’s aquarium is getting more hours of sunlight. This can sometimes lead to an algae bloom. If you are noticing more algae lately make sure your tank is out of direct sunlight. Increase your water change schedule to reduce the buildup of waste which is yummy food for algae.

3. How long have you had that open container of betta food? It’s good to toss out open food and replace it with a fresh one every few months because once open, dry food like flakes and pellets lose their nutritional value. Stay on schedule by setting a reminder at the first day of each season to toss out the old food and open a new container.

4. Some betta illnesses are more common in cool water while some are more common in warm water. Stay alert by giving your betta a look over each day for signs of illness or disease. In the spring we see increased instances of Flavobacterium columnare a bacterial disease that looks like a fungus (also called cotton wool disease).

5. I like to change my tank around in the spring (of course you can do that anytime but spring works for me). If you are using live plants, trim out dead or dying leaves and remove any plants that aren’t doing well. Add some new hiding places or move around the old ones for a little variety. No one really knows if bettas benefit from these changes but at the very least, it creates some new interest for you.