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Don't Keep Your Betta Fish in a Vase
You've probably seen betta in a vase displays. The set up is to put a live betta fish in an ordinary
flower vase, and put a peace lily - with no dirt - floating in the vase. The theory is that as
betta fish live in rice paddies, they can live in the stagnant water of the flower vase. The
instructions usually include not changing the water and not feeding the fish. The idea behind that is
that the fish can live off of the roots of the plant and that the plant can live off the betta's waste.
Unfortunately, none of this is true. While betta fish do live in stagnant water, they live in
significantly larger bodies of water than what's in the vase. To make the betta in a vase setup
work, you would have to change the water in the face at least once a week. Also, while a betta
fish might nibble at the roots of the plant, betta fish require protein, and there's nowhere
near enough nutrients in the plant roots to keep the betta alive for an extended period of
time. So again, to make this setup work, you would have to feed the betta fish with proper
betta fish food, at least three times a week.
The problems with the betta in a vase setup don't end there. While bettas can handle stagnant
water, they must have access to the water surface. They need it to breathe. If the lily
is too big, the fish won't be able to get to the surface. And so the fish won't be able to breathe
properly. The other problem with the betta and the vase set up is the water's temperature.
Betta fish need to be kept at 75-80°. Anything less than that will cause them to be lethargic
and will make them more susceptible to disease.
If you have already bought one of these betta fish in a vase ornaments, the best thing to do is to put the betta
in its own one gallon or larger bowl, pot the plant, and get some fresh flowers for the vase.
Both the plant and the betta fish will be much happier. You'll be much happier too, because you
won't have to watch your betta fish slowly die.
Even with the betta and its own bowl, it will probably require some sort of heat to keep it healthy.
Do not put the fish in a sunny window to keep it warm, because that will actually overheat the bowl and
will kill the betta. There are some flat fish tank heaters that can be used under the bowl, especially if
you can put a piece of glass between the bowl in the heater. This might be enough to keep
a betta warm through night-time temperatures that could drop as low as 65°. Just be sure that there's
something between the heater and the base of the fishbowl, or the heater could potentially crack the glass of the bowl.
You will still have to change the water in the betta's bowl. For a 1 gallon bowl, you should
change the water every five days. For 1/2 gallon bowl, it should be changed every two or three days.
When you change the water, you'll probably have to treat it with something that will take out the chloramines
and adjust the pH. There are some excellent betta water treatments that are easy to use and very effective.
Do not use distilled water, as it has as it lacks certain minerals and trace elements that your betta fish needs.
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