Betta Supplies

Essentials - the absolute basics that you need to have to bring your betta home

1) 2 gallon or larger bowl or aquarium. 2 gallons is the minimum. Five gallons is better. Standard five gallon aquariums cost about $12. A fully equipped 5 gallon setup like the marineland eclipse 5 will cost over $50, but its a very nice setup.

2) Tap water treatment. You can't just put your betta in tap water, and you can't keep buying betta water - you'll spend hundreds of dollars a year if you keep buying betta water. Buy the novaqua betta fish tap water treatment for five dollars. This will last you about a month for $5. Or, get the large bottle of novagua tap water treatment for $9. This will last you a couple of months.

3) Food - either freeze dried brine shrimp, freeze dried bloodowmrs or small floating pellets made just for bettas. In a pinch, just getting some flake food made for bettas will do, but make sure it's at least 40% protein. As your betta should only be eating 3-4 tiny pieces of food a day, even an ounce or two of pellets is going to last a bit. Food will cost about $5. If you have the extra $5, its a really, really good idea to get two kinds of food... maybe one a general betta food, and the other either freeze dried brine shrimp or blood worms. But one kind of food is a fine start.

4) Heat source. If you've got a straight-sized aquarium, buy a traditional heater that's submersible and non-breakable. If you've got a bowl, order a small plant heating mat online for $20.

Total estimated cost, cheapest options ($10 bowl, $5 food, $5 water conditioner, $10 heater) = $30, plus the betta, of course.

Expensive options: Marineland eclipse 5 or other complete setup, $50; 2 kinds of food, $12; tap water treatment, $8; high quality heater, $20. Total: $90, plus the betta.

Optional Supplies - other things that are nice to have.

1) Fine gravel. Pea sized is too big. Incredibly, bettas sometimes get their heads stuck in large gravel (think marble sized). Also, the larger the gravel, the more waste it will hold and the dirtier your tank will get. Small or fine grain gravel is harder to find, but you'll have a nicer tank in the long run. Aim for gravel that's no wider than half a pencil thinkness wide. Get two bags of gravel... about 10 lbs worth for a 5 gallon tank. Cost: $8 for 2 bags.

2) Plant - plastic or real. Java ferns and java moss may cost more than the other plants you'll see, but unless you're going to buy special lighting for your tank, get the lowest light requiring plants you can find, even if you have to look online. Otherwise, your plants will gradually die, decompose, and you'll have to clean the tank a few extra times until all the dead plant matter is cleaned up. Cost: plastic plant: $4. Real plant (a nice one): $8.

3) 2nd or 3rd type of food - freeze dried brine shrimp, or floating pellets, or high quality flake food. Omega is a good brand. Cost: $6-8 (you'll be getting the good stuff).

4) Water test kit - get pH and ammonia test kits. If you've got only a small bowl, not a community aquarium, you can probably skip the ammonia test. When you're in doubt about the ammonia content of the bowl, just change the water out. If you want to breed bettas, consider getting a water hardness kit. Cost: $6-15 depending on how elaborate the kit is.

5) Net. Make sure the net is large enough to fit your betta and his long fins in it, but not so large you can't get it into the bowl (if you're keeping him in a bowl). Cost: $5.

6) Filter. Filters are really needed only if you're setting up a community tank. Betta bowls can do without them, because as a good owner you're going to be changing the water every few days. If you still feel you ought to get a filter, I recommend getting a small over the side hanging filter. Don't overdo on the filter power or you'll blast your betta away with too much water current. They don't like that. Cost: $8-20 depending on how sophisticated the filter is.

7) Cleaning crew. If your betta bowl is only 2 gallons, just get a snail. If its 3-5 gallons, there will be enough room for a very small, very mellow little catfish (or a snail, if you don't want another fish in the tank). Having a "cleaning crew" will be especially nice if you've got a live plant in the tank. It will also cut down on algae in the tank. Its a nice extra, but not necessary. Cost for snail: $2. Cost for catfish: $6.

8) Anti-bacterial Treatment. This works on both bacterial and fungal problems. It also won't destroy the good bacteria in your biological filter, and at $10 its a reasonable price. Its a really, really good idea to have something like this on hand, because you want to treat your fish at the very first sign of a problem. Most betta illnesses or conditions are going to be either bacterial or fungal, so while this won't work for everything, it will work for most things. Seachem is a really good company -- pro fishkeepers use their stuff.

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More Betta Fish Articles:

Betta Supplies

Essentials - the absolute basics that you need to have to bring your betta home

Optional Supplies - other things that are nice to have.

Get our top tips for betta fish care

My favorite aquarium decoration:

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