How to Set Up a Betta Fish Tank at Home — Complete Guide

Minimum: 5 litres. Ideal: 10–20 litres. Bigger is always easier to maintain because water parameters stay more stable and forgive small mistakes. At Aquatik, we carry several betta-specific tanks: • Mini Glass Betta Tank with Cover (₹250) — great starter option • Cube Open Tank 6MM Glass (₹300) — clean, rimless look • Cube Tank with Cover 6MM Glass (₹400) — keeps bettas from jumping • 2-Partition or 3-Partition Glass Betta Tanks (₹375) — for keeping multiple bettas safely separated • Hallofeed Mini Aquarium M-2L (₹300) — complete kit with light Avoid tall, narrow tanks — bettas prefer horizontal swimming space. They also need to surface breathe, so tall tanks can tire them out.

Use fine gravel or sand — 2–3 cm deep is enough. Dark substrates make betta colours pop. AQUARICH Aquarium Soil (₹250/kg) is ideal for planted setups. Live plants are highly recommended: • Java Fern (₹150) — attach to rocks or driftwood, extremely hardy, nearly impossible to kill • Anubias (₹200) — thick, dark leaves; even fin-nipping fish leave it alone • Java Moss (₹100) — versatile, soft texture bettas love resting on • Water Sprite / Ceratopteris (₹100) — fast-growing, excellent nitrate absorber Plants improve water quality by absorbing nitrates, produce oxygen, and give your betta natural hiding spots that reduce stress and bring out their natural behaviour.

Filter: Use a gentle sponge filter or a small hang-on-back filter set to low flow. Bettas have long, delicate fins and struggle in strong currents. We recommend the Blue Pet XF-180 Sponge Filter (₹200) or the BL-A02 Biological Sponge Filter (₹190) — both provide excellent filtration with minimal flow. Heater: Essential in air-conditioned rooms and during Indian winters. Set to 26°C. Stable temperature is more important than hitting a specific number — fluctuations stress fish more than being slightly outside the ideal range. Let the filter and heater run for at least 24 hours before adding your betta.

This is the most critical step that most beginners skip. Tank cycling means establishing beneficial bacteria that convert toxic ammonia (from fish waste) into less harmful nitrate. An uncycled tank can kill your betta within days. How to cycle your betta tank: 1. Set up the tank with the filter running 2. Add a small pinch of fish food daily (this produces ammonia as it breaks down) 3. Wait 7–14 days 4. Test water — ammonia and nitrite should both read 0 If you don't have a test kit, wait a minimum of 7 days and do a 50% water change before adding fish. It's not perfect, but significantly better than adding fish immediately.

When you bring your betta home from Aquatik: 1. Float the sealed bag in your tank for 15–20 minutes to equalise temperature 2. Open the bag and add a small cup of tank water every 5 minutes for 20 minutes 3. Gently net the fish into the tank — don't pour the bag water in 4. Turn off the tank light for a few hours to let the fish settle in Don't feed your betta for the first 24 hours — they need time to adjust. When you do start feeding, 2–3 pellets twice daily is all they need. Our Fancy HMPK (₹350), Crown Tail Red (₹400), and Dumbo Ear Sky Blue (₹300) are all popular beginner bettas — beautiful, healthy, and already eating well before they leave us.

Daily: • Feed 2–3 pellets twice a day (morning and evening) • Check the temperature gauge • Remove any uneaten food after 2 minutes Weekly: • Change 25% of the water using dechlorinated water (Anti Chlorine, ₹15) • Clean the glass if algae begins to appear • Check the filter is running smoothly Monthly: • Rinse filter sponge in old tank water (never tap water — it kills beneficial bacteria) • Trim any dead or yellowing plant leaves • Check the heater temperature calibration A healthy betta can live 3–5 years with this routine. The effort is minimal once your schedule is established.