Keeping Betta Fish in Your Freshwater Tank

By Nancy Pelsky

Photo by amberlschmidt 

Aquarium keeping is fast gaining its popularity among other forms of hobbies and more people are becoming interested in keeping a reef tank at home. Especially for beginning hobbyists, it is easy to find the aquatic world fascinating and to experience the joys and rewards that goes with it. No matter how fun it is, it could be very discouraging when you find some of your aquarium inhabitants had died. Naturally, when you do not have the experience in keeping fishes and maintaining water conditions, you would probably be experiencing the same problems more often. Such could quite be disheartening and might make one think about ending his aquatic venture.

In starting your aquarium at home, there are some basics you need to learn first. Knowledge about basic aquarium keeping could be found in books and some websites online. But in making success in keeping your aquarium inhabitants, aside from the standard equipment set up and maintenance you have to perform ahead, choosing the right fish for you is most important. There are quite a number of fishes you can keep successfully with little effort. Being new in the craft, these are the kinds of fish you need for your tank. The betta fish, more popularly called Siamese fighting fish, is among these. Known for their being hardy and being able to tolerate poor water conditions, Bettas are best recommended to keep for beginning aquarists, or for anybody who has little time to maintain their tank. Its outstanding ornamental value is owed to the fish's beautiful colors and unique patterns. It is not hard to look around for betta fish for sale as it is readily available. Because of its aggressive nature, they are usually bought alone since putting up a community tank with it takes a lot of experimenting and observation.

But even with their territorial side, it is not impossible to start a community tank with bettas. They could live quite peacefully with certain fishes like some platies, cory catfish and loaches. Female bettas do better in communities and could get along with other more fishes like tetras, barbs, danios and gouramis. Tropical freshwater shrimps are generally great additions to aquariums. Not only they're truly attractive because of their gorgeous colors and designs, they also keep tanks pretty clean. Their purposeful pursuit for algae and their appetite for left over foods do come in handy. Though there are many species of freshwater tropical shrimps, only a few were found suitable to be kept in home aquarium set ups.

Some aquarists reported to have made success in putting Bettas and ghost shrimps together. Their almost invisible appearance doesn't bother the betas at all and allows them to clean up tanks without stressing the bettas. Asian fan shrimps, red cherry shrimps, japonica and glass shrimps could also do well in a Betta tank provided it is heavily planted. That provides them a lot of hiding place. Otherwise, your bettas will snack on them. An advice from your local fish retailer on how to set up your tropical freshwater tank effectively would be helpful to have the best community conditions.

With the needed caution, tropical freshwater shrimp in your Betta tank is a good way to keep water healthy for your fishes. Betta is one of the most rewarding fishes to have, and the ease of care involved makes one better appreciate the beauty of aquarium keeping hobby. Careful selection of your fishes assures you show quality bettas for your tank. It is best recommended to purchase them from reputable aquatic stores. Online aquatic stores with good names also have wide collections of quality betta fish for sale. Knowledge is important to be successful in keeping your Bettas. Wonderful pets as they are, they have quite short lifespans. But with the right conditions, you can enjoy your bettas for a much longer time and have a more fulfilling aquatic experience.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_Pelsky