The key to having a successful betta fish aquarium is that you need to learn how to control the atmosphere for the fish. First, you need to realize that betta fish or Siamese fighting fish come from Cambodia, Thailand, formerly known as Siam. The area is considered tropical for the fish. In fact, in nature you can usually find the betta fish hanging around in a rice paddy field.

You should never keep a betta fish in a small tank. Smaller tanks are harder to control. When it comes to betta fish, you need to keep in mind of the temperature, hardness, and ammonia levels. As for the temperature it should be somewhere between 75-85*F. The pH levels should stay between 6.8-7.4 and the hardness can go up to 20 dGH.

The water is extremely important to all types of fish, but betta fish can be sensitive. You should check on the water every day and the tank should be cleaned every couple of days. Betta fish are very sensitive to the ammonia levels also. You get ammonia build up especially from new tanks. If you clean your new tank with harsh cleaners, make sure that you rinse the tank out several times, because even a trace of the cleaner will harm your betta.

When it comes to the tank size, you should never go with anything less than three gallons. You will need a bigger tank for the more fish that you add. However, you should watch what kind of fish that you add to a betta tank. Betta fish are known as being semi-aggressive and should be put into a tank with the appropriate fish.

You should also know that a betta tank should never have more than one male. By adding more than one male, you are just asking for a fight. Males are very territorial, but sometimes even the females can become aggressive if bothered. If you have more than one male, make sure that the two are separated with a barrier. When mixing your fish, you should not have fin-nipping fish. They will go after the betta