How long do betta fish live?

When it comes to the lifespan of betta fishes, a lot many myths surround the question. The beautiful fish species is the first choice of every fish lover. The average life expectancy of the fish is 3 years. But, you cannot be sure that your fish will live for 3 years. The age of the fish at the time of buying the fish is taken into consideration. Generally, the male betta fish is 1 year old at the time it is sold and the female fish is 6 months old. One cannot blame the seller of the fish if there is an early demise of the creature. If the living condition or the environment is poor, the fish will not survive for long.

Myths surrounding bettas

There is a lot of misconception surrounding the fact that a betta fish can stay in the cramped quarters. You may have noticed betta fishes happily swimming in the plastic cups but it is not the happy home for a betta. It is true that wild bettas can be found in muddy and smaller puddles of Thailand but still the rice paddies where they lived had larger water bodies. So, when they have lived in the larger water bodies; during the drier season much of the water tends to evaporate and they get accustomed to staying in the closed quarters. Thus, the betta fish you buy from a pet store may not be accustomed to stay in the muddy puddles, the tiny bowl or any other smaller confined area. The fish needs much larger space to breathe easily. Bettas require enough of oxygen for survival and thus more space is needed.

Proper living environment is must to consider

If you wish for a healthy and happy betta, living for years, you need to offer it a healthy living environment. Any kind of small space will just concentrate the betta waste to reduce its lifespan. You may keep your betta in a bowl but need to ensure that it is cleaned regularly.

Make sure you do not keep several bettas in one bowl. Your bowl will become a fight zone. So, the answer to the question how long do betta fish live is dependent on the way you keep it.

How to increase the life of a betta fish? Some facts to be known

So, you are already interested in learning the ways of increasing the life of a betta fish. To keep the lovely creature happy and healthy, know the following:

•    Choose an aquarium that has plenty of space or room. You should arrange for an aquarium that can hold more than 2.5 gallons of water.

•    Betta fishes love to eat meat. You need to make sure that the fish is properly nourished and is fed meat. Get to know more about the diet of your betta from the pet store. The pet store owner can offer you the food which is particularly meant for your betta. Make sure you feed higher levels of protein to your fish than just the fish flakes.

•    When it comes to increasing the life of betta fishes, temperature plays a crucial role. Since the fishes are tropical, they can live better in the tropical weather condition. A buyer of the fish needs to arrange for the aquarium heater.

•    Betta fishes are considered to be robust creatures but still they need fresh and clean water. The water needs to be non-toxic and there must not be any ammonia content in the water.

•    Such a breed of fish need the right kind of lighting and only then they can survive. Being sensitive to light, you need to provide the right intensity of light to the fish.

Caring for betta is enjoyable

If you are pretty observant, caring for betta fish will become enjoyable. You need to pay utmost attention to the needs of the fish. Get to know more about the habitat of betta by going through online websites and magazines.

The tank must be of sufficient size and the temperature must be proper. If you can ensure the two things, you need not worry much about How Long Do Betta Fish Live. Betta fishes are pretty easy going beautiful creatures. You need to just arrange proper aquarium, lighting and a sophisticated filter.