This article was co-authored by Craig Morton. Craig Morton is the CEO of Aquarium Doctor Inc. based in Huntington Beach California and servicing Orange County, Los Angeles County, and the Inland Empire. With over 30 years of aquarium experience, Craig specializes in creating custom aquarium designs along with aquarium installation, service, and maintenance.
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Betta, or Siamese fighting fish, are remarkably beautiful, curious, and sociable fish that are native to SE Asia. Because Betta can live in extremely small spaces, living in rice paddies and drainage ditches in the wild, they have been bred to live alone in comparatively small tanks or bowls as pets. Although they can live in small spaces, and males need to live separately to avoid conflict, Betta can get bored and lonely if left without stimulation. If you have a Betta fish you can give it some much needed attention by learning how to play with it and teach it tricks.
Steps
Adding Entertainment to Your Betta's Tank
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1Add objects to the bottom of your Betta's tank. Betta are very curious fish and they are entertained by new things they can explore. They also like to have places to hide and places to relax in their tanks, so adding objects to their tanks is key to their happiness.
- Either find items to put in the tank that are made to go in fish tanks or items that can be thoroughly cleaned, will not fall apart in water, and are non-toxic. It is best to buy items specifically made for fish, to avoid killing or injuring your finned friend.[1] However, some other items that would be safe to use (if cleaned properly) include glass marbles, plastic straws, rocks, plastic cross-stitching material, and other items made of things like glass or plastic. Just make sure there are no sharp edges or broken bits for your betta's long, flowing fins to get caught on!
- There are a wide variety of products made for Betta tanks specifically. At the very least, consider adding a fake plant or two for your Betta to hide or relax in. [2] Betta leaf hammocks are also fun.
- While you do want to give you Betta places to hide and explore, you also need to give it enough open space to swim around freely. Don't overcrowd the tank with too much stuff![3]
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2Try adding bobbing objects to the top of the tank. Get a small floating toy or a fishing bobber. You don't want to cover the entire surface of the tank, as Betta come up to the surface to get air, but you can float a few fun toys for the Betta to play with.
- Make sure the toy is clean before you place it in the water.
- Put a small plastic ping-pong ball in the top of the tank.[4] See what the betta does! Some Betta will push it around their tank. If the Betta doesn't play with the ball immediately, give your fish some time to get used to it.
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3Feed your Betta live food occasionally. This is a great way to entertain your fish. Fish or Aquarium specific stores often offer live worms that most Betta will chase with zeal.
Warning: Always feed your Betta a balanced, varied diet. Too many treats or meals will not be good for your fish but they can be given once in a while with no problem. You just don't want to feed them too much and get them sick!
Playing with Your Betta
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1Run your finger back and forth across your Betta's tank. See if your fish will follow your finger as you move it across the tank. In many cases, the Betta will follow along if it knows its caretaker (you).
- Try to get your Betta to follow different patterns you make with your fingers. Can you get it to do a flip?
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2Train the Betta to eat out of your fingers. When you feed your Betta, make sure that it comes up and sees that it's you feeding it. Once your Betta is used to you being near when it feeds, try keeping your hand above the water while it eats. Gradually you can transition to holding the food slightly under water between your thumb and forefinger.
- Try feeding your Betta a food they really like while training them. Betta may even jump if you hold blood worms or insects above the water level just a bit!
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3Train your Betta to swim, and maybe even jump, through a hoop. Make a hoop out of a pipe cleaner or a piece of plastic. Figure out what your Betta likes to eat most, and use that as bait. Hang the hoop in the tank so that the Betta can swim through it. Move the bait to encourage the betta to swim through the hoop.
- As your Betta becomes more and more comfortable swimming through the hoop, raise it up little by little, until the bottom of the hoop is just touching the water's surface. With enough practice, your Betta may jump out of the water and through the hoop to get a food reward.
- Remember not to overfeed your Betta fish. A few treats for training are just fine but don't overfeed the fish or it could cause illness or death.
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4Get your Betta to "flare" its fins by showing its reflection in a mirror. Show the Betta its reflection for a few seconds. When it sees its reflection in the mirror the Betta will think there is another fish in the tank. Male Betta are very territorial, so when they see this imaginary other fish, they flare out their fins.
Warning: There is some debate about whether or not this is a good practice for Betta fish, so if you choose to use a mirror as enrichment, keep sessions to 15 seconds or less.
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5Target training your betta is another easy, fun way to play with your betta, and opens the doors to all sorts of other ways to play with your betta. [5]
- To begin, find a plastic stick, straw, or chopstick suitable for putting in the betta's tank. It is best to find something brightly colored, so the betta will recognize it.
- Put the stick in the tank, and when the betta touches it with its nose, give them a treat. Do this several times a day, being careful not to overfeed your betta.
- Eventually, you can use this stick to train your betta to go through hoops, follow your stick in patterns, and even jump! Just be cautious of over-exerting your betta, and always clean your stick with clean water before use.
Expert Q&A
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QuestionWhat do bettas like in their tank?
Craig MortonCraig Morton is the CEO of Aquarium Doctor Inc. based in Huntington Beach California and servicing Orange County, Los Angeles County, and the Inland Empire. With over 30 years of aquarium experience, Craig specializes in creating custom aquarium designs along with aquarium installation, service, and maintenance.
Aquarium Specialist, Aquarium Doctor Inc.You can put a variety of items in the tank, but check that they're made for fish. Choose items that are non-toxic and able to be cleaned. Don't put anything in the tank that will fall apart in water.
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QuestionIs tapping a fish tank bad?Craig MortonCraig Morton is the CEO of Aquarium Doctor Inc. based in Huntington Beach California and servicing Orange County, Los Angeles County, and the Inland Empire. With over 30 years of aquarium experience, Craig specializes in creating custom aquarium designs along with aquarium installation, service, and maintenance.
Aquarium Specialist, Aquarium Doctor Inc.Yes! Tapping on a fish tank can scare your fish and make it feel insecure. In some cases, the fish might experience shock and could even die.Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.
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QuestionHow do I know if my betta fish is happy?Craig MortonCraig Morton is the CEO of Aquarium Doctor Inc. based in Huntington Beach California and servicing Orange County, Los Angeles County, and the Inland Empire. With over 30 years of aquarium experience, Craig specializes in creating custom aquarium designs along with aquarium installation, service, and maintenance.
Aquarium Specialist, Aquarium Doctor Inc.A happy and healthy betta fish will have clear eyes, untethered fins, and it will enjoy eating its food.Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.
Warnings
- Betta fish should rarely, if ever, be petted. It's not good to pet them, as it may remove their natural slime coating, making them prone to certain diseases. Also, never touch them with dirty hands, as bacteria can easily be transmitted through direct contact.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Never put items in your betta's tank that have surfaces that might chip off or that could seep into the water. Items like this, such as colored rocks, could have poison and/or toxic chemicals that could injure or kill your fish.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Never tap your finger on the glass if it's a pot or a bowl; betta fishes are very territorial. With the feeling of insecurity, tapping your finger on the bowl will scare them and your pet may die of shock.[6]⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Only use a mirror to entertain your betta occasionally. Using a mirror more than once a week will stress them out.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- If feeding your betta live food or bloodworms, handle them carefully. Some people are severely allergic to the dust from bloodworms.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Do not leave uneaten bloodworms or live food in the tank, as they can carry harmful bacteria.⧼thumbs_response⧽
References
- ↑ Craig Morton. Aquarium Specialist, Aquarium Doctor Inc.. Expert Interview. 21 July 2020.
- ↑ http://pets.thenest.com/recommended-aquarium-tank-size-betta-fish-3620.html
- ↑ http://pets.thenest.com/recommended-aquarium-tank-size-betta-fish-3620.html
- ↑ http://www.myaquariumclub.com/some-tricks-and-toys-to-entertain-your-betta-6148.html
- ↑ http://petfishtricks.weebly.com/betta-fish-training.html
- ↑ Craig Morton. Aquarium Specialist, Aquarium Doctor Inc.. Expert Interview. 21 July 2020.
About This Article
To play with your Betta fish, try adding water-safe items to the bottom of your fish's tank, like rocks and hiding places. For added stimulation, put a small bobber or other floating device on top of the water so the Betta can play with it when it comes up for air. To interact with your Betta, gently run your fingers back and forth along the tank to see if the fish will follow them. Find your Betta's favorite food and use it as bait to try to get the fish to swim through a hoop in the water. For tips from our veterinary reviewer on feeding your Betta live food from your hand, read on!
