Bettafish Home - Choosing The Betta Fish Tank - How Many Betta Fish? - Betta Fish Tank Setup and Maintenance - Heating and Lighting the Betta Fish Tank - Aeration and Filtering for the Betta Fish Tank - Gravel and Decorations for the Betta Fish Tank - Feeding Your Betta Fish - Betta Fish Diseases - Betta Fish Information and Facts

Betta Fish Tank Setup - Water Aeration and Filtering

While bettas are not as sensitive to the level of dissolved oxygen as some other types of tropical fish, you should always opt for clean and oxygen rich water in your betta fish tank.

To achieve good clean water, you need to have some sort of filtration system in your betta fish aquarium. The water is cycled through a filter that utilizes one or more of these filtration techniques:

Mechanical filtration - foam or a similar material, removes any large particles such as bits and pieces of food decaying plants.

Chemical filtration - plates of active carbon and other substances are used in many filters to absorb ammonia and other harmful substances from the water.

Biological filtration - bacteria that builds on the surface of the filter helps break ammonia and its products into harmless nitrates. The beneficial bacteria can live almost anywhere in your betta fish aquarium, but many water filters intentionally provide space for the bacteria to grow inside. You may want to read more about the nitrogen cycle in setting up your betta fish tank.

Aeration provides oxygen for the fish, as well as for the beneficial bacteria that is so vital to them. Many water filters provide aeration by creating bubbles on the surface of the water. This is usually sufficient for a small to middle sized betta fish tank.

Bear in mind that betta fish are gentle creatures. You don't want strong streams and currents in your betta fish tank. Avoid very powerful filters and pumps in the tank.