Tips that will help you avoid temperature shock and get your fish used to their new environment so they don’t experience illness or disease when you put them in their new tank. So, let’s get started.
Selection of the right tank – In the wild, Betta fish live in small muddy pools; however, a small container like a plastic cup is never suitable for a Betta. That is, you should never keep your Betta in a tank smaller than a three-gallon capacity. Your fish needs space to swim around. They need plenty of hiding spots and live plants, too. If you don’t want to add live plants, you can add silk ones to their tank. You also need to provide them with a sponge filter or a low-flow filter. Just make sure that any filtration system you add doesn’t flow too fast as this can cause high currents that can damage delicate fins and lead to a stressed fish.
Get the tank ready for Betta – The new tank should be washed thoroughly with lukewarm water to eliminate all dirt and germs. You also need to rinse any sand gravel, or artificial plants, and make sure that all décor is safe for your new fish. You see, Bettas have delicate fins that can be easily caught on decorations. One way to make sure a decoration is safe is to run it against some women’s panty hose. If it tears the panty hose, then it will likely tear your Betta’s fins as well. After you have added the decorations, fill your Betta’s tank with distilled or tap water that has been dechlorinated. You can also add products like Safe Start to add beneficial bacteria to the tank. Always leave enough space at the top of the tank to enable your fish to move to the top so they can breathe easily. You also need to check the temperature and pH level of the water before introducing your new Betta fish into the tank.
Acclimatize the Betta while in a bag – Normally, a Betta fish is imported in a well-ventilated plastic bag where it can safely remain for a few days. However, the water in the shipping container will be full of ammonia byproducts so you’ll need to remove as much of the waste as you can before adding your fish. Before you do that, follow these tips:
Allow the original unopened plastic shipping bag containing your newly imported Betta to float in the new tank for at least 30 minutes. This will enable your fish to get used to the new water temperature.
Next, carefully open the bag and poor out some of the old water that the fish was shipped in into a separate container where you will throw it away.
Third, add a small amount of the newly prepared tank water to the shipping bag. Then tie the end of the shipping bag with a rubber band.
Next, take the shipping bag that contains a bit of the new water from the new tank and float the bag above the water of your newly prepared tank for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, add a bit more of the new tank water to the plastic bag the fish was shipped in. This will help your Betta to become accustomed to the temperature, hardness, and pH of the new tank water before you place them in it.
Fill the plastic bag with more added tank water and float it for about 15 minutes more.
Repeat the process a few more times and, if needed, pour out a bit of the water from the shipping plastic bag so you don’t have too much water but continue to float the bag.
After 1.5 hours of acclimating your new Betta, you can carefully pour out most of the water from the shipping plastic bag and then gently place your fish in the new tank by tilting the bag and letting your fish swim out. Some people prefer to put their fish in an aquarium net and then place it in the new tank whereas others prefer to add a bit of the existing water containing the fish directly into the tank. It is up to you, but when you add some of the shipping water, you can introduce ammonia and nitrites into your tank.
At this point, your Betta fish should be properly acclimated; however, they will still feel a bit stressed so give it some time to explore its surroundings.
Turn off the tank lights for a day or so and then feed your fish on the second day as they typically don’t eat the first day or so.
In conclusion, acclimating a new fish takes a bit of time, but it is definitely not impossible to do so. Just make sure that you have the tank already set up and don’t rush the acclimation process. In time, your newly imported fish will get used to its new tank, and you will certainly enjoy it for years and years to come.
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