Keep your Betta fish active. In general, fish of this species like to live alone, even if they can quickly get bored. This is why a stimulating environment can only be beneficial for your Betta.
- Place your fish in an area of the house where there is always activity. Such as in the living room or near the kitchen. Bettas love movement and action. Even when they are not directly involved.
- Move the aquarium from time to time to change the environment of your Betta a bit. The new elements will attract their attention and prevent them from being bored.
Give your fish a name and talk to it. It is easier to develop a relationship with an animal that has been given a name. Make sure that the one you assign to your Betta reflects its personality. As with the baby first name lists that can be found on the Internet, you will certainly find a website that will give you name ideas for your Betta fish.
- Bettas are sensitive to vibrations created in water by human sounds. So you can even teach your fish to recognize your voice or even its name when you say it out loud. See if you can get your fish to react by repeating their names regularly when they pass by their aquarium.
- Talking with your Betta at least gives you the opportunity to interact with it, which it should most likely appreciate.
Visually stimulate your fish. By changing your aquarium, as explained earlier, you can arouse their interest in its environment. You could get the same effect by making the habit of placing your face in front of the aquarium to observe it. It would give them something to focus on. Also, they might even learn to recognize you by your face.
- Male Bettas tend to display their fins when they meet another Betta just as when they see their image in a mirror. Frequent deployment of fins for a Betta fish can be a good thing as stimulation or a bad thing if accompanied by stress. This is debated by specialists and that is why you should make use of a mirror in moderation.
- In addition to a mirror, you could use an erasable ink pen to make lines on the front wall of the aquarium. You could also put on it self-adhesive papers (post-it type) of various shapes. Or you can place new objects outside the tank. Watch your Betta as it examines these elements and see the reactions it has.
Play with your Betta fish. Tapping the front wall of the aquarium is an attitude that many fish owners have. This behavior is not recommended by experts, because it can generate stress if the Betta is surprised. Instead of doing this, you could slide your finger across the wall. See how your Betta fish reacts.
- Your fish will probably tend to move closer to the wall to get a closer look at your finger. They may even start to follow it in its movements. You could then manage to make your fish go back and forth with some spectacular transfers.
- Bettas like to rise to the surface of the water and that is why sliding your finger or objects could attract and amuse your fish. You could entertain them by floating a ping-pong ball that you would have taken care to clean well before.
- If you have any other ideas to play with your Betta Fish, go ahead. Try them! Only if they’re safe ones of course.
Train your Betta fish. As with most animals (with humans sometimes too), you can get your Betta to do things for food rewards. If you are patient, you could teach your fish to do some fun tricks.
- For example, you can teach it to eat on the tips of your fingers by placing them as close as possible to the flakes floating on the surface of the water. Your Betta might even end up learning to jump out of the water to catch food on the ends of your fingers.
- You can also use food to teach your Betta to swim in a certain way. Or to make jumps, curls, or tight turns. You could also teach your fish to push the ping-pong ball that floats on the surface of the water in their aquarium until they put it in a net-like water polo player in a swimming pool.
- Think of game ideas to train your fish to do new things.
Be good for your fish. The best way to bond with your Betta is to behave towards it as you would a cat or a dog. Go see it when you feel alone or when you think your fish may feel alone. Do the same if your Betta is stressed or sick or if it is the same for you. Also pay them visits while you and your fish are healthy, happy, and full of energy. You have to make some efforts, be patient, and show some empathy to establish a bond with an animal. Whatever its species.
Warnings
- Remember to clean and rinse your hands thoroughly before touching the inside of your Betta fish’s aquarium.
- Get a kit of first aid items for your fish so you can take care of them if they get injured or get sick.
- Inform yourself and make sure everything should be fine before adding another fish to your Betta’s aquarium. You must at least ensure that the volume of the tank is large enough. To accommodate all your fish in good condition.
- Do not stir a tank that contains a Betta to avoid causing stress.
- If you do not allow the aquarium water to “stabilize” before putting your Betta in it, it will most likely fall ill. It may even die quickly.
- Avoid putting more than one Betta male in an aquarium. Document yourself before installing several females in the same tank. Avoid putting males and females together at all costs.
