Hellboy Betta Fish: 8 Secrets To Proper Care

Like the comic-book character Hellboy, the Hellboy bettas are famous for their high-grade coloration with a vibrant hue. Although these Hellboy bettas have half-moon-shaped tails, their tails are not flowing like Halfmoon bettas. Hence, the betta lovers look for secrets to take proper care of Hellboy’s betta fish.

Because of having varieties of fins and vibrant coloration, Hellboy Betta is gaining popularity among betta lovers. But, there are not numerous care guides about Hellboy Betta due to being underrated.

In this article, I’ve penned down 8 secrets to proper care of Hellboy Betta. If you want to get a complete care guide about Hellboy bettas, you should go through this article.

Overview of Hellboy Betta

Categories	Features
Scientific Name	Betta splendens
Common Name	Siamese fighting fish, Hellboy betta, etc.
Size	7-8 cm
Diet	Carnivore
Optimal Temperature	74-82 degrees Fahrenheit
Optimal pH	6.5-7.5
Temperament	Aggressive
Lifespan	3-5 years
Cost	Around $30

8 Secrets To Proper Care For Hellboy Betta

1. Proper Tank Setup: How To Set up A Hellboy Betta Fish Tank?

Choosing Right Tank

Before bringing a Hellboy betta, you should arrange its habitat in captivity. You might know that Hellboy bettas can grow up to only 7-8 cm. So, these small bettas can readily fit into a 5-gallon tank.

Since you may add other required equipment to the tank, you should buy a large tank. A 10-gallon-sized tank will be appropriate to keep 1-2 Hellboy bettas. To add each Hellboy betta, you should consider keeping more space of 5 gallons.

These beautiful Hellboy bettas are top dwellers. That’s why you should facilitate keeping open space in their tank. In the wild, Hellboy bettas tend to live in slow-streaming ponds, streams, etc.

From their wild habitation, you might realize that Hellboy bettas do not require heavy water flow. You should not keep the water depth high in your Hellboy betta tank. Otherwise, the filtration system can produce strong currents in the tank.

Add A Filter

Another secret of proper care is to add a powerful filtration system. Although betta can be in low-oxygenated water in the wild, these fish can not survive in poor water quality. Thus, a filtration system is a must to remove waste and toxic particles from the water.

There must be leftovers from the extra foods that you feed your Hellboy betta. Besides, several leaves and plants may rot in the water. These wastages increase the ammonia level in the tank. When there is an ammonia spike, your Hellboy betta may suffer from ammonia burn.

That’s why you should choose a strong filtration system according to the water capacity of the tank. Make sure that the filter isn’t too strong to suck up your Hellboy betta fry.

Add A Heater

In maximum cases, Hellboy bettas do not require a heater when the room temperature remains within 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit. If you live in a cold country, you must adjust a heater in your Hellboy betta tank.

However, Hellboy betta can tolerate slight fluctuations in temperature. But, you must not keep your betta consistently in cold water. It’ll weaken their immunity, slow their activity, and cause lethargy.

To avoid temperature shock, you should install a thermostat regulating heater in your Hellboy betta tank. Make sure to place the heater in such a way as to distribute the heat in the water appropriately.

Add A Substrate

To give a fine texture to your betta tank, you should add a good substrate. If you want to add plants to the tank, you must add a substrate to help the plants root into the texture. In addition, the substrate works as a good source of microorganisms.

Some substrates can change the pH of the water. You can use an inert substrate for your Hellboy betta tank.

While choosing a substrate, you should avoid gravel, sand, etc. Otherwise, your betta may swallow those substrate particles while picking foods from the substrate. Check out both pros and cons of your chosen substrate.

LED Or UVB Lighting

Direct exposure to sunlight is not a healthy option for your Hellboy betta. You should set the Hellboy Betta aquarium in that way. Natural lighting can play a good role in maintaining the day and night cycle of your betta.

Some owners may not have such an opportunity to set the tank beside a window. That’s why you must add an aquarium light. Lighting will help your Hellboy betta remain active and find food.

Moreover, it’s essential for the plants of the tank.  You can use either LED or UVB lighting in your Hellboy betta tank.

Décor Items

Décor items seem like the cherries on top of the tank setup of your Hellboy betta. Sometimes, bettas become stressed due to several factors. To comfort your Hellboy betta, you should add hideouts in the tank.

Besides, you can add real or fake plants. To increase oxygenation, you can also add an aerator to your Hellboy betta tank.

2. Keeping Right Water Parameters For Hellboy Betta

Since Hellboy betta are low-maintenance pets, people often take them for granted. In the wild, bettas can thrive in low-oxygenated places. But, you must maintain the right water parameters for your Hellboy betta in captivity.

For this, you should know the requirements of your Hellboy betta. In the wild, Hellboy bettas prefer a bit of acidic water. That’s why you should keep the pH level from 6.5 to 7.5.

Besides, Hellboy Betta can survive in cooler temperatures. To help your betta thrive well, you should maintain the ideal water temperature. If you do not keep the water temperature within 76-85 degrees Fahrenheit, your Hellboy betta may get susceptible to diseases.

I’ve made a small list of ideal water parameters for Betta. Let’s check out the list.

Categories	Features
pH	6.5-7.5
Temperature	76-85 degrees Fahrenheit
Ammonia	Less than 0.5 ppm
Nitrite	Less than 0.5 ppm
Nitrate	Less than 20 ppm
Chlorine	0 ppm
Chloramine	0 ppm
Heavy metals	ppm

3. Cycling The Tank Water Before Adding Hellboy Betta

The second secret of proper care is to cycle the tank. Before adding your Hellboy betta, you should cycle the tank to introduce beneficial bacteria. Otherwise, your betta may die from new tank syndrome.

That’s why the experts suggest cycling the tank for at least 4-5 days. The beneficial bacteria will turn the ammonia into nitrite. Later, the nitrite will turn into nitrate that is less harmful to Hellboy betta.

You should check the reading of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate level while cycling the tank. Check out whether the ammonia and nitrite levels become zero. In addition, the nitrate level should be less than 30 ppm. Then, the Hellboy betta tank is fully cycled and ready for your betta.

4. Acclimating Your Hellboy Betta

After buying Hellboy betta, you can not just drop the new betta in a tank. Because of mismatched temperature, it can cause temperature shock to your Hellboy betta. That’s why you must acclimatize your betta before adding it to the tank.

For this, you need to keep the bag of Hellboy betta at the top of the tank. Within 15-40 minutes, the temperature of the betta bag will match the temperature of the tank. Then, you can add the Hellboy betta into the tank.

5. Changing The Tank Water Regularly

Like all species of betta, Hellboy bettas are sensitive to water quality. To keep the water quality good, you should perform regular water changes.

But, you can not make a 100% water change of your Hellboy betta tank. It’ll cause stress to your Hellboy betta. You should change only 20-30% water at a time.

6. Keeping Compatible Tank Mates For Hellboy Betta

To keep your Hellboy betta happy and healthy, you should choose compatible tank mates for your betta.  For this, you need to compare the temperament and requirements of Hellboy Betta and their tank mates.

The Hellboy Betta is known to be aggressive. So, you can’t keep peaceful and docile fish with these bettas. Besides, you might know that Hellboy bettas are near-surface dwellers.

While choosing tank mates, you should pick mid-dwellers or bottom dwellers. As a result, there will be less chance of fights due to infrequent encounters. You can add zebrafish, cory catfish, rasboras, mollies, tetra, African dwarf frog, cherry barb, pygmy corydoras, snails, shrimp, etc.

7. Provide a Nutritious Diet: What To Feed Hellboy Betta?

Providing a nutritious diet is a top condition to ensure proper care of Hellboy Betta. Since these bettas are carnivores, you can feed them a wide range of foods. Along with dried and frozen foods, you should offer live foods to your Hellboy betta.

Some excellent choices of live foods are bloodworms, earthworms, mosquito larvae, daphnia, water fleas, brine shrimp, etc. These are good sources of protein for your betta.

Besides, you can choose frozen foods that are enriched with Omega 3s, protein, and nutrients. For example- krill, mysis shrimp, etc. You can also try some blenched vegetables for your Hellboy betta fish.

In addition, there are several types of commercial betta flakes and pallets. To increase their appetite, you should add varieties to your Hellboy betta diet.

8. How Much Food Does Hellboy Betta Need?

The ideal quantity of food depends on the age and health of your Hellboy betta. If your Hellboy betta is an adult fish, you should feed it at least once a day.

In the case of baby bettas, you should offer food 2-3 times a day. After providing food, you should notice the number of leftovers.

If your Hellboy betta finishes the food quickly, you should add more food. Otherwise, you should reduce the amount of food if your betta does not finish the entire food.

9. Breeding Care: How To Breed Hellboy Betta?

If you want to breed your Hellboy betta, you should take special care of these fish. Firstly, you need to make the tank breeding-friendly. You can choose a large tank to breed your betta.

The water quality of the breeding tank should be top-notch for successful breeding. Besides, you must check the heater to keep a constant temperature range. Make sure to adjust the filter in the breeding tank.

The second significant work is to choose a pair of healthy Hellboy betta. You must bring a sexually matured Hellboy betta for breeding purposes.

But, introducing male and female betta together can cause fighting among them. That’s why you should take some time to let them become comfortable. You can use a divider in the middle of the tank.

Then, you can keep male and female Hellboy betta separately in the same tank. When these two bettas become familiar with each other, you can remove the barrier. 

Besides, you should prepare the Hellboy betta couple for breeding. For this, you should provide varieties of nutritious food to your Hellboy betta. you should feed your betta 2-4 times a day. Also, you should focus on feeding meaty meals to your Hellboy betta.

To have successful breeding, you should not cause any disturbance in your Hellboy betta tank. In the meantime, you may notice your male Hellboy betta making a hive for mating. When the Hellboy betta pair is ready to mate, these bettas will remain close to each other.

After the mating process, you should keep the male and female Hellboy bettas in their previous tanks. Afterward, you should take proper care of the eggs. When the Hellboy betta eggs get hatched, you can welcome new Hellboy betta fry in your tank.

Final Words

I hope this article helped you get a detailed care guide about Hellboy betta fish. Like Hellboy Betta, another lucrative betta is Crowntail Betta. If you want to purchase Crowntail Netta, you should check the following article for their care guide.

Are Crowntail Bettas Easy To Take Care Of?