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How Do You Take Care Of A Veiltail Betta Fish?

Veiltail betta fish are undoubtedly a package of stunning body features with low requirements. It’ll be a triumph for any betta lover if the owner succeeds to have the company of Veiltail betta for 2-3 years. To keep your Veiltail betta healthy and alive, you may seek care-guide by questioning how to take care of a Veiltail betta fish.

In the wild, Veiltail betta fish thrive in low-oxygen water. Besides, these betta fish have minimal requirements. If you consider a few conditions to keep Veiltail betta in captivity, such unique betta fish can live for a long period.

In this article, I’ve discussed the overview of Veiltail betta fish, their tank set-up, water parameters, diet, breeding requirements, etc. So, you shouldn’t miss this article if you want to take good care of your Veiltail betta fish. 

Overview Of Veiltail Betta Fish

Before jumping into details, a short overview may help you get an insight into Veiltail betta fish care. So, you can check out the following chart of the overview of Veiltail betta fish. 

Categories Features 
Scientific name Betta splendens
Common name Veiltail betta, Siamese fighting fish, etc.
Size 2.5-3 inches 
Tank size Minimum 5 gallons for a single fish
Diet Carnivores 
Temperament Territorial and aggressive 
Optimal Temperature 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit 
Care levelEasy-going
Lifespan 2-5 years

Habitat Set-Up Of Veiltail Betta Fish

If you plan to bring a Veiltail betta fish, you should prepare its tank beforehand. You need to set up a habitation for your Veiltail betta fish by keeping in mind fulfilling its requirements. 

Let’s see how you can set up the habitation for such a charming betta fish.

What Size Tank Do You Need For Keeping A Veiltail Betta Fish?

Some beginners try to keep their pet Veiltail betta in a small fish bowl. You might know that these Veiltail betta fish can reach up to 2.5 inches.

Since Veiltail betta fish are playful and active, these fish require some additional room to move comfortably. Due to having fancy and swoopy tails and fins, Veiltail betta fish can not thrive in a small tank.

For this reason, you should choose at least a 5-10 gallon tank to house one Veiltail betta. If you want to add more Veiltail betta fish, you should keep an additional 5 gallons for each betta fish.

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Substrate For Veiltail Betta

In the wild, the bottom of Veiltail betta habitation consists of rotting vegetation and muddy slit. To mimic the wild habitation, you should add suitable substrate for your Veiltail betta fish tank.

You can choose pea-sized gravel as a substrate for your Veiltail betta. It’ll be easier to clean up messes, leftovers, and other waste that has fallen onto the gravel. Make sure that these gravels do not have sharp edges. If you do not want gravel as substrate, you can use aquarium sands for your Veiltail betta tank. 

Sometimes, betta hobbyists add river stones, marbles, marble chippings, or other such decorative rocks as substrates. But, such kinds of the substrate have more cons than pros. 

The pH and other water parameters get affected due to these stones or marbles. Moreover, you shouldn’t use coral sand as a substrate for your Veiltail betta tank. This coral sand will increase the water pH, whereas Veiltail betta fish prefer acidic water. 

According to the experts’ recommendations, the best substrate option for Veiltail betta fish is Seachem Flourite Premium Natural Substrate.

Lighting

Veiltail betta fish do not require any special lighting. These betta fish require a schedule of 8-12 hours of daytime and 12-14 night time. The lacking of lighting is responsible for the loss of coloration on your Veiltail betta skin. 

But, you should ensure that your Veiltail betta does not get exposed to bright lighting for a long period. In such a case, your betta fish may get disoriented. Their activity level becomes disturbed.

You might think of keeping the Veiltail betta tank near the window side to get sunlight exposure. But, long-term exposure to sunlight can encourage the algae boom in the tank. Besides, sunlight may increase the temperature of your betta tank.

To fulfill the demand for lighting, you can fix a 1.5-3 watt fluorescent light for your Veiltial betta tank. Otherwise, you can adjust LED lighting.

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Heater 

Although Veiltail betta is a low-maintenance fish, you can not overlook its temperature demand. The optimal temperature for Veiltail betta is around 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Generally, your Veiltail betta may not require any heater if the room temperature remains within the ideal temperature range.  

In cold water, the growth and metabolism rate of betta fish becomes sloth. If the temperature remains too high or low than the ideal range, you may lose your Veiltail betta at an early age.

You must adjust a heater in your Veiltail betta tank if the room temperature fails to keep the tank water warm. However, you can add a thermostat to regulate the heater. For your Veiltail betta fish, a 10 Watt mini aquarium heater can be a perfect option. 

Filtration System: Does My Veiltail Betta Need a Filter?

If you look at the wildlife of Veiltail betta, you may know about their low-oxygenated habitat. Veiltail betta tends to live in stagnant ponds or rice paddies. Compared with a wild lifestyle, there are several myths about keeping Veiltail betta in a small tank with no filter.

But, your captived Veiltail betta will not survive in a tank without a good filtration system. In an unfiltered tank, there will be ammonia spike, nitrite spike, and degradation of water quality.

As a result, you might notice the tail and fin rot of your beautiful Veiltail betta fish, whereas you might buy these bettas seeing their stunning tails and fins.

While adjusting a filter, you should remain concerned about its current. Because of the strong current of the filter, your Veiltail betta may start swimming frantically. Besides, it’ll make your Veiltail betta stressed.

In worse cases, your Veiltail betta may get sucked up into the filter intake. So, you should control the flow of the filter. 

Among various filter options, you should observe which one can be suitable for your Veiltail betta tank. If you want any suggestions for a filter, I’ll recommend Azoo Mignon Filter 60

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Décor 

You need not add too many décor items for your Veiltail betta tank. While choosing décors, you should ensure that these décors do not have any sharp edges. Also, the décor items need to be safe for your pet betta.

You can add moss balls, rocks, artificial plants, hideouts, driftwood, and other artificial décor items. The hobbyists show interest in floating logs, sinking logs, leaf hammocks, and other unique décor items for their Veiltail betta tank.

Plants For Veiltail Betta Fish

To replicate the wild habitation, you should add live plants to your Veiltail betta tank. Before adding plants, you should choose safe plants and wash them thoroughly to remove chemicals. 

You can add java fern, java moss, sword plants, Marimo, Anubias, white sprite, banana plants, etc. But, you can’t add all plants that may look lucrative. 

Some plants are toxic for Veiltail betta fish. Such as pothos, water lettuce, philodendron, peace lily, water hemlock, etc.

Water Parameters For Veiltail Betta Fish

Categories Features 
pH6.5-7.5 
Temperature 75-81 degrees Fahrenheit 
GH3-5dGH
KH3-4 dKH
TDS200-400 ppm
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrate Less than 20 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm

To keep Veiltail betta fish, your main priority should be ensuring the ideal water parameters. These stunning betta can thrive in slightly acidic water. So, you can keep the pH level within 6.5-7.5 

Besides, Veiltail betta fish prefer softer water. Another thing to consider is the water temperature for your Veiltail betta tank. You should keep the temperature range from 75-81 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Make sure that the temperature range doesn’t go below the 70s. Although Veiltail betta can tolerate a few temperature fluctuations, you should focus on keeping the consistency of the temperature range.

Besides, you should change a share of water regularly to keep the water ammonia free. Veiltail betta fish can not tolerate ammonia, nitrite, and other heavy metals. A good filtration system can help you keep the ideal water parameters.

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Cycling The Tank Before Adding Veiltail Betta

It’s an expert tip to cycle the tank before adding Veiltail betta in a new tank. After finishing up the habitation set-up, there may not remain any beneficial bacteria in the tank water. When you add Veiltail betta without cycling, their waste products can’t be turned into nitrate from ammonia.

Hence, you should run the aquarium for 1-2 weeks before adding your Veiltail betta. To cycle the Veiltail betta tank, you should continue running the filtration system of the tank. The beneficial bacteria will grow inside the filter.

You should wait for the nitrite reading to be 4-5 ppm. Otherwise, new tank syndrome can kill your Veiltail betta fish. Click here to know about the average lifespan of Veiltail betta fish. 

Make Proper Acclimation Of Veiltail Betta

Sometimes several betta hobbyists complain that their betta fish die within a few days. The reason can be improper acclimation.

The initial step to take care of your Veiltail betta is properly acclimate the betta. When you dump your betta fish suddenly in a newly set tank, it may not adjust to the new temperature and pH of the water. In consequence, your Veiltail betta may get shocked.

To avoid such misfortune, you should acclimate your newly brought Veiltail betta fish before adding it to the tank. 

Diet: What Do Veiltail Betta Fish Eat?

Because of having an omnivore diet, there is no hassle in maintaining a Veiltail betta diet. You should prioritize providing meaty foods to your Veiltail betta fish.

Also, you can feed your Veiltail betta various types of vegetables with some processing. But, you should feed vegetables and fruits to your Veiltail betta occasionally. These betta fish can eat human foods too. 

The experienced owners suggest feeding live insects to your Veiltail betta fish. These betta fish enjoy freeze-dried and frozen foods also. You should include flakes and pallets for your Veiltail betta. For pallets, you can give a try Ocean Nutrition Atison’s Betta Food.

To fulfill the demand for protein, you should feed your Veiltail betta brine shrimp, daphnia, mosquito larvae, bloodworms, opossum shrimp, fairy shrimp, etc. If you want a recommendation for Veiltail betta flake, I’ll suggest Omega One Betta Flakes.  

Since vegetables are not included in the natural diet of Veiltail betta, you should not keep vegetables on the list of a daily diet. These betta fish enjoy leafy greens, romaine lettuce, cucumber, boiled peas, sweet corn, zucchini, etc. 

However, you should not risk the health of your Veiltail betta fish by overfeeding them. It can cause obesity and other health risks. Moreover, the leftovers will cause ammonia spike in the tank water.

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Tank Mates For Veiltail Betta Fish

While choosing tank mates for Veiltail betta fish, you should check whether the selected tank mates are compatible with Veiltail betta fish. Moreover, the requirements of Veiltail betta and their tank mates should be similar.

You might think of keeping multiple Veiltail betta together. In such a case, you can keep male Veiltail betta fish as a colony. Due to having a mismatched temperament, you can not add female Veiltail betta fish with male Veiltail betta without breeding purposes. If you want to know about Veiltail betta’s temperament, you can go through this write-up: Are Veiltail Bettas Less Aggressive? 

Another thing to consider while choosing tank mates for Veiltail betta is the size. Since Veiltail betta fish are only 2-2.5 inches, larger tank mates can gobble up these tiny fish.

You can choose tank mates for your Veiltail betta from the following list.

  1. Corydoras catfish
  2. Otocinclus 
  3. Chili rasboras 
  4. Ember tetra
  5. Harlequin rasbora 
  6. Endler’s livebearer 
  7. Rummy nose tetra 
  8. Bristle nose pleco
  9. Platys 
  10. Tiger barb
  11. Molly 
  12. Bamboo shrimp
  13. Amano shrimp
  14. Cherry shrimp
  15. Zebrafish
  16. Neon tetra
  17. Cardinal tetra 
  18. Kuhli loach

Breeding Care For Veiltail Betta Fish

You can breed Veiltail betta fish at home. For this, you should take special breeding care of your Veiltail betta.

Let’s see a few tips for breeding care of your Veiltail betta fish.

  1. If you want to breed Veiltaio betta fish, you should set your betta in a larger tank.
  2. The experts suggest not adding any substrate to the breeding tank. It’ll help you monitor the Veiltail betta fish fry in the bare bottom tank.
  3. In the breeding period, your Veiltail betta fish may remain stressed. Hence, you should provide lots of hiding spaces in the tank.
  4. The most significant thing to take care of for Veiltail betta breeding is maintaining ideal water parameters. You must keep the water temperature at 78-82 degrees Fahrenheit constantly. If the temperature goes above 83 degrees Fahrenheit, your Veiltail betta eggs may become destroyed.
  5. Besides, you should keep the pH level within 6.5-7. The water hardness should remain within 8-10.
  6. Make sure that there is no disturbance around the breeding tank of your Veiltail betta fish. You should keep the light minimal in the room. 
  7. The Veiltail betta fish make bubble nests coated with their saliva. If the female Veiltail betta fish like to mate with your male betta, the female fish will not destroy or leave the bubble nest. To secure the bubble nest, you should minimize the turbulence of the filter at the tank surface. 
  8. Feed your Veiltail betta a nutritious diet with supplementation. If your Veiltail betta remains hungry, the breeding may not be successful. 

Before You Go

I hope this article helped you get a proper idea about Veiltail betta fish care. But, are you worried about taking care of your Veiltail betta when you’re on vacation? Then, the following article will help you.

How To Take Care Of Betta When You’re On Vacation?

Muntaseer Rahman

About Author

Hello, I’m Muntaseer Rahman, the owner of AcuarioPets.com. I’m passionate about aquarium pets like shrimps, snails, crabs, and crayfish. I’ve created this website to share my expertise and help you provide better care for these amazing pets.

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