How Long Do Veiltail Betta Fish Live?

If you want an eye-catchy addition to your aquarium, the first name to suggest will be Veiltail betta fish. The vibrantly colorful body with long and swooping tail and fins of Veiltail betta makes the owners crave their long company. Hence, people often ask around on several forums- how long do Veiltail betta fish live?

Veiltail betta fish can live up to 2-3 years. With proper care, your Veiltail betta fish can survive up to 4 years. 

In this article, I’ve shed light on the lifespan of Veiltail betta fish in the wild and captivity, how long can these betta fish can live without food, and so on. 

Besides, I’ve shared some tips that help you prolong the lifespan of your Veiltail betta fish. So, you shouldn’t miss this article if you are the owner of Veiltail betta fish.

How Long Does Veiltail Betta Live In Wild?

In the wild, the Veiltail bettas live shorter than the Veiltail betta in captivity. You can find these outstanding-looking Veiltail betta with dropping tails in stagnant water or slow-moving streams. 

The adversities of the wild environment, food scarcity, and predation shorten the average lifespan of wild Veiltail betta fish. These Veiltail betta fish can survive around 1-2 years in the wild.

These betta fish are generally found in the polluted water of marshes, the water area of rice paddies, etc. Moreover, Veiltail bettas face the aggressive behavior of their predators and competitors in the wild. 

Like pet Veiltail betta fish, the wild Veiltail betta fish do not always find proper foods. So, these beautiful species of betta can not live up to 2 years in the wild.

How Long Do Veiltail Betta Fish Live In Captivity?

Compared to the wild, Veiltail betta fish can survive longer in captivity. But, the condition is to ensure a good environment and fulfilling their basic demands.

According to experienced owners, Veiltail betta fish can live around 2-5 years in captivity. There is also a record of living 10 years of the longest-living betta fish. 

How To Prolong The Life Of Veiltail Betta Fish?

You might be worried to know that maximum Veiltail betta fish can not survive more than 2 years. In this article, I’ll help you prolong the life of your Veiltail betta with these 7 secret tips.

Tip 1: Buy A Healthy Veiltail Betta

The first thing to ensure a long lifespan for your pet betta is to buy a healthy Veiltail betta fish. 

If you buy a sick Veiltail betta from a store, there will be fewer chances to prolong the lifespan of your Veiltail betta fish. While buying a Veiltail betta fish, you should check the eyes, fins, and tail of your chosen Veiltail betta.

Tip 2: Keep Your Veiltail Betta In A Large Tank

To extend the lifespan of your Veiltail betta, you should keep your pet betta in a large tank. Some people tend to keep their betta fish in a small bowl or jar. 

The water of the small bowl gets foul soon. As a result, Veiltail betta can not live longer in a small place.

These beautiful fish with swooping tails and fins require a large room to move comfortably. For this, you can buy at least a 5-gallon tank for placing your single Veiltail betta fish. If you keep more than one Veiltail betta, you should choose a 10-20 gallon tank.

Tip 3: Keep The Tank Well Set-up

From the experiences of Veiltail betta owners, I’ve learned that a large number of Veiltail betta fish died due to poor tank setup. 

Firstly, you should use safe décor items for your Veiltail betta fish. Your Veiltail betta fish may get hurt from the sharp edges of these décor items.

Secondly, you should adjust a suitable filtration system for your Veiltail betta. Sometimes, the owners fix such a powerful filter in the tank that the water intake sucks their tiny Veiltail betta. As a result, you may lose your Veiltail betta fish.

Thirdly, you should choose safe plants for your Veiltail betta. Your Veiltail betta fish can not survive longer if you choose toxic plants like pothos, peace lilies, water hemlock, etc.

In this way, you should choose the safety equipment for your Veiltail betta fish. Make sure to set up the tank so well that the risk of accidents may decrease to save your Veiltail betta. 

Tip 4: Provide A Balanced Diet

To increase the lifespan of your Veiltail betta, you should fix the root health issue. You must fulfill the demand for proper nutrition through a balanced diet. A healthy diet can prolong the lifespan of your Veiltail betta fish.

Besides, you should avoid the wrong foods for your Veiltail betta. Because of the wrong-food items, the short digestive tracts of Veiltail betta get disturbed. Many betta fish die due to not processing the foods properly.

Another beneficial tip to prolong the Veiltail betta’s lifespan is not to overfeed your pet betta. Overfeeding can cause the early death of your Veiltail betta fish. Moreover, overfeeding leads to more rotting leftovers that can cause an ammonia spike.

Tip 5: Keep Compatible Tank Mates For Veiltail Betta

Tip number 5 is to keep compatible tank mates for your Veiltail betta fish to prolong their lifespan. When you keep aggressive tank mates, your Veiltail betta fish may become injured or bullied. 

These lead to infection and stress to your Veiltail betta fish. Not to mention, stress is a killing factor for Veiltail betta fish. You should choose tank mates for Veiltail betta fish wisely to increase their average lifespan. 

Many experts suggest not keeping any tank mates for Veiltail betta fish. After all, these betta fish enjoy a solitary life. If you wonder about the loneliness of betta fish, you can go through this write-up: can betta fish get lonely or bored?

Tip 6: Maintain Good Water Parameters

Although Veiltail betta fish are hard to change in water parameters, you should maintain the ideal water parameters. Firstly, you should keep the water pH within 6.5-7.5.

To keep your Veiltail betta fish healthy, you should keep the water temperature between 76-85 degrees Fahrenheit. You might know that Veiltail betta fish become inactive in cooler temperatures. Sometimes, it may make Veiltail betta fish stressed. As a result, your Veiltail betta fish die at an early age.

Moreover, there should be no presence of ammonia and nitrite in the Veiltail betta tank. To prolong the lifespan of your Veiltail betta, you must avoid ammonia and nitrite spikes in the tank.

Tip 7: Maintain Proper Tank Maintenance 

Lastly, you should maintain proper tank maintenance though Veiltail betta are low-maintenance pets. To increase the lifespan of your Veiltail betta, you should do a regular water change. Besides, you should do a monthly cleaning of the Veiltail betta tank.

How Long Do Veiltail Betta Fish Live Without Food?

Generally, Veiltail betta fish can live from 10 days to 2 weeks without any food. But, your pet Veiltail betta may not be accustomed to such starvation.

If you keep your Veiltail betta without food for a long time, it may cause severe stress to your pet betta fish. For this reason, you should not make your Veiltail betta fish starved on purpose.

Before You Go

I hope this article gave you a proper insight into the average lifespan of Veiltail betta fish and 7 tips to prolong their lives. But, you might still face the unfortunate occurrence of the death of your Veiltail betta.  Before their death, these betta fish show some signs.

If you catch these signs, you may take appropriate steps to save your Veiltail betta fish. For this, you can check out the following article.

8 Most Common Betta Fish Signs Before They Die!