Water quality and maintenanceComplete guide
Betta Fish Water Parameters: The Complete Guide
Target temperature, pH, GH, KH and the numbers that actually kill fish. What to test, how often, and what to do at each reading.
What this section covers
- The nitrogen cycle and fishless cycling
- Temperature, pH, GH and KH
- Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate
- Testing and reading results
- Water changes
- Tap, RO and well water
- Troubleshooting cloudy or smelly water
7 of 7 written. New guides three times a week.
Complete guides
Water quality and maintenanceComplete guide
How to Cycle a Betta Tank: Fishless Cycling Step by Step
Fishless cycling explained in order: what to dose, what to test, what each reading means, and how to tell when the tank is genuinely ready for a betta.
Water quality and maintenanceComplete guide
Betta Water Changes: How Much, How Often, and How
Roughly 25 percent weekly in a cycled tank, and why a full change is one of the worst things you can do. Method, temperature matching and common mistakes.
More on water quality
Cloudy Betta Tank Water: What Each Kind Means
White haze, green water and grey cloud have different causes and different fixes. How to tell them apart and what not to do.
Changing a Betta Tank Temperature Without Shocking the Fish
Whether the tank is too cold or too hot, the danger is the speed of the correction. How fast is safe, and what to do in a heatwave.
Nitrite and Nitrate in a Betta Tank: The Difference
One letter apart and nothing alike. Nitrite must read zero, nitrate is managed with water changes. What each does and what to do.
Betta pH: Why You Should Probably Leave It Alone
Bettas tolerate a wide pH range and hate change. Why chasing a number with chemicals causes more deaths than the original reading did.
Betta Water Temperature: The Range and Why Stability Wins
Hold 25 to 28 degrees Celsius. Why a steady imperfect temperature beats a perfect one that swings, and how to actually keep it there.
How to Test Betta Tank Water: A Practical Walkthrough
Which kit to buy, how to run each test without misreading it, how often, and what to do with the numbers once you have them.
Can Bettas Live in Tap Water? Tap, RO and Well Water Compared
Treated tap water suits most bettas. Why RO and distilled water on their own do not, and what well water needs before it goes in a tank.
Ammonia Poisoning in Bettas: Signs and Emergency Response
What ammonia does to a betta, the signs that appear before visible damage, and the water change routine that stops it tonight.
New Tank Syndrome in a Betta Tank: How to Recognise and Fix It
Why a brand new tank poisons its fish, how to spot it in the first month, and the daily routine that gets you through it.
