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Water Chemistry

Understanding the Nitrogen Cycle: The Key to a Healthy Aquarium

The nitrogen cycle is the most important concept in fishkeeping. Learn how ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate interact, and how to cycle your new tank the right way — with tips for Cape Town tap water.

July 20, 2026 6 min read

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Betta Care Guide

This guide covers the essentials of keeping a single betta. The basics are simple, but each part has details that matter. Work through the sections below, then dig into the dedicated guides for water parameters, tank setup, and health.

20 Lminimum tank size
24 to 27°Cheated, stable water
Weeklypartial water change
1 bettaper tank

The one-tank-one-betta rule

Male bettas fight. A single male belongs on his own. Females can be kept together in a sorority only if you introduce them properly and have space for them to claim territory. If in doubt, keep one per tank.

Minimum tank size

A betta needs at least 20 litres of water. Smaller containers trap ammonia and make temperature swings dangerous. Bigger is easier, not harder.

Filtered and heated water

Bettas are tropical fish. Keep the water between 24 and 27 degrees Celsius with a small heater, and run a gentle filter with a slow flow. Driftwood or floating plants give them calm corners and resting spots near the surface.

Feeding

Feed a high-quality betta pellet daily, and skip one day a week. Treats like brine shrimp or bloodworms are for a couple of times a week, not every meal. Overfeeding is the most common cause of dirty water and bloating.

Daily and weekly care

Check your betta every day for appetite, colour, and clamping fins. Do a small water change weekly. The details live in the water parameters and health guides on this site.

New-fish checklist

Quarantine new fish for two weeks.
Acclimate to temperature over 15 minutes.
Drip-acclimate to the tank water before releasing them.

Betta Water Parameters

Stable water is healthier than perfect water. Bettas tolerate a range, but they do not tolerate swings. Here are the target values and how to keep them steady.

Target values

Temperature 24 to 27°C. pH 6.5 to 7.5. Ammonia 0. Nitrite 0. Nitrate below 20 ppm. Soft to moderately hard water is fine; hardness matters less than stability.

Temperature

Use a heater set to 27°C and trust the thermostat, not the plug. Sudden drops below 24°C stress the immune system and invite disease.

Ammonia and nitrite

Both should always read zero. If either registers, the filter is not cycled or is overloaded. Do an immediate partial water change and test again in 24 hours. Never add more fish while ammonia is present.

Nitrate

Nitrate is the end of the nitrogen cycle. Keep it low with weekly water changes rather than relying on plants to hide it.

pH and hardness

Match the store water closely when you bring a new fish home. Do not chase a number with chemicals; steady tap water, aged, is usually fine.

Test once a week

Liquid test kits are more reliable than strips. Test before your weekly water change and keep a log. Trends tell you more than single readings.

Betta Tank Setup

This is the build order for a new betta tank, from the glass to the water. It works for a simple bare-bottom setup and for a planted display.

Tank, stand, and location

Start at 20 litres minimum for a single male betta, and 30 litres is the sweet spot. If you are planting, go to 30 litres or more — substrate and plants take up volume you do not get to fill. Place it on a level stand away from windows and direct sun, which causes algae and temperature swings.

Substrate

Rinse sand or gravel until the water runs clear. A 1 to 2 cm layer is enough. Live-plant keepers can use a nutrient-rich planted substrate instead.

Hardscape and plants

Add driftwood or smooth rocks first, then plants. Floating plants like frogbit and Indian fern give bettas shade and things to rest near. Anubias and Java fern attach to wood and need no substrate.

Filter and heater

Choose a filter rated for the tank size with a low, adjustable flow. A 25 watt heater suits tanks up to 30 litres. Set it to 27°C before the water settles.

Cycle before stocking

Run the tank for 4 to 6 weeks before adding a betta, feeding the filter with ammonia during the cycle. Add the fish only when ammonia and nitrite read zero. A quick-release preparation or established filter media shortens the wait.

Decor the tank

Add a lid. Bettas jump. Weave in soft leaves, caves, or floating plants so the fish can always find shelter and a calm back corner.

Betta Health & Disease

Healthy bettas eat eagerly, swim smoothly, and flare at their own reflection. Most illness in bettas traces back to three causes: bad water, cold shock, and poor diet. Fix the water before treating the fish.

Read the fish, not the books

Know your betta's normal colours and behaviour. Clamped fins, hiding, loss of appetite, and dull colour are the first signals that something is off.

White spot (ich)

Pinhead white dots on the body and fins. Raise temperature slowly to 29°C and use a white-spot treatment per the label. Remove carbon from the filter while treating.

Fin rot

Fins shrink or look ragged at the edges. It is usually a water-quality problem. Improve filtration, do daily partial water changes, and treat with an antibacterial remedy only if damage spreads.

Velvet

A fine gold or rust dusting over the body, with the fish rubbing against objects. It is a parasitic dinoflagellate, not a fungus, and it is highly contagious. Unlike white spot, salt does not clear it — the treatment is a copper-based medicine, dosed per the label. Treat the tank rather than just the fish, remove activated carbon first (it strips the medicine from the water), and keep the tank dark, because the parasite feeds on light. Copper kills snails and shrimp, so move any inverts out first.

Bloat and constipation

A swollen belly from overfeeding. Fast the fish for 2 to 3 days, then offer a shelled pea or a live daphnia meal.

When to quarantine

Separate any fish that shows spots, parasites, or open sores before its tankmates are affected. Keep a bare quarantine tank with a simple sponge filter ready.

When to ask for help

If the fish stops eating for more than two days or sits on the substrate gasping, reach out to us with photos. Early help beats emergency treatment.