Aquarium 101: What To Know Before You Buy

Aquariums are so awesome to look at (especially when they're in the form of R2D2). You can buy almost any shape you can think of and fill it up with brilliant looking fish.

Then many people will notice their fish are sickly and a few have died. The water is cloudy and there's a build-up of some weird brownish-green stuff. So they give up and the once loved aquarium sits in the basement until it is finally sold in a garage sale or on craigslist.

I started out with a 5 gallon and 5 guppies back in 2005 and guess what? You guessed it, they all died. I wasn't about to give up. I studied for hours on what could have possibly gone wrong. I then got my water tested at PetSmart and there it was. Ammonia poisoning. All I did wrong was skip a water conditioning treatment. So 2 dollars could have prevented the death of 12 bucks worth of fish. What a simple and easily preventable problem.

Don't let this be you! Instead read some basic information on what you need to have a successful aquarium. Here is a great article that gives you the basic run down on having an aquarium: Aquariums for Beginners

Choose the Best Aquarium

Most betta owners have only dealt with a simple fish bowl. However, some of us would like to move on to a full functioning aquarium. Whether due to the desire of owning more fish or simply giving your betta a new home your new goal might leave you frustrated and confused in the process.

Initially when you head into a pet store looking for a fish tank you will be dumbfounded with how many options are available to you. Not only that but fish supplies can be quite costly. So what do you you do? You could purchase a cheap all-in-one starter kit only to have something break. Or you could go for the funky planet-shaped aquarium only to find out later that the maintainence is a total pain in the butt.

There are many factors to look at when making your decision. Once you've made up your mind and established you tank, you can't really change your mind without spending a lot more money. So funky or functionality?

For the 4 main aspects to consider when purchasing an aquarium, click here: Betta Fish Aquarium

Betta Fish Dropsy

Dropsy is a feared illness for all fish owners. That is because it is not in fact a disease itself. It is a side effect to many other diseases. This makes diagnosing quite a pain.

You will know if your betta is dealing with dropsy because his/her scales will stand up which gives your fish the appearance of a pinecone. This is why you will sometimes hear dropsy referred to as "pineconing".

So is there a way to save your fighting fish or does this mean the end? Click here to get the full information: Betta Dropsy

Betta Fish Cotton Wool Disease

Cotton wool disease, or Columnaris as the experts would say, is not the type of infection you would think it is. From first seeing it you might think it is a fungal infection due to the fact that it resembles mold. However, it is actually a bacterial infection that can affect both external and internal areas of the fish.

So what cause this disease and how can you fix it?? Click here for the full scoop on cotton wool disease: Betta Columnaris

Betta Fish Gold Dust Disease

Gold Dust sounds glamorous but the disease is definitely not! Also known as Velvet disease the technical term is Oodinium pilularis.

This illness which can affect all fish in your tank is actually a parasite. This type of parasite is related to algae and is very contagious. It can cause a deteriorating death. You will notice your betta getting skinnier as he/she will refuse to eat.

Treating this disease has very specific steps. So to get the full insider knowledge click here: Betta Fish Velvet

Betta Fish and Swim Bladder Disorder

The swim bladder is an organ that acts like a helium balloon. It inflates and deflates with gas to help fish float and sink in the water. This organ is especially crucial to betta fish because they need to be able to easily get to the surface for air. Without regular oxygen bettas will suffocate.

So what is Swim Bladder Disorder?

Swim Bladder Disorder is when there is a blockage or pressure on the swim bladder making it not function properly. This could cause your fish to swim crooked, float at the top of the water, or even stay sunken at the bottom of the tank.

Luckily this disorder can be treated. Find out how to treat a betta with swim bladder disorder here: Betta Fish Swim Bladder

Tuberculosis in Bettas?

Tuberculosis is an infection of the lungs. So it actually makes sense that betta fish can become infected. This is because they have an organ called the "labyrinth" that acts as a lung and allows them to breathe surface air. Treatment for this disease is very tough, but you need to take immediate action. Tuberculosis is communicable which means you could catch it from your betta.

Protect you and your betta with this knowledge: Betta Fish Tuberculosis