Betta fish are a better bet as pets than goldfish. Most kids have this experience with goldfish after a few days: Moby is found floating at the top of the bowl, then gets a one-way tour of a toilet’s plumbing system. This speedy demise occurs because goldfish don’t like being kept in a bowl. However, betta fish, also called Siamese fighting fish, think bowls are great homes.

Water in bowls quickly turns foul and oxygen-deficient, and that’s when goldfish begin to fail, Dave Taub explains. He owns Contemporary Aquarium Design in Coral Springs, Fla. But betta fish are different, says Taub, who has been breeding them for 14 years. They have a lung-like organ called a labyrinth that allows them to come to the surface and take a breath. (Taub has known betta fish to be kept in everything from pickle jars to candle holders.)

But betta fish aren’t dubbed Siamese fighting fish for their ability to fight off polluted water – it’s because they fight off each other. In the wild, they live in rice patties in the countries of the Far East, such as Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. They carve out small territories and defend them at all costs. You’ll be an accessory to a fish murder if you add a betta fish to a bowl already containing one.

Betta fish are available at many pet stores for $3-$5. They’re about the size of a typical goldfish, though their dainty fins make them appear larger. They come in a kaleidoscope of color combos, including shades of blues, greens and reds. Not great swimmers, they’re content to gently fan the water with those graceful fins. Their diet includes a combination of at least two of the following: live or frozen bloodworms, frozen mosquito larvae, freeze-dried brine shrimp or commercial diet for betta fish. (These foods are available at many pet stores.)

Fancy aquariums may be a tank of dreams, but fuss-free bowl fish are the new trend.
We’re not talking goldfish, but rather betta fishes, otherwise known as Siamese fighting fish.

They come in deep jewel-tone colors, have showy exotic fins and breathe air off the top of the water, according to Garrett Young of Golden Leash & Fish in Arlington. Bettas, like goldfish, can exist in bowls or tanks without air pumps. With bettas, however, familiarity breeds contempt. “You can only have one betta per bowl,” warned Kim Jetton of Fish & Pets in Arlington. “They will fight each other until one of them dies.”

Serenely segregated bettas can live a very long time, some as long as six years. Most bettas are done in by their owners forgetting to add a chemical chlorine remover whenever the bowl water is changed.

Filter Media is the element employed in a filtration method to clean the water of an aquarium. Several types of filter media are accessible, and each is considered to aid a particular type of system. Following are some of the different types of filter media:

*Synthetic Wool – A cotton-wool like floss positioned as the final layer in your filter arrangement to clean the water. Because of its excellent structure, it get choked up very quickly and so is impractical for utilization in a primary automatic filter or for organic colonization.

* Sponge – These conventional foam pads are cheap and easy to sustain. They are obtainable in changeable grades to make possible automatic or organic filtration. Sponges are also regularly utilized in external filters to detach various filter media.

* Carbon – This is an extremely permeable material. It is only effectual for a short time before have the need of replacement. Carbon should be utilized in particular circumstances such as the requirement to get rid of medication, a new aquarium set-up or water discoloration. It should be positioned as the last layer in your filter arrangement.

* Ceramics Rings – Measuring just about half an inch long, ceramic rings mostly make available automatic filtration. They act efficiently as a filter to trap large-particles waste and should be utilized in the initial stage of filtration.

* Sintered Glass – At the same time as common aquarium gravel can give successful mechanical and organic filtration, its application is limited for the reason of its comparatively low surface area in contrast to the volume it occupies. Sintered glass, a gravel-like substance, is a far more capable alternative as it has a huge surface area that permits massive bacteria colonies to develop. Sintered glass must be positioned after the crucial automatic filtration media.