Many people like to just keep bettas as opposed to breeding or showing them. Sometimes people keep their bettas in a community acquarium and sometimes they keep them in smaller individual containers. One major advantage of keeping bettas is that they, unlike most other tropical fish, can be easily be kept in small containers without aeration or filtration. Thus it is not necessary to buy a lot of acquarium equipment to keep bettas. For many people who keep one or more bettas in this way, the fish are really their pets. They often name them and enjoy watching these beautiful fish which are often very responsive to the presence of their owners. Most betta breeders and exhibitors started out as betta keepers. For many betta lovers, keeping bettas is sufficient and they have no desire to breed or show fish. Betta keepers can benefit from learning more about bettas and about how to acquire fish in a greater variety of colors and types than are typically available in fish stores. Thus betta keepers can benefit from getting involved in a betta club like the Texas Area Betta Society.

Bettas can be kept in small containers without aeration because they are labrinyth fish. They obtain most of the oxygen they use by going to the surface and taking gulps of air. This air then goes through an organ in the fish called the labrinyth organ, which is rather like a primitive lung. Bettas also can and do obtain oxygen from the water through their gills, but because of the labrinyth organ they rely much less of the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water than most tropical fish. This the reason that they can be kept in smaller containers than most other tropical fish. One thing to keep in mind is that even though the betta does not need as large a volume of water as other tropical fish to obtain oxygen, it still produces waste products that can foul its water. So the smaller the container, the more often the water needs to be changed. For instance, if a betta is kept in a quart-sized container then the water should be changed at least once a week. A larger container may not need to be changed as often. If a betta is kept in an aquarium with filtration, the same rules of water changing apply as with most other tropical fish. Bettas will thrive on a variety of foods, although fish raised on live foods usually exhibits a preference for live foods and individual bettas (and yes if you observe these fish closely you will find that they do have individual personalities) are sometimes somewhat finicky about what they will or will not eat. However, it is not hard to find a food that your betta will eat. As with all tropical fish, it is important not to overfeed because uneaten food will foul the water, and this is particularly true of bettas kept in small containers. All in all, bettas are among the easiest of all tropical fish to keep. This along with the fact bettas come in every color of the rainbow and have beautiful fins, particularly the long flowing fins of the male, have long made them among the most popular of tropical fish to keep.