Guest Author - Jilly Florio

While everyone knows a betta aquarium doesn't need an airstone or filter - in fact, this is part of why bettas are so popular - there are enthusiasts who enjoy the look of a column of bubbles in their tanks.

Generally, bettas do not enjoy current in their water. They prefer a nice, still environment with lots of things to look at outside the bowl. A bubbler kind of ruins their Zen peacefulness, but it's still possible to include one if you really want one.

The main thing to remember is you must break up the current. You can bury the bubbler, for starters, and place a stack of rocks, some plants or an interesting toy over the airstone, to break up the bubble stream.

There are also gangway valves you can purchase (very inexpensive and easy to install; just ask for one at your pet shop) that control the flow of air coming into your stones. With a little experimentation, you can adjust the valve to permit just a lazy trickle of air through your betta's tank.

If you have a large enough tank for your betta, like a 10 gallon, you can have a bubbler in one corner. Your betta pet will just escape to the other corners when he needs to rest.

If you have any current flowing through the betta's habitat, consider buying a cave or other aquarium toy for him to hide out in. Bettas enjoy resting on and in their caves in any case, and even like to sleep on top of aquatic plant leaves.

If your betta feels comfortable in his resting area, you might even see him approach the bubble stream and check things out. Some bettas are more curious than others and I have even heard of bettas sporting around in the airstone's wake. Then again, other bettas are terrified of bubblers and will be an unhappy little fish if one is forced on them. You will have to watch your betta and see how he reacts to the presence of an airstone.

One last note - if there is any current in your betta's aquarium, he will not be able to build a bubblenest. Bubblenest building is something most bettas enjoy, so you might want to remove the bubbler every so often, to allow him some creative expression time! :)

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