Betta fish have a short lifespan of around 2 – 5 years. However, they may reach their teens if they’re happy in their environment. If you meet your betta’s needs, they may have a long, happy healthy life.
Below, we’ll take a closer look at the betta fish lifespan, so that you can help your fish live a long life, and know when their end is near.
Betta Lifespans in the Wild
In the wild, the Betta fish can be found in several countries, including Thailand and Cambodia. They often have much shorter lifespans in the wild, because many factors don’t act in their favor. Just a few of the things that lead to shortened lifespans among wild fish include:
- Pollution
- Food shortages
- Predator pressures
- Sickness and disease
- Competition between males
On average, a wild betta lives for around two years. Fortunately, that’s plenty of time for them to breed and produce the next generation of Bettas.
How Long do Betta Fish Live in Captivity?
At most, a betta fish may reach an age of ten years, though that’s exceptionally old for these fish.It’s worth noting that not every betta fish that receives good care will live to a ripe old age.
Some fish just don’t have the genetic potential for a long life. On average, most betta fish will only reach two to four years of age.
How to Help Your Betta Attain a Long Life
If you want to stretch your betta fish lifespan, and keep them healthy for as long as possible, then you need to meet their needs as well as you’re able. Some of the things you’ll want to focus on include:
- An appropriate environment
- A healthy diet
- Keeping its life stress-free
The Right Environment
While pet stores and Betta enthusiasts often keep their betta fish in small tanks, these fish will live longer in a comprehensive setup. You especially need to pay attention to:
- Filtration, to keep the water clean
- Heating, to maintain the water temperature in a healthy range
- Weekly partial water changes to remove contaminants that the filter can’t
- Keeping the environment stress-free by choosing appropriate tankmates, or keeping the betta fish on its own
A Healthy Diet
What does my Betta fish eat? Bettas require a high-protein diet if you want to keep them healthy. To provide it, you can either:
- Use an all-purpose prepared food and supplement with plenty of live foods
- Buy a food formulated specifically for betta fish
Diet plays a significant role in your betta’s lifespan, and we’d recommend feeding plenty of small live foods to help them stay in good condition. It will also help to prevent stress, which can increase their lifespan by months, or years.
We hope this guide on how long your Betta will live and how to look after them has helped you. Remember that Betta fish have relatively short lifespans on average. Even if you provide optimal care, they may not live for more than two or three years.
That said, we hope your betta lives a long and happy life.
About the author
Hi, I am Alex.
My passion is aquariums. I am especially drawn to betta fish. I love experimenting, learning, researching, and writing about them.
You can find the articles I wrote here
