Best Betta Water Conditioner: 5 Aquatic Treatment Options

Last Updated: July 13, 2022 by Flora Gibbins

Frequent water changes are crucial for maintaining your Betta fish’s good health. Without them, your pet fish could get sick and eventually die from ammonia poisoning due to higher-than-tolerable ammonia and nitrite levels in the water.

However…

Did you know that it’s also possible to harm your Betta fish during a water change? If you use tap water without conditioning it, the purifying chemicals within will prove deadly to your Betta fish.

But with the number of products on the market, it’s challenging to choose the best Betta water conditioner. This is why we’ve made a list of the top ones out there, with the API Stress Coat topping the list. 

The 5 Best Betta Water Conditioners Reviewed

Below are the best Betta water conditioners for treating tap water:

1. API Stress Coat – Best Overall

API Stress Coat is a great water conditioner for two reasons: first, it rids tap water of harmful chemicals like chlorine, chloramine, and heavy metals. As such, water changes won’t prove fatal to your Betta. Secondly, it helps to keep your Betta fish healthy. 

API Stress Coat contains aloe vera, which offers natural slime coat protection. 

Additionally, you can use it to nurse an injured or unwell Betta fish back to health by conditioning the water in an isolation tank.

If we had any issue with the API Stress Coat, it’s that the formula couldn’t remove ammonia and nitrates in the water. But, overall, it does the job it’s meant to do well.

Pros

• Helps to maintain a healthy slime coat
• You can use it to heal fish that are injured or unwell
• Rids tap water of chlorine, chloramine, and heavy metals

Cons

• Won’t remove ammonia and nitrates from water

Takeaway

API Stress Coat is a water conditioner that pulls double-duty as a form of first-aid for Betta fish and a healthy Betta slime coat function promoter.

2. Aqueon Betta Bowl Plus – Safest for Plants

If you’ve got live plants in your tank, you’ll be interested in knowing that Aqueon Betta Bowl Plus is a budget-friendly water conditioner that’s safe for aquatic plants.

It neutralizes chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals in the water added to your Betta’s tank during a change. Additionally, it clears toxic ammonia built up in the fish tank, improving the water quality. You can also use it for smaller aquariums.

Unfortunately, the Aqueon Betta Plus water conditioner comes in some unattractive packaging.

Pros

• Helps to neutralize chlorine and detoxify ammonia
• A safe water conditioner for Bettas and live plants
• Improves water quality
• Budget-friendly

Cons

• The packaging could be better

Takeaway

Betta Bowl Plus provides a safe environment for Bettas by neutralizing chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals and removing ammonia. It won’t hurt the live plants in the tank either.

3. Tetra BettaSafe Kit – Best for Fish Health

Water changes can make your Betta fish stress out, so it’d be great to have a water conditioner that gives them a much-needed boost. That’s where the Tetra BettaSafe Kit comes in.

This aquarium water conditioner contains minerals lacking in tap water and advanced biopolymers supporting beneficial bacteria that keep the tank clean. The Tetra BettaSafe keeps the ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels down by helping these bacteria.

However, don’t add too much of this water conditioner, as it’ll cloud up your water tank.

Pros

• Aids beneficial bacteria
• Contains minerals not found in tap water
• Helps maintain fish health

Cons

• If you get the dosage wrong, you’ll make your tank water cloudy

Takeaway

The Tetra Bettasafe Kit helps rejuvenate your fish after a stressful water change. It also supports beneficial bacteria.

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4. Seachem Prime Fresh and Saltwater – Best for Multiple Tank Sizes

The best thing about the Seachem Prime is that it can be used for all tank sizes, including 50-gallon tanks and larger ones. Conversely, it’s also possible to condition small tanks and Betta bowls with a few drops of the conditioner.

Seachem Prime Fresh and Saltwater does an excellent job dechlorinating water and ridding aquarium water of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. In addition, this conditioner binds the afore-mentioned chemical compounds for as long as 48 hours, giving your aquarium’s filtration system enough time to get rid of them.

While this conditioner does what it says on the bottle well, it would’ve been nice if it buffered the pH levels in the water.

Pros

• Detoxifies ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates
• Suitable for larger tanks and smaller tanks
• Binds ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates for up to 48 hours

Cons

• Can’t buffer aquarium water pH levels

Takeaway

Seachem Prime Water Conditioner can be used with several different Betta fish tank sizes, making it ideal for water changes and isolation tanks.

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5. Zoo Med Betta H2O – Best for Small Betta Tanks

The Zoo Med Betta H2O is aimed at Betta bowls and small fish tanks. The design of the conditioner’s bottle helps for precise measurement of the dose. Simply invert the bottle, squeeze, and count the number of drops needed for your specific tank and Bob’s your uncle.

Like API Stress Coat, Zoo Med Betta H2O Conditioner is good for your Betta’s slime coat health. Additionally, it helps to remove chlorine and the usual chemicals and heavy metals, so your Betta tank water is free of the stuff.

Unfortunately, this water conditioner is a little too diluted to be used with big tanks, so stick to small tanks for best results.

Pros

• The bottle’s design aids in precise measurement of the conditioner dose
• Helps to maintain a healthy slime coat in Betta fish
• Removes chlorine and other heavy metals

Cons

• Too diluted to be used in bigger Betta tanks

Takeaway

If you want to condition the water in a small tank, then Zoo Med Betta H2O is the way to go. You’ll also get a Betta fish water conditioner that’s kind to your Betta’s slime coat.

Using a Water Conditioner the Right Way

Water conditioner rids tap water of all the chemicals that make it safe for us humans to drink but can be lethal to Betta fish. So whether you’re adding the water to a new tank or simply performing a water change, you’ll need to add a conditioner for your fish’s safety.

You add in a water conditioner after performing a water change using fresh tap water.

Additionally, some manufacturers recommend you add it to new water first. You must follow the dosage specified on the bottle of the conditioner to get the best use out of the product.

Usually, doses may be measured in drops, capfuls, teaspoons, or conditioner pumps. Additionally, the dosage of conditioner added is measured per gallon of water. Typically, you might see instructions with measurements stating one teaspoon per gallon.

Some conditioners have multiple uses and will have different doses that cater to each specific purpose. For example, the dose of conditioner added to tap water to detoxify ammonia will be entirely different for when you want to heal Betta fish injuries.

You should only change around 20% of your Betta tank water in one go to keep beneficial bacteria in there and prevent your Betta fish from experiencing a shock.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Water Conditioner for Betta Fish

Here are a couple of factors to bear in mind when choosing a water conditioner for your Betta tank:

Ease

Dosing the water shouldn’t be so difficult. You should find it easy to measure the amount of conditioner needed for your tank’s size, and going over the recommended amount shouldn’t be enough to send your Betta fish to a watery grave.

If you haven’t got measuring tools, or you do but aren’t sure how to use them, you’ll want to buy a less potent water conditioner that allows a generous margin of error when the wrong quantity is applied to your Betta’s tank.

Extra Benefits

Water conditioners that help with your Betta fish’s slime coat (such as ones containing aloe vera and green tea extract) and treat Betta ailments besides their primary function of removing chlorine are more appealing.

Additionally, conditioners that contain minerals that aren’t present in tap water and which emphasize Betta health and support beneficial bacteria will benefit your tank in the long run.

Effectiveness

You should get a water conditioner that removes chlorine and other minerals no matter how high the levels are in your tap water. After all, your Betta fish’s life is at stake, so effectiveness isn’t something you’d want to get wrong.

Fun Fact: A water conditioner is not enough to keep your betta pal at ease with its environment. Its tank also needs filtering for further purification. Read our post on Do Betta Fish Need A Filter? We Dive For Aquatic Proof! to understand better!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to use too much water conditioner?

It depends on the brand of water conditioner. Some are very concentrated and will prove toxic to Betta fish and other living things in the tank when used in high doses. Conversely, other brands are milder, meaning it’ll take a half-emptied bottle or more to kill your Betta.

How much conditioner for Betta fish should you use?

It’s best to use the recommended dosage on the bottle. Different tank sizes will require different doses. As a rule of thumb, try to use half a teaspoon per gallon of water.

Do Betta water conditioners work for other fish?

Yes, it’s safe to use Betta water conditioners in a community tank shared with other fish. The chemicals in tap water may be harmful to the other fish, so using a conditioner to get rid of them works regardless of whether it’s meant for Betta.

Is there any way to make tap water safe for Bettas without a conditioner?

There are a few ways to dechlorinate tap water without using conditioners, but not all are effective. For example, leaving tap water in a jug for 24 hours will cause chlorine to evaporate. Also, using a UV-light is another solution that involves dechlorination without a conditioner.

Conclusion

With one of the above water conditioners in this run-down, you should be able to perform water changes without killing your Betta fish through the chemicals in tap water. API Stress Coat is the best Betta water conditioner you can buy. Not only does it remove chlorine and harmful chemicals, but it can be used to nurse sick and injured Betta to health, something a lot of the other conditioners don’t do.

We also love how this water conditioner protects the slime coat on a Betta fish. However, if you’re on a budget, Aqueon Betta Bowl Plus is another good choice of Betta water conditioner due to how it removes ammonia in a tank without killing the live plants.