How do you raise hardness in a betta bowl?

[mcpoyle2]

I have 4 betta fish and they all live in 1/2 gallon bowls with no filter. I know a lot of fanatics would berate me for that but I'm not a millionaire and my oldest one I've had for almost two years so I think I'm doing okay. But I just tested the water and noticed a very low level of hardness. I feel like everything I find online refers to aquariums and I'm afraid following any advice I find online will do more hard than good. How would I raise hardness in a betta bowl? And please don't tell me to get a tank. It isn't going to happen.

[shellieca]

Why do you want to raise the hardness? If the bowls aren't filtered then you don't need to worry about the cycle crashing. I've always been told don't mess with the Ph, fish will adapt. Are you wanting to breed so the Ph needs to be an exact #?

[LittleBettaFish]

It's actually better for the hardness to be low in your bowls as this usually means your pH is low. If you get below 7, most of your ammonia (if you have any present) will be converted to the much less toxic form of ammonium.

Also bettas prefer soft to neutral water so I wouldn't bother messing with it.

[Myates]

Ditto on what was said already - playing with the pH will cause rise/falls which can easily put your betta into shock. Best let them adjust to what you have naturally :)

lol and I won't tell you to get a tank, I keep many bettas in .25, .5 gallons just fine and healthy :)

[Tikibirds]

Coral, shells and I think texas holyrock would raise it but it's best to not mess with it.

I'm also not going to tell you to get bigger tanks but I feel that I should also mention that if, on the off change, you may want something a little bigger but lack of funds is the issue - clear storage bins work nicely Granted they are not the most attractive looking option from a human standpoint but the bettas don't seem to mind. I like them because not only are they cheap but they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Tanks, on the other hand, are a bit limited - especially if you need something that is long but no so tall...

[mcpoyle2]

Thanks for your responses. One of my fish is crazy old and blind and has some serious swimming issues. I thought he was dying, but he's been "dying" for months and still eats food (when he manages to actually get it in his mouth) so I think he just has swim bladder issues. I'm trying to see if I can correct this issue as it is a pretty sad sight to watch him try to swim.