Betta Fish set-up newby?

No distilled water is the worst thing you can put in. It lack all trace minerals that fish need to survive.

Get a water conditioner and just use it to treat your tap.

Since you found some retard guide here's what you need to do:

If you got a bowl, good job you wasted your money, now throw it out.

Get the fish a 5 gallon tank (or larger) with heating and filtration.

Fill it with water, set heater to 78-82 degrees F, make sure the filter works.

Add the water conditioner.

Give the water at least 12 hours to heat up and degas.

If you got the fish already:

Put it in the tank.

Test daily for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

Do a 50% water changer should ammonia start to approach 0.5 ppm or/and nitrite should start to approach 1.0 ppm (or less).

After few weeks and many water changes necessary bacteria will develop, once you get a reading of 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and some nitrate your tank has completed a nitrogen cycle and its finally safe for fish to live in, from then on 25% water change once a week is enough.

Never tear down the tank to clean it. Do not replace filter inserts unless they are falling apart (rather just rinse them in water removed from the tank when doing a water change).

If you do now have the fish yet:

Do a fishless cycle (here's 2 how to guides):

http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_fishless.php

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/articles/23...

Once you're done with it, do a 75% water change (more than one if necessary to get nitrate under 20 ppm).

Get the fish, put it in the tank, again 25% water change once a week just to keep nitrate in check.

Distilled and bottled drinking water are not very good for fish, distilled doesnt have enough oxygen, bottled doesnt have enough minerals and things fish need.

Stick to tap water treated with dechlorinator or a dechlorinating stresscoat product like API stresscoat with aloe. or Prime.

Bettas need at least a 5 gallon tank heated to a steady temperature between 78 and 82 with a gentle filter and live or silk plants and smooth edged decorations.

Feed them a variety of foods including betta pellets and unthawed frozen bloodworms. Ver small amounts like 2-4 pellets or an equal amount of frozen or other food once a day or split up in 2 feedings twice a day.

Sometimes when manufacturers refer to "bottled water" they specifically mean pre-conditioned filtered water sold in pet stores for betta fish. Distilled water is both good and bad to use. Tap water and most waters actually have minerals which can be good for many fish, sometimes harmful to others. Distilled water doesn't retain oxygen well, and is very susceptible to influences and chemical changes. It's best to use treated tap water, and if you want to use distilled, use it to replace what evaporates every few days.

Put room tempature water in the tank until you think there is enough feed your fish 2 pelets of beta food two times a day if you want there is beta treats you can give it only one evey week and he will love you. If your interested the male ones are more beautiful than the females just to let you know!