Need Help with Bettas

[venymae]

Hello All!

I am wanting to know what kind of filtration you would recommend for bettas. I have read mixed reviews online.
I did a rescue on 3 female bettas and a male betta with so much finnage it's crazy. The male is in our 5 gallon, but is having trouble due to the current of the filter. I am using an Aqua Tech 5-15 which as far as I can google (it's second hand) has a 90-100 gph flow rate. I also have a Whisper 3i filter which is very gentle and sits inside the tank, but my betta kept wedging his head between the glass and filter, which made me nervous. IF any of you keep a 5 gallon set up, what do you do?

 

[Autumnsky]

Hello All!

I am wanting to know what kind of filtration you would recommend for bettas. I have read mixed reviews online.
I did a rescue on 3 female bettas and a male betta with so much finnage it's crazy. The male is in our 5 gallon, but is having trouble due to the current of the filter. I am using an Aqua Tech 5-15 which as far as I can google (it's second hand) has a 90-100 gph flow rate. I also have a Whisper 3i filter which is very gentle and sits inside the tank, but my betta kept wedging his head between the glass and filter, which made me nervous. IF any of you keep a 5 gallon set up, what do you do?

I usually use the whisper in tank filters, but have a 5G Chi so almost no "current" and a Marineland 5G with a gentle built in filter in the top, and a Aqueon 2.5 which has had a Crowntail Betta with large fins, before and the filter is in the top and not a problem either.

Another option, it isn't overly attractive but I have also used bulk filter media in my HOB filter tucked into the overflow.

The first part fits into the front in between the filter pad and the front part of the housing facing the aquarium glass. Wide enough for the overflow almost the width of the filter pad but a little shorter so it fits in easily. Then depending on how powerful the filter is, you can cut it into a shape like a wide fan, and can make the sides wider after it leaves the out flow and would be on top of the water. The bigger it is after the out flow the more it tames the water. Sometimes it pretty much floats, and my floaters and duck weed salvinia minima, and little plants get in it and it can turn into a growing filter, lol.


Oh I forgot, about the Betta hanging out at the filter...does he have any thing near the top to rest on? A half piece of Cholla wood or a large one he can fit in.

Here is a pic of one of my guys resting in one, lol, he's practically out of the water. The view is from the open tank lid looking down.

 

[absolutangel04]

I cannot remember the brand I used to use my 5g tank. I believe it was the Tetra one though for like 5-15g.
I personally have never actually had an issue with too much current for bettas. As long as they are healthy, it has never been a problem for me in any size tank. Though, to be fair, I only ever kept a few males in these set-ups before I realized I like females much better and they have shorter fins and are more mobile often.

 

[henningc]

Use an over size sponge filter. My bettas love to pick at them as if they are finding some type of food. Who knows maybe they are.

 

[Big MaC]

My beta enjoyed a tetra whisper filter there is also cheap filters marketed towards betas at walmart that seemed to work really well.

 

[D_Tristan22]

I have a top fin filter that is originally for a 20 gallon tank in my 5.5 gallon and the current was strong for my betta so I googled ways to slow down current and came upon the plastic water bottle method. If you YouTube "how to slow aquarium current with plastic water bottle" it shows you how to do it. And now my betta seems to be much more comfortable in his tank