betta container

[dax29]

I found a toy 1 gallon water-tank that has a background and has a little air pump and bubble stream that comes up one side. It had little plastic fish and stuff in it that "swam" around using the bubble current. I can plug the bubble current hole with some aquarium silicon caulk. The tank part is self-contained and sits on a little light bulb that is built in the base. The whole deal looks like it could be a good little betta tank.

I typically am not satisfied with just using what I find. I generally like to "soup-things-up". I'm thinking (and maybe that's the problem) of cutting out part of the top and hanging a little Pengui mini biowheel filter on the tank. I think I can turn the water flow way back so it won't stress out a potential male betta inhabitant.

My question is will this work and how long do bettas hang out in those little bowls anyway? Can they live for years in a non-filtered bowl. I guess water must be changed very regularly in betta bowls.

 

[lyquidphyre]

Before I found this site, I always kept betta's in bowls/vases. I think each one I had lived for about a year. My last betta I think died because the temperature was too cold for him.

The maintance to keep a water bowl clean can be kind of... a pain in the butt. Knowing what I know now, I would add a small filter just because i think it would make the fish happier.

 

[Menagerie]

I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to put together. Can you please post a pic?

BTW~I used to keep bettas in vases and they always had nasty fin rot. Now my girls are living large in community tanks!

 

[An t-iasg]

I don't recommend a one gallon bowl for a betta. They are prone to diseases in small, unheated, unfiltered bowls. A lot of the sick betta questions that I see are due to the betta being in a bowl.

I know you said you would get a filter, but bettas don't like current and you'd have to fool with the Penguin mini filter quite a bit to keep a betta happy. I have the Eclipse 5 hex (5 gallon) with the bio-wheel filter and I still haven't found a happy medium for the betta in there. He still fights against the current to swim. So this type of filter in a one gallon bowl would be a challenge!

I have my bettas in the Eclipse 5 hex and in a regular 5 gallon tank with a sponge filter. In my gallery I have pics of the regular 5 gallon tank and the sponge filter/gang valve setup.

 

[ringfinger]

The betta would be much happier and look much better in a planted 10 gallon with a sponge filter. I think I know the tanks you are talking about, and I would say they are too small to keep stable and filter without too much current.

 

[megladonsharky]

One of my bettas is in a one gallon kritter keeper ... he has live plants , gravel, and some cute little stone toys and some ramshorn snails.. I change 50% h20 on monday and 90% on thurs.. he has a lovely bio filter in the gravel and the plants , he is healthy happy ... the tank is slightly heated by an o2 concentrator to 74 degrees he gets a varied diet , of pellets ( 2 types , 2 types of flakes , frozen bw , daphnia, bs .... He has been in this for about six months no illness at all... It can be done but I do prefer my other set ups of 3.5gallons and 9 gal... When I set up the ten gall the one gallon will be a qt as Kaden will get the three plus gallon... As for current my plakat female loves it , my male veil tolerates ( it does affect finnage)

 

[malkore]

I really feel the smallest tank size for any fish is 5 gallons, for stability, swimming space, and water quality.
Also, the Duetto filters by Aquarium Systems work great in smaller tanks. Fully submersible, low gph pumps, with sponges and carbon inserts if you use them.

 

[dax29]

betta tank

After cleaning and working with the tank, as well as reading your input, I think I'm going to hold back for now on the betta tank. It would make a good makeshift, short term QT though.

 

[megladonsharky]

That sounds like a good use