Betta tanks upgrade, know any good 2.5g tanks?

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KhloeM

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Oct 11, 2014
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Pittsburgh PA
hi everyone! first off, i just want to thank everyone in advance who reads this because it is probably going to be long! thanks soo much! :D ok so, i currently have my two betta fish, Zeus and Apollo, each in a 1 gallon tank. i know this is small, but i was given these tanks by a friend who had no use for them, and one of my bettas was a rescue. so basically, my parents aren't too keen on me getting even more tanks since those 1 gallons are very new and i already have a huge 60 gallon tortoise enclosure tank beside my 10 gallon aquarium on my dresser. even though both of my bettas are healthy and i do very frequent water changes, i am going to try to make enough money by summer to upgrade each of my bettas to at least a 2.5 gallon tank. so my question was, does anyone know of any good 2.5 gallon tanks (no more than 3 gallons please)? here are the requirements:

•less than 17 inches across (can be taller instead of wider)
•hood with LED lights (white lights and blue please)
•able to have a cord going out of the top of the tank (i have two plug in heaters that stick under the gravel)
•if possible, under $25.00? if it's a little over, that's okay, but the cheapest you know of that has these reqquirements :) keep in mind i would get two of them (one for each betta)

*if necessary, should i get filters? if so, they'd need to be pretty cheap and obviously low current that work with whatever tanks i get

also, please don't leave any comments if you believe 2.5 gallons is still too small. i understand that 5-10 gallons is ideal, but i really can't go against my parents. plus, the weight of the tanks would ruin both of my nightstands. i just want to give my bettas the biggest tanks possible that i am still (hopefully) able to get. thanks all!!! :)

'Tanks' very much! ~Khloe, Zeus (betta), Apollo (betta), Loki (gold dust lyretail molly), five nameless dust mollies, and two nameless nerite snails ;)
 
if anyone has experience with smaller betta tanks, please reply and i'll be so grateful! :)
 
Fluval spec III. I have the 5 gallon version and I personally think it's the best "ready to go" setup so to speak. Side note I hope you aren't going to put both those betas in 1 tank.
 
Fluval spec III. I have the 5 gallon version and I personally think it's the best "ready to go" setup so to speak. Side note I hope you aren't going to put both those betas in 1 tank.


awesome! i'll check it out right now, thanks so much! and no way, i think i wrote up there that i'm going to work during spring and hopefully save enough by summer to get them each their own tank :)

EDIT: hmm, now that's a tough one. the tank itself is soo pretty and is a good size, but it is a bit pricey for me :( i'm only 14 so i can't really get a "real" job yet apparently... ugh. but maybe if i somehow make over $120 or something like that i can see if i'll be able to get two, lol! who knows :)
 
I don't know about the tank, I'd suggest going to the pet store and just looking around or looking on a betta website.

For the filter though, which you should have, the best for a tiny tank is http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9821

Azoo Palm filter. Pretty sure you can find it cheaper on Amazon and if you YouTube it there's a guy that shows better media to put in it. Has adjustable flow as well. My betta could sit right in front of it without being blown around everywhere.


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I'd have to say I'd go for the 5 gallon jbib recommended. I can't imagine having a betta in anything smaller than a 5, and I personally won't put one in anything under 10. I know you don't want to hear that, but it's my feeling. In any case, a 5 gallon is TWICE as big as a 2.5 gallon, yet doesn't take up that much more space at all. And buying one that is a "kit," (ready to go) is sometimes the better choice for a small tank, since even small heaters and filters will certainly run you over the $25 in no time, not including the tank. As for a filter, my bettas have them. It gives me peace of mind, plus having no filter means more frequent water changes.
 
I went out and bought an aqueon evolve 2 which is 2.5 gallons. I convinced myself that my 2 year old betta did not need 8 gallons to himself. I've been in fish keeping for 2 years now and I thought I had enough knowledge to keep a small tank healthy...big mistake. My betta went from happy to miserable pretty quick. Water had ammonia spikes and nitrate issues despite frequent water changes. The temp was impossible to stabilize. Maybe these were the issues you were having with your baby betta?
That tank lasted 3 weeks and now he's back in his 8 and happier than ever. Small tanks mean more work! ?


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I don't know about the tank, I'd suggest going to the pet store and just looking around or looking on a betta website.

For the filter though, which you should have, the best for a tiny tank is http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9821

Azoo Palm filter. Pretty sure you can find it cheaper on Amazon and if you YouTube it there's a guy that shows better media to put in it. Has adjustable flow as well. My betta could sit right in front of it without being blown around everywhere.


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thanks so much! i'll definitely have to wach that tutorial because a sponge filter seems like the best option. :)
 
I'd have to say I'd go for the 5 gallon jbib recommended. I can't imagine having a betta in anything smaller than a 5, and I personally won't put one in anything under 10. I know you don't want to hear that, but it's my feeling. In any case, a 5 gallon is TWICE as big as a 2.5 gallon, yet doesn't take up that much more space at all. And buying one that is a "kit," (ready to go) is sometimes the better choice for a small tank, since even small heaters and filters will certainly run you over the $25 in no time, not including the tank. As for a filter, my bettas have them. It gives me peace of mind, plus having no filter means more frequent water changes.


i know :( i wish i could get a five gallon, i really do, but i've seriously tried everything. i simply don't have any room for them at all, and my parents would be kind of really annoyed at me if i told them i wanted two tanks that big because they didn't even want me to get my ten gallon in the first place! :( i'll see what i can do though, biggest i can go is probably a 3 gallon or so, but hey, it's better than what i have right now, which is 1 gallon!
 
The Marineland silhouette is a great 3g tank. Its not terribly expensive and all it needs is a heater.

I am currently working on turning one into a reef tank.
 
The Marineland silhouette is a great 3g tank. Its not terribly expensive and all it needs is a heater.

I am currently working on turning one into a reef tank.


thanks! that's a really nice tank! i'm really sorry though, i just don't know if that's in my price range. i mean, if i could somehow make enough money for two, that would be awesome! i just don't know if i'll be able to because i could be spending all of my money that i have, lol! but thanks for the suggestion, i'll keep it in mind :)
 
thanks! that's a really nice tank! i'm really sorry though, i just don't know if that's in my price range. i mean, if i could somehow make enough money for two, that would be awesome! i just don't know if i'll be able to because i could be spending all of my money that i have, lol! but thanks for the suggestion, i'll keep it in mind :)
Therein lies the problem. For a small tank with filter and light you're easily looking at $50 for one.

You could skimp and use a desk lamp for light and make your own filters
 
My betta doesn't have a light just a glass canopy on top so he can't get out and he seems as happy as can be. He does have a little light coming from the tank beside him and a big lamp a few feet away from him.


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I started out with a 2.5 gallon tank. It was a nightmare to keep it stable. I had a few fish die before I gave up trying to maintain it. I'd do a 5g and the footprint is hardly bigger and a 2.5.


Caleb

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I know Top Fin has a 5 gallon starter kit for 25$, all included but I'm not sure about a 2.5. I got my 29 gallon from them and it works great.
 
I started out with a 2.5 gallon tank. It was a nightmare to keep it stable. I had a few fish die before I gave up trying to maintain it. I'd do a 5g and the footprint is hardly bigger and a 2.5.


Caleb

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I know Top Fin has a 5 gallon starter kit for 25$, all included but I'm not sure about a 2.5. I got my 29 gallon from them and it works great.


great news!! i think i've officially convinced my parents to let me get two 5 gallon tanks for my bettas!!! i'm so excited!

QuakingAspen: thank you soo much for that suggestion. i think that's the tank i'm going to go with! i'm so excited and should have the tanks by *hopefully* April/May! EDIT: i've been reading around that the filter that comes with that tank is not too strong for bettas. any experience with this? i just want to make sure that it will be okay for them :)

Zeus and Apollo thank everyone who helped me out on this thread, and i do as well ;) you are all awesome!
 
great news!! i think i've officially convinced my parents to let me get two 5 gallon tanks for my bettas!!! i'm so excited!

QuakingAspen: thank you soo much for that suggestion. i think that's the tank i'm going to go with! i'm so excited and should have the tanks by *hopefully* April/May! EDIT: i've been reading around that the filter that comes with that tank is not too strong for bettas. any experience with this? i just want to make sure that it will be okay for them :)

Zeus and Apollo thank everyone who helped me out on this thread, and i do as well ;) you are all awesome!


The filter is a little strong for bettas, just build a baffle. Get one of those tank dividers, it's like plastic mesh, and cut some of it out and stick it on your filter to block the flow.


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The filter is a little strong for bettas, just build a baffle. Get one of those tank dividers, it's like plastic mesh, and cut some of it out and stick it on your filter to block the flow.


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oh okay, awesome. i'll definitely do that! i think i've seen a tutorial on that somewhere, and i know my dad loves that kind of diy stuff so he'll help, lol! :D thanks!
 
great news!! i think i've officially convinced my parents to let me get two 5 gallon tanks for my bettas!!! i'm so excited!

QuakingAspen: thank you soo much for that suggestion. i think that's the tank i'm going to go with! i'm so excited and should have the tanks by *hopefully* April/May! EDIT: i've been reading around that the filter that comes with that tank is not too strong for bettas. any experience with this? i just want to make sure that it will be okay for them :)

Zeus and Apollo thank everyone who helped me out on this thread, and i do as well ;) you are all awesome!


Awesome! They will definitely thank you for the extra swimming space! Maybe you could plant it and have some ghost shrimp. (ghosts are $0.39 at PetSmart) cheap little dudes but fun to watch them :) my Betta ignores them. Or there's always ADF but they can be tricky to feed because of their poor eyesight.

Either way good luck!

Ps: good starter plants: Anubias, Java Fern, Amazon Swords, Cryptocoryne.

Good luck :)


Caleb

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