Bettas: Some Questions

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insecurity

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Aug 16, 2012
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125
Location
Eastern Ontario
So my younger sister has kept bettas for a long time, but she was unable to answer my questions, so I figured I'd ask the folks at Aqaurium Advice.

1) Minimum tank size for a betta? I know LFS' keep them in cups- but are they happy in there?

2) Filter & Heater Req'd? My sister says no, and I kinda believe her as she has kept the same betta alive for six years without a heater and filter.

3) Are there ANY other fish that are safe to house with bettas?
 
1) I would say 5 gallons bare minimum but if you want a happy betta I would say a 10 gallon minimum

2) depends where you live on if you need a heater or not but I would recommend it because they like a higher temp than a lot of other fish ( I kept mine between 80-82F ) and although it is possible to keep fish without a filter with enough water changes I would never recommend it because all the bad levels build up very quickly and it is hard to keep a steady PH level, but it has to be a gentle one and a lot of people baffle it with filter floss.

3) there are a few options depending on tank size and the bettas temperament because they all have different personalities, I kept mine with 6 Pygmy corydoras, a bristle nose pleco and 5 rasbora espei in a 23 gallon but like said depends on the situation :)
 
1) I would say 5 gallons bare minimum but if you want a happy betta I would say a 10 gallon minimum

2) depends where you live on if you need a heater or not but I would recommend it because they like a higher temp than a lot of other fish ( I kept mine between 80-82F ) and although it is possible to keep fish without a filter with enough water changes I would never recommend it because all the bad levels build up very quickly and it is hard to keep a steady PH level, but it has to be a gentle one and a lot of people baffle it with filter floss.

3) there are a few options depending on tank size and the bettas temperament because they all have different personalities, I kept mine with 6 Pygmy corydoras, a bristle nose pleco and 5 rasbora espei in a 23 gallon but like said depends on the situation :)
Thanks mate. I'm thinking a 20gal for my bedroom, and I'm still undecided if I should do a semi-agresstive barb setup, or a centralized betta setup.
 
I have a Betta in a 29 gallon. It might be overkill but I think he enjoys patrolling the whole thing and is very aggressive to anything moving around the tank.

He started in a 1 gallon, got sick and upgraded to a 10 gallon, that leaked and was full of plants to the max so I upgraded again to my 29.

He went from sick to healthy in the first upgrade, but honestly he is a whole new fish in the 29! He rarely flared except if my hands were in his water, now he flares at me almost every time I watch him!

His attitude is feisty and he has convinced me to abandon my plans to add a school of neon tetras. I think he has an ideal environment, stimulating but not stressful.

PS: sisters pull off amazing fish stunts, mine had a carnival goldfish in a 1.5 gallon fishbowl for 14 years. He filled half of the bowl's volume!
 
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