Right now I have a betta in a bowl. The bowl is about a gallon, and the betta seems happy. I'm feeding him flakes and blood worms. Is he ok? Do I need a bigger tank for him? My apartment is fairly warm, so he seems to do ok without a heater, but should I get one? I don't want to be cruel to this beautiful fish...I originally had him in my 20 gallon tank with tetras and mollies but he was TERRIFIED of them and would hide all day. For a week he didn't eat, didn't come out of hiding. One day he finally swam up to eat and then another fish about his size swam up to him and he freaked out and hid again. I thought bettas were supposed to be agressive! I took him out and for the past two months he has been eating and seeming to do fine. I am rather attached to him, I've named him Leo after Leo the Cowardly Lion in the old disney cartoon. I really want him to be happy. Getting a ten gallon tank for him seems excessive- will a 1 1/2 gallon or even a five gallon do?
my betta
- Thread starter sarah5775
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rich311k
Aquarium Advice Addict
A five gallon would be perfect. get a heater for him.
MattAquaBio
Aquarium Advice Freak
A gallon would work but i dont like seeing fish all cramped up, a five gallon wouldbe great just like rich said.
Temperature fluctuations usually arent a good thing. I mean if you keep your apartment the same temperature all the time day and night it would be one thing, but i'm sure it gets cooler during the night. And temperature fluctations lower the fishes immune system which could lead to sickness. So once again, like rich said, imo, a heater is necessary.
Best of luck.
Temperature fluctuations usually arent a good thing. I mean if you keep your apartment the same temperature all the time day and night it would be one thing, but i'm sure it gets cooler during the night. And temperature fluctations lower the fishes immune system which could lead to sickness. So once again, like rich said, imo, a heater is necessary.
Best of luck.
An t-iasg
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yes, a five gallon tank is easy to set up and doesn't take up much room. The most important thing is to get a heater, and a standard 25-watt heater will be perfect for a 5 gallon tank. Bettas like warmth, so set the heater at 80 degrees. Water temperature stability is important for bettas - if your room stays warm, your heater may not come on much, but if the room temperature drops at night, the heater will turn on to keep the water at a stable temperature. Bettas are often prone to stress and illness if their water temperature fluctuates. By adding a heater, you can avoid this. A small sponge filter would be perfect too. Bettas don't like current, but a sponge filter, run through a gang valve, won't create too much water movement for the betta.
He will love all the room in the 5 gallon tank, and I bet he will have a whole new, happy personality!
He will love all the room in the 5 gallon tank, and I bet he will have a whole new, happy personality!
hsherman1986
Aquarium Advice FINatic
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2006
- Messages
- 736
i have my favorite betta in a 2.5 gallon. He was in my 55g for a bit, but the angels decided they wanted to try his fins for dinner (i didn't think they would mess with a bigger fish), so he had to move back to his old home. He loves it in there still though, much happier than he was in the little cup at walmart.
JeffreyL
Aquarium Advice Freak
betta
Sarah, definately go with a bigger home for your betta. He will do well in a smaller tank, but he will flourish in a 5 gal. Or even bigger!! We finally set Bruce The Exhibitionist up in a 10 gal, with 3 corys. All seem very content. Plus Bruce has put on weight. With all the exercise he gets swimming from one side of the tank to the other, he has gotten much thicker, side to side. He swears it is all muscle, but I think he is stealing the corys food. A 10 gal, if you have the room, is not much more expensive than a 5 gal to set up. Especially if you hit a sale or use online prices or coupons at the lfs. And a 10 gives you lots of room to play with aquascaping!! Good luck with Leo! Maybe he will find his courage!
Sarah, definately go with a bigger home for your betta. He will do well in a smaller tank, but he will flourish in a 5 gal. Or even bigger!! We finally set Bruce The Exhibitionist up in a 10 gal, with 3 corys. All seem very content. Plus Bruce has put on weight. With all the exercise he gets swimming from one side of the tank to the other, he has gotten much thicker, side to side. He swears it is all muscle, but I think he is stealing the corys food. A 10 gal, if you have the room, is not much more expensive than a 5 gal to set up. Especially if you hit a sale or use online prices or coupons at the lfs. And a 10 gives you lots of room to play with aquascaping!! Good luck with Leo! Maybe he will find his courage!
joannde
Aquarium Advice Addict
sarah5775 said:
Both of you are going to LOVE IT. Its amazing to see how a betta REALLY behaves, which you will when he gets into the larger tank. Take some pics for us !!
honmol
Aquarium Advice Activist
I'm sure Leo (will) love(s) his new tank! I have about 40 bettas (soon to be more) and all of them love having 5 gallons! (Except for the 5 females in the 10 gallon)
What kind of bloodworms are you feeding him? (frozen or freeze dried?)
Good luck with him. When fish are put in good sized tanks they become so much more animated and lively.
He'll definitely love it.
What kind of bloodworms are you feeding him? (frozen or freeze dried?)
Good luck with him. When fish are put in good sized tanks they become so much more animated and lively.
He'll definitely love it.I set up the tank yesterday and added some gravel from my other tank, set up the filter, and put Leo in. He seems happy with all the new room, and facinated by the mirrored sides of the tank, but he seems to have a hard time adjusting to the current. It is a small submersible filter and it makes the water move rather quickly. He seems to be unable to 'catch' his flake food as it flies past his head. Should I try unplugging the filter during feeding time, or will he eventually adjust? Even though I have only known Leo for three months, I am really attached to him. I don't want to lose him!! In his little bowl Leo used to position himself under each flake carefully, wait a few seconds, then lunge and grab it. He's trying to do this here and he seems completely bewildered when the flakes float away!
And what temperature should I keep the water?
Thanks Honmol. I am feeding freeze dried bloodworms every couple of days. Is that ok?
And what temperature should I keep the water?
Thanks Honmol. I am feeding freeze dried bloodworms every couple of days. Is that ok?
joannde
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sarah, can you turn the filter output so that it hits a wall first - that might help slow the current down a little. Another idea is to put a small piece of filter material in front of the output to slow down the flow a little. I did that with the HOB filter in my betta tank and he really appreciated it since he doesn't have to fight the current anymore.
You could unplug it for feeding - it won't hurt anything as long as you remember to turn it back on.
Bettas like a temperature of around 80. I read your other post about the high temp in the room with your Betta. Could you just leave the A/C on when the temps are going to go above 80 ? Then you can set your heater to 80 and Leo will have a stable temperature.
(ps - if your fingers are clean you can hold the flakes in your fingers - he'll jump up and take them from you - its alot of fun - when I need a giggle I feed my bettas by hand myself, they don't always get the food on the first try but they always get it on the second or third !)
You could unplug it for feeding - it won't hurt anything as long as you remember to turn it back on.
Bettas like a temperature of around 80. I read your other post about the high temp in the room with your Betta. Could you just leave the A/C on when the temps are going to go above 80 ? Then you can set your heater to 80 and Leo will have a stable temperature.
(ps - if your fingers are clean you can hold the flakes in your fingers - he'll jump up and take them from you - its alot of fun - when I need a giggle I feed my bettas by hand myself, they don't always get the food on the first try but they always get it on the second or third !)
An t-iasg
Aquarium Advice Addict
I responded to your filter flow question in your other thread.
Temperature is about 79-80 and Leo is doing great. He is frisky and seems to absolutely love his new home. I love to watch him swim around. I turned off the filter when feeding and he ate like a pig. He seems to be very happy. Will look into lessoning the current, but to tell the truth it may not even be a problem. I think he just needed to get used to it. My only dilemna now is when to set the heater. I looked and realized the pet store threw in the cheapest possible heater, with no temperature guage. Don't even know how the d*mn thing works. Will have to call the store. Or maybe get a new heater, but then I have to wait til I get paid, which is over a week from now. (Just can't stop spending money I don't have - ugh) NJ is stuck in a heat wave witih temperatures of 106 and tomorrow is supposed to have a heat index of 110 so with my air on it will probably stay a consistent 75 at least. What do you suggest?
joannde
Aquarium Advice Addict
Try putting the heater on almost the lowest setting and watch the temperature. You should aim for a temp that is consistent, so 78 or so should be good. If it gets cooler than that turn it up a little notch and keep watching it. It will help keep the temperature stable for him, which is what you want.
I'll bet he's feeling alot more freedom in the 5 1/2 gallon tank - Bettas really perk up when they have swimming space. Fun to watch, right ?
I'll bet he's feeling alot more freedom in the 5 1/2 gallon tank - Bettas really perk up when they have swimming space. Fun to watch, right ?
I have a Betta in a five gallon myself. It really is a magnificent fish to watch. I have a skull ornament on the bottom of my tank and he loves to swim in and out of the eyes and often sit in the mouth. I got a treat the other night. My tank is a Hex and while I was sitting there watching him he swam up and puffed his face up by spreading his gill covers out while his fins just expanded out in all directions. Later while looking at the tank from another angle it dawned on me that depending on the angle you see the glass from the inside it can reflect like a mirror. As it turns out he was trying to pick a fight with himself. He has done this a few times since and it is just very neat.
He has done this a few times since and it is just very neat.My betta is weird. He is a chicken, first of all, terrified of any other fish. And I have never seen him flare, even at the mirrored sides of the tank. Plus, he doesn't like blood worms. What kind of strange creature is this?! I love him though, despite his quirks. He loves his new tank. I'm still having problems with the heater. I'm thinking of just going out and buying a better heater. He likes to swim in and out of the plastic plants in there. And around the heater, and once I caught him wedged in behind the filter. Sometimes he rests on the bottom, giving me a good scare. I think he does it on purpose- let's freak out the owner! He's so cute when he eats. (I turn off the filter) he 'stalks' his food. He carefully positions himself under it, waits, and then lunges up and grabs it like its about to swim away. Silly Leo. He's the greatest.
