Proper Housing/care for Bettas

[ConanTheLibraia]

What is an ideal size home for a betta? I see bettas in extremly small spaces in petstores or petsmart, which i know they dont need a large area but they hardly have enough room to turn around. Would a normal fishbowl be alright? Also, how do you clean a bettas bowl if it is to small for siphon or anything of the sort, and just a small problem or change can screw up the balance? I assume there are certian nitrite, pH, ammonia, levels acceptable for bettas since these apply to all types of fish. I am very new to bettas and am looking for good information.

[Jawz]

hmm my gf has a single one in a 1 gallon tank. I think thats alright for a single fish that is as hardy as a betta. All we did was take cycled water from my 35 gallon and then put the fish in a few days later. And its been pretty healthy since. Shes no pro so she doesnt do any waterchanges. But as long as u feed litle and do liek 15% changes weekly they are good. Id say shoot for a decent sized tank, the bigger the better, 1-3 gallons. If u go bigger u could through in a friend too

[loganj]

Bettas don't need much room and oxygen content isn't really an issue with them. Many breeders keep their bettas in quart mason jars. You do need to do water changes to keep water quality up. Bettas adapt well to most any water so trying to hit a certain pH isn't really necessary with them...just use tap water with some dechlorinator. You also don't want current in the tank...no airstones...still water is best. Any container that holds 1/2 gal or more is plenty for one betta. Make sure the fish can get to air though as they will actually drown if they can't sip air from the surface.
Logan J

[hairball]

do they need a heated tank?

[hisc1ay]

Nope. Most of the time you'll see them in a vase with a plant. Now, you don't want your water to be freezing, but they probably enjoy decently temperatured water. But they don't *need* it. Mine is in a 10 gallon with a broken heater. It stays at room temperature, aroiund 70-72 C.

One time I actually had it too high...unknowingly (I'm telling you, this heater is horrible) I turned it up a little too high, and the element never went off. I checked the water one time because I couldn't get a temp reading on my sticky thermometer. It was above 82. Heat radiated from the water. He's still fine. (I don't recommend heating your water to above 82 ).

-j

[hairball]

????? i'm confused are they not a tropical fish?

[Chrismac]

they are fish that are found in Southeast Asia
Habitat: Shallow, overgrown waters, irrigation channels, and flooded rice fields that warm up to 86°F (30°C).

Mine, I keep the male I have in a 10 gallon planted tank with the water line down an inch and the temp at 82º females I hold in a 33 gallon community.
Chris.

[bettacove]

They will do best in warmer water, cus yes they are tropical fish. At cooler temps they will no be very active and not have much of an appitite. All my tanks are at 80-84 degrees/
Keep him/ her in at least a 1gal tank, they will be much happier in there then in a small cup.
If you have any questions or would like some helpfull links I would be happy to help you out. (It makes me so happy when people like to get info on bettas to keep them happy and healthy )

[d9hp]

Bettas breathe on the surface i think, so surface area is more important that actual volume, also, it is best to have an open top, or room for them to breathe.

[LatinBarbieDoll]

I get so heated when I see betta's in a little cup in the pet store

Betta's do need exercise, and are not happy in a little cup!

1 Betta is comfortable in 1 gallon of water.

Ashley is correct because betta's are much happier and much more comfortable in temps between 80-85 degrees F. Being that they come from warm climates and in the wild live in rice patties, and small puddles & ponds.

However betta's can adapt & survive in lower temps & little cups.... Most of the betta's that you see in the pet stores are not as lively as they would be if kept in a more natural environment. They just lay close to the bottom of the tiny cup that they are in, and that is a sign of DEPRESSION!!!

BTW beautiful betta's Ashley

[bettacove]

I hate to say this, but I can see how keeping them in cups it an easy solution. (I still hate it though . But some petstore do take very good care of there bettas). Because bettas will fight, they have to be kept seperate, so keeping like 20 bettas in 20 different tanks would be kinda a pain in the but and take up a lot of space. Little cups take up less space, and because bettas can survive in them it would seem like a good idea (to the petstore ppl, not to me!). Plus bettas are usually bought pretty fast (cus ppl know how kool they are )
LOL, we had a HUGE discussion about this on one of the betta bords. At first everyone was like "I hate it I hate it!" but at the end "well I see their point...But i still hate it!!"

I normaly wouldn't even think of agreeing with that, but iam going to be getting a job at a petstore. Iam gonna make sure all the bettas have lotsa space, even if i have to bring in my own containers!

ashley

[Electrobes]

I love my Betta, and tried reading enough about them to make sure he is happy. This is what I know at best: I would definately give a betta at least 1/2 a gallon up to 2 gallons. I've read that actually giving them too much room hurts their health in the long run, and they become prone to illness. Those mini tanks with the undergravel system (with the airstone and mini air pump) are nice and can be found at wal-mart or any other pet store. As long as the water level it high enough where the bubbles from the air stone do not interfere with ALL of the surface area of the tank's water. Bettas do breath from the top, so disurbing that surface area will kill them or suffocate them pretty badly. The reason I recommend these tanks is that on top of filtering your betta's water, it also keeps the water moving a tad, enough to stop from algae REALLY en joying your betta's space. I've tried bowls with still water, and the algae kept coming back for more with a vengeance.

Any water will do, these guys are tough guys, but if you want to make the oober happy, get those mini fizz tablets (I forgot what they are actually called in the store, but you can find them almost anywhere, like walmart).

Temperature is another matter, again these guys are tough, my betta has taken some cold nights (thanks to roomates tampering with the air conditioning) but he did well. Sudden changes in temp is bad for ANY fish, so avoid that if possible, but do not fret over 63 degree times, it happens, and your betta will forgive you.

When it comes to food, I would suggest Hikari for bettas. My betta is one PICKY punk. I tried A LOT of other foods before I found one he would stick with.

When it comes to water changes, luckily this is not a huge pain. First off, water changes for me is about once a month or two months. second of all, since the tank is small, it takes about two seconds to change the water, without a mess. When changing the water I would do this: take out the betta with some of the old water and put into a cup. After I clean the rest of the water out and rubbing the sides of the tank just to get goop off the walls, I would fill the tank with some cool water, as to avoid algae already being there growing. Don't fill the tank ALL the way, leave enough where the old water with the betta in it can go in as well. And presto thats it! Oh yeah remember to put in the fizz tablet I mentioned earlier.

Yikes I wrote a lot... boredom does do this

[magdelena_69]

1 gallon or more is fine. I did complete water changes weekly, I just put mine in a jar or something until the water's properly dechlorinated. Don't put anything with jagged edges in the tank or they might rip their fins. They like warmer water. And also, *very important* find some sort of lid (where air can get through of course, seeing as they breath it) because Betta's are suicide jumpers. A coffee filter with a ruber bank will be fine.
Good luck
*Nita*