truth about bettas

[Luna112]

i was looking into getting a Betta Fish, and was wondering what you guys thought about putting him in a 10 gallon tank. i hear different opinions from everyone, people say bowls are bad, some love the bowls. others tell me bettas hate filters and moving water. just wanted to hear some opinions, and also whats a good website where i can see the betta im about to buy?

 

[BigJim]

I don't like bowls if they're not heated or filtered and I don't like putting a betta in a tank under 5g. I keep bettas in my community tanks with turnover rates of 10x or more. They don't seem to mind the flow and they'll go sit on a plant in a quiet corner if they're tired.

 

[jasurf21]

Countering BigJim - A betta will be fine in a .5 gallon bowl or larger. They breathe right from the water so they don't need a filter. As long as your house/apt is 70+ degrees the temperature will be more than fine for them. Just make sure you change the water out at least once a week because if the water gets too dirty from their waste/left-over food they can get infections.

I have kept betta's in both cases. The thing to remember is that betta's are solitary fish. I have kept them in 5 gallon tanks with a filter and neon tetra's and they just hide all day.

From my first hand experience the case about needing a filter, heater, friends, swimming space, etc are false.

 

[Meagan.Marie]

Jasurf21: I completely disagree. When I take my betta out to clean his tank and put him in a little .5 gallon container I bought he hates it. I can see his personality change right off the bat, but when I put him back in the tank he is happy again. Bettas are tropical fish. I like to keep the water around 73 degrees. Room temp and water temp are not the same. The water is most likely two degrees colder. Petsmart sells a tank for about 50 bucks that is a 10 gallon with everything you need to get started. IMO for a new tank it is not a bad deal. Sure you have to get decorations but smaller 5 gallon tanks can be expensive too. Petco is where I bought my last betta because my LFS didnt have any at the time. He is an extremely healthy little delta tail male however the ones at my petsmart were not so great looking. I know that this may seem expensive but in the end you could also put a school of 6 neon tetras in there with the betta. That way they have stuff to do, in the end I am sure the betta would be happy, He may hide but only because he is shy until he gets used to you. But eventually they will come out and play and dance for you, I swear bubbles knows his name every time I say it he swims to the front of the glass. or maybe he just sees me looking at the tank either way its cute. Point of the story is if you want a happy healthy betta put him in a bigger tank. even a 5 gallon works if he has it all to himself. and make sure you have a heater. the aquarium I told you about early is sold with a heater.

sorry for edit fixed typo. it said i kept the betta in 3 degrees water

 

[jasurf21]

Jasurf21: I completely disagree. When I take my betta out to clean his tank and put him in a little .5 gallon container I bought he hates it. I can see his personality change right off the bat, but when I put him back in the tank he is happy again. Bettas are tropical fish. I like to keep the water around 73 degrees. Room temp and water temp are not the same. The water is most likely two degrees colder. Petsmart sells a tank for about 50 bucks that is a 10 gallon with everything you need to get started. IMO for a new tank it is not a bad deal. Sure you have to get decorations but smaller 5 gallon tanks can be expensive too. Petco is where I bought my last betta because my LFS didnt have any at the time. He is an extremely healthy little delta tail male however the ones at my petsmart were not so great looking. I know that this may seem expensive but in the end you could also put a school of 6 neon tetras in there with the betta. That way they have stuff to do, in the end I am sure the betta would be happy, He may hide but only because he is shy until he gets used to you. But eventually they will come out and play and dance for you, I swear bubbles knows his name every time I say it he swims to the front of the glass. or maybe he just sees me looking at the tank either way its cute. Point of the story is if you want a happy healthy betta put him in a bigger tank. even a 5 gallon works if he has it all to himself. and make sure you have a heater. the aquarium I told you about early is sold with a heater.

sorry for edit fixed typo. it said i kept the betta in 3 degrees water

Anytime you move a fish they are going to be discontent for a few days while they settle in. So if you are moving the betta while cleaning he/she wont' be happy no matter where you put em'.

I have a 30 gallon tank setup as a community tank and a 10 gallon tank that is in my garage un-used at the moment.

I have had the same betta for 2 years. The first 6 months he had his own 5 gallon tank with a school of 6 neon tetra's. He was not shy, but preferred a solitary life inside his "pagoda". He would only come out really to eat.

The past year and a half he has been very happy in his .5 gallon tank. My apartment goes down to 71 or so at night and he has been fine temperature-wise.

I have a spare 10 gallon tank lying around. I'm not going to put the betta in it because he's just fine in the .5 gallon. It's not resources or expense, it's decoration.

 

[HN1]

So I guess we're only talking about the mass produced hybridized betta "splendens"? In that case, I can say that they do great in 10G tanks even with small schooling fish. We have 4 or 5 left scattered among some of our small tanks. They can survive in smaller environs, but it's not preferred. The puddle argument is pretty much myth created to enable sales based on support of questionable husbandry practices.

There are other betta species that break all the stereotypes which I find much more fascinating and less problematic. I'd encourage any betta fans to do some research on the lesser available, more natural fish.

 

[Cdepriest6009]

We have our female betta in a 10g tank and she loves it she is in the with a pair of swordtails and 2 albino Cory cats she absolutely loves the tank she plays with the female sword and is perfectly fine. And the part about the current I have heard both they like it and they don't ours will set there and swim into the current from the filter and if she is tired she has plants she will rest on. We also have a bubble wall in with her and she loves it to she a happy little fish and plays all day long and my wife swears that she knows her name as well. Just so you all know she hasn't always been in the big tank she was in a small 1g before that had a filter bit no heater she was just as happy in there as she is in her new home but it was a lot more work it was hard to keep her levels normal with that small of a tank and she likes the fact that she has tank companions.

Sorry for the long story but I just thought you would like to know my story with a betta and how she is acting.

 

[JoyFunWow]

I have 3 bettas; 2 of them are in separate heated and filtered 10 gallon community tanks. The 3rd one (due to lack of space) is in a 1 gallon heated, unfiltered tank. I give this 3rd guy a 100% water change every 2-3 days. The ones in the bigger space use every inch of it and are constantly darting around like crazy. But its fair to say that they do not appreciate the current from the filter at all. All 3 of my bettas seem happy and healthy, but I think the ones in the bigger space are thriving more.

 

[dkpate]

I have 2 bettas that love the filter current, and 2 that don't.
Bettas need AT LEAST 78* water, or they become prone to fin rot and all sorts of other nasties. Heaters keep the temperature regulated, which is way less stressful to the fish.

I have 2 split 10 gallon tanks, and each betta has their own filter, and heater.

You can see some super nice bettas on www.aquabid.com! I go there just to drool occassionally.

 

[Bettababe1011]

My Betta loves the filter and will swim through the current for fun. He is in a heated and filtered ten gallon. He loves it. He is such a spaz, and I wouldn't dream of putting Allie anywhere smaller.

Courtesy of Dakota's iPod.

 

[jespenguin]

Its odd to think that everyone here hates the thought of a common pleco in small tank, but SOME still find it acceptable to keep bettas in cups basically. They are still a tropical fish (ie warm water), they still have space requirements (2.5&up), and they still deserve some research. Very beautiful fish, I have 6 and am planning on 10 more! Loads of personality, and funny to watch flare at everything! Aquabid is a great place to look for the specific fish you want, and I've personally gotten some from a breeder on this forum. I'm not trying to rant, but on an ending note to the one weekly water changes in .5 bowl, test the water half way through the week so you really know what you putting your poor fish through

 

[Bettababe1011]

Its odd to think that everyone here hates the thought of a common pleco in small tank, but SOME still find it acceptable to keep bettas in cups basically. They are still a tropical fish (ie warm water), they still have space requirements (2.5&up), and they still deserve some research. Very beautiful fish, I have 6 and am planning on 10 more! Loads of personality, and funny to watch flare at everything! Aquabid is a great place to look for the specific fish you want, and I've personally gotten some from a breeder on this forum. I'm not trying to rant, but on an ending note to the one weekly water changes in .5 bowl, test the water half way through the week so you really know what you putting your poor fish through

Beautifully stated. I completely agree.

Courtesy of Dakota's iPod.

 

[Cdepriest6009]

Beautifully stated. I completely agree.

Courtesy of Dakota's iPod.

+1 every fish deserves the best

 

[Meagan.Marie]

I am so glad that you all agreed with me.

Jasurf: did you consider that maybe your betta didn't come out because you had 6 fish in a 5 gallon and that is simply not enough space. Bettas love to dart around. My bettas are constantly swimming and when they arn't the rest up against the leaves of the plants and take a nap

 

[jespenguin]

I am so glad that you all agreed with me.

Jasurf: did you consider that maybe your betta didn't come out because you had 6 fish in a 5 gallon and that is simply not enough space. Bettas love to dart around. My bettas are constantly swimming and when they arn't the rest up against the leaves of the plants and take a nap

+1 besides the neons, I'd say my bettas explore the most in my tank. And when they aren't active its because theyre lounging by heater. I think it's like our ohioans first glimpse of spring, heat=savior

 

[Mark1092]

Mine is in a 5g tank with a filter and heater (well, not at this exact moment; that's another story) and he seems pretty comfortable. The filter barely moves the water at all... He swims around fine.

As for the heater, I would say this is a must... They're a tropical fish... It's fairly obvious they would thrive in warm water... What needs to be explained? A polar bear wouldn't survive on the East coast of Australia. Bad analogy, I know. You get the point though, about the heater.

I think it really depends... Do you want him as a pet, or as a decoration? Answer yourself this question and it will decide how you treat him.

 

[wilmo]

I used to keep my Betta in a Betta cube nano and he used to swim in the stream
All the time.

 

[Cdepriest6009]

I think it really depends... Do you want him as a pet, or as a decoration? Answer yourself this question and it will decide how you treat him.

+1 total agreeance if I was a little betta I want to be in a big tank not those little tiny ones

 

[ChelseaLake]

If you give bettas the room to move around, they will use it. Trust me.

 

[Luna112]

So it looks like my new betta is going into a nice big 10 gallon. thanks guys. I wasn't going to but him in a bowl anyways.

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