betta care

[kwandrsn]

I am somewhat experienced in freshwater and saltwater tanks and I have kept bettas in freshwater aquariums before.

My wife wants a betta bowl lol

Its going to just be a bowl and gravel and maybe fake plants or maybe like a sword plant if it will do ok with no flow or filtration. What are your thoughts on that? If sword plant will live do I need to add anything like floramax? There will be no light just light from the room

Also how often and how much water changes should we do. We currently do weekly changes in our fresh and reef tanks. I'm wanting a 2 gallon bowl

Abby other info would be appreciated I think the betta she wants is a dumbo or something I think she said? I dunno

 

[kwandrsn]

I also have wysteria growing out the wazoo in our fresh tank

 

[marsh]

I use a nano filter on a one gallon and so far the cycle has remained steady. That filter is legit. Called a deco nano.

If you don't filter then I recommend 25% daily or every other day 50% changes.

I tried 2 Bettas in 2-3 gallon vases and I lost one to dropsy while the other survived internal parasites and pop-eye. Now he is in a 29 gallon

 

[mypippa1]

I have keep many bettas in bowls. I never filtered and instead did whole water change every week. They are very tidy fish so I found that all that was necessary. I kept plants few times which died quick with no filter but I found some lived long planted in charcoal

 

[kwandrsn]

Wow I was hoping to get by with weekly changes. This is sad and I know better but my brother and his family has a betta that is about 3 years old and they do compete water changes about every three months and it has managed to survive. Poor fish

 

[marsh]

Well if you can test the water you can adjust safely to perhaps one or two water changes weekly as long as nitrates never peak above 40 max

Also helps not over feeding. I feed mine a lot.

 

[kwandrsn]

Yes, I'm going to test

 

[absolutangel04]

Honestly, I would just get a tiny filter like marsh suggested, or else I would get a small tank. I have kept bettas in small spaces too as has been said, and I honestly do not think it is the best environment for the fish generally. Yes, you can keep one in a smallish tank and it will live, but honestly, it would be a serious pain in the butt to keep up with the water changes. It would be easier to just get a little tank and only have to do weekly water changes. No, I absolutely do not think you can put a betta in 2g bowl and provide it with a good environment with only a weekly water change.
Peronally, I prefer more like a 5g tank as a minimum for a betta, but I have seen them in 2.5s being active, colorful and healthy. So, some of that is ultimately up to what you are comfortable with.

ETA: and yes, I too know of many, many betta stories where they lived in conditions like you described for years. All I have to say to that is that there does not seem to be a much of a point to keeping a living creature if all you want to do is watch it survive in poor conditions. They are tough little buggers, and they will indeed survive through a lot. In my experience though, they are more rewarding to keep when they are colorful and active in a good environment.

 

[kwandrsn]

Yeah I'm thinking about maybe talking her into a 5 gallon kit instead of a bowl but she just wants to have it on our bar so a 2 gallon bowl would be about all I could put there though :-(

 

[absolutangel04]

Check out the 2.5g mini bow. Or, the 2.5g cheapo from Wal-Mart with a nano filter on it. Still small, but less maintenance for you with a filter. Also, the shape of small tank gives you better viewing angles than a bowl does anyways. I did a 2.5 tank with a sponge filter in it. Easy-breezy, active fish, easier to keep params nice, and i kept plants in it.

The 5 gallon kit is probably cheaper though than the 2.5 mini bow kit.