Betta Tank in Classroom

[FrankAbagnale]

Hey everyone! I have a question.... My girlfriend wants to have a Betta in her 2nd grade classroom. I thought I could get her the set up for Valentines Day.

My problem is; Is it okay to have a Betta in a small aquarium in the classroom?
Is this inhumane? I see people with a single Betta in a 3-6 gallon bowl with no filter or air pump or really anything. Can this be done in a humane way? What about cycling something like that?

If so, what's a good set up for this? Bowl size, hiding spot?, etc...

If not, please let me know!

 

[librarygirl]

Can it be done? Sure. Is it optimum for the fish? Probably not. A 5-10 gal setup with heater and filter isn't too costly and would be better for the betta long-term, particularly since they like the water warm (78-80 F). If you already have an established healthy tank you can just pull a piece of media and stick it into the filter; this should cycle it for a betta (test the water daily just in case though). Plus I think treating the fish well and teaching proper fish care to kids would go a long way in terms of educating them and teaching them to care for living things. Just my two cents.