Fish bowl

[Maridia]

I have a 2 gallon fish bowl. So here's the scoop. Just about every forum I've gone to talking about putting a betta in a 2 gallon fish bowl is responded with extreme anger and aggression. You get the whole, "how could you do that!?" "That is animal cruelty" "how would you like to live in your closet and eat all your meals and even go to the restroom there!?"

I understand that a bigger tank is better for a fish. But is it truly impossible to keep a healthy betta in a fish bowl? I have not yet tried, but here is what I would do. I would put in gravel from an established aquarium, add a live plant (probably asian waterfern), a couple small decorations, and an hob whisper 5-15 filter. No bubbler, as the filter would break some of the surface tension and Bettas don't like rough current. I would feed it twice a day, but only the utmost minimum. Probably a 25% water change every week. It sounds like it would work, but I would definitely like to hear some feedback on this matter. Constructive feedback please. I'm very responsible with the tanks I own, and would definitely keep up with maintenance (WC, etc.). Thanks

 

[bshenanagins]

I have a 2 gallon fish bowl. So here's the scoop. Just about every forum I've gone to talking about putting a betta in a 2 gallon fish bowl is responded with extreme anger and aggression. You get the whole, "how could you do that!?" "That is animal cruelty" "how would you like to live in your closet and eat all your meals and even go to the restroom there!?"

I understand that a bigger tank is better for a fish. But is it truly impossible to keep a healthy betta in a fish bowl? I have not yet tried, but here is what I would do. I would put in gravel from an established aquarium, add a live plant (probably asian waterfern), a couple small decorations, and an hob whisper 5-15 filter. No bubbler, as the filter would break some of the surface tension and Bettas don't like rough current. I would feed it twice a day, but only the utmost minimum. Probably a 25% water change every week. It sounds like it would work, but I would definitely like to hear some feedback on this matter. Constructive feedback please. I'm very responsible with the tanks I own, and would definitely keep up with maintenance (WC, etc.). Thanks

I wouldn't say it's impossible because many do it. Your going about it the right way and therefore should be commended for that. WC wise I'd probably do 50-75% a week only because two gallons gets nasty real fast as opposed to a larger tank. I had mine in a similar bowl until I acquired a fluval chi tank. I have to say I like the 5 gallon much better

 

[henningc]

Just keep the water clean with water changes weekly and you will be fine. Bettas come from polluted, stagnent ditches in asia. I am not recommending treating them like that, but you get the idea. As for the angry folks, they need to understand that the fish bowl was the high side of the norm for bettas for years. I bet their Neon Tetras are in no where near appropriate water conditions either. I breed bettas for years and the mason jar was where a lot of my spare males resided until breeding or sold.

Do you and the fish a favor, when you get a chance get a 5gal with a small sponge filter.

 

[aquandrew]

if you get a small heater and air driven sponge filter it will work out much better and won't take up very much room in the tank

 

[jtez]

Another comment about the heating - what's your room temperature like? If it could do with a bit of stability and you'd rather not take up more room in such a small tank, an option to consider is a small heat mat. They sell them for reptiles and are usually set at a fixed temperature, and you could just place this under than bowl to keep the temp regulated.

 

[Maridia]

Hmm. I really like the under bowl heater idea. Thanks for all the advice.

 

[HN1]

It can be done well, but you would need much more water being changed than 25% a week. More like 50-75% a day with an occasional day skipped. Less food may slightly lessen the need for large changes, but they still need to be large and frequent. IMO.

 

[rmiller]

It's true that a lot of people keep bettas in tiny bowls with no heat or filtration, that doesn't make it right. When I hear people refer to a fish bowl I think of the traditional goldfish bowl that couldn't have a filter attached. Keeping such a small amount of water stable can be a real issue. They loose heat quicker and the water gets fouled easier. I turn my heat off during the day while I am at work, so my house gets very cold. If I had a tank that couldn't be kept warm using a reliable heater I would loose every fish I put in there, believe me, I've lost fish to the cold in small tanks.

All that said, if you can keep your temp regulated and are willing to do lots of water changes, I think it can be done. The more plants you can add to the tank the better.

 

[Fishlover3578]

I have 7 Betta in 1g to 2.5 gal bowls no heaters and doing well my oldest is almost 3 years old I change water 100% once every week-2 weeks my room temp is 67 ish in winter and about 78-80in summer

 

[Maridia]

I have 7 Betta in 1g to 2.5 gal bowls no heaters and doing well my oldest is almost 3 years old I change water 100% once every week-2 weeks my room temp is 67 ish in winter and about 78-80in summer

Wow! I've always heard that replacing 100% of the water was very stressful on fish. But you make it work. Well done.