View Full Version : Can I put my Betta in my 29G overnight?
TeaPea
07-25-2003, 9:17 PM
Hi all. I just bought a stunning midnight blue Betta that I couldn't resist. I didn't have time to get to the craft store to pick out the bowl I will put him in. He's still in the bag right now.
Was just wondering if I could put him in the 29G temporarily. (There are Pearl gouarami's, Cherry barbs, a Platy, Gold Ram Cichlids and a pleco in there).
Could a Betta live forever in a 29G with those other fish?
TIA!
ChilDawg
07-25-2003, 9:20 PM
Forever? No, not without a divider. And I probably wouldn't even put him in there temporarily. What I would do instead is put him in a clean bucket with water for a bit, or maybe a Mason jar or something just as long as a new home will be available in the near future.
Not with those gouramis in their I wouldn't chance it. He'll be fine for a little while in a nice clean jar.
aquariumfishguy
07-26-2003, 9:49 AM
Is there any chance you could get him something like a 5 gallon tank?
Bettas, while they are tough should really have a filtered tank that they can actually move in...;)
When you see stores with the bettas in the containers or you see a professional breeder who keeps them in a small containers, it's because the stay is only temperary...plus it would get rather expensive to keep 500 bettas in tanks.
kveeti
07-26-2003, 11:04 AM
Besides all the above, and the fact that it's long past your overnight question, one other fact would have made it a bad idea. Your new fish was "just bought" and could possibly have introduced a disease to your established tank.
TeaPea
07-26-2003, 11:15 AM
Thanks for all the replies guys! I went to the craft store today and was thrilled to find on clearance a large vase especially made for the Betta fish. It has a little cup to put a plant in the neck of it--the whole thing was only $3 bucks! I bought two of them--it will look more balanced on my fireplace mantle with two!
I took a picture to show you...I still haven't put the plant in it--have to make a run to LFS for that and another Betta for the second vase! BTW isn't my Betta's coloring georgous?!
Thanks again for the replies!
http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Jul/20037264639883391505195.jpg
I would drop the water level a little bit. Betta need surface area as they come up to breath. Make sure if you put a plant in there that you leave plenty of room for the betta to come up to breath. And also make sure that you change some of the water out every other day with a good dechlorinator.
TeaPea
07-26-2003, 12:23 PM
Thanx TKOS...How far would I drop the water? It's only up to the neck...Don't know if it was an optical illusion from the flash and you thought the water was higher than it is but it's just about up to the base of the neck of the vase...
Oh BTW you don't have to worry, I"m not naive enough to think he will survive on the roots of the plant I'm going to put in there ;) . I already gave him a pinch of frozen blood worms and he was quite thankful!
ChilDawg
07-26-2003, 12:47 PM
Generally, dropping the water to the widest point in the vase is for the best...that way the betta has maximal surface area available for gas exchange.
Cool. Actually halfway up the neck looks like the thinnest area. I would drop it till it hits the top of the widest point.
Mystroe_TheMyst
07-26-2003, 10:29 PM
I thought bettas don't "need" air to suvive. I knew that they can breathe it but also from water. So why is it so important for them to breathe air?
Any fish kept in a fairly small container should have the most surface area possible to allow for air exchange. Also such a small container will loose its air fast so the Betta should have plenty of surface just in case.
ChilDawg
07-27-2003, 12:28 AM
TKOS hit it on the head. Bettas can draw O2 from the air, but they can also draw it from the water...unless there is no surface area for gaseous exchange, and then neither is a real possibility!
P.S. That's why bubblers are important for some cases...the disturbance increases the surface area and allows for more gaseous exchange, plus the bubblers actively impart good gas to the tank.
Mystroe_TheMyst
07-27-2003, 2:31 AM
ahhh ok I got it...thanks
Quagaar
08-04-2003, 6:34 PM
Bettas are anabantoids, which means they breath air. They have a special organ called a labyrinth organ which acts as a lung for the fish. Bettas have highly under developed gills, which cannot draw oxygen from water. In the wild, bettas are commonly found in stagnant bodies of small water, with very low oxygen content, so this organ is the source of life for this fish, and other anabantoids. Vases are a barbaric practice performed on a beautiful fish, and should be banned.
ChilDawg
08-04-2003, 7:00 PM
Originally posted by Quagaar
Bettas have highly under developed gills, which cannot draw oxygen from water. In the wild, bettas are commonly found in stagnant bodies of small water, with very low oxygen content, so this organ is the source of life for this fish, and other anabantoids. Vases are a barbaric practice performed on a beautiful fish, and should be banned.
While the gills are highly underdeveloped, they are by no means useless in drawing oxygen from water. If they were, Bettas would be forced to continually go to the surface and would not be able to sleep on the bottom as they do for hours on end. (And these are perfectly healthy when they perform such a task!)
Vases are a little small for Betta splendens, but they can be utilized and good fishkeepers can easily care for them...I don't recommend them, of course, but I think that they are at least somewhat humane compared to what many fish farmers do to their fish! Concentrating on the cruel treatment of Betta spp. at fish farms and retail outlets would be better worth your time, IMHO.
Quagaar
08-04-2003, 7:31 PM
Vases are a little small for Betta splendens, but they can be utilized and good fishkeepers can easily care for them...I don't recommend them, of course, but I think that they are at least somewhat humane compared to what many fish farmers do to their fish! Concentrating on the cruel treatment of Betta spp. at fish farms and retail outlets would be better worth your time, IMHO.
I consider myself very fortunate to never having seen them till I came online. I havent see a single petstore in the UK prepared to stock these vases, as they fear reprisal from customers and animal rights protesters. Thats not to say they arent available. I personally believe that anything below 5 gallons for keeping a fish in should be outlawed. Already in parts of Europe tanks smaller than 30litres are banned and even some countries have oulawed anything up to 10 gallons. I would never advocate keeping a single betta in anything less that 5 gallons. I personally keep mine in planted 10s, I had one attempt to keep a male in a community but he is way to confident for everybodys safety and has again been retired back to a 10gallon. I accept that they can be cared for by dilligent people in smaller tanks, but really why should the fish have to put up with what is an outdated belief that they do well in 1/2 gallon or gallon of water.
I am currently setting up for my first attempt at breeding bettas. I realise I will need to keep the males several weeks in 1gallon jars, but that is weeks, whereas most of these fish must spend their very short lives in this sized container. I deeply saddens me :(
ChilDawg
08-05-2003, 9:31 AM
I wish that every country were like the UK, Quagaar, trust me. My Bettas have been in a 10g, too, but in the U.S. it is tough to get pet shops convinced that Bettas are any more than an accessory to a well-furnished house, and they're sold as such. I respect your country's ability to keep painted glassfish out of the stores and bettas out of the vases...I wasn't trying to flame you on that point, and I want to make sure that you know that.
5g is a wonderful starting tank for a single betta, I agree, and I'm glad that there are other responsible Betta-keepers joining the forums! Welcome, Quagaar, and I hope that you weren't too put off by my initial response to your first post!
ChilDawg
08-05-2003, 9:33 AM
OTOH, I know that TeaPea is a responsible fishkeeper...asking about where to put the Betta is a great illustration of that point! I think that it is possible for TeaPea to keep a Betta happy in a vase for a long time as long as the water changes are kept up!
Hey Q! lol didn't expect to see you over here at AC man :P. I see you've met childawg, hes the man :)
Quagaar
08-05-2003, 3:00 PM
5g is a wonderful starting tank for a single betta, I agree, and I'm glad that there are other responsible Betta-keepers joining the forums! Welcome, Quagaar, and I hope that you weren't too put off by my initial response to your first post!
No, I'm not put off, I take heart that even if one person reads my rants about bettas and replaces their vase for at least a 5gallon tank with a trickle filter and small heater, jobs a good un :D We do have stronger laws governing the treatment of our animals in the UK hence the old favourite Walmart cant get licenced here...and good job to. Our laws are in flux, and my not so local fish shop have made a decision to stock no tanks smaller that 30 litres as they believe the law will go that way. So I am not niave enough to think they are doingthis now out of kindness to the fish, but market forces, not good to get left with smaller than 30 tanks they can sell. So thanks for the welcome and likewise its pleasing to see others treat their bettas as more than ornaments :D
Hey Q! lol didn't expect to see you over here at AC man :P. I see you've met childawg, hes the man
Hi Aaron, just thought I'd see how the other half live, yea me and childawg met, its good to see theres like minded people here as well:cool: