Betta Setup

And yes, I'm aware my habits with my fish were very... umm... lavish?

I had them as more than just a pet. They were a project. I wasn't breeding them for money... I was doing so for a better understanding. I did a lot of experimenting. Trying different things to see how they did or didn't like them. I did a lot of research on them as well. Bettas were my passion... my favorite fish that I could actually take with me when I moved without near the hassle as other fishes. (try taking a fairly hassle-free 12 or 16-hour car drive with any other fish type!!)

So I did all I could and THEN some for my bettas. They made me happy when few other things did at that time in my life. Each of them had names and personalities and things they liked and didn't like. I actually kept a notebook on it so if anything happened and I wasn't there to care for them for a day or more my family would know what to do with them!! Again, yes... this sounds obsessive and I'm fighting between embarassment and pride in saying it. But a teenager moving all over and not having any friends over the summer needs SOMETHING to obsess over... my bettas suited me just fine.

I can remember when delta and halfmoon tails were ultra-rare in the US and crowntails were only a bit of a fringe on the edges of a betta's tail!! The changes they've made in such a short time are phenomenal. 'Chocolate', 'Copper', and 'Mustard' betta colors were fairly new and I'd never even heard of a solid black betta before!! Heck, I didn't know there were day-glo orange ones until recently. ^_^;;

I feel so old... :P
 
nickmcmechan said:
Guys,

Absolutely amzingly informative and fascinating responses.

Thank you all very much and I'm just so pleased that you've all taken the time and effort to get such a lively debate going.

Please keep it all going, especially Kyohti!!!!

So, more opinions please....what I'm getting from all this is....

- the bowl might not be so great and my Wife says I would be cruel to put any wee fishy in there

-I'm edging towards a heated (I live in a cold country), lit, lightly filtered, planted (probably heavily) 10G set up

-it seems important that I take probably more care and attention over this setup than my 35G community (I dont want to put the Betta in the community tank beacuse my filtratin creates a strong current and I dont think he would be happy)

-I do frequent water changes, possibly 2/3 times per week, using well treated water, possibly something to make it slightly acidic (would pH down be OK with pre treated water)

-I'm still unclear about putting a female in there too?

Please get back to with more opinions and feedback if I'm picking all this up right, in your opinions and experiences?

Fascinating stuff!
Click to expand...
So Kyohti, whats your opinion on the way I'm going with this?
 
nickmcmechan said:
So Kyohti, whats your opinion on the way I'm going with this?
Click to expand...

First of all, I'm quite flattered. ^__^


Personally, for a single betta I have always felt 10 gallons would swallow them up! When I take up bettas again, I intend to keep single males in tanks of about 2-3 gallons. This is about the largest a male betta would keep a natural territory in, seeing as how most wild bettas keep territories that are rarely larger than 1 square foot.

Heated definitely, if you're living in colder regions. Bettas will do alright in temps in the mid 70s, but they hail from Thailand and other regions of southeast asia, which are quite tropical and those rice paddies can get to temperatures in the upper 80s or so! So a temp of about 78-82 degrees would make your betta quite happy. ^_^

If you have a single betta in a planted tank with filtration, frequent water changes might be more disruptive than beneficial. Bettas don't rely as heavily on their gills for oxygen as normal fish do because of their labrynth organ. In fact, they rely in this organ so much that if denied the water's surface, bettas can literally drown!! And keep in mind that their natural environment has soft acidic water due to the amount of rotting vegetation. So I'd only do water changes on a filtered tank every month or when the perimeters require it. As far as filters go, I'd use one for a 5-10 gallon setup and instead of centering it at the back of the tank, push it to one side so half the tank has a current, but the other will have calmer waters and give him an area he can build a bubblenest in if he likes. In fact, adding a real or silk plant whose leaves brush the water's surface in this corner will help a lot, seeing as how they like to anchor their nests on something stationary.

As far as extra treatment, as long as the water is in good condition, bettas aren't picky. I always used blackwater extract (about 1/2 tsp per 10 gallons of water) or steeped almond leaves to simulate their natural water conditions. While this is nice... and it certainly helped them when it came time for breeding... it's not required for their happiness.

As for females... I don't suggest breeding unless you are willing to invest a LOT of time, money, and heartache into the process. It is a very intensive process to do correctly. And in-general, the ONLY ONLY ONLY time male and female bettas should be in the same tank should be when you have intent to breed or have a 55-gallon or larger tank that is well planted so they can avoid one another. Otherwise, they will make mincemeat of each other!!!

If you decide you ever want to take on this mammoth task, I'd be happy to offer you any advice, opinions, etc from what I gleaned of my own 2 1/2years' worth of experiences on the subject. ^__^;;

Other than that, don't bother with female bettas unless you'd like them in a community tank (which I don't really agree with) or in a separate 1-2 gallon tank.

Again, this is only one opinion... there are many here and it's always best to listen to lots of people, take what works for you from each, and add your own personal touch where you think it works best. That was always my approach to it!

Hope that helps. :D
 
For what little it's worth, my betta is in a 3+ gallon tank (don't know exactly), heated but with no filter. Live plants are providing natural filtration without created a current. Current parameters are 0 for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, because the plants consume it. And that's when I'm due for a water change :)

I do 50% weekly water changes. The betta is thriving. So I guess what I'm saying is that if the tank is well-planted with just a betta, you probably don't need a filter.

And now I'll stand back while people yell at me...
 
I think the intent woul be frequent water changes, not infrequent, as it would be required for the lack of filtrarion.
 
Essentially. My practices seem very elaborate... but not really. I did a lot of extra stuff because I really cared about my fish and gave a lot of my time to them.

And because I had to give them extra care because of the means to which I kept them, which was small unfiltered and unheated cubicles that were about 3 inches by 3 inches and about 8 inches tall. So this required me to do frequent water changes and come up with my 'brilliant' idea of connecting air tube to the end of a large syringe to suck poop and uneaten food from their containers between water changes. ^_^;;

A lot of the fuss I went thru won't be necessary with the way you're able to set up your tank.
 
Do you mean one cubic foot vice one square foot? Which would seem reasonable.

One cubic foot of protected territory equates to 7.48 gallons, FYI.
 
Lady Friesian said:
For what little it's worth, my betta is in a 3+ gallon tank (don't know exactly), heated but with no filter. Live plants are providing natural filtration without created a current. Current parameters are 0 for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, because the plants consume it. And that's when I'm due for a water change :)

I do 50% weekly water changes. The betta is thriving. So I guess what I'm saying is that if the tank is well-planted with just a betta, you probably don't need a filter.

And now I'll stand back while people yell at me...
Click to expand...

No yelling... infact, I totally agree. For a single betta in a spacious tank and the right plant, it can be a self-contained symbiotic relationship as long as you do the water changes. Like I said, I'd do them once or twice a month, personally.
 
a betta can adapt, i wouldnt add any chemicals to change pH, if you really want to change it then use peat or almond leaves, although they will stain your water, it will safely lower the pH. Keep the temperature around.... 78-80 degrees, maybe add a few plants, make the betta feel like home, then possibly you can try to add some other fish.
 
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