Daughter Wants a Betta

Rob24

Rob24

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Apr 21, 2003
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My little girl wants a Betta to keep in her room. I know nothing about betas. I am thinking about a small tank under five gallons.

I think a good setup would also have a few easy to take care of plants. I would be doing the maintenance she would be "helping".

We have a petco, Pet Smart, Wal-mart and another mom & pop store. Just to give an Idea of available products.

I have an extra Penguin 160 filter. I'm thinking that would be way to big for a tank under 5 gallons.


What do I need to know???? Would like to do 2 females or one male and one or two other fish. :newbie: to betas

Was thinking of something like this. http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3611436#RatingsDetail but the review makes me think twice.
 
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MY daughter keeps a tiny female Betta with a Mystery Snail in a one gallon with a clump of Java Moss. We do water changes twice a week, and everything is working out well.
I would not put two females together in a small tank as they will fight, and five gallons should be great for a single male. My male PK lives in a five gallon that is planted with low light plants, and an air stone. I would consider an A.D.F. as a good tank mate for a Betta in a five gallon since their requirements are the same, and they will inhabit different parts of the tank.
 
Rob24 said:
My little girl wants a Betta to keep in her room. I know nothing about betas. I am thinking about a small tank under five gallons.
You have to make sure you're serious about this.
I think a good setup would also have a few easy to take care of plants. I would be doing the maintenance she would be "helping".
That's fine, but you need to assume responsibility. If you're going to be the primary caregiver, you need to stick with it.
We have a petco, Pet Smart, Wal-mart and another mom & pop store. Just to give an Idea of available products.
For betta care, I typically prefer PetCo, but PetSmart is fine too. Please though, do not go to WalMart, even though it's lower prices, it's supporting the purchase of fish from there which are terribly unhealthy.
I have an extra Penguin 160 filter. I'm thinking that would be way to big for a tank under 5 gallons.
In the 2.5g you're looking at, that would decimate the betta. The current would be way too strong IMO
What do I need to know???? Would like to do 2 females or one male and one or two other fish. :newbie: to betas
You can't have more than one male or mixed gender, typically. A 2.5 gallon can really only hold one betta. I don't think other fish would do well in such a small tank, and other fish generally aren't betta-compatible.
Was thinking of something like this. http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3611436#RatingsDetail but the review makes me think twice.
It's not a bad tank, some people just don't like to take care of it. I have had relatively good experience with larger Aqueon tanks, and I doubt this one is any different.

You are going to need a heater for your betta tank. Bettas are much healthier when they are kept at a temperature of 78-81 degrees fahrenheit. If a tank is kept without a heater, it will be at room temperature, which is usually between 68-78 degrees fahrenheit, depending on seasons and preferences. If you live in a warmer region and your room temperature is steadily above 77 or so degrees, you will not need a heater.
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I do give you credit for not wanting to put a betta in a bowl, but remember, a betta's still a fish.
 
PS: About the filter in the tank, with a single betta it really isn't necessary. Just do a 20% water change twice a week, which really isn't much, and make sure the tank has gravel. In a smaller tank like a 2.5 bow, the filtration disrupts the water current on the surface. As you may know, bettas are a antabantoid, which is a group of fish that breath atmospheric oxygen, (the air we breath) from the surface of the water. If the water is moving, it's harder for them to breath and they may very well drown.

In a larger tank, people can have filters because only a small portion of the total water surface is disturbed.
 
My daughter (3 and a half) also wanted a betta. She picked one out at the LFS, and I bought a 5 gallon kit from walmart, which included a small HOB filter and a heater. I let her decorate the tank (clown vomit gravel, plastic plants) and then we added some neon tetras. The tetras and Betta get along fine, but I probably shouldn't have put the tetras in there because I don't think they're happy with just 2 of them, and I don't think the tank's big enough for more.

I also really don't know much about bettas - don't even know if this is a male or a female.

So out of all of that my take away is - the 5 gallon tank kit from walmart's not a bad start.
 
Bettas are able to breathe at the surface because, having evolved in oxygen-poor waters, they have a special organ called the labyrinth that enables them to do that. That doesn't mean they only breathe at the surface. They have gills and breathe water just like every other fish. :) It also doesn't mean that they should be subjected to poor water quality in unfiltered bowls, just that they can survive conditions that would probably kill a non-anabantoid. (Not trying to argue with any of the posters here. I've also kept bettas in unfiltered totes with plenty of water changes. But a decently sized, filtered, cycled, heated tank is truly the best way to house a betta, just like any other fish.)

They are also fine with currents, as long as there are calm spots in the tank for them to rest/sleep. If you get a HOB like the Red Sea Nano/Azoo Palm (same product, different names), you can start with the slowest flow and increase it over several days/weeks so the betta can develop some muscle and get used to swimming in the flow. Some males can have a little difficulty because of their heavy finnage, and obviously a whirlpool effect isn't much fun (for any fish), but well circulated filtered water is good for bettas just like other fish. Adding live plants and other decor can also help break up the current and create calmer spots for the betta to sleep in.

Many bettas are happily housed in the MiniBow 2.5g and Eclipse 3g tanks, but a 5g will be more stable in the long run, and be large enough so you could also have 3-4 neon tetras, a mystery or apple snail, or an African Dwarf Frog as a tankmate. How well the betta will get along with any tankmates is, however, sort of luck of the draw. Bettas have very distinct personalities. Some are fine with other inhabitants; others will chase/nip/kill other critters. FYI, you don't have to have tankmates. A betta on its own is just fine.

The males/females are marked that way in the stores ... well, the cups are marked, not the fish themselves, lol. The males generally have more elaborate finnage and many people like the more dramatic look, especially on a tank with just the one fish. Some of us love the females, which have all the betta personality, and plenty of color. It's nice to choose a female, imo, because they are often overlooked/under-appreciated.

As you already know, setting up and cycling the tank before your daughter picks out her fish would be best for the fish and lead to the happiest results. :)

Hope your daughter enjoys her new tank. We'll look forward to pictures!
 
cobfreak said:
My daughter (3 and a half) also wanted a betta. She picked one out at the LFS, and I bought a 5 gallon kit from walmart, which included a small HOB filter and a heater. I let her decorate the tank (clown vomit gravel, plastic plants) and then we added some neon tetras. The tetras and Betta get along fine, but I probably shouldn't have put the tetras in there because I don't think they're happy with just 2 of them, and I don't think the tank's big enough for more.

I also really don't know much about bettas - don't even know if this is a male or a female.

So out of all of that my take away is - the 5 gallon tank kit from walmart's not a bad start.
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You could probably add one or two more neons to complete the school. :)
 
Edit: H2Ogal beat me to it. ;)

Get a 5 gallon set up if you want another critter. Females are a little gentler on average though some can be real fighters. I enjoyed watching my ghost shrimp move about in a five gallon just use play/pool sand instead of gravel if possible. Or a snail.
Just be warned that at any moment a betta can off one of it's tank mates. Depends on your daughters personality then if you want tank mates.

Or if possibly a 10g and you could have maybe 6 small neon tetras or some other very small schooling fish.
 
H2Ogal made very excellent points. I use the Azoo hob for my 2.5 with no problems. The flow is adjustable. I've found that if I keep the water level juuust touching the bottom of the outlet, my boy can relax all over the tank & plays in the outlet if he chooses. Bettas will need to adjust going from a cup with no movement to a tank with slight current, think of it as exercise. This does not mean your betta should be buffeted around the tank, but as they work up muscles, they'll be able to swim just fine in a slight current.

Look for tightly clamped fins as a sign of stress & discomfort.

I have a girl in an unfiltered (but loaded with plants) 1g, frankly I can't wait to get her into a filtered tank because I'm so paranoid about water temp & quality.
 
Piranha86:

I respect your reply. But, please keep in mind, just because I know nothing about Bettas... does not mean I know nothing about fish keeping. I have two other tanks set up in my home. I would consider myself a "Veteran" fish keeper.

I am very serious about keeping a betta.

Yes, I will be the primary care giver as my daughter is only five. I would not start a tank if I did not plan to "stick with it"





Some people might have misunderstood what I was getting at. I do not plan on putting multiple fish in the tank. I was only planning on Two. I however did not know you could not put two females in the same tank.

I did know that two males CAN NOT go in the same tank.
 
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