Hi everyone. My boyfriend was in the pet store with me last night and he suddenly fell in love with the Bettas in the little cups. He then told me he wanted one so now next week he is going to be the owner of his very first fish. I have had bettas before and everything but only when I was younger and they were part of a bigger tank setup. I was wondering what exactly he will need. His room (where the tank will be) is always quite warm and the temperature will definitely never go below 22 degrees celsius so is a heater still necessary? He was looking at an aquarium and I think it was 3.5 gallons or around there so would that be enough? He wants it to have enough room because he thought they looked so sad in those cups. He will be getting a filter and I think he's leaning toward this one: http://www.petco.com/Shop/petco_Pro...pingGuideID_16_ShoppingGuideElementID_39.aspx so will this be enough filtration? He will also have plenty of plants and maybe an ornament as well. Does this sound okay?
Getting a New Betta
- Thread starter SweetieAngel
- Start date
I personally would never put a betta in anything smaller than a 5 gallon and I generally prefer a 10g if at all possible. Anything smaller than a 5 gallon they tend to not show their full personalities and are generally alot more listless.
Heaters are needed not to keep the water from getting cold but to keep it at one temperature. If the temperature never gets cold you could probably get by without but normal house temperatures fluctuate quite alot. While we as people can deal with and probably never really even notice these changes can be stressful to your Betta. I have never kept one without a filter but my friend tired it and noticed the fish was very stressed and as soon as she got the heater in his 5g tank he perked up and became much more active and full of personality.
The problem you will run into with that 3.5g is that it is very hard to heat anything smaller than a 5 gallon which is another reason I have suggested that.
As for the filter I don't know anything about the filter so hopefully someone will come along and answer that for you.
Heaters are needed not to keep the water from getting cold but to keep it at one temperature. If the temperature never gets cold you could probably get by without but normal house temperatures fluctuate quite alot. While we as people can deal with and probably never really even notice these changes can be stressful to your Betta. I have never kept one without a filter but my friend tired it and noticed the fish was very stressed and as soon as she got the heater in his 5g tank he perked up and became much more active and full of personality.
The problem you will run into with that 3.5g is that it is very hard to heat anything smaller than a 5 gallon which is another reason I have suggested that.
As for the filter I don't know anything about the filter so hopefully someone will come along and answer that for you.
A 5.5 gallon is a good size for a betta. My crowntail betta loved his. A heater is a must to maintain a constant temperature. Azoo Palm Filters are nice and small, though I personally use an AquaTech15 HOB with a sponge over the intake to reduce flow.
I agree with the above. A 5.5g tank (not in a kit) runs about $12-$15, which is quite reasonable. I would then get about a 25w heater because, as mentioned, you want the temp to be fairly constant. Try to keep the temp between 78-82F (not sure what that is in Celsius).
I like my Tom Dive Clean Mini for my 5.5g, but I've been thinking of getting a second because I'm just a little paranoid, and mine needs to be cleaned weekly. The Azoo palms are a good choice too.
Just make sure the decor don't have rough or sharp edges. A good test is to pull a pair of pantyhose across them. If the hose snags, the decor is no good. I'm not sure if you were meaning live (great for bettas but not necessary) or fake, but if you go with fake try to get the softer ones like silk.
A good food is essential for bettas. Don't get flake, it has a higher risk of them ingesting air and causing swim bladder and/or constipation problems. New Life Spectrum (NLS) makes a great betta food, and my Petco recently started carrying it. Not sure if they all are. Umm, Hikari makes a decent one, and Ocean Nutrition Atison's Betta Pro is a great food too.
I like my Tom Dive Clean Mini for my 5.5g, but I've been thinking of getting a second because I'm just a little paranoid, and mine needs to be cleaned weekly. The Azoo palms are a good choice too.
Just make sure the decor don't have rough or sharp edges. A good test is to pull a pair of pantyhose across them. If the hose snags, the decor is no good. I'm not sure if you were meaning live (great for bettas but not necessary) or fake, but if you go with fake try to get the softer ones like silk.
A good food is essential for bettas. Don't get flake, it has a higher risk of them ingesting air and causing swim bladder and/or constipation problems. New Life Spectrum (NLS) makes a great betta food, and my Petco recently started carrying it. Not sure if they all are. Umm, Hikari makes a decent one, and Ocean Nutrition Atison's Betta Pro is a great food too.
I believe a 3.5g will be fine, if it's only for the one betta. A 5g or larger would allow tankmates, provide more swimming room of course, and be more stable in terms of water quality and temperature. Bettas do like it very warm, 76-78 F. so it's really best to have a heater. I like PennPlax Cascade 25w heaters.
The Tom Quick Dive Mini that Bazil mentioned is probably the best choice if your boyfriend wants an internal filter. For small tanks, I prefer HOBs as they take up less room inside the aquarium and can generally use any filter media that fits in the body of the unit. The Azoo Palm that Zbbal mentioned is identical to the Red Sea Art Deco Nano sold at Petco. They're sized for 1-3g tanks but could handle a 5g with a small bioload.
Live plants also help filter the water — and bettas love to sleep in, on and under the leaves.
Looking forward to pics of your boyfriend's new fish friend!
The Tom Quick Dive Mini that Bazil mentioned is probably the best choice if your boyfriend wants an internal filter. For small tanks, I prefer HOBs as they take up less room inside the aquarium and can generally use any filter media that fits in the body of the unit. The Azoo Palm that Zbbal mentioned is identical to the Red Sea Art Deco Nano sold at Petco. They're sized for 1-3g tanks but could handle a 5g with a small bioload.
Live plants also help filter the water — and bettas love to sleep in, on and under the leaves.
Looking forward to pics of your boyfriend's new fish friend!
3.5 gallon is fine for a single betta. Sure, they would like more room but it is enough to house a single betta without any problems. I would say that a betta would need a BARE MINIMUM of 2.5 gallons to survive. So a 3.5 is a good size.
I would personally have to raise issue against anything under a 5. Yes they can certainly SURVIVE. They can survive in for a short time in a cup of water at the pet store but there is a difference between surviving and enjoying living. I won't lie Bettas are a bit of a 'soap box' fish for me because of the conditions they often live. I tend to use the analogy sure a human can SURVIVE living in a closet their whole lives but is it fair to do that.
I would say bare minimum is 5 gallons but again that's probably just me.
I would say bare minimum is 5 gallons but again that's probably just me.
Agreed. Sadly, they can survive in far less than 2.5g, which is why manufacturers/LFSs continue to sell cruel "betta tanks" that hold about 16 oz. I've seen some very nice set-ups here on AC that are only 2.5g, and the bettas in them are perfectly happy and healthy. Good food, clean water, and live plants go a long way.
I've seen even worse. A friend had a betta globe that had at the very most 1-1/2 cups of water in it. Her betta lived for 3 years in her care (she says 4, but I remember her having it for at least 2). She was sick of caring for it and kept forgetting about it for days to weeks at a time, so I rescued him. I had him for a couple weeks, but his fin rot and some other unidentified infection was far too advanced. He died, but thankfully, in a larger space and in clean water for the last couple weeks of his life.
On that cheery note, heh, a 3.5g would be adequate, but most of the time those are in kits that have a crappy filter and maybe a crappy heater and are way overpriced. I recommend getting the larger 5.5g that is actually less than those kits and then getting a decent heater and filter. It's about the same price or maybe a little bit more than the kit, but you won't have to replace them for a long time, thus saving money in the long run.
On that cheery note, heh, a 3.5g would be adequate, but most of the time those are in kits that have a crappy filter and maybe a crappy heater and are way overpriced. I recommend getting the larger 5.5g that is actually less than those kits and then getting a decent heater and filter. It's about the same price or maybe a little bit more than the kit, but you won't have to replace them for a long time, thus saving money in the long run.