Happy Betta?

[mvigor]

I think it would do us all a lot of good to keep in mind that almost everyone outside some fish forums truly believe they are informed that a Betta will be happy in his bowl.

We can't just jump on people shouting that they need to get a bigger tank. We kind of need to break the news a little.

Gently, gently. Inform, don't attack.

We should all be happy that at least now instead of calling them "Goldfish bowls" that are at least called "Betta bowls". It's a huge step in the right direction since a goldfish needs 20 or 30 gallons.

 

[fishcatch22]

I think it would do us all a lot of good to keep in mind that almost everyone outside some fish forums truly believe they are informed that a Betta will be happy in his bowl.

We can't just jump on people shouting that they need to get a bigger tank. We kind of need to break the news a little.

Gently, gently. Inform, don't attack.

We should all be happy that at least now instead of calling them "Goldfish bowls" that are at least called "Betta bowls". It's a huge step in the right direction since a goldfish needs 20 or 30 gallons.

I was being gentle. I did not yell, I told her what see needed, and she seems to understand and didn't take offense.

 

[NinjaPirate]

there is not way you can heat a bowl under 2 gallons without over heateing it. you can filter it if the filter is small enough, but it won't help much because it takes a while for the filter to grow the bacteria it needs. my advice is to buy him a real tank as soon as you can, cycle it, and put him in there. tell your parents that he needs it.

Actually, that's not true. It is true of standard aquarium heating methods generally (Unless you have a large bowl and a small heater) but I know plenty of breeders that use alternative methods to heat their betta bowls sucessfully. Several of which are available on the single bowl basis.

Granted, it's probably cheaper to just buy a tank and do it that way, but i'm just saying it's not IMpossible

As for temp range, 78-82 is on the high end. Really anything above 72F that's constant is plenty warm enough. I keep 95% of my tanks between 74-76F.

I would recommend a tank if you cna afford it also, but if the bowl's location stays constantly warm and you do partial water changes dependant on bowl size he'll be fine for some time. I would say if you're doing partial water changes, every third day is a necessity (remember to treat the tap water) If you're doing full water changes and cleaning the jar, once a week.

 

[fishcatch22]

Actually, that's not true. It is true of standard aquarium heating methods generally (Unless you have a large bowl and a small heater) but I know plenty of breeders that use alternative methods to heat their betta bowls sucessfully. Several of which are available on the single bowl basis.

Granted, it's probably cheaper to just buy a tank and do it that way, but i'm just saying it's not IMpossible

As for temp range, 78-82 is on the high end. Really anything above 72F that's constant is plenty warm enough. I keep 95% of my tanks between 74-76F.

I would recommend a tank if you cna afford it also, but if the bowl's location stays constantly warm and you do partial water changes dependant on bowl size he'll be fine for some time. I would say if you're doing partial water changes, every third day is a necessity (remember to treat the tap water) If you're doing full water changes and cleaning the jar, once a week.

really? well, you're the breeder, I trust your opinion.

 

[InR reason]

Cassandra, relax. I have several bettas in bowls and have done so for years. People reccomend tanks for bettas because 1) most people don't have enough experience with fish, 2) it IS harder to regulate the temperature of the water in a bowl, and 3) most people with bowls don't change the water until it looks "nasty."

I change the water in my bowls twice a week, keep them in warm locations (at least 74 degrees) and keep careful watch over the fish. I understand that you may not have access to a tank right now so I'm willing to help you. It takes a bit of work though, as a bowl is very senstive to environmental changes and the like.

 

[NinjaPirate]

really? well, you're the breeder, I trust your opinion.

I will point out that my cleaning regimen is suggested on the basis that (I hope) the bowl is atleast a gallon or larger. If you have any real question as to how often to clean a betta bowl, regular ammonia testing is the only real way to be sure you're doing it often enough.

As for heating aquariums, breeders learned long ago that heating all those tanks to 80F didn't accomplish much more than running up the electric bill . The only tanks I keep at 80F+ are my breeding tanks. That's not to say that you can't run your tanks warmer if you want to, because it certainly won't hurt the betta any, it's just that experience says that you can leave the tanks a little cooler without any detrimental effects. Officially the low end of the spectrum is 68F, but anything below 70 and the betta starts to get a little sluggish, so I don't recommend anything below 72.

 

[bettagurl]

. People reccomend tanks for bettas because 1) most people don't have enough experience with fish,

what does this mean?
I dont understand how everyone here completely hates the inch-per-gallon rule(me included) but they say a 2"-3" betta will be fine in a unfiltered one gal bowl

 

[NinjaPirate]

what does this mean?
I dont understand how everyone here completely hates the inch-per-gallon rule(me included) but they say a 2"-3" betta will be fine in a unfiltered one gal bowl

Because you can have a betta live a long healthy life in an unfiltered gallon bowl, assuming you put in the extra work. Most people don't, and that's why fish suffer. But because of the bettas natural habitat, feeding habits, etc. I can say that a betta can be fine in a bowl if you keep it clean and warm enough. Empirical evidence shows this. I can't count the number of people I know who have kept bettas in gallon+ bowls, taken very good care of them, and had them live for 3-4 years.

I've had this argument on the forums before, and there really is no need to go into it again. Suffice to say that I despise the "One, True way" method of dealing with anything. If you really want to keep a betta in a bowl, it can be done without stunting his growth or causing shortened life spans like what happens with goldfish. But only if you're willing to do the work.

I still *recommend* you get a tank, because there is more room for error, and less work required on your part. But that doesn't mean that if you're not keeping your betta in a heated filtered tank of atleast X gallons you're seriously damaging your fish and are a horrible person because of it.

 

[bettagurl]

Because you can have a betta live a long healthy life in an unfiltered gallon bowl, assuming you put in the extra work. Most people don't, and that's why fish suffer. But because of the bettas natural habitat, feeding habits, etc. I can say that a betta can be fine in a bowl if you keep it clean and warm enough. Empirical evidence shows this. I can't count the number of people I know who have kept bettas in gallon+ bowls, taken very good care of them, and had them live for 3-4 years.

I've had this argument on the forums before, and there really is no need to go into it again. Suffice to say that I despise the "One, True way" method of dealing with anything. If you really want to keep a betta in a bowl, it can be done without stunting his growth or causing shortened life spans like what happens with goldfish. But only if you're willing to do the work.

I still *recommend* you get a tank, because there is more room for error, and less work required on your part. But that doesn't mean that if you're not keeping your betta in a heated filtered tank of atleast X gallons you're seriously damaging your fish and are a horrible person because of it.

they are much less active in a bowl...I have kept bettas lived for 5+ years in a ten gal..compared to about 2yrs or less in a bowl.