Betta Questions

[laurenkaye]

Hello! I have just joined this forum as I have a few questions. I've had many many betta fish in the past, and they have always been in a 1 gallon or smaller without a filter or heater. I have always loved animals and picked up the hobby of taking care of them. I'm getting another betta now and will be doing more work for him. He will be in a 2-2.5 gallon tank and I'm wondering about a filter and heater. The current filter I have is a Tetra Whisper in tank. Will that work for my betta? In the past we have tried a filter on a betta and it killed the fish instantly (different filter than what I have now). Also I do not own a heater but I have a light that came with the tank. It does work to heat the water but will it get too warm? Thanks guys

 

[Sunnyfish]

my betta doesn't currently have a filter but i'm going to be getting him the same one. based on the reviews i've read it can be pretty strong (even for 5-10 gallons), so you might have to stuff some media (like sponge) into the output to slow down the flow. that way he won't get blown around.

 

[FroFro]

Hello! I have just joined this forum as I have a few questions. I've had many many betta fish in the past, and they have always been in a 1 gallon or smaller without a filter or heater. I have always loved animals and picked up the hobby of taking care of them. I'm getting another betta now and will be doing more work for him. He will be in a 2-2.5 gallon tank and I'm wondering about a filter and heater. The current filter I have is a Tetra Whisper in tank. Will that work for my betta? In the past we have tried a filter on a betta and it killed the fish instantly (different filter than what I have now). Also I do not own a heater but I have a light that came with the tank. It does work to heat the water but will it get too warm? Thanks guys

Betta are tropical fish that require heated water, if you live in a temperate climate and you can be sure the room temperature wont fluctuate or dip below 74 degrees or o above 82 degrees then you should be fine. However, it would be more beneficial to your fish to have stable temperature as fluctuacting temperature causes undue stress.

A stressed fish will become a sick fish (then a dead fish!).

Filters are kind of a meh area for betta, I suggest a filter because it's great for keeping your water clean and creating surface movement to oxygenate the water. You can then do small partial water changes 1-2 times a week depending on how large the water amount you remove and replace is, without a filter you may need to do larger, more frequent water changes to keep your water spiffy and your nitrites and ammonia levels down.

Addressing your tank issue. Have you cycled this tank? As in you've established a beneficial bacteria colony that will handle the nirates, nitrites, and ammonia in your water and keep your parameters stable? I wouldn't get a betta until this is done as you will again cause the animal undue stress. ( a stressed fish is... you get the idea.) Here is a simple, if crude, explanation of the cycle, you can find more detailed info here on the forum or by doing your own research.

http://aquariuminfo.org/cycling.html

Addressing the issue of your tank size, hopefully you can return your unit, as I advise that betta be kept in nothing smaller than a 5 gallon. Just because they sell tanks that go as low as 1/4 of a gallon in size does not mean a betta will thrive in that size tank. Surviving is not thriving.

 

[NickAu]

A 1/4 of a gallon is not a tank its a coffee cup, Its a pity PETA don’t get involved in banning these death bowls.

 

[laurenkaye]

I've added a water conditioner to the tank already. I'm planning on cleaning the tank (50% of water replaced) once a week so do I still need a filter? And would the light above my tank work as a heater? Thanks for the replies!

 

[Sunnyfish]

i'd say it'd be much better to have a filter with a tank under 5 gallons, though any tank could probably use one, no matter the inhabitants.
just like what Fro said, if the temperatures aren't at around 74-82 degrees Fahrenheit - on average and with little fluctuation - with the light, you probably need a heater, both to keep the water warm enough and to hopefully keep temperatures constant.

 

[FroFro]

I've added a water conditioner to the tank already. I'm planning on cleaning the tank (50% of water replaced) once a week so do I still need a filter? And would the light above my tank work as a heater? Thanks for the replies!

The answer to your questions are as follows.

Yes to a heater
Yes to a filter
No to your current tank size.

 

[Sunnyfish]

1/4 of a gallon? i agree, that's far too small for any fish. it always would be.
2.5 gallons, however? i think it's arguable. lots of people i know use tanks that small for bettas with few difficulties as long as it's taken care of correctly, but the more, the better.

 

[FroFro]

1/4 of a gallon? i agree, that's far too small for any fish. it always would be.
2.5 gallons, however? i think it's arguable. lots of people i know use tanks that small for bettas with few difficulties as long as it's taken care of correctly, but the more, the better.

That right there is what I argue with. My first betta, that I kept in a 2.5 gal. when I was 17 working at a subway was also able to live inside his tank as I kept it very clean and maintained (at twice the wrork and worry I might add). Once he was moved to his 5 gal. home he did a complete 180 in behavior. What I thought was a shy, somewhat lazy uninterested fish was exploring his new home, resting on different leaves, greeting me when I walked by! You get my point? The problem is that its not enough space for a betta to live happily. Surviving is not thriving. Would you put your 55 pound dog in a kennel suitable for something say 20-25 pounds instead? Would you feed it kibble meant for toy breeds? No, as any responsible pet owner would know while they may be able to fit in that kennel if they always stay lying down in a ball, or that the large dog can survive a little on small amounts of food till they waste away, you don't put a fish that requires more room inside something less than half the minimum it requires. We do what is required for our pets to live to the best of their ability, for betta that is 5 gallons. For my dog thats an extra large kennel and 50 pound bags of food.

 

[Sunnyfish]

That right there is what I argue with. My first betta, that I kept in a 2.5 gal. when I was 17 working at a subway was also able to live inside his tank as I kept it very clean and maintained (at twice the wrork and worry I might add). Once he was moved to his 5 gal. home he did a complete 180 in behavior. What I thought was a shy, somewhat lazy uninterested fish was exploring his new home, resting on different leaves, greeting me when I walked by! You get my point? The problem is that its not enough space for a betta to live happily. Surviving is not thriving. Would you put your 55 pound dog in a kennel suitable for something say 20-25 pounds instead? Would you feed it kibble meant for toy breeds? No, as any responsible pet owner would know while they may be able to fit in that kennel if they always stay lying down in a ball, or that the large dog can survive a little on small amounts of food till they waste away, you don't put a fish that requires more room inside something less than half the minimum it requires. We do what is required for our pets to live to the best of their ability, for betta that is 5 gallons. For my dog thats an extra large kennel and 50 pound bags of food.

that's a pretty fair argument, and like i said, the more, the better. i'd rather go the extra mile for my pet than less than what it actually requires. i've never tried to keep a betta in a 2.5 though, so i guess i wouldn't really know myself.

 

[laurenkaye]

The answer to your questions are as follows.

Yes to a heater
Yes to a filter
No to your current tank size.

ok. Thank you so much for the reply!

 

[Elainec]

Hello! I have just joined this forum as I have a few questions. I've had many many betta fish in the past, and they have always been in a 1 gallon or smaller without a filter or heater. I have always loved animals and picked up the hobby of taking care of them. I'm getting another betta now and will be doing more work for him. He will be in a 2-2.5 gallon tank and I'm wondering about a filter and heater. The current filter I have is a Tetra Whisper in tank. Will that work for my betta? In the past we have tried a filter on a betta and it killed the fish instantly (different filter than what I have now). Also I do not own a heater but I have a light that came with the tank. It does work to heat the water but will it get too warm? Thanks guys

 

[Elainec]

You know you can only have one male betta per tank? You can heat smaller tanks with a nano heater.