Betta Fish

[Leaky]

Heya guys, ive been thinking about getting a betta, and i read on another post on the forum that someone had one with no filter...


My question is, what do they need to survive ?

i may get my gf a Betta and set up her lil hexagonal tank if it doesnt need much !!

Cheers in advance, chris !


EDIT: im thinking more along the lines of siamese fighters btw

 

[Kizz]

Unless you wanna do water changes every day i'd invest in a filter ...Heaters are good for them aswell 3Gal is the min you can keep one in a 5 gal tank is much better . No plastic plants as you'll rip shreds out of there fins silk or live are just as good .Make sure some of them have Large leaves as they do like to rest .a few wee hidey places for them to explore

And surely you want your Betta to live a good life rather than just survive?

And betta's are Siamese Fightig Fish

 

[Honeythorn]

BASICS:

5 gallon tank minimum . Many hex tanks come in this size if that's the style you like, so that should be no trouble. This size tank will definitely fit into a small space like a worktop, desk, small table ect. There is no reason to get anything smaller ( which would be harder to maintain anyway )

Heater 26-28 degrees C.

Filter . YES they do need one. They are anabantids the same as Gouramis and need a filter just like they do. Most bettas prefer slow current or none, so a sponge filter is a good option to use. CYCLE the filter ( check out the fishless cycling thread in the new to the forum section )

EXTRAS/DECOR:

Silk or live plants You will need more than just a couple, bettas like lots of vegetation so get several bunches.
Gravel or sand substrate will be needed for live plants, if you go with silk plants then you can have either of those, or mny people use those decorative glass pebbles, and some people have no substrate at all and go with a bare glass base for easy cleaning.

Hiding places. A smooth hollow ornament is fine, some people like coconut caves, some people have even used a clean coffee mug!

Wood.If you decide to add any, make sure it is very smooth so the betta does not catch and tear it's fins on the wood.


MAINTENENCE:

25-50% water changes ( preferably 50% ) every single week. Make sure you use dechlorinator to treat the water you put back in. Regular monthly filter maintenence, and get a liquid test kit to keep an eye on your water parameters.


Basically it's the same as setting up any other basic tropical fish tank. Just with slower current, slightly higher temperature and no sharp decor.

 

[bronzecat]

Hi

It is our experience that 3 UK gallons is the smallest you want to go really Thats around 13.5 Lts. We've tried all sizes from 2 - 16 gallons and found the majority of our bettas tend to be happy in 3 - 5 gallons. Regarding filters.....we tend to either use sponge filters running off air pumps or Interpet PF mini internal filters. You may have to deflect the flow a bit but its not difficult. There are those that dont use filters, but bear in mind that the water will have to be changed more often without exception.

Oh. P.s. Betta doesn't = Siamese fighting fish Betta splenden = Siamese fighting fish There are other members of the Betta species such as Simplex and other wild types, which require different care and set ups

 

[Leaky]

Oh right cool ! thanks a lot guys

i think i might just concentrate on my larger tank then as i cant afford all that sorta stuff on top of everything else at the moment, maybe in the future though !

I need to get a stand for my tank then i can start to put it all together !!

Thanks again, Chris

 

[Tangoblue]

thanks honeythorn, ive been looking for that info all day but i was only getting little pices that were hard to understand but the way u put it was a great help. Thanks again.