Betta Tank Size

[Whitey_144]

Hi,

i was curious as to what the minimum tank size/water amount is to keep a splenden in? at LFS' i always see them in tiny tanks. what would be a good small size tank for one?


I have a microbaitat8 (8litre/2 USg) tank and was going to keep cherry shrimp, but would this be big enough for a betta? i assume they would have to be kept alone otherwise would eat the cherry shrimp?

thanks,
adam

 

[JoshuaA]

Hey,

I think many people will say no but I don't think they give the tank credit enough. Realistically you are looking at can you heat/filter the tank effectively and provide enough swimming space for it to enjoy and explore and live happily. 8L might sound a tiny amount but compared to other tanks this thing works quite well.

My Betta did have a short spell in my Microhabitat 8 whilst I was unable to return home and feed him so I took him to my flat and put him in my planted nano. I would honestly say he was in great condition and probably enjoyed it just as much. The fish saw me a lot more than where he is now (back in his normal tank) so there was increased interaction (you know point finger put face close up fish follows and watches you).

It's down to you really, I've seen some seriously horrible tanks with Bettas in and I wouldn't say the Microhabitat is one of them, it is small but it filters and heats quite effectively so those are ticked off. Just whether you feel like it's the right thing to do and home the Betta in a small/nano tank.

Just don't put Cherrys in there with one.

 

[lljdma06]

To me, this tank is fine.

 

[Katty]

I think 2g is fine as long as you can keep the water heated and clean, i.e. heater and filter. Putting in some interesting things for the betta to explore like caves and plants makes it more interesting for them, rather than just swimming circles in a small, empty space. Its a little harder to find small ornaments that don't take up all the space though.

 

[scampi]

I have my Betta in a 2.1/2 cube tank (9 ltr) & he seems well happy. He eats well & is active all the time.

It has an inbuilt filter with a very very gentle flow, a 25w Hagen Elite heater which has keeps the temp a constant 26c and I put the light on in the afternoon for about 4-5 hours for the floating plants. I have a couple of small plants on the bottom & a grecian column ornament thingie. I find it's very easy to maintain.

The water parameters also stay good, so I do a small pwc once a week mainly to freshen the water really.

Another piccie of his home

 

[saltynay]

Minimum for a Betta for me is 5 gallons

 

[GuppyGoddess]

I think 2g is fine as long as you can keep the water heated and clean, i.e. heater and filter. Putting in some interesting things for the betta to explore like caves and plants makes it more interesting for them, rather than just swimming circles in a small, empty space. Its a little harder to find small ornaments that don't take up all the space though.

A 2 gallon is fine as long as you're dedicated to additional water changes. There are small 7.5 watt heaters that help keep the water warm. I have 2 5-gallon and 1 2-gallon and the betta in the 2-gallon looks the healthiest! There is NO gravel in the bowl b/c I feel that having that takes up space which could instead be used to increase water volume. There are two silk plants and my betta hangs out in those.

 

[scampi]

Yeah I agree - the fish are my hobby & I'm retired so have loads of time on my hands to care for them altho I don't need to do water changes any more frequently than my big tank. I check the water every couple of days. I have a shallow layer of tiny blue beads which my Betta likes to go down & 'look at' now & again - it never ceases to amaze me how they can keep absolutely motionless for seconds. I have a turkey baster which I vac any bits regularly.

 

[Whitey_144]

thanks guys, ill take all this into consideration...whatever i do i need to get a heater and cycle anyway.

what would be the best heater for so small a tank?


it will be fine for me to keep an eye on and i wont neglect it, it should be even easier seeing as a water change would only be a small total volume of water and easy to carry and do regularly.

thanks!

 

[Katty]

Marineland has a mini heater (Amazon link here), I use it for my betta's 2g tank. It is 10 watts and heats the water to 78F, it was the only mini heater I could find that would heat the water to a certain temperature rather than just stay on all the time. I don't know if you have these where you live, but I think any other 10-25 watt heater could work. I think a 50 watt would be a bit too much and might not even fit the space.

I agree with it being easier to take care of. I have no excuses not to do a water change for my betta, it takes like 3 minutes.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

As for heaters, see if you can get one with an inbuilt thermostat if possible (it'll turn off when it reaches a certain temperature that you set) rather than you having to turn it off

 

[JoshuaA]

I have one made by Hagen for the same tank, it's like 17w I think with an inbuilt thermostat set to 24 or 26 degrees I can't remember. I put it in the compartment with the filter in and it works alright, but due to the whole concept of heat rising I find that it doesn't heat the tank up as effectively as if it were actually in teh swimming area but that ruins the whole aesthetic of the tank.

The heater is pretty much unbreakable under normal use and can even be used outside of the tank with no water, it helps for a tank like this as there is a massive amount of evaporation from the tank.

I have only fore ground plants in mine however plants which allow a Betta to swim and squeeze through as they all love doing that... lets find the smallest gap possible and attempt to fit our body through hurrah! He still does that in the big tank he is in now , all that space and he decides to try squeeze between the glass and a log.

Edit: Oh yeh the inbuilt filter is actually quite powerful for a Betta you may want to knock the setting down to around half way and preferably during the cycle, otherwise it might cause a spike if you drop it to 50% after cycling on filter output at 100%. At 100% the current was somewhat like a whirlpool and obviously the Betta did not appear to enjoy it until I dropped its power output.