Ideal Tank/betta Bowl Sizes

[frostpixie]

just curious as i've been reading around, how large should the ideal betta bowl or tank be.... general consesus ranges any where from 1/2 gall to 20 gall... and if it's so important for bettas to have a lot of room to swim and everything then who do pet stores stick them in little plastic or glass jars that are smaller than a 1/2 gallon?? some of those fish stay in there for months on end before they are bought

 

[Jaded12]

Generally speaking people prefer between 1-5 gallons, some people prefer more. But 1-5 gallons is a good range, though even 1 gallon is a bit on the small side. Many people dont understand that bettas need a decent amount of room, and just because they can be found in shallow water and rice paddles in the wild doesnt mean they dont need space. Domesticated bettas and wild bettas are extremely different. Pet stores keep the fish in those tiny containers because a.) they're a bit ignorant to their needs, and b.) how else are they going to keep large quanities of high demand fish that cant be kept together? keeping them all in 1 gallon tank wouldn't be practical. But wine glasses are cruel, anything less then 1 gallon is cruel.

 

[frostpixie]

i had guessed as much, altho i guess to have a huge tank/bowl in a room that is quite small (as I live in a residence building) poses a bit of a space problem to the humans that live there as well.

question, do you know how long, on avg bettas can live??

 

[nakomis90]

people abuse puppies and kick them about?
maybe we should too?


point being the pets shops are thinking about money the more of the pretty fish they can stuff into the store, means the more they sell!
and this is a temporary thing for the bettas too be kept in!
sorry to put this harshly but it is wrong for this to be done!
im a breeder and many breeders put there fish i 1 gallon jars but they still have a heating system!
and water changes each day!
A bettas are tropical fish and need 78C wheres the heater in that wine glass???
unless you can care for your fish why have one?

maybe im being harsh but its got to be said!!!!
Read this!!!

http/www.cbsbettas.org/cbsWiki/index.php...ing_a_Pet_Betta
xxx chrissy

 

[Jaded12]

i had guessed as much, altho i guess to have a huge tank/bowl in a room that is quite small (as I live in a residence building) poses a bit of a space problem to the humans that live there as well.

question, do you know how long, on avg bettas can live??

Instead of having what 4 bettas in little glasses, why not have just one betta in a nice sized tank? Wouldn't that make more sense?

 

[frostpixie]

i understand that betta breeders take fish seriously... especially since they are breeders... but i however dont feel it's right to be angry at someone who doesn't really feel the same way.... for some ppl fish are pets but they are also a hobby... and altho taking their care into account should be serious not every one has the means to...

i love my betta's they're happy - the color is great, they love swimming, they eat and they have shown no indication that they are extremely unhappy with their accomodations - that being said.. i dont disagree that i shouldnt possilby get something bigger for them... on another note: if size is such an issue for betta's then why do pet stores sell betta homes that are small and made of plastic... i'm sure you are familiar with those small divided plastic betta containers... if you ask me, those are horrendous as plastic is no home.... regardless if you are a fish or not.

not every betta tank bowl needs to be heated especially if there are extenuating conditions which would make extra heating superflous.... for example... if a room that the betta's are being kept in is at a constant 23 deg C or warmer, why would an extra heater be needed?? to heat it even more might make them upset and could kill them!

like all pets, just b/c someone tells you something doesn't mean it will apply to all cases... as far as i know so long as the fish appears to be healthy and swimming it doesn't matter so much that they are not housed in a "penthouse" when they are happy with a "townhouse" altho "cardboard box" is extremely bad... i think it's more of a matter of preference and how much time you want to invest into your fish....

my fish daniel has been with me for almost a year now, and he doesn't seem unhappy about anything... mckay is my newest addition and he's also quite happy as well... so unless their behavior changes any time soon, i'm not planning on changing anything major or else it might give them too much of a shock.

 

[faithless1294]

Are you keeping a betta in a wine glass??? if you are that is seriously cruel just because there happy at the moment doesnt mean they will be for ever there body shape will become deformed theyll have swimming problems diseases will be harder to treat becuase of the lack of space... Its been said before pet shops dont care for the fish only for the money and small tanks that they can buy extremley cheap and then sell to people who are not aware of the minimum requirments for a fish is a quick and easy way to make money! i do think that its possible to keep bettas in those plastic tank if they are above 1g. the bettas kept in those small cups are not in there for months they are either bought within a month or die!!! hobbyist should have bigger tank than breeders becuase hobbyists do it to look at there fish its not so easy to see youre fish when they can only just about turn around and you cant really decorate anything under 1g. i think the first tank i had for a betta was 15g i wasnt aware at the time that bettas need more than 1g but i thought that any fish in under 1g of water is cruel... im sure breeders have put there fish in a tank under 1g but im all so pretty sure that they dont leave them in there for long. so the summary would be that for a hobbyist anywhere from 2g to 10g would be fine anything bigger would be fantastic.

 

[Jaded12]

i understand that betta breeders take fish seriously... especially since they are breeders... but i however dont feel it's right to be angry at someone who doesn't really feel the same way.... for some ppl fish are pets but they are also a hobby... and altho taking their care into account should be serious not every one has the means to...

If you dont have the means to properly care for an animal then you shouldn't have that animal, plain and simple.

i love my betta's they're happy - the color is great, they love swimming, they eat and they have shown no indication that they are extremely unhappy with their accomodations - that being said.. i dont disagree that i shouldnt possilby get something bigger for them... on another note: if size is such an issue for betta's then why do pet stores sell betta homes that are small and made of plastic... i'm sure you are familiar with those small divided plastic betta containers... if you ask me, those are horrendous as plastic is no home.... regardless if you are a fish or not.

Pet stores sell those awful little tanks to make money off of ignorant people who know nothing about the animal that they are purchasing. Pet stores in general care more about profit then providing proper homes for the animals they sell, I'm not saying all petstores are like that, but most are. And whats wrong with plastic? Most of the good smaller (1-5 gallon) tanks are made of plastic. If I were a betta I'd rather be in a 1 gallon plastic tank then a pint sized glass wine glass.

not every betta tank bowl needs to be heated especially if there are extenuating conditions which would make extra heating superflous.... for example... if a room that the betta's are being kept in is at a constant 23 deg C or warmer, why would an extra heater be needed?? to heat it even more might make them upset and could kill them!

While I do agree that heaters may not always be necessary (none of my 3 boys have heaters in their tanks since the room they're in is kept a constant 80 degrees F) I also feel that the only way that adding a heater could hurt is if the tank (or glass in your case) is so small that it would heat up much too quickly and seriously harm or kill the fish inside.

like all pets, just b/c someone tells you something doesn't mean it will apply to all cases... as far as i know so long as the fish appears to be healthy and swimming it doesn't matter so much that they are not housed in a "penthouse" when they are happy with a "townhouse" altho "cardboard box" is extremely bad... i think it's more of a matter of preference and how much time you want to invest into your fish....

I think cardboard box is appropriate for what you're keeping your fish in. Think of it this way, if you were locked in a bathroom and could never leave but you were given food and water, u could survive, you'd be as healthy as possible, but you wouldn't thrive. Keeping an animal is about helping them thrive, not just survive. A matter of preference? so you prefer to not spend a little extra cash and instead let your poor fish suffer. They may seem happy and healthy but I can almost guarentee they're really not.

 

[K.J.]

1. Pet shops don't, or can't, intimately shell out the individual needs of every fish. The customers, who might not know too much about the fish they're buying, buy the cheap tank because they figure their 5-year-old won't care about the tank size. Now, pet shops advise them to buy those tanks because they might be discouraged if you have to spend over $10 on a tank. So they advertise the small tanks, so people will buy the fish.

2. Plastic is more of a home than a wine glass, that's for sure! Would you rather live in a giant plastic room, or in a glass, curved space closet? The material that the tank is made of shouldn't come into consideration, unless of course, you only care about fish for decoration... in which case, don't get fish at all, because they're as much a life form as you and me.

3. No, betta bowls don't NEED to be heated. These things bother me most, when people make blank assumptions based on their own experience. My bettas tanks aren't heated, nor are breeder's.... the breeder's "tanks" are usually just 1/2 - 1/4 gallon jars, and they usually have a heating pad of some matter, but not always.

4. Now just because I said bettas can be kept in tiny jars, doesn't mean they should. It's likely that bettas can live in small containers, considering yours are alive... but should they? Honestly? Depending on your location, a 2.5 gallon is only $12. And you can spilt that. 1.2 gallons isn't a lot for one fish, but it'll work. Or just get a gallon jar at your local thrift shop, it might be ugly, but it works.

5. You aren't a fish whisperer. You can't tell whether your fish are unhappy or not, but nothing would be happy with that container. Would you keep a cat in a carrier all the time, or a dog in a crate? No...

 

[Jaded12]

5. You aren't a fish whisperer. You can't tell whether your fish are unhappy or not, but nothing would be happy with that container. Would you keep a cat in a carrier all the time, or a dog in a crate? No...

Good point k.j.

 

[frostpixie]

like many different glass bowls out there... there are different shapes... i dare to say that altho he shouldnt be keep permanently in that wine glass... the glass is self is considered a decorative glass and so is quite large and holds at least 1/4 gallon if not more.... which is pretty decent size considering he dosent live in it all the time... he's usually swapped into 3/4 gallon + the water is changed as frequent weekly....

of course no one can really tell if their pet is happy or not since they dont speak back... doesnt mean they arent relatively healthy...

true, pet stores for the most part dont really care about the actual pets they sell however, what they sell b/c there is a demand for it

i feel that plastic isnt good b/c there are different types of plastic.... and no one can explain what types of things go into the plastic when it is processed and made into whatever shape it's going to take.....



i wasnt out to debate whether or not what i own is suitable or not... what i wanted to know was the avg size that would be good for a betta and i had that answered as 1g at the very least.... let us all agree to disagree and just live with the fact that not everyone has to think the same ways as you when it comes to housing these fish.

no one has answered me on how long betta's live... does anyone actually know their avg lifespan?!?

 

[Jaded12]

like many different glass bowls out there... there are different shapes... i dare to say that altho he shouldnt be keep permanently in that wine glass... the glass is self is considered a decorative glass and so is quite large and holds at least 1/4 gallon if not more.... which is pretty decent size considering he dosent live in it all the time... he's usually swapped into 3/4 gallon + the water is changed as frequent weekly....

1/4 gallon is by no means "quite large" its actually inhumanely small... 3/4 is still too small, I'll bet they dont have any decorations or things to interact with, nothing to stimulate them, they probably just float in one spot all day looking and being bored to death.

of course no one can really tell if their pet is happy or not since they dont speak back... doesnt mean they arent relatively healthy...

You should aim higher then just to keep your pets "relativly healthy" If your not willing to provide ideal, if not at least humane conditions, then you shouldn't have these animals at all, plain and simple.

i feel that plastic isnt good b/c there are different types of plastic.... and no one can explain what types of things go into the plastic when it is processed and made into whatever shape it's going to take.....

Their is nothing anywhere to indicate that a plastic tank is unhealthy or harmful to fish, stop making excuses and just treat your fish right or get rid of them.

either way i'm not getting anything huge for either of them... it's not worth the money or the time in terms of cleaning it out....

If you're not willing to put in the time and money then you shouldn't have the fish. All animals are worth it, and if you feel otherwise then dont get the animal in the first place.

 

[ibbledibble]

nobody is suggesting getting anything huge for them. a 1 gal tank is not massive, and could easily fit into a halls of residence room. but having said that, i have a small glass tank, 14x8x8 inch, this holds approx 3 gal, with a reasonable gap at the top. it easily fits on my desk next to my computer monitor. i only keep 1 betta in there, but it could easily be divided for 2.

in a glass that size his water should be checked much more frequently than weekly, weekly is recommended water change for a 1 gal tank, you can't see the ammonia building up in his water, but that doesn't mean its not there.

you completely ignore all the comments about keeping a cat in a carrier or a dog in a crate, but they are valid comments. even if you move him into a slightly larger tank occasionally does not make it ok. how would you feel if someone kept you locked in a cupboard for a week, but said its ok because you can come out into this 1 room for a week afterwards before you go back into the cupboard again, its fine! would that make you happy to go back into the cupboard?
most LFS say that bettas are fine in such tiny containers because they live in shallow rice paddies in the wild, but those rice paddies go on for miles and miles. they have plenty of room to swim about and exercise.

Also earlier in this post you asked how long bettas live? you have mentioned you have 2 bettas, but there are 3 shown in your pictures. can i assume that the other one died recently? how long had you had him? do you know what caused his death?

you are not going to win this arguement. NOBODY on this forum would condone keeping bettas in such cramped conditions as you have provided, people will continue to argue with you over it, until you either give in, and buy a bigger tank/s ( ) or leave the forum ( which would be a shame as you would miss out on all the good advice)

 

[frostpixie]

1/4 gallon is by no means "quite large" its actually inhumanely small... 3/4 is still too small, I'll bet they dont have any decorations or things to interact with, nothing to stimulate them, they probably just float in one spot all day looking and being bored to death.

- for one they do have a lot of colorfull rocks and a small plant to interact with, if that's not enough i do spend time with the fish during the day, long enough that it's not just sitting alone doing nothing.... both of them are active to say the least


You should aim higher then just to keep your pets "relativly healthy" If your not willing to provide ideal, if not at least humane conditions, then you shouldn't have these animals at all, plain and simple.

- secondly, what you define as humane and what i define as humane are obviosuly very different.... every person is different and like i said before, not every condition applies to everyone... so stop being so arrogant!


Their is nothing anywhere to indicate that a plastic tank is unhealthy or harmful to fish, stop making excuses and just treat your fish right or get rid of them.

- thirdly, altho there may not be anything written about the effects of plastic for fish.... it's a matter of opinion and preference and i prefer not to keep them in a plastic container



If you're not willing to put in the time and money then you shouldn't have the fish. All animals are worth it, and if you feel otherwise then dont get the animal in the first place.

-lastly.... since everyone is so good at getting angry at me on this thread about how i "mistreat" a fish... let me ask you, how long have u all owned your fish? and btw.... fish are not animals.... and if you cant tell the difference, then i suggest that this pointless discussion stop.... i'm not interested in arguing... i simply wanted to know the best size... most likely when i move out of my school, i'll be getting them something larger any ways so lay off already! i dont think any of you have the right to force your ideas and opinions on other and i dont think that you should be unkind to someone who doesn't agree with you! stop treating another human being worse than you treat your precious fish!

 

[wodesorel]

With a little bit of work you can find glass tanks that come in 5.5 gallon sizes. Put a divider in and whammo - glass tank for two.

The also sell 7 gallon bowfronts that can be divided as well, though the pricetags on those are way higher (80 bucks for the one in my kitchen). These are beautiful small tanks that really make a decorating statement.

I can understand where you're coming from on the plastic - i think plastic is icky, but it is still better than something small!

If you don't keep your room the temperature of the sun (and let's face it, if you're in a dorm it's probably 65 degrees in there on a constant basis) then yes, a heater is needed. Bettas need temps between 75 and 80. They are MUCH more active in warmer water and a lot more fun to watch.

If you were willing to try a larger tank with the right temperature water, you'd understand why we're all saying that it makes them happier. It DOES! They become much more active, much more "perky" and are generally much more fun to watch.

When I lived at home I was stuck with a full-sized bed, full dresser, full desk, arm chair, and tv stand in an 11x12 foot room. I still managed to get a 5 gallon tank (upgraded to a 7 gallon when I could afford it) that held only one betta and a 20 gallon tank that had one as a community fish. Space should never be an issue when it comes to a pet that you CHOSE to buy.

I've since moved, and the seven gallon has been divided, and I bought a 5 gallon for my work desk that moved home with me when I quit, and I have a 2.5 for a quarentine tank that will probably be a home for another betta eventually. I've seen what happens to bettas when they live in small containers for years - they just sit there and do nothing all day long. How boring is that? Why wouldn't you want a fish who swims and darts and flirst with you and plays hide and seek?

Edit: My neighbor had one that lived for almost 4 years. My oldest only made it to around 1 year before he swallowed a ghost shrimp whole and choked.