Is This Good Enough?

[The betta expert]

Hi,

I just got a new betta, and I put him in a 20 gallion tank-- thats what my othr fish, kenji is in, and he loves it. But Corum( my fish) hates this tank. He will only stay near one small plant. He refuses to go anywher else. Even food won't get him out of his corner. So I switchd him to a 10 gallion. He semed to be doing better- as he will stay in only half of the tank- not the other side. So, i finally switched him to a 2 gallion, and man did he ever love it. He was swimmming around like the healthiest betta i have evre seen. At that time, I didnt have a filter- just a heatre, but when I got a filter he went lathargic. He's been like that for a fw weeks. Should I go back to no filter? I know it's sort of bad, but thats what he's most happy with.

Thanks,
Lia

 

[BethK]

What power is the filter?

Have you thought about putting him in a 10g but splitting the tank in half and putting a female in the other section?

 

[silverrabbit]

The thing about bettas is that they are very territorial. In well planted tanks, they will choose an area and tale it as their territory and will usually swim up and down standing guard.

Maybe your 10gal wasn't planted well enough? not enough plant cover and hidey holes can make the fish stressed as he'll feel like he has to look after the WHOLE tank, which is a lot of work for a small fishy .

If I were you, i'd divide the 10gal and get another male, or leave the tank undivided and get some tank mates like pygmy cories, shrimp, snails, rasboras, rummynose tetras.

 

[BethK]

You could put some black tetra ina 10 gal, with him x

 

[Assaye]

Hi,

I just got a new betta, and I put him in a 20 gallion tank-- thats what my othr fish, kenji is in, and he loves it. But Corum( my fish) hates this tank. He will only stay near one small plant. He refuses to go anywher else. Even food won't get him out of his corner. So I switchd him to a 10 gallion. He semed to be doing better- as he will stay in only half of the tank- not the other side. So, i finally switched him to a 2 gallion, and man did he ever love it. He was swimmming around like the healthiest betta i have evre seen. At that time, I didnt have a filter- just a heatre, but when I got a filter he went lathargic. He's been like that for a fw weeks. Should I go back to no filter? I know it's sort of bad, but thats what he's most happy with.

Thanks,
Lia

It is often found by people that bettas prefer to be in smaller tanks and this spreads the myth that bettas prefer small spaces. What normally happens is that bettas are put into fairly bare tanks without enough plants (bettas want a very, very heavily planted tank) or with un-suitable tank-mates that scare them or make them defensive. Also it is often the case that the owner does not give the betta time to adjust - it can take a few weeks for a betta to settle in properly.

What I feel would be best is to put him back in the 10 gallon and fill it full of live or silk plants. Bettas are not scared of large tanks, they are scared of open spaces where they can't hide. Pop a filter in there and if he doesn't like the higher water flow, tie a piece of sponge around the outlet or aim the outlet to a wall to diffuse the flow.

How often do you do water changes with him? Do you test your water for ammonia? You can keep a betta without a filter - you can keep most fish without a filter - but it requires you to know exactly how long it takes for detectable levels of ammonia to build up, to pre-empt this with water changes to keep the ammonia at undetectable levels and to make sure the water does not become stagnant. There is no harm in running a tank with a filter but with bettas you have to be careful to keep the water flow at a minimum (but that doesn't mean zero) as their big fins act like sails and blow them around the tank. Some bettas don't mind the water flow - I keep all my bettas in filtered tanks with small power filters. They learn to avoid the high flow areas. However, it is much harder to sensibly filter a small tank and keep the water flow at a level the bettas are happy with.

How much do you know about the nitrogen cycle?

 

[The betta expert]

What power is the filter?

Have you thought about putting him in a 10g but splitting the tank in half and putting a female in the other section?

Okay, so I was looking after my friends betta's, and i poped one in the tank with a divider. And oh my gosh he seemes really afraid! He swam to the back of the tank and stayed there intill i took him out. same with the female. Also he dose not flare at all!