Office Fish

[betaphish]

Usually I go to the school office to get my lunch (get my lunch from home dropped off at the office) and there's a betta there. The betta is pretty big and must be old. I look at him all the time. I think that the betta is too big for his tank (I think it's 1/4 gallon) and furthermore he keeps getting his fins stuck in the filter. Every time I stare at him he starts swimming out and away from the filter. But every time I go there he's always stuck. Anyone have any suggestions? I can't put a picture because you are not allowed to take pictures in my school without special permission. I'm sort of thinking of getting him a bigger tank at the end of the school year or suggesting a bigger tank to the staff but I'm kind of nervous to do such a thing.
HELP
But the betta doesn't seem to gut hurt just stuck.

 

[Blue Ramirezi]

It is very cruel to keep a fish in a tank that small! a quarter gallon! thats about 1 litre_ please get that fish a bigger tank as fast as you can

just call it a gift ---- ORrrrrr bring a plastic bag 2 school and swipe it when no1's looking Jk

 

[Blue Ramirezi]

strangely though sometimes bettas are kept in tanks as small as that often however i am verrryy against it so PLEEAASSEEE i reallydont like to hear of this poor siamese fighter fish being stuck in such a small tank

 

[Clarousel]

A quarter of a gallon? Oh dear... I don't think they should mind you getting him a tank since it's your money and you aren't actually doing anything wrong

I've seen shops keep bettas in plastic bottles with water only 5cm high. Cruel!!

 

[KittyKat]

Obviously you have some knowledge of fish, so why don't you casually ask to whom the fish belongs and then have a chat about it, I find that it's usually safer to start with something along the lines of "he is much bigger than any I have seen, how old is he?", "what do you feed him?", etc… you know, passive questions and gradually move on to "he seems to be struggling with the filter" (maybe suggest that the inlet is covered with a stocking or sponge?) and discuss fishkeeping in general, mentioning that he would probably be happier in a bigger home, so he has more to do. Maybe even go so far as to say that getting him a bigger tank would be "setting a good example, showing that it is important to provide a good home even for small animals".

But you are right to expect that they may not take well to you suggesting how to improve the fish tank.

 

[betaphish]

Good news and bad news: the Berra stopped being stupid and learned to stay away from the filter. Unfortunately, life sucks for the betta and his water obviously has not been cleaned in a while because I see the soaked, fuzzy Hikari pellets stuck in filter, at the surface, and on the gravel. They have been around for a while. And today the pellets were there and the betta was sitting around all lethargic under the puny plastic plant. I would feel as stupid as a stupid betta (I am not saying bettas are morons) if I start yelling at school staff about cleaning the poor fish's water. I dunno maybe I should volunteer to clean it during lunch or something. Myself I am not to keen on cleaning fish water (plz don't start on me, I know I should), but at least my betta lives in a 1.5 g and furthermore is small.

 

[LilyRose Tank]

maybe you should buy your betta a new tank too then. 1.5G is also too small long term.I would only house a betta in anything smaller than 5 G long term. a small tank of 1 g is ok as a hospital tank short term but not long term x

 

[betaphish]

I meant to say that yesterday.

Sorry but I'm only 11 and the nearest pet place is not near. Plus I don't think my parents will be too enthusiastic about big fish tanks.

 

[loraxchick]

1.5 gal is fine if it has a heater. If no filter you really need to be changing that water every other day. With a filter, once weekly 50% waterchanges should be fine. Just make sure you are not overfeeding the fish.
a 5 gal or more is not really factual for betta keeping, but opinion based. For beginners it is recommended as larger volumes of water are easier to maintain. But with a 1.5 gal, waterchanges are essential, like it or not! The size is just not forgiving enough to skip changes, or you risk the health of the fish.
cheers

 

[pablothebetta]

I've kept my betta in his 3.7 gallon Baby BiOrb since February now, and I can't wait to upgrade his tank in the upcoming two weeks or so. He'll be going into a 20L (5.4ish gallons) tank and I'm really looking forward to giving him the extra space.

5 gallons really isn't very big though in terms of aquarium sizes in general - my new tank will only be 34cm X 31.2cm X 22.8cm.

If you can, really do try to get your betta a bigger home. Even if it doesn't quite make the 5 gallon mark, bigger is always better. Make sure it's got a heater and filter in there too

You say you don't really feel comfortable speaking to the staff about the care - volunteering to care for it might be a really great thing. Maybe leave class a couple of minuites early before you leave for lunch to perhaps give yourself some time to mention it to a staff member. Don't worry about coming out with it all at once though, perhaps suggesting how happy it is might be enough to start it off. Later on, maybe you could then say you've dont some research on them and know that they should really have a larger and better home. If they don't approve of what you say, maybe that's the time to volunteer. If things didn't work out and you didn't ever get the chance to save the betta or improve it's quality of life, at least you'd know you had tried your hardest for it.

 

[riogal_11]

1.5 gal is fine if it has a heater. If no filter you really need to be changing that water every other day. With a filter, once weekly 50% waterchanges should be fine. Just make sure you are not overfeeding the fish.
a 5 gal or more is not really factual for betta keeping, but opinion based. For beginners it is recommended as larger volumes of water are easier to maintain. But with a 1.5 gal, waterchanges are essential, like it or not! The size is just not forgiving enough to skip changes, or you risk the health of the fish.
cheers

Thank you for saying this! The old size debate has been going on for years. It really is nothing but opinions. There are trends every so often, and when I started keeping 1 gallons were quite common and the accepted standard. Now, it seems that has shifted towards 5 gallons. With a responsible keeper, there is no reason that a 1 gallon cannot be a satisfactory living environment. Picking some arbitrary number isn't helping anything. Why not 10 gallons? or 15? The reality is that we will never be able to perfectly mimic their natural environment, which many bettas have never seen anyways. Before coming to their forever homes, many live in a bare tank with numerous others or 1/2 gallon jars. As long as someone takes proper care of them, there is no reason why a betta can't thrive in a smaller environment. I have had bettas absolutely hate large tanks and do great once they are moved to a smaller one. The same can be said if it is reversed. It's all about that particular betta and their keeper.

 

[KittyKat]

With a responsible keeper, there is no reason that a 1 gallon cannot be a satisfactory living environment.

Actually, there is: the volume of the tank affects the swimming space for the fish and also how much environment it has to interact with. Both have an impact on behaviour and the first can have on the muscle development and general health of the fish.

My personal opinion and experience is that 30-60*30*30 cm tank is ideal for a single male Betta.

 

[riogal_11]

With a responsible keeper, there is no reason that a 1 gallon cannot be a satisfactory living environment.

Actually, there is: the volume of the tank affects the swimming space for the fish and also how much environment it has to interact with. Both have an impact on behaviour and the first can have on the muscle development and general health of the fish.

My personal opinion and experience is that 30-60*30*30 cm tank is ideal for a single male Betta.

I have had bettas in 5 gallon tanks that only stay in one area that equals less than 1 gallon. I always moved my fish around according to their personality. Sure all of those things can impact the fish, but where do we draw the line? Someone could come in and make a case for any tank size being the standard.
My issue is when people act like it's cruel to have them in anything less than a 5 gallon (as I said, in this forum years ago, 1 gallon was the accepted standard). Your opinion that it is ideal is based on your own personal experience and everyone can have very different experiences. All of my fish have been very different and have thrived in different environments.

 

[loraxchick]

I also have kept them in a range of tank sizes. I see no difference in behavior,activity level, personaltiy or health of the fish in my smaller tanks. They are more work, and you really have to understand the water chemisty. Concepts I think may be missed by a newcomer to the hobby.
Im not wishing to debate about it. Just giving my experience. I do not like people asking for advice with small setups to be told simply to get a larger tank as it is not necessary. Sends a lot of new folks running and doesnt make for good forum community.
just my thoughts
cheers

 

[ShaedM]

I meant to say that yesterday.

Sorry but I'm only 11 and the nearest pet place is not near. Plus I don't think my parents will be too enthusiastic about big fish tanks.

11? and your spelling is this good?..impressive..ask the staff if you can take a picture and post it on here. Or just take your phone out and snap away.