Please help me decide

[Martin trj]

Hello fellow fish lovers. It’s been a while, I ended up giving my 3 red ear sliders to a friend who has a pond. Now I have two options and I just can’t decide. A 40 gallon tank for peacock cichlids or a 5 gallon tank for a half moon king betta. I can’t have both (says the wife ). I love both betta fish and cichlids.
What would you guys do?

 

[Utar]

I am not crazy about bettas so it is an easy choice for me, get the 40 gallon.

 

[Colin_T]

A 40 gallon with a male and 4 or 5 female peacocks and maybe some electric yellow cichlids. Let them breed, sell the young fish and use the money to buy the wife some nice presents. Then when she isn't looking, get another tank for the Betta.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

get the peacocks far more interesting.

 

[ClownLurch]

5G always looks to small for a betta imho.
I rush past the little glass boxes they’re in whenever I’m in a lfs. Don’t even want to look.

 

[mcordelia]

40g for sure, more reward for pretty much the same effort (imo, the most effort that goes into a water change is the part where you set up to do one).

 

[Martin trj]

‍The big tank is actually a 35 gallon tank. Might be too small for anything cichlid, right?

 

[Darkomot]

A 40 gallon with a male and 4 or 5 female peacocks and maybe some electric yellow cichlids. Let them breed, sell the young fish and use the money to buy the wife some nice presents. Then when she isn't looking, get another tank for the Betta.

Hahaha that's an excellent strategy

 

[AbbeysDad]

Tell your wife that a 55g or 60g is way cheaper than divorce lawyers!
[did I 'say' that?]

 

[Martin trj]

Tell your wife that a 55g or 60g is way cheaper than divorce lawyers!
[did I 'say' that?]

Hahahahahaha!!! ok, I’ll print this one and show it to her.

 

[Martin trj]

5G always looks to small for a betta imho.
I rush past the little glass boxes they’re in whenever I’m in a lfs. Don’t even want to look.

What’s the largest you’d go for a betta tank?

 

[Utar]

What’s the largest you’d go for a betta tank?

No smaller then a ten gallon. Bettas are much smarter then many give them credit, that transfers in to them getting easily bored, so having bigger tanks helps with this. They have more places to explore and move around. In the wild bettas live in shallow waters, but that water covers very large areas. If I ever decide to get a betta, I will use a twenty gallon long which best replicates their natural environment. Bettas don't need it deep they just need the area to swim and explore.

 

[Martin trj]

No smaller then a ten gallon. Bettas are much smarter then many give the credit, that transfers in to them getting easily bored, so having bigger tanks helps with this. They have more places to explore and move around. In the wild bettas live in shallow waters, but that water covers very large areas. If I ever decide to get a betta, I will use a twenty gallon long which best replicates their natural environment. Bettas don't need it deep they just need the area to swim and explore.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Fishmanic]

I have my Betta in a 5 gallon tank. For a slow moving fish such as a Betta, I feel it is large enough . Just add some nice plants, rocks and driftwood to give him a varied environment.

 

[Martin trj]

I know I know...betta fish are boring to some but I’m really fascinated by them, I’m craving a king betta. I wonder if 35 gallons is too much for it. I can also downsize to 20 or 10, any thoughts?