Wondering About Possibly New Home For Betta?

[SakanaLover2009]

I was browsing the betta forum and just have to ask this question: Do bettas enjoy a big tank or small?

I ask this because I have two one-year-old betta that are like my children. There home has been probably half a gallon tank. Perhaps I am a bad mother but that is all the pet store has.

The reason I ask also is because one of my little ones is very playful and enjoys swimming about and making sure her little castle is safe. Wondering since she is so playful would she be happier in a bigger tank?
Also my second little one, a male named Flame is quite the special little fish and he lounges about and doesn't really do much activity.

Please help if you can! Comments welcome! Just want my babies happy.

 

[bronzecat]

I would stick this on the Betta forum section......you may get replies

 

[Honeythorn]

Bettas do not need tiny tanks despite popular belief. They have a labyrinth organ that allows them to survive in low oxygen in the wild. But that only happens in the dry season when water sources dry up and small puddles are left. The rest of the year bettas live in thousands of gallons, and that's when they breed and are at their best.

So which environment is best to replicate in a tank? A tiny puddle of water or a bigger volume of water? The bigger one of course.

The more water you have for the fish, the easier it is to keep yor fishes waste low and your water clean.

5 gallons is the best minimum for a betta and does not take up too much space at all. What you have now is really not remotely enough.

If you can look on Ebay or Craigslist for a good condition ten gallon tank, you can make a divider and give your bettas 5 gals each side. Or look for a couple of 5 gal tanks if you prefer individual tanks in different locations in the house.

You also need filters ( sponge filters are cheap and easy and perfect for bettas ) to keep the bological cycle/system in your tank stable.

These fish are from a warm tropical climate, they need a heater each , set to 27 degrees C. A warm room in the house is really no good. The temperature in a room fluctuates a lot, bu with a heater your fish will have a stable temperature all the time which is best for them.

Lots of silk ( never hard plastic ) or real plants are needed for the fish to hide in and rest on, and you can give them more ornaments to interact with in a bigger tank as well if that's what they like.


DO NOT put them together in the same tank without a divider.

 

[bronzecat]

Hi

We keep around 50-70 bettas, lost count months ago lol. In our experiences with our bettas, we have found that no two bettas are the same.
We have had ones that did not seem to thrive in a larger tank, but when transfered to something around 3 gallons have perked up and appeared to be very happy. Some that have been in a larger tank have kept to one area of the tank. We've only had a couple that showed signs that they were really happy in a large tank.

In our experience, we have found 3 gallons (UK) to work with all but a few.

I would say that half a gallon is way too small considering we keep our juveniles in 1 gallon.

 

[OldMan47]

I keep one of mine in a 120 gallon community tank with lots of other fish. Another I keep in a 10 gallon with a dozen or so endlers. Both seem quite happy where they are and swim actively about their tanks. The one in the 10 gallon spends part of his time playing in the water flow from the filter in that tank.

 

[riogal_11]

I have had my bettas in tanks an array of sizes 1gal,2.5 gal,5 gal, 10 gal divided. It really depends on their individual personality. I have a guy right now that I believe was born with a swim bladder problem. He doesn't swim around much at all. I have him in a 1 gallon and I feel that putting him in a larger tank would be detrimental as he has difficulty swimming for any length of time..... It sounds like your boy would enjoy a bigger tank (I don't use anything under a gallon). We don't have 3 gal tanks here, but you can find a 2.5 gal rectangle fairly easy. 5 gallon hex's are also nice and come with a hang on filter for about 20-30 dollars.

 

[Syphoniera]

Bettas do have very different natures and requirements.
I have one very active boy in a 15 gallon and there's no way I'd move him into anything smaller.
I'd rather have them all in that size tank, to give them somewhere to swim TO, but because of space considerations, one of the others is in a 10 gallon, one in a five, and 2 stunted bettas bought with health issues have 'emergency' 3 gallon tanks I'd really thought too small for fish-keeping.
With the 2 latter, I comfort myself with the thought that what they have is better than some of the containers they might have wound up in.
And since their (multiple) sickness wasn't recognized, that might have been the garbage.
Personally, I'd say give them as much room as you can, and lots of live plants for security and water purity.

Edit: and, re OldMan47's experience: my most active boy loved (doesn't do it so much now) to play in the bubbles from his box filter, and the flow from the AquaClear Mini doesn't phase him, probably mainly because it's blocked with plant growth, although he seems to sometimes like to swim into the flow for exercise.
He was sold as a half moon and had incredible finnage, which I suspect he mangled deliberately because it slowed him down so much, lol.

You may find that an inactive fish becomes more active with someplace to swim to and something to do - and your active girl would love it for sure.

 

[Honeythorn]

I reckon a 10 gallon for the Female, plus some more females ( at least 4 ) to create a soroity . A small internal cannister filter or Hang on the back filter and a heater, lots of plants and things to inteact with ( wood, rocks, another ornament ) . Would actually be a better idea now I think on it.

And at least a 5 gal for the male, Sponge filter ( with their long finnage they don't swim as well as females and if he is inactive, he won't want current of any sort ) and a heater, again lots of plants and a smooth rock or ornament to rest on and swim around.