1gallon Tanks?

[Dawney G]

Im sure iv herd people say they have Bettas in 1gallon tanks.
Are these really suitable sizes? If they are, where can i get them from and roughly how much do they cost?
I have been thinking of getting another Betta but have no were elst for one to go unless i get a new tank.
Iv also heard people say they have then by there computers and at there desks at work.
If im wrong then correct me.
thanks for any help.
xx
dawney g

 

[catxx]

1 gallon is ok, 1.5 is better, 2.5 is preferred if you're going for a small tank.
never any smaller than 1 gallon!

 

[RandomWiktor]

One gallon is considered the absolute bare minimum tank requirement for a betta. However, tanks this size offer little opprotunity for adequate exersize and behavioral enrichment, and it is more difficult to heat and regulate smaller tanks than larger ones. It will also need more frequent cleaning than a larger or filtered tank.
Many people on the betta board suggest 2.5-5 gallons, which I think is very reasonable, considering most bettas are around 3 inches long. They sell many cutesy 2.5 gallon tanks, but IMHO they are a mite expensive; it would be more fiscally conservative to buy a kritter keeper or good 'ol fashioned rectangular all-glass. A 2.5 gallon critter keeper should run you maybe around 15 bucks. An all-glass tank will be slightly less.

 

[Dawney G]

OK, thats good thanks.
Im going to look into it and see what i can do.
Thanks for your help.
xx
dawney g

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Some people keep bettas in 1gal tanks, but after personally seeing how indredibly small these tanks are i would never put a betta in one personally. A 1gal tank could only hold one male betta(although they should be kept on their own anyways), for a female you are looking at least 2.5gals. For a community female betta tank you are looking at 10gals because you need quite a group to disperse agression between them.
I would personally advise you go for a 3gal tank for a male betta because it gives you some space to put some tank ornments and plants in to keep him occupied and you can fit a filter and heater in there without too much difficulty, as far as i know though you cannot realy get filters and heaters for one gal tanks.

 

[paulioo]

I wouldn't keep any animal in a 1gallon tank. I think its cruel.

Just my personal opinion.

Paul

 

[Ethos]

The thing is, if you have a 1/2G, or a 5G for a betta, its going to live.
You could live in a 10 sqf apartment, but do you want to?
See, if you were stuck n a small box all your life, you'd die before you were 2.
Bettas CAN live in a very small area all their life, its just not healthy.
I have one One Gallon, and two 1.5 Gallons.
My betta in the one galllon does fine, he's pretty young.
My other two guys are much older, almost a year with me!

It really depends on what you think is "morally right."

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

A betta can live in a 1gal tank all its life without its lifespan being shortend and make bubblenets occasionaly and eat and stuff, but to me, thats just surviving.
Happiness is a debatable issues with fish, many people claim their bettas live their lives out happily in 1gal tanks, i find this hard to believe though. You'd never find any fish living out its life in a 1gallon puddle in the wild, a 1gal tank offers only a tiny space to move about in and explore, you cannot even fit a filter in the tank.
As far as i am concerned, if you want to keep fish you should offer them the best you can as long as it fits the fish's living requirements, but keeping a betta in a 1gal tank/jar doesn't seem like offering the best to your fish to me, but thats just my opinion. I would never keep a fish in anything under 2.5gals, betta or not, but thats just me.

 

[Ethos]

Like you said, Happiness is a very debateable issue.
I think fish dont have feeling. It may seem like a cruel thing to say.
No excuse me for being a "religious" person, but I think God created animals to befriend humans.
Not to BE humans.
Just because us humans have some carechtoristics, doesnt mean fish have the same ones.
Do we have gills? No, we have lungs.
Do we have fins?
No, we have arms/legs.
We Have dfifferences.
Just because humans have feelings, doesnt mean other living things do too.
No offence to anyone, and I love my fish just as much as anyone else.
I think it is unfair to expect a betta to live in a 1/4 Gallon tank, or even a 1/2 gallon tank

Just my opinion.

 

[riogal_11]

I think you would be fine getting a 1 gallon. If you are planning on putting him at a desk that you are at a lot I think that is even better. I have two boys on my desk at the moment and they are very active. I currently have 7 one gallon tanks, 1 2.5 gallon tank, 1 ten gallon sorority, one divided 10 gallon, and 2 five gallon tanks. I really cannot tell the difference in the behavior of my boys in 1's and those in abobve 1's. To say that it is cruel or morally wrong to keep them in a 1 gallon tank to me is not accurate. I am a college student, and only work on the weekends, and nearly every penny I earn goes towards giving my fish better lives(plants, meds, etc.). I have the money to upgrade all of my tanks to larger ones, but if I feel that they are thriving in a one gallon, why would I change their surroundings. I have switched homes for some of them before, and they didn't act the same. I'm not sure where I stand on whether or not I think fish have feelings, so I judge my fish on if I feel they are behaving normally, ie. eating, flaring, swimming/playing/ acknowledging when I come to their tank. The fact that bettas are seen as disposable fish, and as a whole are not known to go to caring owners, I think that the fact that this person took the time to come on here is a good step and may save one fish from dying in a horrible cup. So I will not discourage this person from getting a betta that they would obviously care for, by telling her that it is cruel to keep it in a one gallon because they either don't have the money for a more expensive one or don't have the room, which is my case. The fact that a one gallon can't have a filter or heater is irrelevant to me, as if you care for them properly this won't be a problem. Sorry this post is a little long, I don't normally post on these issues, but felt compelled to do so tonight.

 

[Synirr]

A 1gal tank could only hold one male betta(although they should be kept on their own anyways), for a female you are looking at least 2.5gals.

Why do females need bigger tanks? I don't get it. They're no more active than males, and it seems to me that if either sex "needs" a tank bigger than 1 gallon it would be the males, particularly if they are a long-finned variety.

I keep most of my bettas in 1 gallons. I'm going to try to upgrade them all to a 2.5 eventually, but money and space is kinda tight. I think that 2.5 and 5 gallon tanks are ideal for bettas, but as stated, they will do just fine in a 1 gallon. Some of my boys actually get nervous and stressed if put into a larger tank... for a long time Raziel was living in a very thin 1 gallon, and he freaked out when I upgraded him to a wider model so he'd have more room to swim, but I figured it would be for his own good once he got used to it. Sure enough, after a couple of weeks he finally settled down