can a betta live in an unfiltered tank? or would a small sponge filter suffice?
Filtered is best, as no fish likes to swim in any level of ammonia. Clean water equals happy fish. Bettas breath air from the surface, but they also breath oxygen from the water. Take one from him and he could suffer, mentally and/or physically. A sponge filter will do fine; it's actually quite popular amongst betta owners as it's gentle enough to not blow the poor fish around, yet it takes care of the ammonia and such.
if so how often would water changes need to be done? (2 gallon tank)
daily or every other day? and how much of the water?
If you go with filtered, you can get away with less water changes, up to once a week, but the smaller the tank, the more often you do water changes (related to larger volumes absorbing problems easier: problems in smaller tanks have less places to go, or they're amplified). For 2gals, I would probably do water changes twice a week. If you go unfiltered, then the water should be changed every day. The goal is for fishy to spend as little time as possible swimming in ammonia. How much? I believe it's 10% when done more often (like twice a week), but 25% when done once a week. I can't remember, actually. One or the other. When I do water changes, I just wait until I feel "enough" water has dropped. I have no clue what percentage it is, lol
does the tank need a light or are they ok with 'natural' light?
Natural light (by that, I figure you mean sunlight) will most likely cause algae problems. You'll be overrun with it in no time, and at 2 gallons, you can't add anything to the tank to eat the algae. And you want to put as few chemicals as possible in a fish's water, so algae removers are out. Best to keep it out of the sunlight and use a proper fish light. I know at Petsmart and Petland and even Walmart, there's a little grey ball.... thing...that's apparantly a light. I've not tried it, but I've wondered about it. I think it's submersible, but I think I read the package just once and that was about a year ago. You could use a desk lamp, but the problem with it is that it can heat up the water while it's on, and once you turn it off the temperature of the water drops. The fluctuations of the temperature can distress the fish. They prefer an actual aquarium heater that keeps the water at an even, steady temperature. However, it's difficult to find a heater small enough for a 2gal, but they do exist. Look around for one, even on the internet.
what temp is 'the best' for a betta?
76-80 degrees, though 78 seems to be the best.
does a betta mind what substrate they have? is there any preference over gravel or sand?
I don't think they do, really. But I have to say that every Betta I put in the 5gal with bright blue gravel (I had to go with at least one tacky fish tank, lol) seemed a little different than they'd be if they were moved to any other tank. Probably the bright colors spooked them. Most fish seem to like darker substrates best (helps them blend in, while bright/light substrates make them feel exposed). Gravel has it's pros and cons, as does sand. Take a look around on these forums at threads devoted to them and make a decision on what you're willing to put up with. You can deal with gravel trapping debris under the rocks, or you can deal with the smaller particles of sand swirling around and getting in the filter. Personally, I prefer sand. It takes a little getting used to in cleaning it (unlike gravel, you don't shove the syphon to the bottom, lol; you swirl and suck up the crud that swirls up). Plus, it just looks nicer than gravel, and I'm sure it's closest to the substrate in a Bettas natural habitat. Plus, I'm sure sand would be more comfortable for the Betta to rest on, without jagged rocks poking them in various places.
the only thing missing is a lid, what is the best material for me to make one out of?
Basically any sort of fabric or material that you can stretch over the top and secure in place somewhere (in jars, they use elastics, but I'm not sure what one would use with a more rectangular shape). It has to be breathable, though. If it's something like plastic, poke holes in it so the fish can breathe. I've seen a lot of neat ideas people have come up with, though. One recent one is someone who put a nice lacey kind of craft fabric (kind of like snowflakes, I believe they're sold at craft stores?) on her jars of Bettas, and secured it with an elastic. If it were me, I'd probably just cut out a hearty piece of tupperware out of a storage container, slap that on top, and then weigh it down with something. I'm not DIY-Girl, lol
hope to see some pics soon x
