Betta

[Neurotic_Fish]

Well,I've read almost all of the betta-related topics here,and i think i WANT A BETTA RIGHT NOW!

One of my tanks has 3 gallon capacity,and there's a heater available.

So,let me just ask a few things
Which is the appropriate temperature for a betta?
Also,I've heard that bettas are very "picky" concerning their nutrition.If you feed them with flakes (for example) and then u offer them some bloodworms once,they will not be satisfied with flakes anymore!
Is this true?

 

[Dreaded]

Well, Neurotic, welcome aboard! Your betta should be incredibly happy in a cute little three gallon for sure! I personally don't use heaters, but my house is kept at a nice 73 degrees all winter. (Especially my room. I like it to be snuggly haha)

I have 6 bettas and they are all PIGS. They're not too picky. If I drop it into the tank, they'll eat it. (I've been thinking about dropping my little brother in...) I feed them Hikari betta pellets, and then baby pellets for some of them cause they REFUSE to attempt to eat the larger ones. I also feed them bloodworms on ocassion and I cut up sinking shrimp pellets for a few of them cause, strangely enough, they enjoy picking at them on the bottom. Mainly just Eddie cause I don't think he knows he's not a betta. He's some type of dog or something. You drop it, he eats it. I've fed my bettas flakes before and they didn't seem too interested. Victor was, he enjoyed them, but he went back to pellets with no problem. And none of them refuse the pellets after a feeding of bloodworms.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Neurotic_Fish

Bettas can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. My reference book states that they can live between 68 and 90 degrees F.

One of my bettas is in a tank that I keep at 80 degrees. This one has corys that need the higher temperature to keep them from spawning. The other is in one of my grow out tanks with corys that are too young to spawn. I keep their temperature at around 75-76 degrees. Both do well.

The advantage to having a heater in a small tank is that it will keep the temperature from fluctuating when the room warms or cools. This is usually safer for the fish.

If you are going to set it up with a filter, etc. and cycle it, you might want to think about putting in 2 or 3 small corys to keep him company. This could easily be done in a cycled tank if you are willing to do weekly or twice weekly cleanings.

For an uncycled 3 gallon tank, a pair of African Dwarf Frogs would make good companions for a betta. There is a link in my signature that will give you some information about these popular little creatures.

 

[Neurotic_Fish]

I really appreciate your help.

2 corys and a betta in a 3 gallon tank would be too much..Don't u think that the tank will be overstocked?

Judging by other posts i read,cycling is not absolutely necessary.Am i right?
I can put some filter media from another tank,though,if you tell me that it'll be better for the betta

No i won't put a filter in the 3 gallon,i plan to do some 50-60 % once or twice a week.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Neurotic_Fish

Let me clarify what I mean by cycled and uncycled tanks:

By cycled I mean a tank that has an established colony of beneficial bacteria growing in it. This bacteria lives primarily in the filter and gravel, but also on the glass, plants and other surfaces of the aquarium. It converts the chemicals in the waste matter of the fish to harmless nitrates. Partial water cleanings are needed to keep the balance and (especially with bottom feeders) the fish waste should be siphoned from the bottom on a regular basis.

By uncycled I mean a tank that is taken apart and cleaned completely. In this case, the bacteria never has a chance to become established and the water is kept fresh solely by water changes.

Either way, a betta will do well. Since it is an air breather it can tolerate less than ideal water quality. Aquatic frogs are the same. But, unless you have a cycled tank, it is better not to keep corys in it.

Now, overstocking a cycled tank is a different matter. The problem with this is that it is possible to overwhelm the beneficial bacteria with too much ammonia and fish waste. This can be controlled (to a limited extent) by more frequent bottom cleaning and partial water changes.

So, if you wanted to keep a couple of small corys in a tank that size, you could if you made a firm commitment to keep it clean. Your success in the matter could be determined by the readings on your test kits, It would be more difficult without a filter, however, since the filter does provide a place where many bacteria can live. Even a sponge filter, connected to a small pump would satisfy this requirement.