Bettahex

[tanker]

Hello, don't know if i will spark a debate or not, after reading about the bettas being sold in cups , but after looking into getting a male betta for my community tank, i've decided for the health of all parties concerned, it would be better if i didn't.

I do really like these fish, so i've been looking into the alternitives, and seen a bettahex tank for sale. Is this too small for them?

Just asking before i do something daft.

 

[johnq]

I believe its like putting a human in a closet and locking the door! I dont know how you would find a fish in a cup pretty you must have atleast a 2 gallon with live plants to enjoy him. but im sure you can get away without the live plants. I have tried the one gallon before it is still to small it is now a nursery for my plant offspring and occasionally fry.

 

[Jamnog]

the hex tank is a fair bit bigger than the cup so i think it would be fine for the fishes well being i say 5 gallons or more for a beta thats well kept and a large tank if you are considering breeding. i belive mrv belives it should be much bigger again but i feel that they are slow swimmers and if its going to be a hex just for the beta then not its a problem.

 

[wuvmybetta]

mine are doing quite well in 2 gallon hexes with a clay pot and live plants, but I have one who's a year old and he lived in a "cup" for the 1st half of his life & didn't seem to mind it at all, he was rather cozy actually. I put another one in the same cup for a temporary home (2 days!) ...he hated it, I couldn't get his 2 gallon fast enough

 

[Tanked]

I keep 2 male bettas. 1 in a 5 gallon hex with penguin mini with bio wheel filter and the second is in an Eclipse 3 with bio wheel. both fish seem very happy.

 

[Tropicalfishfn]

Well you can't put a male betta in a tank with normal fish caus ethey will kill them. so thats why there sold in little containers. Also i heard i don't know if it is true or not but i heard that they leave in like rice patiesa and small little puddle tyep waters.

 

[BettaBabe]

I have a male betta and he's in a 2 gallon with 3 danios and 1 slime eater. It's an Explorer with a bio-wheel setup. He is NOT at all concerned my the other fish.

He lived a year in a lilly "death trap" vase and is very much at home in his tank.

I guess it really is based on your betta's personality. I'd say try it out and watch for erratic behavior (like pacing) and lathargia. Get a bigger tank if you notice these things.

I am being gifted a 30gal tank this weekend and plan on setting it up ASAP. I will include a few female in that setup and see if nature takes its course.

BB

PS. Just becase they can live in "mud puddles" doesn't mean they should. Just think of the living conditions that human can endure but CHOOSE not too. The wild mud puddle living betta have not that choice, but his store bred bretheren have a chance that their gaurdians (US) will make the right decisions.

 

[Mollymomma]

I have 2, 1 gallons, unfiltered ( had a mini fiter but the boys hated them) I also have a male in a 10 gallon filtered ,heat etc. All 3 of my boys are happy making huge bubblenests ( They hate when I disturb them with water changes lol)
Nascar ( first betta) spent the first 2 months with us in the tiny betta hex ( we were just starting out) he soon outgrew this & we moved him to the 1 gal. When I got the 10 gal. after cycling it we put Nas in , He flipped out! He didn't know what to do in that tank so back in the 1 gal. he calmed down almost immediatly and we have had a happy boy ever since. When we bought Bob we put him in the 1 gal. from the begining...Flame was bought for the 10 and if he had shown any stress I would have put him in a gal. also.

Now I know there will be those who will get upset at the small tanks, no filter, no heat but....this has worked well for us. I move the tanks to a new location when ever I redecorate...and other than the first bout of finrot (they had it when I got them) they have never had any disease...always have huge bubble nests and seem generally happy little guys.

I change the 1 gal. tanks 100% water change w/aged declorinated water, same temp..every 4 days..
But what works for us may not work for others...maybe we have just been lucky. I feel that if the fish is in good health, seems happy why spend all that extra money? Oh I also daily us a turkey baster to get out the yuckies from the day before..

PS Sorry for the book

 

[tanker]

Thanks, very interesting! Good to see other peoples opinions.
I'm still saving and getting my tank running smoothly, so it'll be a while before i get on of these beauties, but get one i will - one day!

 

[wuvmybetta]

saying that you can't put a betta with other fish is simply not true. mine lives in a community tank with guppies, a plec, a HUGE snail & 3 clown loaches, and they're just that....a community!

 

[sef]

Well you can't put a male betta in a tank with normal fish caus ethey will kill them. so thats why there sold in little containers. Also i heard i don't know if it is true or not but i heard that they leave in like rice patiesa and small little puddle tyep waters.

Not necessarily true. It depends on the type of fish. All Bettas are different, and some do very well in a larger community tank. They obviously don't do well around each other (especially the males), but my understanding is that most Bettas will tolerate platys, mollies, guppies, etc., if the tank is large enough to avoid territory disputes. I've also heard that cories make good tank mates. Some people have luck with neon tetras and/or white clouds in the aquarium with their Betta. It really just depends. Often it's not so much a case of the Betta being aggressive toward another species, as it is a case of smaller, nippier fish biting at the Betta's fins.

As far as rice patties are concerned, many people don't realize that having a Betta in a small container is not the same as a fish in the wild. Even though Bettas do come from brackish, stagnant waters, living in the wild affords them the ability to flee from danger, defend territory, mate, find food, etc. A Betta in a small bowl is not a natural thing, and although many people claim that their fish survive in such conditions, I maintain that they do not THRIVE.

My Betta is in a 5 gallon tank, and he is a joy to watch.
sef

 

[HooDude]

Ok,

All fish are different, just as all people are different. Male and Female betta's are NOT killing machines. They go very nicely in community tanks due to the passive nature. All that is required to keep Betta's ina tank with other fish is a little ******* common sense. Agressive fish fight with agressive fish. Put a betta in with tiger barbs and you'll likely see some fighting. Put a betta in with another male betta, again you'll likely see some fighting. Put a betta in with a Jewel Cichlid, and you won't have a betta. However, bettas are passive when combined with other passive natured fish. For instance, I would recommend a betta ina community tank with tetras, such as glowlights or neons, or bleeding hearts and such.

The bottom line of Betta's being agressive is to do a little research and find out if you will be putting them in with other agressive fish. If their tankmates are normally peaceful, then you're probly ok. But as I stated at the beginning of this post, everyone is different. Maybe you will get a mean betta that will kill your friendly neons. Maybe you'll get a nice betta that won't fight with tiger barbs. Who knows. Its up to chance, however, agressive + agressive = fighting. Community + Community = Symbiance.

As for cups being cruel...

Yes, it isn't nice to put them in cups. But yesterday at Petcetera I received a shippment of 150 bettas. Now what would YOU do with 150 bettas? They have to be separated, and I only have one tank for bettas and that is for the females. So what do I have to do? Pull out the cups.

For your information, Siamese Fighting Fish (Bettas) have an organ in their head, called the labrynth organ, that allows them to proccess air. This means that bettas can absorb much more dissolved oxygen from water than other fish, and can even survive out of water for a few minutes without any harm. For this reason it is possible to put a betta in a cup of water, because he does not need a great ammount of water to provide the neccesary dissolved oxygen content for him to breathe. So long as the water in the cup is changed frequently, as in everyday, then waste buildup is negligable and the fish are just fine.

Ya, its cramped, but the rule of thumb for keeping fish is 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. That is for NORMAL fish, WITHOUT the labrynth organ! So if you were going to keep a neon tetra on its own, you'd be good to put it in a 1 gallon tank. A betta on the other hand would be happy in a betta hex, and what are those? 1/2 gallon? Not very much anyways, but it doesn't hurt the fish.


I'm arguing this from a scientific standpoint, but people love their pets and It is normal for an owner to want a nice habitat for their fish. But this argument about cups being mean and cruel, and a health hazard for other fish, thats a load of ****.


HooDude,
-The Petcetera Guy

 

[bluefrog]

I agree with HooDude, but also with BettaBabe. I think if you and the fish are comfortable with the choice of size of tank, then everything is fine. As long as the water quaility is kept up religiously. I personally would go with anything big enough to have a filter. I tend to think that less water change is less stressful on the fish, but that's just my feeling.

 

[SneakBetta]

They can live in the bettahex, just make sure you keep the water clean. I do believe that they should live in something bigger though. I don't think it's cruel, but they are a LOT happier in a bigger home.

 

[Liz05]

I have a betta who lives contentedly in a 1 gallon bowl, But in my opinion they can be content in anything from a bettahex to a large aquarium, so long as their water is clean and they are properly cared for. A betta will do fine as a community fish as long as you dont have other flashy, long finned fish, or fin nippers that will bother him.