bettas

[asparagus]

Ive been researching so much about my pending new fish tank (a 29 gallon- see posts below) and my daughter (age 10) was peering over my shoulder and gasped with delight when she saw a photo of a beta. "I want one of those mom!" she cried. "please? please? please? Ill pay for it myself!".
How could I not understand the enthusiasm. So together we did a tiny bit of research and decided to get her a 5 gallon "bookshelf type" tank and one male betta. Of course, then I decided to get one too. grin. So...Can we put 3 cories in the bottom of a 5 gallon tank with a beta? We saw the All Glass Mini Bow 5 (in teal and rose) on a petstore website and thought it looked perfect. Its just about $40.00 which is kind of reaonable I thought. It dosnt have a heater, but I read you can purchase an inexpensive heater at walmart for that kind of tank. It comes with a whisper filter (which we read was the best for bettas) and a light and a lid (important as we have 4 cats who would be very interested in a betta snack-grin). We keep the house chilly- 66 in winter- so we def. would need the heater.
So, does this sound like a good idea AND can we put the cories in the 5 gallon with the beta? Oh, and would this tank need to be cycled whether we add the cories or not?
Thanks again! This site (and people on it) are just fabulous!!!
Asparagus Nancy

 

[enchanted]

First you should research whispers better. I have owned them and so have many others. Most people who have moved away from them truly do not like them as a filter.

In a tank that size for adding cories you should probably go with Panda Corys as they are smaller.

Personally I would recommend one of these:

Eclipse 6 tank

I have two of them sitting here that I am setting up and preparing for christmas.

They have Visitherm 100W Heaters.

I wouldn't recommend a walmart heater. i have a 100W tetratec heater (tetra makes whisper products) that won't hold the temp steady on a 10 Gallon, let alone the 30 gallon it is rated for.

Tetra used to be a good name, but they have gone down hill a lot in the last 5 years or so.

Whatever you decide the beta will be happier in a 5 or 6 gallon than in one of those cups.

And 3 Panda Corys would be perfect, plus maybe an Oto Catfish for algae.

 

[asparagus]

Wow, I like that tank alot. I wonder if I can get it at my LFS. With the extra gallon I wouldnt worry so much about the cories- definately would get dwarf, panda, or other "minis". My daughter's not so happy about it not coming in colors, but I think her fish might just add enough color to keep her happy. grin.
One question- I read that many filters are too strong for bettas- they get sucked into them and fins get ripped. Im going to go w/ some silk plants so maybe those could add color too- Oh Im getting so excited!!! My daughter wont sleep b/c she keeps thinking up names. (cute).
Would that heater be too big for a 6 gallon tank? I read 5 watts per gallon so I would max out at a 30 watt heater and since I think they only come 25 or 50, would a 25 work well enough? I dont want to boil them!
thanks for the advice and suggestions!
asparagus

 

[enchanted]

In regards to heaters a good one will not boil your fish even if it is way over rated for the tank. Visi-Therm is one of the top ones on the market. Although I'm not the one who purchased these tanks I'm doing I am the one who recommended everything for them.

It doesn't say where you live... I.E. that was petsmart and petsmart will match their online prices along with other peoples.

In regards to the filter, I have seen quite a few keeping betas in the Eclipse tanks so I wouldn't expect any problems.

 

[asparagus]

ok, last question (I think! lol).
Does the tank have to cycle for bettas? It seems people pretty much bring them home and dump them in some water and they're fine? IF thats the case, would the betta itself cycle the water enough so that I could add the 3 cories after a week or so or would I still have to wait the 6 weeks to cycle before adding the cories?
Im in northern NJ btw, petsmart is about 45 min away but I found a lfs that offers discounted products (not so great fish, but good prices for the other stuff) and they have by far the lowest prices Ive found anywhere local.

 

[enchanted]

I'm not a beta person but I do know most people here change their beta water quite often.

I also know that a beta tank will cycle like just a normal tank. I think you would be okay adding the beta, but I would monitor the water and wait for a sure cycle before adding corys.