Completely Dumb Question

[jimw13uk]

I am a Cichlid keeper and have never thought about having a Betta but my 11 year old son wants one.
I see people keeping them in tiny bowls etc - is this ok ?
What about filtration and heat ?
I saw a post that said "i did a 100% water change" - now that to me is dangerous(with cichlids)

So can i treat a betta the same way I used to treat my goldfish in a bowl - nice water (and some de-chlorinator) in one weekend - no heater , no filter - the following weekend whip the whole lot out and put new water in and your off and running again.

Seems a harsh way to treat a tropical fish but I bow to the more experienced

 

[Welsh_Woman]

To be humane to a betta in my opinion, you have to give it a 1 gallon tank at least. Yes they can go in smaller but its not that fair on the fish. If your house is around the same temp constant i don't think you need a heater. But if the temp changes a bit you may need one. Dont keep the betta by windows or anywhere that may cause extreme temp changes. With my bettas I do a 50% water change each week, If you do 100% it could be a shock to them.
Also some bettas are known to be fussy eaters, they may eat normal tropical fish food or not, you can get special flake food for them or as someone said on here (sorry I can't remember the user name) her betta will only eat blood worms and peas lol

This is all I can give you, i'm sure people will put their suggestions on here soon. Good luck when you get him

 

[mm_simb]

I actually do 100% water changes now and he's been fine with it. But it's your choice. Just keep the water clean. For feeding you can try pellets and some bettas may take flakes...but most dont. When feeding other things, live or frozen are the best. And you don't need a filter with frequent water changes.
You wouldn't need a heater but I find it better to have one to avoid the temperature from fluctuating.
And a 1 gallon is the minimum you should be keeping them in.

 

[Synirr]

I agree with what has been said for the most part, but I do think 100% water changes are better for an unfiltered tank than 50% because there's less of a chance of the ammonia building up to harmful levels over time. In my opinion, Hikari Betta Biogold is the best food for bettas... it's a pellet, and all my boys love it

Edited for dumb 3:30AM punctuation.

 

[Ember]

Watch out or you'll soon be addicted to bettas too! I'm a longtime betta lover who has recently discovered a love for cichlids.

Personally I don't keep my bettas in anything less than a 2.5 gallon. If it is anything less than 5 gallons then you will have to do frequent and 100% changes. Although my guys in the bowls have seemed very happy, I prefer larger tanks. I have a 6 gallon Eclipse as well as a 10 gallon divided into 3. I could be imagining it but the bettas seem happier. For these tanks I do frequent but partial changes. I don't have to take the fish out every time either. But as far as lifespan and health, I haven't seemed to notice a huge difference between the bowl or tank inhabitants. Just know the smaller the amount of water, the quicker it will get soiled and the more frequent the water will need to be changed.

My tanks have filters but they are very mild flow. Bettas don't like a current but by modifying the filter flow, they work great for my betta tanks. Filters will definitely help keep the water condition more consistent.

It's best to use heaters. You need a minimum of 2.5 gallon bowl/tank in order to use the small heater safely. It's not as much of an issue in the summer unless it's in a very air conditioned location.

Use a dechlorinator. Also good to use a stress coat and maybe occasional aquarium salt dose. I use Amquel for dechlorinator and Novaqua for stress coat. They work well for me.

Don't forget to put some silk or real plants in with your betta. They love to have plants but a lot of the plastic ones are too sharp and will shred their beautiful fins.

Don't forget to put some kind of cover for the bowl that still allows air flow. Bettas are known to jump although it hasn't happened to me.
One thing I found works great for my 2.5 bowls is an embroidery hoop. You can just sandwich some mesh fabric or even plastic wrap as long as you leave some space for airflow.

Good luck! Hope you find bettas as intrigueing as I've found Cichlids to be.
(I just LOVE my new Ram Cichlids!)

 

[jimw13uk]

Thanks all for the replies - it seems that they are no different to any other tropical fish then so i'll treat it the same way - I have a 5 gall tank , a spare filter and a spare heater so i think i'm good to go now.

One more thing - what about keeping them together - I know 2 males is a no no but what about m/f or f/f - or are they a solitary fish

 

[mm_simb]

No you cannot keep a male with a female or a female with a female unless its a group. You would be able to keep females in a 10 gallon tank with a lot of hiding places and 4-6 females. I think 6 is the best choice at that. Unless you have dividers in the tank you should keep anything together in it.