Female Betta In A 2.5/5 Gallon

[celaeno]

i plan to get a female betta. should i get a 2.5 or 5 gal tank for her?

also, what wattage heater is best for the 2.5, a 25w or 50w? i plan on getting either a marineland visi-therm or stealth heater.

i'm thinking of doing frequent water changes instead of getting a filter, since it's a small tank anyway. how many and what percent water changes should i do per week to keep the water spot on?

would the betta get bored without tankmates?

also, where would i get a hood small enough for a 2.5 gal, and what type of lighting should be used?

 

[halfmoonbetta]

A 2.5 or 5 would be great. The 25w would work just fine in either tank. Personally I would do 25% changes twice a week. Try pet solutions for a hood and light. Good luck

 

[Honeythorn]

Always get the biggest tank you can afford and have space for. So if 5 gals is the biggest you can have, then get that. It'll be easier to keep stable in terms of water stats, and equipment such as heating, lighting and filtration will be easier to obtain for a tank that size. Many 5 gal tanks come with filtration and lighting built into the hood ( FishRfun brand tanks often do for example ) so getting one of those would be easier as you would only have to get a separate heater.

Either way, 5gals or more is best.

 

[celaeno]

i'm thinking of just using the spare 10 gallon i have. filtration will be a bio-wheel 100 and tankmates will be 2 nerite snails.

 

[newfishy]

just use the 10 gallon, it is so much easier.

 

[loraxchick]

with a 10 gal you could have more than one girl with loads of hiding places for them... go for that!

 

[Honeythorn]

10 gals is even better yet! As far as I know you can have around 4-5 females in a tank that size.

 

[Neon.Tetra]

If you do decide to get females make sure there is dense plant cover and enough places to hide. I think the minimum females for a tank is 4-6? (Someone clarify?) to reduce bullying.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[ghent_3rd]

I am getting some Bettas also, don't know whether to get a male but they are a little rubbish and tatty at all the shops in my local area. The other option is to get a few females which would allow me to have more fish!!!

 

[loraxchick]

I wouldnt let the "tatty" males put you off rom owning one. once you get him home into good conditions they do marvelously and their ratty fins grow back. sometimes it is remarkable! so if you do like the idea of a male and watching those lovely fins grow in, consider a male!

 

[Syphoniera]

As you probably know, it's best if you can get and introduce them all together - and if they've all come from the same tank and are settling in at the same time, pecking orders may be already loosely established and cut back on potential warfare...
I've heard that having 8 or more females really cuts back on aggression, if you wanted to keep expanding the tank size and are looking for an excuse.

 

[theshadowinc]

If you do decide to get females make sure there is dense plant cover and enough places to hide. I think the minimum females for a tank is 4-6? (Someone clarify?) to reduce bullying.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

2 Gals per fish, but never just 2 in a tank, always 3 or more or just one. When I use to breed them the most I kept was 5 in a 10g tank, I first started off with 4 so that way when one was breeding there was always 3 or more in the tank. I found keeping the females in a 10g Tank well planted they didn't bully each other.
Just from my experience in breeding them. As well as rasing the fry I have kept 35-55 aprox in a 20g usually spreading them out amongst 3 20g tanks as they grew up to be adults. Aprox 15 per 20g tank when fully sexually mature. And yes I had to seperate the males to individual cups ><. Alot of work for the males compared to females!

Just my experience with them, as well I use to keep ghost shrimp with females to help with algee issues.