Filters Or No Filter?

[crimsonxflamex3]

Okay, I have four betta boys. Two are in tanks with no filters and the other two are in tanks with filters. I've noticed the boys in the filtered tanks having some tail dammage. The current is as little as it can get, and barely looks like it moves the water. I'm concerned about my guys though. Is there anyway I could block off the filter, or should I just take the filter out and clean the tanks more often? Thanks for your help!

 

[GoldLenny]

Filtered tanks are almost always better than unfiltered tanks. Bettas do not like too much filtration. Unless you have too much filtration it is probably just a coincidence that your Betta's in the filtered tank have fin issues.

Most male bettas do not get along very well with other male bettas. You could be having issues with the males nipping at each other. If you are not careful, you could find them tearing each other apart one day. I know some people are able to keep male bettas together but I think it's the exception rather than the rule.

Just in case it's not fin nipping, give us your water parameters and test results for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, etc. How long have the tanks been set up and running? How big are the tanks?

I just re-read your post and maybe I mis-read it initially. Do you have four tanks? If so, sorry about the reply in the second paragraph if I misunderstood what you were saying... but at least the next person reading this will know the cautions with keeping male bettas together.

 

[crimsonxflamex3]

hah, no I have four seperate tanks. I can't immagine what would happen if I had my boys together.. They go flare crazy seeing eachother through the tanks!

The tanks have been up for a few months. I had two of them in one tank with a divider at one point, and only the fish on the filter side's fins were starting to look torn. So I'm pretty sure its the filter. I've moved the two boys with tears into unfiltered tanks that I change every day. (30% or so..) Their fins seem to be growing back, but I don't want the two that I put into each of the tanks with filters to get thier tails torn up too. Should I just take the filters out and change the water as much as the unfiltered tanks?

 

[GoldLenny]

We had this discussion either here or in another forum recently. The concursus was to put a large leafed silk plant under the waterfall outflow to slow down the water movement... or get a smaller filter to have slower water movement in general. The large leafed silk plant would be cheaper and add some color to the tank. You can also try raising the water level. I did this in my shrimp tank and the waterfall outflow kind of spreads out over the surface rather than pouring straight down into the tank. If you moved the HOB to one end of the tank, this might leave the other end stagnant enough so that your Bettas could still build their bubble nests. I did this in my 10G for a Katrina rescued Betta until it finally died of old age a couple months ago. Now his tank is my cherry shrimp tank. I bet he wishes I would have added the cherry shrimp while he was still in there.

 

[crimsonxflamex3]

I bet he does!


I think I'll try adding the large plant. Anything to keep his fins from getting torn. I might raise the water too. Thanks for the help!!