Minimum betta requirements

[DMan99]

Hey,

I have 4 aquariums now but ive always wanted a male betta.

I really dont know much apart from never put males with males or with guppys and gouramys.

Id like to set up a tank for a male betta and so what are the minimum requirements that a betta could live in ie. do they need a filter, what size tank, do they need other tankmates etc

It is not my plan to only purchase the minimum requirements so i would also like to know what you guys and girls recommend for a good living arrangement ie what size tank are they nice and comfortable living in without it being as small as possible.

I hope u understand what im tryin 2 ask lol.

Thanks!
Dman99

 

[DMan99]

Please someone!

 

[MAM]

well, most will say a minimum tank size is 1 gal. many will argue that that is too small. i keep mine in just less than a gallon to up to a 5 gal, depending on the fish actually. mine seem happiest in the 2.5 gal tanks. they aren't too deep, and give the little guy plenty of room to swim back and forth.
a filter really isn't necessary as long as you clean and change the water regularly. on the smallest tanks, i do twice a week, on the 5 gal, i get by with once a week. most bettas do NOT like current, so most filters will bother your little guy. a heater is good, but if your room temperature stays steady and warm enough, you won't need a heater on a smaller tank (less than 5 gal).
live plants are great for your betta, but if you go fake, silk/fabric is best, as the plastic ones can tear up fins.
as for tank mates, a betta doesn't really NEED one, i have some that actually like tank mates (i've had them with livebearers). but don't put him in a with another betta, unless you have a divider in the tank. if you go with a 10 gal setup, you could have a few tank mates with him, livebearers are usually peaceful with the bettas (except guppies), though it varies (some have luck with it, others dont').

 

[Apache]

Keep in mind that these are only my suggestions...

I would have a minimum of 2 gal for the betta... no, he doesn't need any tank mates, nor does he need a filter if you keep him solo. But he can do well with a tankmate, like an African Dwarf Frog or a few cory cats (but would get a bigger tank and filter if you go with either tank mates).

I would get him a small heater though (7 watts), to help keep a stable temp, and a thermometer to monitor the temp. I also put in a small clay pot on it's side for him to hide/ rest in if he wants to... And, of course, gravel and a few plants (fake or real, your choice). I feed 2x a day, and try to vary the diet abit.

FWIW, I do weekly 95% water changes for my bettas, using conditioned tap water.

Hope that helps!

 

[DMan99]

Yeah it has, and these samll 3 or 5 GAL tanks, are they usually bowls or ur normal rectangular thingys?

Say i was to set up a 5GAL tank tomoro solely for a male better then when can i add him, i know about cycling with other tropicals but the no filter bit is confusin me lol.

 

[newfishies]

i think you can use whatever shape you like. if the tank is TOO tall, the betta might get tired swimming up to the top to breathe (esp. if he has long fins). as far as cycling the tank, i would gues it would be the same as any other tanks...can you get gravel/filter media from another tank?

 

[DMan99]

I dont think im going to filter the tank but ill use a medicated cycle liquid in the water and also use some gravel from one of my others and what about squeezing a used bit of filter media into it? Would that also help?

 

[yvez9]

if you don't put in a filter, you don't cycle it.

Like it was previously said, you do water changes at leats once a week depending on tank size so the ammonia level always stays low. In my 2 gallon tanks, I change water every 3 or 4 days, sometimes 5 because they're at my office so i can't be there every day.

Don't bother adding any cycling product either because the low water circulation in the tank will render nitrifying bacteria to die.

If you have room, a 5 gallon tank with some nice gravel and silk plants makes a nice betta tank. I like plants with wide leaves so the fish can rest on them. Mine do that a lot. You could even divide it in 2 and have two bettas in there. Just don't choose something that is too tall because the betta will have to swim to the top.

if you put in a filter, then it would be better to cycle your tank before you add fish.

I have no filters with my bettas, though, and they are fine.

 

[DMan99]

Oh cool, so if i dont filter it then basically as soon as its up and runnin i can add a betta?

I think im gonna get a nice healthy 5 GAL with some plants because he will be the only inhabitant so i should make it as nice as possible for him!

 

[yvez9]

Since 5 gallon tanks are quite wide, i'd put a bunch of plants on one side and leave half of the tank open. Maybe add a little ornament to the open side for your viewing pleasure. That way he'll be able to hide when he wants to and swim when he feels like it.

For food, i recommend live or frozen varied food or for pelletts, get Hikari Betta Bio-Gold. I find other brands will sink after a few seconds and the fish won't find them, causing them to rot. The bio-gold will float forever so they're easy to scoop out if the fish won't eat them after a few minutes.

I wouldn't get flake food as most bettas won't eat them.

 

[D Chia]

Personally, I feel that the size (and water surface area) of the tank is especially important for bettas with huge caudals (e.g. half-moons). I noticed that as the caudal of the half-moon grows, the fish requires more effort to swim to the water surface for air. The drag/resistance that the half-moon experiences is very much like a fighter jet being slowed down by an opened parachute.

When they are housed in smaller (e.g. 4x4x8 inch) tanks, bettas need to swim to the water surface at about 70 to 80 degrees to breathe. If they are housed in a bigger and wider (e.g. 6x6x8, 8x8x8 inch) tank, the angle is reduced to about 30 to 50 degrees (i.e. less steep). This angle is further reduced if the betta is living in an even larger tank.

Personally, I house my younger long caudal bettas in 4x4x8 inch tanks and switch them to larger tanks (6x6x8 inch or bigger) before they are fully grown, so that they can have more space to maneuver and surface for air when their tails become larger and heavier (especially half-moon bettas). As for plakats, I continue to house them in 4x4x8 inch tanks.

A 4x4x8 inch tank holds 1/2 gallon of water, while a 6x6x8 tank holds 1 gallon of water.

 

[corykitty516]

I have 2 male Veil tails. I keep each in their own 2.5 gal mini bow with a whisper junior and a 7.5 watt heater. I keep them this way because 1) you can easily heat 2+ gallons and my house is really cold otherwise. 2) the filters keep me from having to change the water ever other day but still dont cause too much surface disturbance. My boys regularly build me lovely bubble nests. They dont NEED a filter but I still use one and cycled it first (rapidly with mature media). I still do waterchanges once or twice a week. I really like the mini bow set up. It comes with a light and everything. I've got some java fern in there also.

Oh and it comes with a divider thingy so you could put 2 bettas in there but both of mine are so agressive they'd probaly stress themselves to death if I put them together.

 

[ral]

For the most part, my betta's are housed in filtered 12x6x8 (LxWxH) tanks. I have two now in 8x4x8 tanks which I was told were standard sized Betta tanks in signapore used in storage and competition (D' Chua, please confirm).

I am thinking of retiring these 8x4x8 tanks and relegating them as isolation tanks.

 

[D Chia]

Yes, Ral. 8x4x8 inch glass tanks are used for our NBC (National Betta Competition).

However, the size of the tanks is usually determined by the organisers. Fish Love Magazine (a Singaporean fish magazine) organised a betta competition during the International Fish Show in March 2004. For that particular competition, 6x6x8 inch acyclic tanks were selected because Fish Love Magazine had anticipated that there'd be lots of children at the exhibition and wanted to reduce the risk of injury to kids who might accidentally knock the tanks over.

Edit: Personally, I prefer acyclic tanks because I'm a little clumsy.

 

[Nuttygal! :0)]

Hey guys I've been reading this thread because I was wondering exactly the same thing as DMan99 - if you could keep a betta without filtration and a heater. I already have two tanks in my room and on a strong shelf I have got room for a nice new tank to fit... So thanks for all your help! I'll be setting up home for him later on...