MINIMUM SIZE FOR PERMANENT BETTA

[mlee0332]

I chose 2 1/2 b/c in a 1 g, they don't have enough room to turn around if they grow up to full size. Might as well "splurge" and spend an extra few bucks for a 2 1/2 so when they grow, they aren't in too small of a container. Also, it's more forgiving than a 1 or a 1/2 pint etc. A ten g would be the best, but if you don't have space 2 1/2 - 5 g is great.

(acrylic b/c less chance of breaking and don't think they make a glass one that small, I wish they did though)

 

[mm_simb]

Well they do where I live. I have 3 2.5 gallon glass tanks with glass hoods...the hoods i dont use though.

 

[MegTheFish]

Here's more reading on the "betta tank size" topic, for those of you that are interested...


http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=52038&st=16

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=54044&hl=

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=9075&hl=

Went through them...and found some interesting stuff:

in the wild, bettas live in fairly shallow puddels and or rice pattys, they don't take well to large bodies of water at all

its really not mean or unfair at all. bettas just float around and not really swim that much. And bigger tanks can shorten their lives. so smaller ones are much better.

Small rice patties? Shorten their lives in larger tanks?... Sorry, not trying to make fun of anybody (they probably didn't know much anyways, it was a year ago) but....

 

[wuvmybetta]

Ya know, everyone has their own personal view on this topic and it's not one that we'll likely come to a unanimous decision on. But, the one gallon rule on this particular site is sort of "my rule"...being that when I first joined this forum it was pretty much frowned upon to put a fish in anything less than a 10 gallon, 5 was pushing it. A simple topic like "I have a new 2 gallon, what can I put in it?" would get a reply like "a snail", or "brine shrimp"
But after arguing and arguing I finally managed to stress the point that a one gallon IS heaven after life in a cup. Rice paddies blah,blah,blah...I can promise you that none of your fancy long finned bettas came from there. And I can also promise you that no matter how hard and long you searched those paddies you will never find a fish with finnage such as the ones we keep. So that's comparing apples to oranges IMO.
Also, here are some betta habitat pics from plakatthai.com. Yes,paddies are large but they're shallow.
http/www.plakatthai.com/bettahabitat/footprint.jpg
http/www.plakatthai.com/bettahabitat/bubbleness.jpg
http/www.plakatthai.com/bettahabitat/careful.jpg
http/www.plakatthai.com/bettahabitat/scoop.jpg
http/www.plakatthai.com/bettahabitat/inhands.jpg
http/www.plakatthai.com/bettahabitat/plant.jpg
http/www.plakatthai.com/bettahabitat/search1.jpg
http/www.plakatthai.com/bettahabitat/open.jpg

Aaaanyhoo, I just read a topic where a lady has decided to switch her bettas from 1/2 gallons to 1 gallons after reading of how we all keep our fish. That's why I say 1 gallon because it does make a difference when members join here. I've seen small containers considered acceptable on other forums. Small containers, I say....small! Everybody oooh's and ahh's over peoples pics of bettas in those bitty hexes when I know here at TFF they would speak out against such mistreatment because of the 1 gallon rule. And that pleases me. I suppose I could have just as easily made a two gallon rule but I honestly believe my fish who live in 1's are happy as clams.
Anyway, I had more to say but I forgot

 

[alabaster]

Thanks for the replies! I tend to agree with you mlee that its probably wise to "splurge" and buy at least a 2.5 gallon. Then, you can fit a wider selection of decor and plants, and you can be sure the betta has plenty of room to swim. For those of you who think 1g is a good size, I think thats totally OK, as long as your betta seems happy, and as long as you keep up with your water changes. I think the two factors to consider when approaching tank size are:

1. Water chemistry: Will ammonia build up too quickly, or will it reach a dangerous level more often than you are willing to do water changes?

2. Space: Does the betta seem happy, healthy and active? Does he swim around without seeming too cramped?

I think that any tank that fulfills those two conditions is perfectly fine for a betta. Because I can buy 2.5g tanks for $8, and heaters for $13, I use 2.5g tanks, setting up tanks this size is fairly cheap and easy. In my opinion, a 2.5g tank is usually going to be a size that can accomodate a betta. Another reason why I don't use smaller is that its hard to heat them (my house's room temp w/ air conditioning is 70-73 degrees). However, if you can keep up water conditions in smaller tanks, and if your bettas seem to have enough space, go for it. I can see some bettas being fine in 1/2 gallon fishbowls, as long as you do water changes often enough and the bowl is heated. Because bettas' personalities and levels of activity vary, so can the sizes of their homes. Do you guys think this is correct? What do you think?

 

[gaya]

Great pics wuv and thanks for sharing them. While I still think 1g are too small, seeing those pictures makes me feel better for the little guys in their small tanks. Those patties don’t look like they provide any space at all. It would be so cool to walk into one of those rice patty fields and see a betta in its natural habitat.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Good pics but they realy don't give you much impression of the vastness of rice paddys in the close ups, i think this is a far better link stuffed full of pics with proper rice paddys and not just ones with tress and grass growing at the edges;

http/www.bettadreams.com/ricepaddies.html

 

[bkk_group]

Good pics but they realy don't give you much impression of the vastness of rice paddys in the close ups, i think this is a far better link stuffed full of pics with proper rice paddys and not just ones with tress and grass growing at the edges;

http/www.bettadreams.com/ricepaddies.html

i actually have my doubts that those rice paddys are even in thailand as terracing is not used widely there. the pics from plakatthai are much closer to the reality of the betta. more often than not they will be found in the ditches along the sides of the fields as shown in one of the pics.
bettas are found in ponds and canals and ditches, not just "rice paddys".

 

[BettaMomma]

In my personal opinion, I think there is no set and standard "minumum tank size", which is the precise reason I started this poll--to find out what you guys think about it. In my opinion, as long as the particular betta is reasonably active, seems happy, and has room to swim around, the proper size for a habitat could range from 1/2 to 5 gallons for a lone male betta. Each betta (as many will attest) has its own personality, preferences, and particulars, and those things are, in essence, what dictates minimum tank size. To create a generalization, though, I'd say that an ideal tank would be rectangular, and long in at least one dimension. That allows the betta to swim, stretch its fins, and hide (from what? ). As for the actual volume (and this is, again, a generalization) I think 2.5 gallons is probably reasonable for MOST bettas.

I could NOT have summed up the whole "what size tank for a betta" issue any better. This is great!

 

[BettaMomma]

Thanks for your reply BettaMomma. What do you mean by "a thin layer"? How deep? And what grade is the gravel in your tanks?

And also: When you had all your bettas in 1g tanks, were they all in Aquaviews? Do you know if there are rectangular 1g tanks available? They'd be small, but seems to me they'd be a better shape than the Aquaviews, and would allow more swimming room (lengthwise). If there are no rect. sheped 1gs, are there any other options as far as tanks under 2.5 gallons? Thanks for reading BettaMomma. Oh, by the way, I love the pic of Charlie flaring. B) Did you get him at WalMart? (sorry if I've missed a post about that).

Sorry it took me so long to reply to this one - I've been trying to read thru every post in here and haven't had tons of time.

Anyway - about gravel - I try to get the smoothest smallest size rocks for gravel - and it was about one inch deep. Just enough to put plant bases down into to hold them down. I'm not sure what grade it was - I didn't even know it was graded. lol It's small and very smooth, though.

Yep, all my 1G occupants were in AquaViews. I only had 2 of them in 1Gs for any length of time and they were both AVs. There are lots of other options I've seen for smaller tanks - I've seen some some cute little tanks made by a company called Marina. They are made of plastic, and therefore probably would not handle a heater all that well - but if you've got a controlled environment where the temps were pretty decent - like mid-70's-ish, you could do it. Like, for instance - here's one made by Marina... the one in this case is made specifically for goldfish, but I think they are the cutest little tanks:

they come in several shapes, sizes and colors.

As far as the AquaViews go - there was some okay swimming space in there - I positioned the plant in their tank so it was back near the corner of the tank and they had the whole front of their tank to go back and forth along. The marina tanks tend to be more rectangular shape (more rounded off, but longer and skinner shaped than squarish, if that makes sense).

I also have a 1.7G hex tank - it was made by TopFin, I think. I had Archie in that for a while. One thing about hex tanks and bettas, though... when you turn on the light in there, they sometimes freak out because all the hex sides turn into mirrors.. YIKES! I now use that one for a hospital tank.

Thanks! Charlie did come from WalMart. He was perfectly healthy when I bought him - and I rarely buy healthy ones, but I just had to have him because he was so handsome. He's currently recovering from some nasty illnesses but doing quite well.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

In my personal opinion, I think there is no set and standard "minumum tank size", which is the precise reason I started this poll--to find out what you guys think about it. In my opinion, as long as the particular betta is reasonably active, seems happy, and has room to swim around, the proper size for a habitat could range from 1/2 to 5 gallons for a lone male betta. Each betta (as many will attest) has its own personality, preferences, and particulars, and those things are, in essence, what dictates minimum tank size. To create a generalization, though, I'd say that an ideal tank would be rectangular, and long in at least one dimension. That allows the betta to swim, stretch its fins, and hide (from what? ). As for the actual volume (and this is, again, a generalization) I think 2.5 gallons is probably reasonable for MOST bettas.

I could NOT have summed up the whole "what size tank for a betta" issue any better. This is great!

I suppose i agree too

 

[paige]

wow nice tank BettaMomma

just one more question
do you really think eudielynn has gone

xxx paige xxx

 

[OohFeeshy]

Just wondering, what make is that weird shaped 1 gallon a few pages back? Looks too big to be 1 gallon, I'll post a pic of a typical UK one gallon in a min. Or later if the camera doesn't work.

 

[alabaster]

Thanks BettaMomma. By the "grade" of the gravel, I meant the size of the gravel (coarse, fine, etc.) but you answered that question. Sorry for the confusion.