Most Likely To Survive With Betta?

[bunnies&bettas]

Ack! I really don't think there's room in his current tank for a heater, it's so awkwardly shaped. I know some of you aren't in the US, but what reputable retailers can I buy I decent glass tank from? I really do not want to go to Wal-Mart and I'm not sure now if I should trust the aquarium lady. I apologize for my lack of knowing these things. Friends that have kept Bettas had them in vases with maybe 5 pebbles in the bottom; I thought I was spoiling mine.

I have a Petco store brand "bookshelf" tank with a single betta. It is only 6.6 gal (24 liters) but the dimensions work well with lots of surface area. It is about 24 in. long x 9 high x 7 deep. It comes with a florescent light and heater. It's acrylic but that doesn't seem to be a problem. I've had it running for only 6 months after a very long cycling period, and so far it seems to be working well with live plants and plenty of swimming room for a betta. It's actually longer than my 10 gal. which houses a single male betta and a few harlequin rasboras.

 

[LDBartholow]

I buy most of my items from PetsMart. There shouldn't be any issue buying a glass tank from Wal-Mart. I know many fishkeepers that get their glass tanks from there because their prices are usually the best. I would then order/pruchase the filter, heater, lid, etc. from a PetsMart or PetCo.

 

[pumpkinnose]

I use petco for most of my aquarium wants.  And we just have my daughter's betta in a 2.5 gallon with a small heater that rests in the bottom of the aquarium.  Little Rainbow seems to do fine with it.  Actually just late last week I saw his first bubble nest.  Not really sure I want to get a female betta as I'm already having problems with keeping the platy and guppy fry that I have and don't know if the hubby would even spare the money for a new tank to keep a female and male separate so we could even try to breed...lol

 

[VickyChaiTea]

You have to be careful choosing fish to keep with a betta. They are such variable fish that what will work for one person will be a disater for someone else. Some bettas will attack anything that moves (tales of them ripping antennae off snails etc) and some are so laid back they can get bullied to death. And everything in between.
Fish to avoid with bettas are other bettas, both male and female; gouramis as they are likely to fight (although some people have kept them together); male guppies as some bettas think they are small male bettas and attack them; anything with a reputation for fin nipping as they won't be able to resist the temptation of a betta's big fins; and with bettas on the aggressive side, nothing brightly coloured as their 'attack the other betta' reflex could be triggered.

Corydoras usually do OK with most bettas as they live on the bottom of the tank and are drab colours. But as they should be kept in a shoal, they aren't suitable for small tanks. I had pygmy cories and endler-guppies with mine (until the betta developed a lump, so I moved him out in case it was infectious). Grey cories, grey female endler-guppies and a couple of males that the betta didn't seem to notice.
Other people have success with harlequin rasboras - not very brightly coloured and generally not nippy. But they need a bigger tank than 10 galls.

I now advise against keeping frogs with bettas. I had 2 in a 25 litre tank with my last betta. After being together for many months, the frogs suddenly started mistaking the betta's tail for food. I had to separate them and it took weeks for the betta to recover form the fin rot that resulted from his bitten tail.

As for a filter for a 10 gallon tank, as I'm in the UK I'm afraid I don't know what would be available in the US, so I can't advise here.

 
^ Quoted for truth.

 

[Essjay]

I use petco for most of my aquarium wants.  And we just have my daughter's betta in a 2.5 gallon with a small heater that rests in the bottom of the aquarium.  Little Rainbow seems to do fine with it.  Actually just late last week I saw his first bubble nest.  Not really sure I want to get a female betta as I'm already having problems with keeping the platy and guppy fry that I have and don't know if the hubby would even spare the money for a new tank to keep a female and male separate so we could even try to breed...lol

 
Breeding bettas is quite expensive. Not only do you have to have a separate tank for the male and female, you need a breeding tank for the actual spawning, and the male fry will need a jar each when they get old enough to fight. You could end up with 100 male fry, all needing their own jars. And the jars have to be kept warm. And you will also need a market for all the fry. If you breed ship bought veiltails, it is unlikely you would be able to sell the fry.
 
Breeding bettas is not something to go into without a lot of planning first.

 

[bigcheed]

If your looking for a tank on the cheap try e-bay, craigslist or your local pet shop. i asked at my local pet shop and he sold me an old 10gallon he no longer wanted for £10. a little elbow grease and it came up great. ive kept white clouds and hillstream loaches in it for some months now with great success. they have moved into my new 33gallon fluval so ive turned up the heater and plan to get a betta for it. cant wait. hey have a gorgeous british racing green male in my local pet store im hoping to get him tommorow if hes still there. fingers crossed.

 

[frapadoodle]

Got a 10gal. from Walmart with no worries. Kits around $30, just a tank around $13. Although I used an internal filter, just because the flow is not overpowering. It has a tetra submersible heater, but upgrading soon, as it stays a bit on the low side.
With the kit the hood is okay, but swapped out the bulbs.
Anyway, I have had no worries with Walmart tanks.
Sad to say I have also got fish from there as well.
My betta was a weak purchase on my part. I have an addiction, don't you judge me.
As for tankmates, I agree, would go with at least a 10 gal., and it depends on the individual fish.
Also try adding the betta last to the new tank.