New To Bettas - Need Minibow Tank Size Advice

[Will91]

Hi all:

New to bettas but not to tropical fish.

I would like to buy a betta for the family and am debating between the MiniBow 1 gallon (marketed on the packaging as perfect for a betta), or the larger 2.5 gallon MiniBow. I was told by the LFS that bettas live in small puddles so 1 gallon is huge for them but read other posts on this forum that seem to think 1 gallon is too small. Which way should I go?

Also, for heaters I found a Marineland stealth pre-set to 78F that says good to 3 gallons and a 7.5 Hydor submersible that says good for 2 - 5 gallons. So, it would seems that for either tank, the Stealth is the better choice - I think it is thermostatted and good for up to 3 gallons (as opposed to the Hydor which doesn't say it is good for 1 gallon). I think the Hydor submersible is simply on all the time and only boosts the tank temp by 5-6 degrees over ambient - so the tank might be colder in winter and hotter in summer.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Volleyball_Rox]

Hi all:

New to bettas but not to tropical fish.

I would like to buy a betta for the family and am debating between the MiniBow 1 gallon (marketed on the packaging as perfect for a betta), or the larger 2.5 gallon MiniBow. I was told by the LFS that bettas live in small puddles so 1 gallon is huge for them but read other posts on this forum that seem to think 1 gallon is too small. Which way should I go?

Also, for heaters I found a Marineland stealth pre-set to 78F that says good to 3 gallons and a 7.5 Hydor submersible that says good for 2 - 5 gallons. So, it would seems that for either tank, the Stealth is the better choice - I think it is thermostatted and good for up to 3 gallons (as opposed to the Hydor which doesn't say it is good for 1 gallon). I think the Hydor submersible is simply on all the time and only boosts the tank temp by 5-6 degrees over ambient - so the tank might be colder in winter and hotter in summer.

Thanks for any input.

Okay, well your betta will survive in a 1 gallon.
But he will not be happy.
All that stuff about rice patties is phooey. Dont listen.
If those are your only two options, get the 2.5 gallon.
But he will be much happier in a 5 gallon!
They are honestly not expensive.
At walmart you can get the tetra 5 gallon starter kit and it comes with a light, hood, filter.
Or just a regular old 5 gallon tank is around 13 dollars.

 

[silverrabbit]

Volleyball_Rox is right... whilst he might survive in a 1gal tank, he won't really have a great life. There are people on here who will disagree, but tbh the way I see it is that I'd be really uncomfortable living in the box room of my house, eating, sleeping and pooping in that one small room.

The 2.5 will give you more room to play with - some nice plants, a little cave for your betta friend. Also, I'd say the second heater is better - it will adjust the temp of the tank accordingly, and so will be more accurate

ETA: Bettas do NOT live in small puddles. Rice paddies cover really vast areas, and bettas only "live" in small areas in the dry season, but that's not a permanent thing. LFS's love to tell people how they live in teensy spaces, but they're lying

 

[woodstock]

Get the biggest you can afford for him. IMO 5 gallons are optimal. 2.5 are acceptable (to majority). 1 gallon, you must be absolutely dedicated. The higher up you go, the less so.

I don't understand where people get "Bettas live in small puddles" idea. And it's not just the LFS either - its some people in general. Aggravates me. Like silverrabit said, it's only temporary when the dry season hits in.

Don't decide for a heater until you're sure what size tank you're getting, just makes things a little easier.

Take everything the LFS says with a grain of salt. Although there are some who really are great aquarium owners, some people just need money.

 

[Honeythorn]

Get the 5 gallon. It will fit in a wide variety of spaces. There is no need to cram the betta into a 2.5

 

[Tolak]

If it's a choice between a 1 gallon & a 2.5 gallon go with the 2.5. The living in small puddles is nonsense, fish in their natural environment live in huge expanses of water.

You will not find any of the ornamental varieties of bettas in the wild, as is the same with other species that are bred for a particular look, angels are a good example. Living in a puddle does not apply, as does not needing the hundreds of thousands of gallons in a rice paddy.

If you are looking at the one gallon do read up on how award winning breeders keep them in that volume of water and less. Many people keep a singe betta in a 2.5 gallon long term and the fish lives a long and healthy life.

 

[Honeythorn]

Colour and finnage can be bred in and out, instinct cannot. Precisely the reason we don't keep males in the same tank, or adult angels with very small fish who end up as lunch.

Think about it, regardless of what fins have been bred into it, the fish is otherwise no different to it's wild counterparts, who do not spend their entire lives shuffling from one corner of a 2.5 gallon area of water to another. Nor does a single fish have an entire rice paddy to itself. Each fish in a large body of water has it's own territory, but at an average time of year that space is not so jammed with bettas that each only has a couple of gallons to swim in.

5 gallons ( or bigger, anything from 5-15 is more realistic in territory size ) will be easier to maintain and take up less time , espescially if you have other tanks to take care of as well.

 

[Tolak]

Colour and finnage can be bred in and out, instinct cannot

In many cases it can. Domestically bred fish are often not as adept in the parenting department as their wild counterparts. This is an instinct. If you don’t take temperament into account when you are breeding, aiming for colors and fin quality alone you are only doing half the job as a breeder. Temperament is also an instinct.

Think about it, regardless of what fins have been bred into it, the fish is otherwise no different to it's wild counterparts, who do not spend their entire lives shuffling from one corner of a 2.5 gallon area of water to another.

Appearance is only half of the fish, as stated above.

Nor does a single fish have an entire rice paddy to itself. Each fish in a large body of water has it's own territory, but at an average time of year that space is not so jammed with bettas that each only has a couple of gallons to swim in.

5 gallons ( or bigger, anything from 5-15 is more realistic in territory size ) will be easier to maintain and take up less time , espescially if you have other tanks to take care of as well.

If we start keeping fish in volumes of water that approximate their natural territory few people will be keeping fish. By that reasoning I should easily be able to keep 2-4 male bettas in a 40 gallon tank, or even 4-6 in a 65 gallon tank. I have an empty 40. I have some male & female bettas.

Have you looked into their territory requirements enough personally, and accomplished it enough times with that amount of space given for territory to say that is, on the average, reasonably safe to allow them that amount of territory?

 

[MrNiceGuy]

Hi all:

New to bettas but not to tropical fish.

I would like to buy a betta for the family and am debating between the MiniBow 1 gallon (marketed on the packaging as perfect for a betta), or the larger 2.5 gallon MiniBow. I was told by the LFS that bettas live in small puddles so 1 gallon is huge for them but read other posts on this forum that seem to think 1 gallon is too small. Which way should I go?

Also, for heaters I found a Marineland stealth pre-set to 78F that says good to 3 gallons and a 7.5 Hydor submersible that says good for 2 - 5 gallons. So, it would seems that for either tank, the Stealth is the better choice - I think it is thermostatted and good for up to 3 gallons (as opposed to the Hydor which doesn't say it is good for 1 gallon). I think the Hydor submersible is simply on all the time and only boosts the tank temp by 5-6 degrees over ambient - so the tank might be colder in winter and hotter in summer.

Thanks for any input.

simply put...

get the 2 and a half gallon.

never take advice from pet store people.

get your information online from people that know what they're talkin about and don't have an incentive to lie to you.

 

[Will91]

Hello everyone and thank you so much for these very informative replies.

After looking at the 1 gallon, 2.5 and 5 gallon minibows all side by side, I have decided the 5 gallon makes the most sense all the way around - more room for the betta (and even some companions) but I also realized the heater I want to use (25W marineland stealth) doesn't fit well in the 2.5. So 5 gallon it is.

Next question....I love the bowed look of the minibow, but am not too thrilled with the hood design. It allows water to condense in the hood, around the incandescent bulb base, etc. I'm tempted to go with an Aqueon (All Glass) 5.5 rectangular tank, get a glass VersaTop lid, and an incandescent or fluroescent strip hood. I don't think it will look quite as nice (especially in a child's room), but I love that the glass won't scratch as easy and I can use a VersaTop. The only thing I would need is a $10 Tetra in-tank filter from Walmart. Final price is just a few dollars more than the plastic MiniBow.

Thoughts?

 

[woodstock]

I haven't seen an Aqueon for myself, but it sounds just as nice. With a 5.5 gives you even more room for a companion, if you're willing to keep up with water changes and the like. (And IMO, get a fluorescent hood. Incandescent lighting does the betta's color no justice )

For me, Glass > Plastic anyday. It may not look nice, but that can be easily made up with nice plantings inside the tank. I think it would be fine, nice choice

 

[Honeythorn]

I'd say go for it, the glass looks better, tends to be a little clearer, and will not scratch as easily ( a plus in a child's room ) But the only downside is that it would shatter more easily if something got thrown accidentally and hit the glass , ( not so good in a child's room ) .

How old is said child? Old enough to understand not to throw or swing things near the tank? If so then go for glass. If not then the plastic would probably be best for safety, and you can always wipe off the condensation when you feed the fish.

 

[GuppyGoddess]

How old is said child? Old enough to understand not to throw or swing things near the tank? If so then go for glass. If not then the plastic would probably be best for safety, and you can always wipe off the condensation when you feed the fish.

If a child has problems with throwing things in their room, IMO, they're too young to have a fish tank AT ALL regardless of what it's made out of! Until they're mature enough to listen to basic rules of the house, they probably shouldn't have anything holding water and a pet inside it!

 

[silverrabbit]

If you like the minibow tank, you could always try a condensation tray to stop the condensation building up on the hood?

 

[Larkspur]

Go with your average rectangular tank. Glass is the best. I heard some heaters can't be used in plastic/acrylic tanks. Plus, if you go with the larger (5 or 5.5...I have a 5.5 gallon) it will allow you to add a snail or a couple shrimp later on. Trust me. Once you get a tank you are going to want to spiff it up with a little something new here and there and the larger it is, the more satisfied you will be. Gives you more options.