Seen Betta Tanks Advertised

[Ethos]

Where'd you get that pic?
I'd like to see if they ship to the US? Although, It'd prolly not be worth it in shipping...

 

[supersixone]

Where'd you get that pic?
I'd like to see if they ship to the US? Although, It'd prolly not be worth it in shipping...

http/www.pennplax.com/Pages/Aqua.pages..../Aqua27F.html

penn-plax makes tanks like that. i'm in the US and got one with a turquoise top at a local shop

 

[Bristlenose1804]

Hi
Supersixone.What watt of heater should I put in there.
Iv decided on a heater instead of a filter as il do regular water changes and feel the heater would be a better investment
So far i can only find 50watss.
Is this too much?
thanks

 

[supersixone]

Hi
Supersixone.What watt of heater should I put in there.
Iv decided on a heater instead of a filter as il do regular water changes and feel the heater would be a better investment
So far i can only find 50watss.
Is this too much?
thanks

i use 25 watt heaters, usually hagen thermal compact minis. theyre only 6 inches long, so they fit nicely

 

[Bristlenose1804]

Thanks can you tell me roughly how big the tanks are?

Also where did you get your heater from.I cant seem to find any on-line
thnaks

 

[osteoporoosi]

Well even a heavily planted 100gallons isn't too much for a betta, currently I have 4 females in a 65 gallon tank. Their natural habitats contain way more water than even a 100 gallon tank.

Here's a good site filled with pics from Thailand.

http/siamensis.org/survey/s001e.asp

 

[OohFeeshy]

Well even a heavily planted 100gallons isn't too much for a betta, currently I have 4 females in a 65 gallon tank. Their natural habitats contain way more water than even a 100 gallon tank.

Here's a good site filled with pics from Thailand.

http/siamensis.org/survey/s001e.asp

Ah, I was looking for that link, or one very similar

 

[RandomWiktor]

I find it really funny when people argue about what is most natural for a betta, when they are rearing un-natural fin mutations of the species in an un-natural environment. Yes, they are related to wild animals, so yeah, you should keep them in something similar, but no tank, no captive condition, is even mildly comparable to what they have in the wild. Small tanks work. Big tanks work. It all depends on how each fishkeeper defines proper husbandry. Do I agree with keeping a betta in anything smaller than a 5 gallon tank? No. Do I admit that they are ok in a 1 gallon tank? Yeah. Do I firmly believe that proper diet, clean water, correct temperature, etc. will do much more for your betta's lifespan than the size of its tank? Yes. Despite that, do I think all animals need some kind of behavioral enrichment too? Yes. Do I think that just because a person has an arseload of fish, they necesarily know best? No (if that were the case, I guess all those industrial chicken egg farmers who keep 5 hens in a cage not fit for 1 are the EXPERTS of proper bird care, eh?)

The fact of it is, different husbandry works for different people. I've always kept my bettas in 5-10 gallon tanks and have never had an issue with stress. Other people will swear by the fact that thier betta stresses out in anything bigger than 2 gallons. It all depends on the individual fish, and the amount of time and effort you are able to put into husbandry. Really, the only person who could possibly be "right" about betta care is someone who owns a friggen rice paddy in Asia and has only wild types who live and breed there with absolutely no human interference.

Bristlenose - Good looking choice of tank. They sell similar ones, "Kritter Keepers" and the like, at most pet store chains, and sometimes even stores like wallmart or kmart carry them. I know that wallmart carries a number of 2.5-5 gallon tank set-ups with hoods, lights, and filters. They also sell little mini-heaters for tanks that are between 2 and 5 gallons. Though, you can also buy a 10 gallon for about $8.99, and the cost of a hood and small filter would in some cases not bring you up to the cost of some of these fancy 2.5 and 5 gallons.
I'm sure your betta will be happy in the set-up you've selected, and it is wonderful that you are doing so much research into proper tank size before buying. My one word of advice is, no matter what size tank you get: longer than tall. Regardless of the size of the tank bettas live in, most do prefer shallow bodies of water. I am going to be experimenting this summer with a 10 gallon tank filled with 5 gallons of water, and planted, to see what kind of behavioral changes I see from my normal 5 gallons, which I feel are a little too deep and not long/wide enough. Good luck with your new fish, and sorry for the fights breaking out on your thread. I probably just contributed, but eh; I got frustrated

Osteoporoosi - I was browsing your photobucket account. NICE tanks.

 

[supersixone]

I find it really funny when people argue about what is most natural for a betta, when they are rearing un-natural fin mutations of the species in an un-natural environment..............My one word of advice is, no matter what size tank you get, longer than tall; regardless of the size of the body of water bettas live in, most do prefer shallow bodies of water.

haha...while i agree that longer is better than taller, didn't you just do what you were criticizing? you're rearing a betta in an unnatural environment yet giving advice based on their natural environment.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Actually, all I said was that as a species, they tend to prefer longer than taller. Honestly, I can't think of a species of fish this wouldn't apply to. I mentioned nothing about the natural environment, just on what is best for the fish. I guess I should have said "tanks" instead of "bodies of water." My bad.

Besides, if I wasn't a hypocrite, would I have said all that with the signature I currently have? ::grins::

 

[supersixone]

Actually, all I said was that as a species, they tend to prefer longer than taller. Honestly, I can't think of a species of fish this wouldn't apply to. I mentioned nothing about the natural environment, just on what is best for the fish. I guess I should have said "tanks" instead of "bodies of water." My bad.

i believe angels prefer taller tanks due to the shape of their bodies.

i think everyone is simply trying to create an environment that is "best for the fish." it's not unreasonable to use nature as a guideline, even though the best we can do is an approximation.

is your signature an image? i don't see one, but the web filter here at work blocks images hosted on certain sites (photobucket especially!)

 

[RandomWiktor]

Yup, it sure is an image, and photobucket too. Does that mean not everyone can see my preachy-ness? Dangit!

Its basically a little picture condemning keeping bettas in uber-tiny tanks.

I belong more to the 5 gallon + crowd, but felt the need to post here noting that comparing tanks to rice paddies is comparing apples to oranges, because not only is the environment very different, but the fish themselves are. I think some heavily finned VT would absolutely fair poorly in a huge body of water, because thier fins are so heavy and cumbersome that they can hardly swim as it is. However, I don't see the argument of a plakat getting stressed out in a 10 gallon, because they are no poorer a swimmer than any other fish.

I'm a big believer of finding out what works best for your individual fish instead of lumping all bettas into "all bettas need 1 gallon" or "all bettas need 10 gallons," because different things stress out different animals. I just moved one of my bettas to a nice big tank, and all he does is "pace" all day now. His fins are getting ragged from swimming back and fourth endlessly, and his color is awful. I'm probably going to downgrade him, even though I don't want to, though I'm going to try planting more first. On the other hand, I have a betta who uses each and every inch of his 5 gallon, is miserable in anything smaller, and would probably like something bigger. When I move back out of my apartment, he's definately moving to a 10 gallon.

Also, there is so more more to proper betta care than tank size; they are the one species where tank size can vary quite dramatically without much of an ill effect to the fish. Behavioral enrichment, diet, temperature, pH, water cleanliness, etc. play a huge role in betta health, and really never seem to get as much consideration as tank size, which is a shame. While it is true that larger tanks tend to have a more stable temp and do not build up waste as quick, it is also entirely possible to have a large tank that is worse for the betta than a small one, due to something like poor husbandry, a stressfully fast current, or no environmental stimulation.

I could probably blab on and on about this, but I won't Hopefully this post helped to better clarify what I was getting at.

Ok. I'm done hijacking the thread, sorry for the outburst.

 

[supersixone]

i have a lot of plakats, so that may also affect my point of view i have found that a small number of my bettas do prefer smaller tanks over larger ones, but on the whole they seem to enjoy 3-5 gallons on up. if a fish isn't doing well and all their other needs are attended to (diet, water quality, temperature, etc), then i try them in a different tank size to see if that helps. like you, i have some who can't stand being in less than 5 gallons.

 

[osteoporoosi]

I think that people who claim that bettas don't survive large tanks have had too much current in their tanks. Current is harmful especially for longfinned males, that are poor swimmers. Females aren't so sensitive.

Larger tanks are more stabile- this is the most important fact when I say that 10gallon is the minimum.

And thanks RandomWiktor- the second pic is from the 65 female betta tank.

 

[supersixone]

i received this unwanted and unsolicited email from John Nicholson:

Not going to make this a long one but please educate yourself. Your arguments are illogocal and child like. I am not going to pull the board down but shooting holes in your logic would be like shooting fish in a barrel.

-john

since i neither desire nor consent to any off-forum communications with this individual, i shall post my response here:

I believe the word you are seeking is "illogical." It would seem I am not the one lacking an education.

Let's review here. We had a difference of opinion on a public forum. Your responses eventually devolved into a virtual temper tantrum rife with ad hominem attacks. In the midst of said tantrum, you made a grossly incorrect assumption, namely that I believe my bettas to have personalities. When this error was pointed out and my reasoning for using larger tanks further explained, you responded by sending me a puerile, unsolicited, and ineffectual e-mail reminiscent of teenage false bravado. Do you disagree that larger tanks provide better water quality, a more stable biofilter, or a more stable temperature? Perhaps you disagree that these things are beneficial to the health of bettas or any other fish.

It is apparent you are not capable of calmly discussing conflicting views in an adult manner, as others here have done in your absence. I apologize if this matter has caused you to experience cognitive dissonance, however, disagreement is an inevitable part of a discussion forum. Please do not clutter my e-mail inbox again with such useless remarks. Any subsequent emails will be automatically filtered to the spam folder where they belong. Thanks in advance.

to Bristlenose - I applaud your patience in this matter. Kudos to you for not becoming sidetracked from your original goal of finding an appropriately sized home for your fish!