Switching From Tank To Bowl

[AmtotheBurr]

Some of you will disagree (and that's ok) , let me preface my post with that.
So I had Hugo in a five gallon tank but have decided to move him into a large bowl. (Large like five gallon bowl large). Hugo is a pretty large betta himself. I moved him over tonight and he's exploring his new place. I'm keeping the tank just in case I ever needed to move him back.
The photo looks deceptively small, but I assure you, he looks like a minnow in there.
That clear thing is a hamster cage accessory. He loves swimming into tunnels and such and he hangs out there.
I don't know if those plants will live without direct light, we shall see

 

[RyanTheFishGuy64]

Can you heat it and filter it?

 

[AmtotheBurr]

The temperature is pretty constant here in Florida... I don't use heaters in any of my tanks and they stay consistent. If I ever get anything bigger than a 20 gallon I'm sure I'd need one though.
Bettas don't have to have filters and they're pretty low on the fish waste scale. Water changes will have to be weekly now, but it's manageable. A sponge filter could be added later if needed though.

 

[NickAu]

Hi Amber.

 
The temperature is pretty constant here in Florida... I don't use heaters in any of my tanks and they stay consistent

Can you tell me what the temp of the water was at 3.45 am? No, then you need a heater.
 

 
Water changes will have to be weekly now,

Water should be changed every week regardless, and with an unfiltered and un cycled tank you need to keep a close eye on the water parameters, Ammonia builds up fast.
 
In my opinion you need more live plants and some floating ones. You have a nice boy there give him a nice home.
 
Bowls are for soup not fish, The shape of the bowl can be a problem when it comes to surface area and oxygenation of the water.

 

[Alasse]

Looks great AmtotheBurr....
 
I am another who has no issue with Betta being in bowls. If you live in an area that stays a constant temp, no heater required either. And filtration is personal choice, providing you put in the effort with maintenance.
 
In summer my betta have no heater, and they currently have no filter running either

 

[Mark Z.]

Looks good!
 
If your plants don't work out, you might try an anubia. I have one on a piece of driftwood in my betta's bowl. They don't require as much light.
 
Mark

 

[DWC]

I had good luck with Bettas in 1-2 gallon jars with Java Ferns in each jar, but still had to do twice weekly water changes of 75%. The ferns flourished and didn't need substrate. Here in Massachusetts I needed heat so I had four of the jars in an old ten gallon tank that just a served as a water bath, surrounding each jar in heated water. I liked the quiet of the setup but eventually went to a 10 gallon planted tank each with thin sand substrate, snails and a sponge filter. Your Betta looks happy, I think you can tell by cues such as activity level, appetite and response to you approaching bowl. My bettas come to the front surface now when I approach each morning to be fed. Your bowl looks great but may be more work for you. One caution, a five gallon bowl will be pretty heavy and unwieldy to lift, save your bowl and back and use a siphon for water changes.

Hope Hugo enjoys his new pad.

 

[AmtotheBurr]

I think I'll go today and pick up a small heater just to be on the safe side. I think it can work in a bowl?
And yes, Nick, I know water changes are once a week on tanks. I don't know why I typed that actually (about it being once a week now), sorry. I was reading sites about the smaller the home, the more frequent the water changes. That doesn't really apply since it's a similar size to what he came from. I have a freshwater test kit so I'll monitor ammonia too.
I did use new gravel in the bowl, but transferred about 70% of his tank water and 30% treated new water. All of the plants and the big rocks are from the old tank.
I will be adding more plants from his old tank once I see these don't die. I have a lot more to add!

 

[Chad]

I'm in the same boat as you being in Arizona a heater isn't necessary. My house is climate controlled and stays constant year round. It's one of the perks of living in the desert. I keep a heater in my tank "just in case" but it never actually turns on. 
 
As a side note, going from a 5 gallon tank to a 5 gallon bowl, in my opinion, doesn't require the qualifier you gave. When I read that I thought what would follow was that you were putting him in a tiny space, but you just moved him to an equal space. In a tank that small you could easily do daily water changes. A daily change of just 8 ounces would go a long way. Just dip a cup in, toss that water out, then pour the same amount of treated water in. Filters are great and I do recommend them, but small daily changes or even twice daily, are easy to do when you pass by the tank. 

 

[AmtotheBurr]

Thanks Chad! I agree water changes are easier for a few reasons now. I actually see the fish several times now since he's on a side counter in the kitchen instead of a room almost noone goes in. Changing the water in the same room AS the water- simple.
I actually think he may have more swim space than the tank given the fact the current from the filter in the tank kept him out of 1/4 of open tank.
Some folks get really hairy about a betta in a bowl. I have never used a heater in his tank and he's been fine. I don't mind getting one "just in case" but it kind of ruins the aesthetic of a simple bowl

 

[jag51186]

This isn't really relevant for you, but just a thought for other betta bowl keepers. You could do an undertank heater with a reostat to control the temp of the water without having a heater in the water. It's used commonly in reptile enclosures, and would probably work here too, but might need an airstone or something to circulate the heat better.

Nice bowl, but I tend to like bettas better in tanks myself...mainly for aesthetics. 

 

[Wildbetta]

The big bowls are really nice.  I have seen some really gorgeous planted betta bowls before.   I see no reason for a filter in this type of setup especially since the fish doesn't require it. 
 
Some things to consider:   Make sure you have a cover over the bowl so that your boy doesn't leap out.  Get a thermometer so you can monitor how consistent the water temperature stays.  If your water stays within 78F-80F (consistent room temperature of a couple degrees warmer)without a heater at all times, then you don't have to have a heater, otherwise I suggest getting a small one to put in there for you to be able to keep the temperature consistently at a good temperature.  Without a filter, I recommend doing more than 1 water change a week.  Small ones work nicely since it is a smaller sized environment and doing like Chad advises would work out excellent.  I recommend plants like anubia, crypts, and java ferns since they do not require a lot of light.