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[pica_nuttalli]

well, here's my situation. i bought a betta to go in my former quarantine tank. i had at that point considered my stocklist as finalized, thus the 2.5g would be empty and perfect for this lovely betta i bought on an impulse.

what do i find when i get home? kribensis fry. next thing i know, the male krib is violently assaulting the female. so i separate out the male and the female starts eating the fry. so i pull out the female and where do i have to put her? the 2.5g tank.

so i'm having to keep the betta in a quart vase because i literally do not have the space in my apartment to keep him safely in anything bigger. all the locations where i could place a larger jar are subject to temperature fluctations, unstable, in high traffic areas, receive minimal light, frequently needed for workspace and/or frequently exposed to chemicals. its a small apartment and its pretty much fully-stocked. the only good place for my betta to go until my 2.5g frees up is on a 5-inch deep window sill. he get diffused lighting all morning from the sun, stays at about 76F thanks to radiant heat from outside (which is constantly 80+ this time of year) and is safely tucked away from clumsines.

but i am having to keep him in temporary housing. should i have returned him in his cup to the store? or put him in with a paradise gourami? or in with the pufferfish? oh, i know, i could restrict him to a breeder net with a wad of hornwort to help block the lights. i suppose i could have made him share 2.5g with a 2-inch cichlid... but instead, i'm abusing him by keeping him in slightly more than a quart of water with a small lilly and 5 aged water changes a week for the next month or so.

look, i'm all in favor of keeping bettas long-term in appropriately sized containers. i'm actually hoping to set up a 10g for mine the next time i move. but stuff happens and sometimes you have to pick between "must" and "should". you must keep your betta in clean water, feed it appropriately, protect it from being knocked over, and protect it from low/variable temperatures. you only should keep it in more than a gallon of water.

 

[Karah's_Mommy]

I'm a big believer in the fact that if you can't properly care for or house ANY animal, then you shouldn't have it. BUT, there are certainly times and situations when keeping a betta temporarily in a smaller home is necessary. I would rather see a betta housed in a 1/2 gallon tank by some of the people here that take proper care and do regular and frequent water changes, than in the hands of some other (ignorant) people in 1 gallon or other tanks.

 

[yeeviabetta]

Don't fight don't fight!!! OK. My two cents!!! I do agreed with bigger tank the better. I still doubt beanie bean is a good idea. It is ok from juvenile then up to a month and then you better change it bigger container. Well, I have a great news after my experiences to you all is that, I found something real good for housing betta and especially for halfmoon. I am not trying to promote Walmart anyway, hahaha but that is where you can get them. LOL
Go to plastic container section. The brand called Sterilite and they name the plastic hanging file container as "Show Offs". If I am right, it is 4 to 5 gallon and perfect size height too!!!! and only cost $3.99 each!!! with a lid on. The air can get into the container from four side so you can lock the lid up. Anyway, I did drew two holes on the top lid so I don't have to open the lid to fed the betta. Just dump into the hole. Makesure put some live plant too and the betta will sleep like a hammock!

 

[OohFeeshy]

My smallest current betta tank is 1 gallon. That holds my little female, who I got mainly on the grounds of 'its delivery day soon, she's the only one left, poor lil girl' etc. My others are in 3 gallon tanks. I think that all the tanks are too small really, and I'd obvioulsy love to upgrade them. Sizewise, my opinion is that 10 gallons is perfect, as I've found that when in the 20g, they tend to stay in one half and claim that corner as their territory.
The cup arguement is OK, but what if you live in a place where they're not kept in cups like I am? Surely you wouldn't use that arguement on other animals?
Anyway, its hot, I'm bored of argueing about things like this when its going to be a cold day in hell before we reach a conclusion.

BTW, just another thought I (and I know some others) have- Why is it people always reccomend bettas for 1g tanks when there are other species, such as honey/dwarf gouramis that are the same size? If not smaller if you include the bettas tail, which IMO should be at least partly counted as most of my boys tails are longer than their bodies.

 

[50000_tears]

i may keep my bettas in one gallon tanks but they seem happy as an other betta. i just learned my little buddy is in a half gallon,its ok to me since he is a blind guy he would get confused w/ all this space. so are you saying im abusing Buddy since hes in a small tank? i got news for you kid i clean it ever 2-3 days and i dont think thats bad

 

[slamster17]

i keep my bettas in beanies and there is nothing wrong with that, the bettas are happy and clean that is what matters.

i think that if kelly(wuv) were here this topic would have been closed

 

[Haiku]

I just think that everyone here is trying to do the best they can to provide their bettas with the best they can. I also don't feel it's "wrong" to house a betta in a temporary home for awhile, and there's really no purpose to arguing what temporary means, it means different things to different people. I think we can all agree that at least 1 gallon is best, and 2g or more is great if you can provide it. If someone keeps their betta in a 1/2 gallon but changes the water religiously, feeds them, keeps them free of diseases and the betta lives a long and happy life, then yes, that is better than the majority of pet shop bettas in the U.S. end up with. Anyone who is on TFF is obviously trying to learn and do right by their fish, otherwise they wouldn't come here! I just think nothing comes of making them feel bad and possibly even turning them away. I believe in leading by example. When I first joined no one jumped on me about tank sizes, but I saw pictures of nice setups and heard stories of happy bettas so I made it my mission to do better, and so I have. If I had joined and had people immediately jump on me, more likely I would have fled the forum. Anyone can read the pinned topic about ideal betta living quarters and see what the preferred is, so there is no point jumping on them when they post, it most probably won't serve to change the way they are doing things.

 

[OohFeeshy]

What annoys me more is the 'no your betta will be happier in a 1 gallon tank' when people have them in community setups. Sure, bettas and other fish don't always get along, but would you rather be in a house or a box?

 

[OrkyBetta]

If I had to be in a house where people were constantly picking on me or even trying to kill me, or if I had an insatiable urge to kill them, maybe an apartment would be better off, even if it was smaller. But I wouldn't have to share it.

I don't think it is 'wrong' to keep bettas in half gallons or one gallons. I wouldn't like to see a betta in anything smaller, (unless for medical reasons like bettamom) but the thing is, if you can properly keep a betta in that small of an environment, there is no reason to not have the pet, and let it have an uncertain fate contracting god knows what in an inch of water at the lfs.

 

[tacofrano]

Yes. IMO, however, you should always try to keep somthing in their permanent home.
You wouldn't buy a full grown Great Dane and put him in a tiny little 400sq. appartment and say "I'll move him to a bigger house once I can move."
Its the same with fish.
My dog example above isn't logical. Nor is keeping a betta in a small tank and just expect you'll move them later.

see but if you cannot afford a bigger place for your fish at the time then there is a problem. whould you rather keep it at the pet store for another week in the dirty cup or whould you rater keep it in a clean 1/2g? yea i know they are only $1 at the thrifty store but they are so far away from me i can only go every other week

 

[BettaMomma]

Okay, I lied.
I AM going to post again on this, but just one more time. And THEN I will be all done w/the topic of tank sizes forever.

Come on guys.... EVERY single person on this forum wants what is best for their bettas. That's the bottom line.

I had 7 betta kids in my basket at WalMart the other night, and I chose to drag only one of them home. Seeing how well he is doing I am kicking myself for not having gotten the other 6. And I can guarantee you that I'd have probably picked up 7 little 1/2 gallon bowls and some flat marbles with a soft silk plant (that's EXACTLY what Sam is going to live in for a while) for them all to live in for a while - probably several months because I already have 9 minibow tanks on my list of "things to get for my fish" for the fish I already have. Those other 6 fish would have been MUCH better off than they are now. In fact, I am quite certain that most, if not all, of those boys are now dead because I left them behind and they got no treatment and no care, so yeah. 2 of them had swim bladder issues, 3 of them were pale and lifeless, and one had swiss cheese for fins. Can anybody honestly tell me that I would have been a cruel person for bringing them home and giving them that type of housing over the little watery grave they are now in? Think of how long some of those poor little things sit on the shelf sadly seeing another day slip away that they might be able to have a home where someone loved and fed them and gave them attention. EVEN if that meant living in a 1/2 gallon bowl. I can safely say without any hesitation that, given the chance to choose, EVERY single one of those fish would choose to come home with me... or you... or that forum member over there.... and live in a 1/2 gallon bowl to be loved and fed and smothered with attention over staring sadly out the side of their cup for days on end.

It makes me really angry to know that people are being made to feel guilty or like they're doing something horribly wrong for taking wonderful care of a little life who, sadly, many other folks in this world don't give much more value to than they would a stick. Haiku, I couldn't have made your statements any better myself. I agree that some people (INCLUDING myself) are getting really turned off by being jumped on about how their fish are being kept. It's a good thing I've been hanging around here for so long or I'd probably be scared to voice my opinions on it.

I commend anyone who loves their fish, takes care of it and gives it what it needs - regardless of what size tank it's in. You are wonderful people.

I don't remember who made the comment about believing in the fact that if you can not care for a pet you shouldn't have it. I agree with that 237%. If you have a fish that comes home with you and gets put into a 1/2 gallon bowl - that in no way says you aren't caring for your fish. If you feed it, give it attention and clean water, you are caring for it. However, if you buy a dog, stick it in your backyard on a chain and forget about it- now THAT is not caring for your animal. They're two totally different things.

I realize that people aren't going to agree with me, and they never will. That's completely fine - I would never hold it against them. Just like I would hope that people don't hold my beliefs against me.

And lastly, for the record - besides little Sam who is pretty ill, all of my fish are in 2.5G or larger tanks, except 2 who are in a split 2.5G tank - but hopefully that will change eventually. HOWEVER... my fish are in tanks this size because i have the luxury of being able to afford them and even though I don't really have a ton of extra space for them, I always manage to find a place to put them. Not everyone has both (or even one) of those luxuries to enjoy.

 

[50000_tears]

seriously who cares what tank size they are in everyone loves their bettas

 

[Elise]

Bettamomma- You go girl!

 

[OrkyBetta]

Bettamomma, you need to write a book. We should just end this topic. All of the SPCA's and humane societies say that the size of the pen/container for an animal really doesn't amtter in a cruelty case, it is weather the animal is healthy, recieving treatment if its not, being fed aproprate ammounts of good food, live in a clean environment, and recieves necessary attention. So, if all of these well respected societies agree on this, we should do it to. If YOU want to keep your bettas in fabulous 10 gallon tanks each, more power to you! Of course we should give our bettas the largest homes we can. But face it, we aren't all made of money.

 

[Mariah]

Well said Bettamom I completly 100% agree with you