Two Possible Betta Tanks

[rikkitiger]

first of all, i live four hours away from a pet store, so i am limeted to walmart.
 
i am thirteen, and my spending money on this is thirty dollars, possibly thirty five.
 
i am heading to walmart to get my first bettas.
 
i have two tanks, one is a two gallon mason jar, and one is a ten gallon aquarium with filter, lights, and everything.
 
i was wondering how many female betta i can keep in the ten gallon, i am willing to try a sorority.
 
i am going to keep one betta in the mason jar. i have read they can be kept in those conditions, so i am going to try it.
 
winter where i live is cold. very cold.
 
however, my neighbor who gave me the ten gallon aquarium had five goldfish that lived three years, and her aquarium was next to the door and window.
 
i am wondering do i ABSOLUTELY have to get a submersile heater? because i really dont want to spend extra money and get one. and i have read places online that you dont absolutely need one.  the only place i can have the ten gallon aquarium is next to the window. in the summer, thats ok, but in the winter....? the ten gallon has a light on it though, so.. yeah.
 
the mason jar is in a warm place, so i am not going to get a heater for it.

 

[ncguppy830]

yes you need filtration and a heater for tropical fish period. you shoudlnt keep that betta in the mason jar either, there minimum a 2.5  galllon with filtration heating and every other day WCs. sororities arent reccomended for begginers either but if you did do them they are reccomended to be sisters to limit the amount of aggresion.

 

[Paradise3]

Don't get any betta's for the jar. They need filtered, heated 3 gallon tanks bare minimum.
 
As for the sorority. I wouldn't recommend one in a 10 gallon and not to a beginner. They can get pretty nasty at times and you need at least 5 females bare minimum but more is always better and you can't fit any more than 5 in a 10 gallon so you'll be on the bare bones with the numbers in a small tank.
 
If you want a male, why not get a male for the 10 gallon and have some Ember Tetra's with him?

 

[ncguppy830]

or how about 2 males in a divided 10 gallon for that matter?

 

[Meeresstille]

Those goldfish survived because they can handle cooler temperatures. A Betta will need a heater to stay healthy and have the best chance to reach a long life. During the winter the room temperature will drop considerately and you possibly could wake up to a dead Betta! Remember, they are tropical fish, they like warm temperatures.
 
I like ncguppy's suggestion to divide your 10 gallon and get two male Bettas for it! I think that would look pretty cool and it would give you a higher chance of becoming a successful fish keeper.

 

[TallTree01]

Aye, I'd say either divide the ten and get two bettas or don't divide it and get betta and some small schooling fish.
You can then use the mason jar as a silly hat or you could make jam and put it in the jar.

 

[Lillefishy]

You need a heater & filter, the fact the goldfish only lived 3 years when they can live 20 years + should tell you something, please don't put a Betta in the mason jar

 

[Creature]

first of all, i live four hours away from a pet store, so i am limeted to walmart.
 
i am thirteen, and my spending money on this is thirty dollars, possibly thirty five.
 
i am heading to walmart to get my first bettas.
 
i have two tanks, one is a two gallon mason jar, and one is a ten gallon aquarium with filter, lights, and everything.
 
i was wondering how many female betta i can keep in the ten gallon, i am willing to try a sorority.
 
i am going to keep one betta in the mason jar. i have read they can be kept in those conditions, so i am going to try it.
 
winter where i live is cold. very cold.
 
however, my neighbor who gave me the ten gallon aquarium had five goldfish that lived three years, and her aquarium was next to the door and window.
 
i am wondering do i ABSOLUTELY have to get a submersile heater? because i really dont want to spend extra money and get one. and i have read places online that you dont absolutely need one.  the only place i can have the ten gallon aquarium is next to the window. in the summer, thats ok, but in the winter....? the ten gallon has a light on it though, so.. yeah.
 
the mason jar is in a warm place, so i am not going to get a heater for it.

Never put a betta in a mason jar! That's just cruel, don't listen to whatever you read because it's obviously wrong! You either need a 5 gal for the male or don't get the male. >.>

 

[Ninjouzata]

I think where you may be getting the jar thing is that it's very commonly used to separate betta fry with them, but they are not there long before they go off to new homes and generally the breeder keeps them in a heated room and does water changes on them.
 
Please do not house your betta in one, and like has been said, they do need a heater. You want to keep them between 78-82F.
 
Sororities are not something recommended for beginners.
 
I agree with dividing the 10g and keeping two or just get one and have some tankmates with it.
It may or may not accept small schooling fish, but most will accept snails, and there are some beautiful snails out there.
 
Also as has been said, goldfish have a much longer life expectancy than that, when kept in the proper conditions. This tank was actually much too small for even one, let alone 3.
They are also coldwater fish which is why they were fine in the winter.
 
Here is a care sheet for you: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/423362-betta-splendens-caresheet/
 
Please don't take any of us as being harsh/rude, we just want what's best for your fish. 

 

[Wildbetta]

Bettas REQUIRE a heater.  The temperature of their tank should be a min of 78F with 82F being best and it needs to be kept stable which is why a heater is required.  Even in the summer when the weather is warm, room temp is not stable and will drop especially at night.  Swings in temperature cause your betta stress will negatively affects him(or her) and makes it a lot easier for him to become sick. Low temperature also affects the metabolism of the betta and can cause fatty build up around his internal organs.  
 
What it sounds like to me is that you have 1 tank and a mason jar which is not a good choice for a tank.  I know that there are some places that will tell you that it is ok to use the mason jar for a tank but it really is not advised.  There is not a good amount of swimming room (bettas are very active when kept correctly), and it is not conductive to a heater which you need.  The 10 gallon tank can be divided into a maximum of 4 different sections to house 4 bettas separately and safely while allowing each one to have a decent amount of space and gaining the benefit of a cycled filter and a heater.  If you need help with dividing the tank, feel free to pm me and I can give you detailed directions including pics.  
 
I do not recommend a sorority for you.  Sororities are recommended for people who have dealt with bettas and understand the body language.  Female bettas are very aggressive but don't always appear to be if you are not aware of the behavior.  You have to be able to have separate tanks for the females in case they are too aggressive or too stressful with other fish as well. 
 
As for the goldfish -- they can live for upwards of 20 years if kept properly so the fact that they only lived to 3 years definitely says something was not right.  They do not need a heater unless it gets really cold since they are a cold water fish.  Comparing the two types of fish is like comparing apples to oranges they are that different from each other.

 

[rikkitiger]

Ok thanks for all the instant feedback, here is the new verdict:

I am still going to get a betta in the mason jar, but i have a bigger jar and i got a submersile heater at a garage sale.

My friend gave me a filter and a submersile heater she used for her ten gallon, dont worry i cleaned everything out.

I am planning on getting 1-2 female betta and a group of neon tetras and a couple zebra dions for the ten gallon now. I have the filter up and running, and the water is conditioned, things are cleaned and rinsed of chemicals, and im looking forward to monday when i get my fish

 

[ncguppy830]

You cant have either neon tetras or zebra danios iin that tank size, and you cant have less than 5 females bettas toghether. Do you know how big the bigger jar is?

 

[rikkitiger]

Dont worry, the new mason jar is a big one, i went garage saling and found a five gallon.
I dont know the exact type of goldfish they had, but they rescued them from a hospice store where she works. Some people dropped off old goldfish and she was nice enough to let them live out the rest of their lives so there was no telling how old they were. I disagree that it was not enough room for them. They were very happy, healthy and active.

And i tried not to take the "dont put a betta in a mason jar" personally.

My mom's work has had their betta evan in a 2 gallon mason jar with no lid for two years. And no heater. I am not planning on doing that though, i know bettas need a heater and a lid with holes in it.

The jar will be fine for the fish, i have a plant for it, gravel, conditioner, and now a very small submersile heater.
I will keep you updated on how the betta does. I am planning that if it is not doing very well, i am going to divide the ten gallon and house it there.

I care very deeply about the fish and am not going to force it to live somewhere its not happy with.
I also dissagree with the fact that i cant keep neon tetras in a ten gallon tank. I have read all over tht you can keep five or six in a ten gallon.

 

[ncguppy830]

ok good to know you care about the fish and it sounds like youll d good, BTW just because the fish looks good and active doesnt really mean its thriving.

 

[Paradise3]

Don't get a betta for the jar at all no matter whether it's a bigger jar or not. They really need a tank with a heater and filter. Not just a heater.
 
I really wouldn't recommend a sorority as you're a beginner and you NEED 5 females minimum. More is much, much better but you can't fit more than 5 females in your tank and that would be ALONE. No tankmates at all.
 
So you'd be working on bare bones with the number and in a small tank... That is a recipe for disaster... Female betta's can be a lot worse than males, trust me I know! 
 
The goldfish were in a tank way too small. They need a 200l bare minimum with an extra 45l for every extra goldfish. So the five goldfish your friend gave you in a 10G(45L) actually needed a 380L BARE minimum... They were housed in a tank too small for them.
 
This all good advice. The jar will be no good as Betta's are air breathers and therefore need a large surface area so a jar is no good.