What does a betta really want?

[Karah's_Mommy]

For my birthday in February, I bought myself 2 bettas and one of the little double plastic tanks they sell that supposedly promote flaring. I found out quickly .. within a couple days, that those little bitty tanks are horrible. I then bought them each a 1 gallon tank, with air bubbler/filter, and a light. They seem to like that set up much better. But, the more I read about bettas, the more I'm thinking that 1 gallon isn't enough either. What, ultimately, does a betta want? 1 gal ? 5 ? 10 ? does he want to be alone, or with 1 or 2, or many other fish for company? I put a live plant in each 1 gallon tank, and they like to swim/rest in it. I've read that they like to swim through things .... like the little hampster tunnels ...... is that true ? is there a place I can order things like that for them ? Any suggestions, information, etc would me much appreciated. Thanks

 

[Bettabelieveit]

Bettas will take as much room as you will give them, the more the merrier they say! but 1 gallon is viewed as the absolute minimum, I have most of mine in a container thats about 3 gallons, just a little more, and I also have a 10 gallon divided into two, they prefer to be alone, but if someone's next to them, they'll act all tough like they want to tear into them, but if you take them away after a while, they can get depressed, -- they're not so tough afterall! but we knew that huh

 

[Dart]

personally, it really depends on the personality of your bettas, my one guys hated the 5 gal when he was in it, and is really happy now he's in the 1/2 gal tank

i've heard that betta's like caves and things to swim through, you just have to be careful that it doesn't have sharp edges on it.

 

[Kiarra]

One gallon is fine if you keep up with water changes. 2.5-5 gallon tanks are excellent. Some Bettas are only comfortable in smaller tanks, though, and some are only comfortable in larger tanks. It depends on the Betta.

They love live plants like Java Ferns, Java Moss, Camboba. The Java Ferns they like to sleep in, and the Camboba they seem to treat as a Betta jungle gym (according to BettaMomma ).

Caves and things to swim through are excellent, as long as there is no where that they can get stuck, no sharp edges, and there are escape hatches so that they can reach air anytime they need to.

Some Bettas can live in community tanks, and others can't handle it at all---they're either really stressed and they get sick, or they torment their tank mates. Things to avoid in community tanks are: Neon Tetras (unless they're in a VERY large shoal of their own, because they nip fins), Platies (their bright colors can sometimes intimidate a Betta, or make him turn violent), Mollies (I've had very bad experiences with Mollies nipping at and generally torturing my Bettas), Guppies (the bright colors and large tails sometimes make male Bettas aggressive, or, in the case of one of my male Guppies, the male Betta ends up being nipped at, postured at, and picked on), Tiger Barbs (notorious fin nippers, will nip a Betta to death), and anything else that is mouth-sized (the Betta can and will eat them), big enough to eat the Betta (self-explanatory), anything that nips fins (Bettas are easy targets with those big, showy fins), or anything that looks like another Betta (this includes most species of Gouramis).

These are just guidelines. All Bettas are different, and some really are better off alone. Some, however, are actually good members of a community. Usually, it's better not to risk it, or to give it a try and have a separate home for a Betta in case things don't work it. If giving it a try, though, it's best to be on hand, because things can get really bad in a hurry.

 

[Synirr]

Personally, I think the perfect size tank for a betta is 5 gallons. All the ones I've ever kept in 5 gallons seemed really happy with it, and the ones in 10 gallons seem to nearly tire themselves out patrolling the whole tank
I've got so many, though, that I don't have the room or money to keep them all in 5 gallons, so almost all of mine are in 1-3 gallons. They all seem perfectly happy

 

[OohFeeshy]

Ones in a 3, the others in a 20. I need to move the 20 guy, either divide him or move him. I'll probably divide off about 5 gallons though, it saves getting another heater. The one in the 3 seems OK, I just added the heater from the empty 3, so I'll see if he likes it any better.

 

[pjfish]

I have my male betta in a 20-gal long tank with 8 zebra danios. They all get along and the betta seems to enjoy all the space to swim. I don't have any caves, but the betta likes to nestle between the air hoses and the glass sometimes.