The truth about bettas?

[Buphy]

So... Hoping this doesn't make too much of a debate but... What is really needed for a betta? Yes, petsmart keeps them in cups and that's just not cool. But you also don't need a 40 gallon tank for them...

I've just seen some really nice ones lately and think I would enjoy giving one a good home. Anyways, let 'er rip! What y'all got?

 

[convict360]

Had mine in a 2.5 gallon filtered cylinder tank thing, well planted; and he was (looked) very healthy, I'll try and get pictures, 2 secs

 

[convict360]

as promised, makes me want to set it up again!

 

[Kittiee Katt]

as promised, makes me want to set it up again!

View attachment 1138052

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Cute tank..

To the OP, personally I think a single betta would be more than happy with 20ltrs of water, given that you kept up good maintenance on it. That being said my betta is in a 120ltr tank along with 5 minnows and soon an upsidedown catfish. I found out the other day that he's 'apparently' old for a betta (around 3 years old) but you'd never guess it, I personally think thats because of the tank size, water quality and diet.

But ultimately I wouldn't see a problem with a single betta in a 10-20 ltr tank with good filtration.

 

[joe jaskot]

Bettas do fine in small containers. Ask any serious betta breeder. One of the guys in my fish club is a top breeder in the IBC. He has about 300 bettas each in small containers, feeds them twice a week, does water changes each week with a turkey baster. Some of the nicest bettas you will ever see.

 

[appak]

i have one in a 10gal which is overrun with plants, the more space you give them the more you see them swimming around everywhere. i think at this point i'd feel bad putting one in anything smaller, just because of how much they actually move around.

and with a bigger (planted) tank you can justify/risk tankmates as well

 

[skjl47]

Hello; Bettas can survive in very small containers largely, I think, because they can hold a small air bubble in their body and get supplemental oxygen. Fish without this adaptation would use up the O2 in such a small amount of water. I also think that the native area for bettas can have high water temps which leads to reduced O2 levels. Bettas are adapted to low O2 saturation.

Beyond the O2 it seems to me that the other aspects of water quality should apply. Metabolism byproducts will show up in the water. Decay byproducts from uneaten food and such should be in the water. One rule of thumb I have gone by for years is to have the largest tank that is practical as I have found the larger volume to be easier to maintain. Put another way, smaller tanks can go into some sort of crisis quicker that larger ones. The same sort of rule can be applied to stocking density. I use the analogy of a large tank with low stocking density being like a wide road with lots of buffer capacity before going into the ditch. A small tank or one with heavy stocking like being on a tightrope that will put the tank into a crisis with small problems.

I like to keep a betta in five gallon tank, but can see as small as one gallon being workable if you stay on top of the water conditions.

Breeders have a particular set of circumstances. They must raise a lot of individuals and the males cannot be kept together.
One way is to use small containers and have a lot of them. To me this must require lots of attention to the water changes and all that involves on a daily basis. It also likely requires the general environment of the room needs to be kept around 80 degrees.
Another way is to partition a tank so that the bettas are kept apart but the larger tank is filtered and heated like any other tank. The partitions allow for a flow of the water. In the past such tanks with betta chambers were for sale in fish stores, I have not checked in years.

In addition to a five gallon tank, I like to keep the water temps around 80 F for bettas. I also think it is better to have a tighter cover on the tanks for maintaining a higher humidity in the air above the water. My thinking being that as the bettas take a gulp of air, warm moist air is better than cold dry air.

 

[Buphy]

Thanks everyone for responses! What about filtration/heating? Apartment is normally kept between 74 and 80, will I need a heater? And can filtration be replace by large daily water changes? Tank would probably want to be on the smaller side, similar to the 2.5 gallon. It'll be a counter/bar tank because my upcoming 75 and 125 gallon tanks will already be full of cichlids and dither.

 

[Buphy]

Though now that I think about it... I think I have a fluval edge laying around some where...

 

[skjl47]

Hello; Bettas are not the strongest swimmers so I tend to not have a lot of flow. In a small tank a sponge filter buried in some substrate run with air. Not a lot of bubbles, just enough to keep a scum layer from forming on the surface. Pretty much how any small tank would be set up. Change the water and such like any other.

I have kept them in community tanks. This works as long as the tank mates are not inclined to nip the bettas long fins. That has been the biggest issue for me. Some fish cannot resist taking a nip. Bettas are also hard on the larger snails. I have watched a male hover near a snail waiting. Then he would lung in and take a nip.

I have been able to get male bettas to take small chunks of fish filet from the tip of a finger. They also like the wingless fruit flys. (vestigial winged drosophila melanogaster). These are fairly easy to raise (helps if you are a bachelor).