Betta housing

Sorry I'm taking short cuts, can't spend a lot of time on the computer (my sons). I need to make an appointment when I want to use it..joke. So my question is- what is the required space needed to house a grown betta? Some of my bowls that house my bettas are no smaller than 5 litres which is in the imperial measurement say 1 and bit gallons? So is that too small for them?

I keep a single male in a tank size of 5.5 litres which works well as it gives space for the filter, heater, a plant and a cave for him to hide, also plenty of space to swim round too. The light hangs over the tank which is attached to the back with a clear lid at the top, i have 8 of these type of tanks at the mo but planning on getting a few more if i can figure out where to put them , lol!! (I have 10 tanks in my kitchen already )

I do have a divided 21 litre tank also that works well with the tank divided in half gives enough room for a cave and a plant on each side, also the filter is kept on one of the sides.

I did experiment having kept a male in a larger tank (95 litres) it was good for him but he was lost in all the space!

I would say a min of 3G but i know other people will disagree. All i can say if the bigger the better it makes water quality easier to keep and gives them more swimming room.

It depends on the seup really. Nat can get away with having small tanks because they're individually filtered and heated and scrupulously clean, but I personally think bowls are a terrible environment for bettas.

I know you don't necessarily need a heater if you live in a warm climate, but still the temperature in a bowl can fluctuate a lot between night and day time and cause stress. The lack of filtration means no current and the oxygen carrying properties of the water depleting faster, and fluctuating levels of ammonia between water changes.

I think the 5litre would be an absolute minimum size, but really 15l plus would be far better. Also an airline (you can power many bowls with one pump) going into the bowl would help oxygenate the water.

Thanks for the great advice. So keeping a betta in a bowl is a no no, even if you do regular water checks and changes. I'm such a sucker for a new and beautiful fish that I have to have it but housing them in big tanks can create a space problem. I've got most of them in decent tanks but I might start upsetting my other half if I get anymore. Might have to limit myself to what I have for their health and safety...........but thats going to be reeeaal hard.

you need to fit a heater and a filter in the tank(or at least an air bubbler) both in which need to be slowed down ........

guessing somebody is getting new fish

Air bubbler I can do.........your right new fish on tomorrows agenda

lucky thing you!
im dying to do a fish shop nose around my girl tank looks like a ghost town,
but i darent add any new fish for a while ive got a new pair coming in a few days :/

If your going for an air pump atleast wrap some sponge or something round the stone so theres somewhere for bacteria to build because otherwise an air stone wont do any help at all.

lol ^^^^^ as kizno said i sort of take for granted that people did that lol

Pixietina wrote:lol ^^^^^ as kizno said i sort of take for granted that people did that lol

Haha. its just worth mentioning because alot of people just put air stones in thinking it will filter the tank but it wont or to hlp with oxygen levels but since bettas are Anabantoids so can breath air it makes no difference at all so just thought it was better safe than sorry lol.

I noticed in one of the aquarium shops they sell air filters with sponge just wrapped around tubing but it might be too big and bulky. How about this idea I'll line the bottom of the bowl with prefilter sponge, looks like honeycomb. Its used on fountain pond pumps. Ill put an air stone in and maybe the bacteria will live in the sponge. I don't need a heater, last night the temperature in my house was a cool 32c it will probably reach 36 today. Im joking about the cool bit, wouldn't mind some of your cold weather here.

I agree with Kalandra on the size. You'll see how happy your fish is with more room to swim.

Also, I find that if your filter causes just enough water movement, you don't really need an airstone. The bettas I've had with airstones in the past don't seem to like the movement they create and didn't really venture over to the side of the tank with the airstone until I removed them.

I have one betta in a generic 1 gal round glass fish bowl. Water from faucet (through a purifier like Pur). Should I still treat the water? Can I still use same fish bowl if another betta died in it at another time if I clean it with boiling water? Can I use the same decorations? It seems many here have more fancy fish tanks with filters and such, which is not in my budget.

You can use just an air pump with multiple lines and air stones as to keep water movement. Water temp is of importance along with frequent water changes. 50% every other day and a 100% once week from what I've heard.

I don't know how many small tanks you have and what you are doing about the temperature, but there are options that have worked well for some.

Re: Betta housing

Post by Nataliey on Sat Jan 08, 2011 11:00 am

I keep a single male in a tank size of 5.5 litres which works well as it gives space for the filter, heater, a plant and a cave for him to hide, also plenty of space to swim round too. The light hangs over the tank which is attached to the back with a clear lid at the top, i have 8 of these type of tanks at the mo but planning on getting a few more if i can figure out where to put them , lol!! (I have 10 tanks in my kitchen already Shocked )

ha ha my kitchen has about the same amount in. I have actually moved 5 or 6 tanks to the spare bedroom...x