Thinking of Getting a Betta!

[LizMarie]

The other day a bunch of use were talking about Fish in the Chat and I remembered the little read Betta had a few years ago. Being that I'm home alone with not much to do I was looking through my closet and found a fish bowl. I'm not used to have a betta in a bowel since my other one went from a critter keeper to a 10gallon tank.

My questions..

I don't know how big the bowl is but it's pretty spacious. I was thinking about some gravel, a little plant to hide behind it and thats it. Only thing with with the bowl is that I dunno if I can put a small filter in there so I don't have to change the water out all the time. I found this filter online Small World Pump and Filter Kit. Would it be a good idea?

And I heard that bettas are known to jump! Should I make a little mesh screen so that he/she doesn't jump out of the bowl?

 

[T&KBrouse]

The link didn't want to work for me, but you can find small filters for 1 and a half gallon tanks at alot of the bigger pet stores. They work great. We got my son a male Half Moon Betta (Which is a GORGEOUS variety) and the small filter just suctions onto the inside. He has plenty of room to move.
They are jumpers, so be sure to put some type of top on the bowl.

Heres my son's new Half Moon. They don't flare often when they're young, but when they do, its amazing!

 

[LizMarie]

Thanks. That link is from a major pet chain, the one where the pets go, lol..

Now I just need to find a place for the bowl.

 

[Greyscale_Geckos]

1 gallon is the minimum I would recommend for a betta, they can get fairly large when adults... My old male is a 2.5 gallon and loooves it. I'm going to move him into a five gallon hex so I can get a decent filter and only do partial water changes once a week.

Make sure the current isn't too strong with the filter, as that can stress bettas out very badly. If you can't find one with a small output, just skip all together and do water changes every 3-5 days.

But yes, bettas are crazy jumpers... Definitely put some screen over the top of the bowl.

Good luck! Bettas are great to have. I find them very entertaining and beautiful.

 

[gecko eyes]

I agree with greyscale geckos. The bowl will be alright, but minimum requirements equal minimum happiness for your fish. When I used to have a betta it was in a three gallon in which it seemed very happy. *Not to mention it lived six years*

 

[BettaDragon]

They do need a screen as they can jump pretty high. I actually once had a few of mine trained to jump for their blood worms. Bettas are fun to keep and I enjoyed them while I had them. I'm partial to anything that's a black orchid or black copper myself.

 

[PrettyMomma]

I've had Bettas ever since I was a little girl. NO, they DO NOT Jump. They may hit the tank glass when they are hungry. They are very docile until they see their reflection if they are MALE. They don't care about space and MALES love to be alone. They could live in a cup there whole life. My betta is in a circular Vase with marbles at the bottom. My bettas usually live about 4 years. & they DO NOT need a pump. They make air bubbles.

 

[animalhouse27]

LOL I am surprised Kay hasn't said anything in here yet. She has a TON of Bettas

And between me and my Roomate.. We have 21 Bettas *7 or so are Females in a sorority tank.

I Have personally 3 males and 1 female out of the Big tank.. rest are hers



As far as a filter... you don't Tecnically need one. Just clean the bowl often. And yes, Females are known to Jump. My Males do if they see me putting in good food in there bowls.

Those are my three Males

 

[animalhouse27]

The White one, has a Lot more Blue on him now actually

 

[Kay]

Bettas DO jump and WILL jump. A 1 gallon tank is as small as I'd go. Bettas do not need filters, a water change each week would be sufficient. If you go a week and a half, it wont matter much. They are very hearty fish. Pumps may/can stress them out and ruin their fins.

The more surface area in the tank, the better. Vases aren't that great because they're usually narrow and deep. Bettas are surface breathers, they do not breath through their gills.


I keep some of mine in the little critter keepers from wal-mart. Big enough for a betta, small enough to make easy cleaning.


Males are to be kept alone at all times. They will fight to the death. Females can be kept in sororities, it's best to keep them in a 20 gallon at minimum if you're going to house them together.

 

[Alusdra]

More important than a filter is a heater. Bettas are hardy and can survive all sorts of awful conditions- but they shouldn't have to. Heating the water makes for a much happier and active betta (plus longer lived).

Careful with the filters- it's easy for their fins to get trapped in it if you don't have the special sponge over the suction part.

Mine is in a 10g and it's really fun seeing him racing about in there.

 

[THE WHISPERER]

They do need a screen as they can jump pretty high. I actually once had a few of mine trained to jump for their blood worms. Bettas are fun to keep and I enjoyed them while I had them. I'm partial to anything that's a black orchid or black copper myself.

lol I trained one to jump out and grab pellets off the end of a chop stick.

 

[BettaDragon]

lol I trained one to jump out and grab pellets off the end of a chop stick.

Nice, mine would only grab dangling things.

Bettas don't really like filters so much as they make a lot of current and they like calm water. Sponge and undertank filters are well suited for them. Heaters are needed during colder months. The temperature is best in the mid 70s I've found. I normally just kept my room the temperature the tanks needed to be and that worked great for me but I had over 20 so it was worth it.

 

[Tanga]

LizMarie, let me warn you, first comes the leopard gecko obsession followed by the betta obsession....it's never ending! I just recently got a new betta, then delve deeper into my betta obsession and got another....then another.
They're really great!

Here's my half moon marble butterfly tail (couldn't get him to flare because he's still pretty young):

My crowntail female:

And....my giant plakat male (they sell them at ***** under the name "King" Bettas, but they're actually just large plakats):

 

[paintedlizards]

animal house-what kind of betta is number one?

 

[animalhouse27]

He is just a Crown Tail