Betta in a bowl! :(

[marisa]

My poor Betta lives in a bowl....not as small as the ones they sell them in but not nearly what I think he deserves. So I have decided to set up a tank for him and him alone.

I want to set up a 5 gallon. *L*

What filter can I get for a 5 gallon?? What do they cost?

I want all live plants. What plants would be best for such a small tank? I know I can only have one or two, but I would like the tank really filled in with plants eventually...really thick if you know what I mean. Not just a couple planed here and there. What would serve this purpose best?

Also one more question...the lids that 5 gallons have usually only allow for the short refridgator size bulbs as far as I know...will plants need a special light?

thanks for all the help! i am in no rush so I want to set it up right...

marisa

[marisa]

OH BTW I don't think he only deserves a 5 gallon! *L* I would give him 50 if I could but I hate fish tanks and gave mine to my roomates long ago. I do have a 5 gallon emply though.

marisa

[Rebecca]

Plants usually need a UV light so you'd want one of those. I have a Fluval 1plus in my 5g and it works find. You do have to clean it once a week or so though. but it's easy to do. Hope it helps a bit!!

[corr]

Marisa, I'm glad you're getting your Betta out of the bowl. A 5 gallon would be perfect!

About the lighting - keep this in mind - 4 watts of incandescent light = 1 watt of fluorescent light. Decent light for a 5 gallon would be 10 watts or 2 w/g. An incandescent hood would fit a 40 watt bulb but the downside to this is the heat emitted by it. If you plan to heat this tank anyway, it may not be a problem, but if you aren't then the temp swing between the fish's night and day may be too stressful. Here's what you do - When buying a hood, make sure that it has a glass barrier between the light fixture and the water (many don't). The you can put a screw-in type compact fluorescent bulb in it which usually rate at 9 to 13 watts (equivalent of 36 to 52 incandescent watts). These bulbs run MUCH cooler and you'll have plenty of light for your plants. I've found that the best ones are the ones that they sell at Ikea. They're skinnier than most others so they fit in the fixture better.

As far as plant ideas go, I'd go with Java Fern and Hornwart. Both are easy to grow and easy to come by. Your Betta will LOVE the hornwart because it grows well at the surface where they like to hang out and feel comfortable. It grows fast too. Java fern grows slower but it's very hardy.

Filters - go with a Penguin Mini (~$30) or Aquaclear mini (~$20) as a second choice. These are both hang-on-the-back filters and easy to maintain. Another option is to use an old fashioned foam filter with an air pump but they're prolly not much cheaper and look kinda ugly. HTH :)

[corr]

Yeah, the Fluval 1 is a good filter but not as easy to maintain as the HOBs IMO.

[Shane Tesser]

Corr said it perfectly, just make sure what ever filter you get that you run it on the slowest speed possible, to ensure little turbulance. Betta's come from still waters in rice fields etc so fast running water is not their thing, and thats in the normal form without long flowing finnage. :D

[havenbounce]

Bettas do not need alot of room and you can bur 5 gallons with the whole set up. filter, lights.food,background,stablelizer for like $50 at any pet store
Ginnette

[marisa]

O.k. thanks for all the great replies.

I have one more question...if it is just a five gallon, full with live plants what will happen if I have no filter?

I am going to try and get the smallest possible to keep the "current" down in the tank but was just curious about the no filter thing.

Marisa

[corr]

As long as the plants are growing and the Betta is the only fish, you can go filterless IMHO. The only problem with this is - after a while, a 'scum' will develope on the surface of the water that you'll need to siphon off on a regular basis. This can be a pain in a small tank.

The Penguin Mini is probably your best bet because the flow can be adjusted way down to just a trickle yet still be effective.

corr

[Scotty Allen]

For what it's worth, one of my kids got a betta in a bowl for a Christmas gift over a year ago. I had the same concerns and knowing nothing about them asked the same question of an aquarist friend. Apparently in the wild, they can survive in a mud puddle and seem to thrive in slow moving, almost stagnant water. He is living happily ever after in the little plastic "thingy" that he came in and is doing well.

I must confess though he would look a lot better in a nicely planted aquarium but would the fish be happier ???

[girraffasaurus]

Go to healthybetta.com, they have lots of info. Bettas really should live in at least 1 gallon of water. It's true they come from rice paddies and large puddles, but in the wild this water will evaporate and new water is added when it rains. In a container, however, bettas live in the same water all the time unless you change it and possibly filter it. Bettas do poop and along with other stuff that builds up they could be living in nasty water without your help. The general rule of thumb is if you have a 1 gal. tank with no filter then you want to do a 100% water change once a week. With larger tanks you can wait longer, as well as with a filter. Bettas are one fish that love to have fresh water and 100% changes are great for them. With the size tank you're thinking about you could do a partial water change every 3 or 4 weeks, I'd say and then do a 100% change every few changes. THis is my opinion, I'm not an expert, but everything I've read basically says that it's not good for them to live in little cups or to not change their water. Lots of people have reported seeing a change in their fish's attitude when moved into a larger tank, although you don't need anything bigger than a 5 gal. for them, unless you're making it a community tank.

(Quietly steps off soapbox and walks away.)

[marisa]

Hi! thanks for the repiles.

My betta seems very happy in the bowl, but I would enjoy his colors more in a planted tank I think. I might try without a filer, but I am going to buy one in case I want to hook it up....

Marisa