Bettas are dear fish that aren't all that hard to take care of. They are however, Tropical Fish. That means that they do need to be kept in a tank where the temperature and water conditions can be monitored. The "betta bowls" or small tanks that all the pet places say a Betta can "live" in are not capable of producing the conditions necessary for the long term health and life of a Betta. Bettas need a heater and the Mini Heaters made for the small tanks are not adjustable and do not give you any indication of when they are running or not. The last one I saw said it would "raise the bowl temperature up to 4 degrees". (from where? for how long? with how many fluctuations?) Sorry, not acceptable. Now to the question of room, you can bring any fish home in a plastic bag; but you wouldn't expect them to live in it forever would you? A lot of the Betta tanks hold only a little more water than a good sized plastic baggie. This is a fish you are going to want to have for a while and you want to keep it in a closet? Would you like to live in a bathroom just because, I suppose it would be possible for you to do it? (as someone told me before, I would have to add that the bathroom has no door and you would be at the mercy of someone else to ever get out) Beckers has said he got a filter for his small tank and there are some excellent filters for 2-10 gallon tanks that are comparable to any of the "big boys" out there for keeping nitrites, nitrates, and
ammonia under control; but the problem of the heater still makes a 3 gallon just about the lowest limit you can go (and that is very touchy with a 25watt heater - you have to watch it like a hawk). I spent the best part of my weekend trying to keep my tanks at even temperatures. The smaller the tank is the more chance of the whole system falling apart.
I know sometimes it sounds like the same old thing from me all the time, but like I said, I am going to ask for the best conditions for the fish. They need to be kept at 75 - 76 degrees (steady temperature with less than a .2 degree fluctuation in an 8 hour period) for healthy fish and if your fish has a little bug and needs medicine most medicines work best in the 82 degree field. (except for
ICH where the fish need 85 degrees for 14 days at least) These are the same conditions as most Tropical Fish and there is no reason why the Betta should not be given the benefit of that class, because they are. These, as I have said so many times before, are the Main Reasons the small tanks and "betta bowls" just won't do.
Thank you for the patience.
Rose
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bettas are fab fish but as Rose has said... just because they arte hardy it doesn't mean they're open to abuse. You should treat them as well as any other fish!
, but I am afraid my eyesight is bad enough I couldn't see the little legs and for a while I so wondered how it was getting along LOL. It is darling and funny, but it did give me some pause until I could get my eyes to work - LOL 