AphroditeIncarnate

So, I've heard many things about bettas. I've got a male betta, and he seems quite happy in a medium sized flower vase. However, I just read that it would be best to put one betta in a 10 gallon tank (or two with a devider)? I don't know, but that seems like a little bit of overkill to me..... Am I wrong?

Lucy

I'd always recommend at least 5g for a betta. I know some members have them in 2.5's.

Your betta might live in a vase, but in order thrive, they should be kept in a heated filtered tank.

Betta's like to swim and there's just no room to swim in a vase.
I have mine in a 10g tank and she just loves a good long swim.

pinkfloydpuffer

I've learned from experience that bettas will be much happier and much more active if they have more room and especially warmer water.
10 gal would be nice, but not necessary. But you can never "overkill" on tank size!

clinton1621

Basically, it comes down to the bettas overall happiness, health, lifespan, and room to properly exercise (they exercise by swimming). Bettas in bowls (or vases) have very little room to move, therefore they lose muscle tissue... this leads to a sickly fish. They also need filtered and heated water, which bowls usually dont have... again this will lead to having a sickly fish from poor water conditions (excess wastes and probably nitrogen compounds). They are also in a confined space which leads to more exposure to possible pathogens (bacteria, fungus, parasites) ... so once again you end up with a sickly fish. Now add all this up and you will see that a betta in a bowl is going to be sickly... and that is not a happy fish, or one that is going to live for a long period of time. So... no, 10g is not overkill, its actually optimal for a betta =)

sirdarksol

My betta lives in a 10g tank.
I wouldn't suggest anything under 5g for two reasons: First of all, under 5g can't be reliably heated. Second of all, in nature, bettas live in spaces larger than a couple of gallons. To be sure, they defend a relatively small area, but I doubt very much that the area they defend is less than 5g.
The only way you can overkill things with bettas is if the tank is too deep.

Blub

OK. So, in a vase a Betta is surviving. This means he is alive, but not enjoying himself. For instance, a dog kept in a cage is surviving. Not thriving. He is alive, but by no means healthy and happy. A Betta in a 5-10gal heated and filtered is thriving. This means he is happy, healthy and leading a life worth living. Betta are very inquesitive creatures and get bored easily, so they need room to explore and play.