As Someone Who's Been Keeping Betta Fish For A Long Time

I went through many tanks, from 55 gallons tank (Goldfish) to Fluval Chi, Fluval Edge, Fluval Spec III and now Fluval Spec V. What is the best and reasonable tank size to keep betta in?
I like to spoils my betta and want the best for him. Fluval Spec V is a good tank but I want to find some similar tank like the Spec but in bigger size.

 

I put always put a betta male and female in my peaceful community tanks. 10 gals and up.

 

I personally would not put any fish in a tank smaller than 10 gallons again. I don't fault those that do, just my choice.

 

I personally would not put any fish in a tank smaller than 10 gallons again. I don't fault those that do, just my choice.

It kinda hard for me to find a 10 gallon that I like since I preferred somewhat modern boxy looking tank, I was thinking to get a Fluval Flex 9 gallon but the filter seem strong in that one or a 12 Gallon Fluval edge but I used to own a 6 gallon edge, that thing is not really betta friendly also it's a pain in the when it come to water change and tank maintenance.

 

I just got an eclipse 12 for my nightstand and I love it!! Would make a great tank for a spoiled betta, but I love my sparkling gouramis too much.

Edit to add - water changes and stuff are kinda a pain because of how the lid is built, but it's totally made up for by the filter setup being super accessible, and having the intake at the bottom left and the output on the top right so my floating plants don't get swept up in the water flow and stuck to the intake. That's the best part - this is the only tank I've ever had (except my filterless walstad setup) where the filter didn't mess with my floating plants. YAY

 

If you are asking about the best, I would say a 10 is my minimum. Plant the heck out of it and you have a decent environment. I suppose a 5 is acceptable for one fish alone, but it is hard to make it look good, and harder to maintain. I have large hands - a consideration with tiny tanks.

I never buy the integrated system tanks. As someone who has kept fish a long time - something always breaks. I want to easily be able to replace filters, lights and heaters - a Betta should live at least 5 years and not a lot of heaters, for example, will. Plus, I am frugal and it is less expensive to assemble the components.

 

I just got an eclipse 12 for my nightstand and I love it!! Would make a great tank for a spoiled betta, but I love my sparkling gouramis too much.

Edit to add - water changes and stuff are kinda a pain because of how the lid is built, but it's totally made up for by the filter setup being super accessible, and having the intake at the bottom left and the output on the top right so my floating plants don't get swept up in the water flow and stuck to the intake. That's the best part - this is the only tank I've ever had (except my filterless walstad setup) where the filter didn't mess with my floating plants. YAY

Sorry to be off topic, but I am going to get sparkling gouramis and wonder if you'd be willing to post a picture of your tank? Do you have other fish with them?

 

I will post one later!! I just finished planting and stocking the tank. There are four ember tetras (because I can't find any friends for them), two sparkling gouramis, five amano shrimp and one cherry shrimp. My sparklers have always done well no matter who they lived with, but in a smaller tank with less fish and less action, I see a lot more of them. They're really shy and hide in a busy tank, but when they're comfortable they're all over the place. They're the best ever!! Lol, I'll take a pic when the lights come on!!

 

I had a 2.5, never again.. it was really hard to maintain and I was tearing my hair out every time I cleaned it. I'm never going lower than a 10 gal. I like it with just him. I'm working on planting it and getting some additional substrate. I still have my 2.5, I'm thinking about using it as something to plant cuttings in later on.

 

Small tanks really are a pain! My new one is 12g and I don't think I'll go any smaller than that in the future, unless I start another shrimp tank. I forgot I was gonna post a picture - the front of the tank is wicked dirty but I'm about to do another water change so I didn't wanna clean it for nothing. Daddy gourami has his nest in the middle of the driftwood and we should have wigglers by tomorrow!!




Edit: Piaelliott

 

How exciting, hope the wigglers will make it.

 

IMO, the best tank size for any fish is the biggest one you can get. Go big or go home! I prefer long/breeder tanks in general, though. Ideally, i'd like to have all my bettas in 20 gallon long tanks or larger. That also leaves room to divide them in half if necessary or in the case of an impulse purchase Again, the bigger the better, but I feel like a heavily planted 20 gallon long would very much qualify as spoiling your betta. (-:
For me, ten is minimum tank size for a betta. Gonna agree with mommalake here though, I'm not really comfortable putting anything in a 10 gallon unless there's a reason for it. i.e., an old betta or a betta with mobility issues for some other reason. I just got a new betta yesterday who's in a 10 at the moment and he's going ballistic. He's been swimming back and forth against the tank glass for hours. Some bettas are much less suited for small tanks than others.

 

IMO, the best tank size for any fish is the biggest one you can get. Go big or go home! I prefer long/breeder tanks in general, though. Ideally, i'd like to have all my bettas in 20 gallon long tanks or larger. That also leaves room to divide them in half if necessary or in the case of an impulse purchase Again, the bigger the better, but I feel like a heavily planted 20 gallon long would very much qualify as spoiling your betta. (-:
For me, ten is minimum tank size for a betta. Gonna agree with mommalake here though, I'm not really comfortable putting anything in a 10 gallon unless there's a reason for it. i.e., an old betta or a betta with mobility issues for some other reason. I just got a new betta yesterday who's in a 10 at the moment and he's going ballistic. He's been swimming back and forth against the tank glass for hours. Some bettas are much less suited for small tanks than others.

Went out looking for new tank earlier today (even tho I just bought that new Spec V version 2 months ago lol), didn't find any tank I like, since I don't like typical fish tank look with HOB filter.

 

What exactly don't you like about typical tank look with a HOB filter? I personally don't like HOB filters at all, and have only used sponge filters with my smaller tanks. I think a five gallon is fine for many bettas, especially those who may have longer tails. I have seen a lot of longer tailed bettas having issues with larger tanks due to the weight of their tails and fins. Rosetails especially have this issue, and most bite their tails.

My own betta, Blue Water, had a very short tail a plakat. She was stressed in the five gallon I had bought for her, actually had stress lines, she was always very active and outgoing. Yes the five gallon was already cycled before buying her, nothing was wrong with the water. I put her in a ten gallon and the stress lines disappeared. I simply transferred everything from the five gallon, filter, water, and decor to the ten gallon. The only thing that changed was that she had more room to swim, and she swam a lot.

 

I have a 6.6 gallon and my betta loves it...

 

I have our bettas in 7 gallon rimless cube tanks.
After adding substrate and filling almost to the top, they hold about 5 gallons.

The two outer tanks are the cubes.
The middle tank is a 3.4 gallon all in one system that had a betta in it (he's now in the left tank).

 

I have our bettas in 7 gallon rimless cube tanks.
After adding substrate and filling almost to the top, they hold about 5 gallons.

The two outer tanks are the cubes.
The middle tank is a 3.4 gallon all in one system that had a betta in it (he's now in the left tank).

View attachment 314638

such a pretty setup

 

I have our bettas in 7 gallon rimless cube tanks.
After adding substrate and filling almost to the top, they hold about 5 gallons.

The two outer tanks are the cubes.
The middle tank is a 3.4 gallon all in one system that had a betta in it (he's now in the left tank).

View attachment 314638

What kind of tank are those?

 

What kind of tank are those?

The cube tanks are Seapora / Aquarium Masters / Deep Blue Professionals rimless tanks.

The middle one is an Aqua One Reflex 13.