Filter for betta?

is a one gallon tank too small to use and under gravel filter for a betta? I know they are used to stagnent waters, so would the current be too much

would a betta do well in a one gallon tank with an undergravel filter?

 

You'll need a filter but i'm not sure what size. I'm sure the resident betta keepers on our site will be able to respond soon

 

r those the minI bowl 1 gallon setup wit the undergravel filter??

 

its not a bowl its a one gal tank with an undergravel filter...would it affect a bubble nest?

 

the undergravel filter shouldn't affect the bubble nest. If it were me I think I would get him one bcause even if they can survive in bad water, that shouldnt mean they should have to!

 

the undergravel filter shouldn't affect the bubble nest.  If it were me I think I would get him one bcause even if they can survive in bad water, that shouldnt mean they should have to!

that's right emma ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

 

You have me confused. Are you trying to breed them? If so you should know that most if not all bettas sold in pet stores or through dealers are too old to breed. Also, although we have all heard that a betta can survive in a quart jar, he doesn't really like to. I got my first bubble nest at 5 gallons. They are a sign of contentment as well as being ready to breed.

An undergravel filter in the type set-up you are describing is mechanical filtration only. You still need to have the chemical and biological part taken care of if you want a healthy fish or don't want to have to change fish every month. There are two links I am sending for small tank filters, neither is expensive but they both do excellent jobs. The problem is that the tank has not cycled and to the filter will take a while to cycle before you will get the best results. You also need to get a test kit and be checking the levels for nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia. There is information on this sites home page about cycling a fish tank for beginners. I would truly suggest you read as much as you can so there are no surprises.

Here are the links: this first one has a MINI model that I use and it fits inside the tank the flow is completely adjustable
but it takes up room. Your betta may appreciate it if you picked the second model:



This second model sits on the edge of the tank and while I have never used it myself I have heard great things about it.
It may be a little easier to clean because you would have easier access to it.



Hopefully I have given you something useful here; if I can help further please feel free to let me know. Bettas are very special to me and I spend a lot of time with them so I try to help where I can.

Welcome to the group.

Rose

 

Bettas should not be kept in anything less than 5 gallons because it can't be heated, and they need temps at least 78*F. Check out the site for info on keeping bettas. Any other kinds of fish need at least 10 gallon tanks, because it is very hard to maintain good water conditions in anything smaller--5 gallons are OK for bettas because there is only one fish.
I also do not recommend undergravel filters, because they are almost impossible to clean and provide only biological filtration. You also can't grow live plants with a ug filter.

I do not recommend keeping Bettas or any fish in anything less than 5 gallons, for 4 reasons:

Despite what they tell you, Bettas DO need room to swim around, and it is just not fair to keep a fish in such a small container. Would you like to live in your bathroom?

In such a small quantity of water, it is almost impossible to maintain good water conditions, unless you plan on doing very careful bi-weekly water changes and testing your water every few days. Also, if water added is slightly different in temp, it will be much more of a shock to the fish.

With so little room, it is hard to provide sufficient plants and hiding places, which will make your fish stressed and timid.

Finally, Bettas are tropical fish, and prefer a temp of 80*F, or no less than 76-78*F. Unfortunately you can't use a heater in anything less than 5 gallons, which means the water will probably be too cool unless you keep it in a really warm room.

While it is possible to keep a Betta in a 2 or 3 gallon tank, I would recommend that only to experienced fishkeepers who are dedicated to maintaining optimal water conditions and are very knowledgeable about Bettas. So, you can get a 5 gallon kit, possibly containing lights and a heater, for a very reasonable price, and your Betta will thank you.

By the way, don't use a UG filter. They tend to clog up and then eventually crash. There are much better options that provide a better range of filtration.

 

is a one gallon tank too small to use and under gravel filter for a betta? I know they are used to stagnent waters, so would the current be too much

No they are not used to stagnant waters. The bettas sold today are bred in clean and healthy water the same as other fish. The only place you are likely to find them in stagnant water is in the pet stores and that is because of the laziness of the employees or the ignorance of what they need.

one gallon is not big enough for them to live in for one thing. A large size betta (over 1 inch) needs 5 gallons to swim in and have a healthy life. They are tropical fish and need heat, aeration (airstones) and filtration as well as constant water testing and to be put into a well cycled tank. (not used to cycle a tank) They require a temperature of between 74-78 degrees to remain even marginally healthy and if they become ill they need the temperature raised to 82 to 85 degrees. These kind of conditions cannot be attained in a one gallon tank. You may be able to get by with a 3 to 4 gallon tank if you have the proper conditions as listed above and are willing to have only the one fish. It would also have to be a small size betta.

Rose

 

I have no intentions of breeding autumn, I was just told that they make bubble nest when they are healthy/able to breed. I thought that a one gal would be sufficient...but luckily I was planning on getting a 10gal setup anyway..he used top be in one, and I know he prefers it, but it was my brothers tank, and he took it when he moved.

I do have one more question tho...I want to set up my new tank to look like the fortress of solitude from the superman...you know with the ice crystal cave and white gravel and such...any advice, or links to places that sell plastic crystals cheap..the only one I found is a light up one, and I don't want that..and Its not the right shape.

 

As far as the plastic crystals, you would probably have to go to a craft store and be VERY careful NOT to get something too sharp that would have a chance of nicking or cutting a fish if they run into it. (They will do that) The alternative would be the glass stones that are made for aquariums. If you had regular gravel and sprinkled it with the glass stones they might look like crystal but would have the round edges that could not hurt your fish. I am afraid if you intend to have the very pointed crystals, you are taking a chance at having damaged fish very often. They don't understand that people would put sharp things in with them that "bite".

Then the question (?) of the heater in a container under 5 gallons - I can see where some would say it may be impossible as the general rule of thumb is 5 watts per gallon and the smallest real accurate heaters are 25 watt. However, I have had a Marineland Visatherm 25 watt in both my 3 gallons for some time and just set the thermostat about 2 degrees cooler than I actually want it. It has worked very well, perhaps because both heaters are not covered over tightly with hoods. I will also say however that I would not think of doing this without having digital thermometers hanging on the tanks with probes in the water maintaining constant readings of the water temperature which I monitor several times a day. I guess this falls into the category of one of those things you don't do unless you have been doing this for a while and know how to set these things up. It is also VERY important to have a qualty heater and I consider the Marineland to be the best I have had. It is easy to set and you can check the setting clear across the tank as it shows from the front of the heater.

Rose

 

yes I was worried about it catching his fins...which is why I ask...do you know of any main stream stores that carry them?

 

I am disabled and do almost all my shopping online, unless I can get a ride to a store and I live in a small town so don't get to the Big City very often so you will probably have to check with someone else for the crystals for the stores you can buy from direct. Online, you could go on and check under "Beads" on Google, you may be able to find some you can silicone together or that are big enough for your purpose as they usually have sizes in big assortments. They would probably not be sharp.

Rose

 

does it matter if the temp is good? I have checked the temp and the bulb keeps the water at about 75' throughout the day

 

But at night the temperature will drop. Such a small amount of water will cool rapidly. The Betta will get sick from so much temperature fluctuation.
As far as the underground filter, all the waste is being pulled under the plate and is still in the tank, with such a small amount of water the Betta is literally living in his own waste there's not even enough water to dilute it much.
Carol

 

interesting...cant wait to get that ten gal fortress of solitude

 

cool! are you going to have any fish other than the betta in the 10 gal? (Lucky betta! )

 

I am thinking some danios mollys and maybe a cherry barb (think that's the nice one)


do you think the fish would mind the lack of plants?

I am thinking of having my betta in a ten gal with 2black mollys, 2 danios, 3 cherry barbs...something like this
...I'm just not sure if they need some fake plants in there or not...or will rocks of different sizes do?

 

I think that is lovely and I don't know about the other fish but Bettas love little caves and crannies to hide in.

Rose

 

they wouldntdie or anything without them, but they might be happier with something to hide in....a lot of pet stores have fake plants in weird colors, I have seen silver/fluorescent white in some. That might look good with the theme you have going...

 

yeah, I wasn't sure...now to decide on what color....this could take a while as I want the ultimate tank

 

you might be ok I think its more just on the persanality of your fish so you might just want to try it and monitor them and everything seems ok then ur good

 

I know you're going for the S-MAN look (PS love the photoshopping pre-look you;re doing - you're really good at it) Anyway, there are White fake plants available, I bet all fish involved would appriciate it, especially the betta to hide. Just a thought. Cheers Mate.

 

currently I have one beautiful blue male betta in my 25 gallon with a 30 whisper filter and an air stone for visual effect. I have read that they don't like heavily oxegenated water so I am going to transfer him to a ten gallon tank that he will have all to himself. what type of filter should I use?? I have also read that they come from the slow moving and swampy waters of asia, does anyone recommend any floating or rooted plants to make him feel more at home???

PS. I will send some photos as soon as I get my digital camera

 

I'm using an Elite Stingray 10 (from PetSmart, but sure you can get it anywere). I really like it, does a good job at doing what it has to do. Even though it doesn't have adjustable flow, you can direct the flow, so if you think your Betta won't like it, you can just aI'm the output flow at the wall. Good luck with whatever you get

 

I have a filter that was putting out too much current. A standard cheap 5-15 Whisper filter that came with my 5 gallon tank. I took care of the current problem by wedging a plastic plant in the outflow. It doesn't inhibit the water from coming out, but it disperses the flow so it isn't going strongly in any one direction.

 

I have a whisper on one tank that doesn't have a flow control on it, I use some plastic to restrict it. I have some red sea on the rest of my tanks they have a dial to restrict the water. I have frogbit, salvina oblong, duckweed, water lettuce, and red rooted floaters. One plant that can be either used as a stem plant or a floating plant is watersprite. I like the floating plants because they soak up a lot of the ammonia and nitrates. I don't really worry about snails except for in one tank the rest my bettas take care of snail and their eggs.

 

I'd look for a penquin biowheel or an aquaclear filter. If you can, get one with an adjustable filter. The Bettas do like swimming into current and will get stronger at it, just adjust it to what they like.

 

Last week I bought a TopFin (Petco Brand) 5 gallon aquarium for a Male Betta. It came with a filter that hung on the inside dack wall of the tank. It was a whisper that looks like this one

It was taking up too much tank real estate (those darn tank orniments look so much bigger in the tank then they do in the store!) so today I bought a TopFin 10 HOB filter like this:


It appears identical to the Whisper 10 here:


I'm just a little worried that it is producing too strong a current for my Betta. Does anyone use this filter or have an opinion on it?

Thanks

 

What you could do is put some filter sponge over the intake valve..This will slow down the flow and prevent him from getting his tail sucked in......

 

That was quick! Good idea, I will do that.

Here I was only worried about to outflow current being to strong. I would never have thought about the input!

Thanks again

 

You're welcome.....That's what we're here for

 

The flow rate is low, so your Betta should be able to build up strength to swim in it without problem.

 

Thanks.

The old internal filter has a flow rate adjustment, so I set in on low expecting to strenghen it over time. (Wasn't that your article where I read that?).

 

Yea, it's really good to build up their strength like that.

 

What do you think would be the best filter for a Betta bowl (1-2g)? I would get a larger tank but I live in a small apartment so a bowl will have to do! Or do I need a filter? I've read it's easy to overpower the bettas. Thanks guys

 

I'm sure more will chime in on this, but you really need a heated and filtered tank. A 5 gallon actually won't take up much room. And that is the smallest tank I would keep a betta in.

 

Even a 3 gallon would work, a lot of people have bettas in 3 gallon on here, 1 more gallon would make all the difference for him without taking up much more room for you. Yes, you need a filter. You can always use a baffle if the flow is too strong. As for what kind of filter I can't recommend any as I don't have anything smaller than a 5 gallon here and I use the Aquatech 5-15 for my 5 gallon (with a baffle for my betta).

 

I have the Tetra Whisper 3I for my 2.5 betta tank.

 

If your LFS carries Deep Blue brand, they make some very tiny micro filters for small tanks. They actually have HOB filters smaller than any whisper ive even seen. I think the smaller whispers do have adjustable flow on the internally powered models, and then the super small ones are solely air driven. I actually have and use 4 different styles of whisper filters, they are very quiet and decent filters. However in a smaller tank, they may take up much needed space. As others have said, if you can go at least 3 gallons, it would be much better. A 5 gallon though really isn't big at all as far as how much space it takes up, and you'll have a much happier and healthier betta. Also the larger the tank, the more stable your water parameters will be.

 

HI everyone! I am planning on getting my first betta in the fall and I was wondering what HOB filter you would recommend for a 5 gallon. I would prefer it to have adjustable flow or a low flow so that I don't have to baffle it. My budget is around $30 but less would be better. Thank you all for your help!

 

In that tank size, I would probably go with a sponge filter.

 

AquaClear 20 -
Fluval C2 -

 

Thank you for the input! Do the aquaclear 20 and Fluval C2 have adjustable flow?

 

I know AquaClear does. I am not sure about the Fluval.

 

The C2 should be adjustable. I had a C4 and it was adjustable. I believe the ACs and the Fluval C-series are very similar (AquaClears are made by Fluval).

 

Ohhhhhh okay cool. I'll check them out! Thanks for the help!

 

HI all,

I bought a 16L (4.2 gallon) tank on sale and was going to use it as a small qt tank, but I'm probably going to put a betta in it instead.

Just wondering what filters you are running in your betta tanks? The tank came with an internal filter, but I worry the current from that might be too strong to house a betta. Plus it appears to only have a carbon cartridge, so nowhere really for BB to grow unless on the carbon. Maybe a sponge filter? I have a sponge along with two HOBs in my 34 gallon, however the sponge is 8.5cm x 8.5cm and is 24cm high, so takes up a lot of real estate. Can obviously go smaller if it's enough to keep up with the bioload of a betta.

Thanks!

 

I’ve always just used HOB’s that come with the tank and baffle it if the flow is to strong. Haven’t had any problems except for the first few times my betta got stuck on it while trying to see me, but he learned to not get that close after that. Although most recommend a sponge as that has very few ways they can hurt themselves on it.

 

After trying to baffle too many powerful currents, I'd recommend doing a sponge filter. I know people who only do those in their Betta tanks