What Is the best Housing for A betta?

Is a 2.5 gallon big enough for a betta? That's what Superterrorizer lives in. He has a living plant and a ghost shrimp with him. I don't have a filter but I do have an air pump. I change 25% of his water every 2-3 days and do a full change every two weeks is that enough? Should I Put a Filter in there? I want to make him as happy as possible! x

 

well first of all Welcome..and it sounds good but...you shouldnt ever do a FULL water change for a unfilterd tank a water change every two or three days sounds good ..but I don't think you need to remove that much..the reason you shoudnt do a full change is because you wan to keep bateria in there...
heres an article on tank matanice . https://www.fishlore.com/Maintenance.htm
and heres one explaing the nitrogen cycle so you can understand why you shouldnt do a full change

https://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

and of course ask questoins if you need to

 

I agree with Cody. Full changes are never a good idea, even when moving a tank you should save a good portion of the water to put back in the tank...

I can honestly say, that I know of NO instance where a 100% waterchange is beneficial. Dino and I have never and would never do a 100% on any of our tanks at any one time.

 

well first of all Welcome..and it sounds good but...you shouldnt ever do a FULL water change for a unfilterd tank a water change every two or three days sounds good ..but I don't think you need to remove that much..the reason you shoudnt do a full change is because you wan to keep bateria in there...
heres an article on tank matanice . https://www.fishlore.com/Maintenance.htm
and heres one explaing the nitrogen cycle so you can understand why you shouldnt do a full change

https://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

and of course ask questoins if you need to

Thanks

 

your welcome and hey...you actully have things straight though..1 your asking and you were taking good care of the betta and company..the full water change is the only thing you were really doing wrong ..and the filter could help some..but is not completly nessary..but would be a good investment if possible..good luck and always ask questions

 

Your water change routine sounds great and without a filter its important to keep that up. Your betta should be in a larger tank than that 2.5. At least a 5 gallon would be better a 10 gallon would be best and easier to maintain. You do need a heater and there are some small heaters that work in the 2.5. I used to have a 2.5 betta tank that I found a minI heater that worked well in there. The betta is a tropical fish that needs warm water, and more important it needs a constant water temperature. The changes in our daily to night temps fluctuate and it can stress the fish out.
You really should use a filter as its a necessary part of maintaining tropical fish.

~ kate

 

bettas need their water to be at least 78F, preferably 80F
as cody and cwc said, the 100% water changes aren't a good idea, unless you have a nasty disease that keep coming back
here is a good filter for a 2.5 gal.

your live plant will probably help keep your toxic parameters down...so that's good
Good luck

btw, superterrorizer looks good

 

that Azoo filter works great on a 2.5g and your Betta will be much better off with it. You can clean the filter media and sponge in a bowl of treated tap water weekly and the sponge we keep in forever and the white media, we only change if it's about to fall apart - both are great homes for the good bacteria.

If he doesn't have a heater, he'll benefit from a small 25w submersible heater. (Tetra and Hydor have small models that work well in 2.5g tanks)

With the filter in place, we do 25-35% water changes once a week and also clean the tank when we do the water changes.

Small round flat marbles are the best substrata that we've found for our Betta (easy on those delicate fins) and what we do with the marbles and decor is move them to a bowl that we've put some of the tank water in, to keep them wet while we clean the tank of any poop, leftover food or debris. What kind of plant is in his tank.

 

xThanks for all of your help. I will be getting a filter and a heater soon. I completly forgot the name of the plant that is with him. It kinda has clover type leafs if that helps!! x

 

here is a great site that has photos and descriptions of assorted plants. You can find yours there and find out what light level is required for them as well.




;D

 

I'm 85% sure its water wisteria

 

I can honestly say, that I know of NO instance where a 100% waterchange is beneficial. Dino and I have never and would never do a 100% on any of our tanks at any one time.

Soap in the water. This is the only circumstance that I think a 100% waterchange would be called for, and has to be followed up with a lot of care to make sure the inhabitants of the tank survive the next cycle presuming they survive the soap.
But I get your meaning, 100% under anything resembling a normal circumstance is unnecessary and dangerous.

 

Would you do 100% water changes in a smaller betta bowl? Mine's in a 1.5g bowl until my 5 gallon aquarium arrives, but I didn't think a filterless bowl would cycle. Also, the ghost shrimp - my other betta TaI - he loved them! Great lunch!

 

There will always be nitrifying bacteria, even if there isn't a filter. Aside from that, there is still the matter of a complete change out of water being a shock to the fish's system.

 

I would say that the best house for a betta is a container big enough that has water that has been treated and cycled. lol
Tom

 

Would you do 100% water changes in a smaller betta bowl? Mine's in a 1.5g bowl until my 5 gallon aquarium arrives, but I didn't think a filterless bowl would cycle. Also, the ghost shrimp - my other betta TaI - he loved them! Great lunch!

I wouldn't mind having superterrorizer gulp up some ghost shrimp. He hasn't really bothered with the shrimp yet. For 20 cents their not a bad add to any aquarium. I only have one in there now would three be to much for that tank?

 

I don't think that would be a problem.

I wouldn't mind having superterrorizer gulp up some ghost shrimp. He hasn't really bothered with the shrimp yet. For 20 cents their not a bad add to any aquarium. I only have one in there now would three be to much for that tank?

 

I don't think that would be a problem.

Thanks just wondered because i've heard of shrimp being aggresive when theirs too many in a small tank.

 

metalfish, has your ghost shrimp molted yet? That's usually the point that bettas decide to eat them, because their shell is soft.

 

It's stressful for shrimp to be in a tank with a Betta even if the Betta doesn't actually eat them. The Betta will probably pick at them or chase them. They may be cheap but Ghost shrimp are animals too...

 

Shrimp are used to being chased (it's their lot in life). If you give the shrimp hiding places that the betta can't get into, they'll remain happy.
This is, of course, partially dependent on the demeanor of your particular betta. If he's particularly belligerent, he may continue to attempt to chase the shrimp, even after they escape into a hidey hole.

 

I put in a small topfin filter and a small heater and a thermometer. Two ghost shrimp are in there and I got a little platy for fun. The real plant has been taken out and replaced with a fake one. The aquarium is spacey especially for a 2.5 and it has a place under a dec for the ghosties

 

I wouldn't advise the platy in with the betta. The tank's bioload is maxed out by the betta plus bettas don't always get along with platys (depending on personality) and platys are social fish and don't usually do well alone.

 

I definitely agree...Platys can be pretty boisterous and may chew up the Betta's fins, or the Betta may decide he doesn't like the Platy.....

 

I definitely agree...Platys can be pretty boisterous and may chew up the Betta's fins, or the Betta may decide he doesn't like the Platy.....

Well they have been getting along very well and its been 4 days so.... and when I get my 30 gallon tank the platy is going to go in it.

 

HI metal_fish. I think it's lovely that you want your betta to have company, but unfortunetely, it's been tried and tested. 99% of the time, it ends in disaster. Either the betta gets his fin nipped, or he attacks his companion. One of our member was trying to keep some female bettas together in a large tank with lots of cover, and it had been going fine for weeks and weeks, and then from one day to the next, one of her females killed the other. I am just saying, it can work for a few days, weeks even, but the second it stops working, you'll be too late to intervene. It's not always a gradual thing. I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I have to agree with the others.

How long until you get your new tank?

 

And avoid sharp-edged substrate on which their fin could tear. Also avoid deep substrate, as a sparkling clean tank is a must for a betta to avoid finrot.

I wouldn't mind having superterrorizer gulp up some ghost shrimp. He hasn't really bothered with the shrimp yet. For 20 cents their not a bad add to any aquarium. I only have one in there now would three be to much for that tank?

 

HI metal_fish. I think it's lovely that you want your betta to have company, but unfortunetely, it's been tried and tested. 99% of the time, it ends in disaster. Either the betta gets his fin nipped, or he attacks his companion. One of our member was trying to keep some female bettas together in a large tank with lots of cover, and it had been going fine for weeks and weeks, and then from one day to the next, one of her females killed the other. I am just saying, it can work for a few days, weeks even, but the second it stops working, you'll be too late to intervene. It's not always a gradual thing. I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I have to agree with the others.

How long until you get your new tank?

Christmas

 

Platys and other livebearers are very messy fish. In a 2.5 gal, the water will quickly be polluted.

To put a platy in a tank that size with a betta is courting disaster, although in a 30 gal it might be fine. It's really not worth the risk. I would take the platy back to the store in the interest of everyone's safety and wait for the big tank to buy more fish.

I know it's been fine so far, but I know someone who had a tank with female bettas who were great for over a month until the fish decided they didn't like each other. One was not only killed but gutted, and some of the others so badly injured they died.

 

Platys and other livebearers are very messy fish. In a 2.5 gal, the water will quickly be polluted.

To put a platy in a tank that size with a betta is courting disaster, although in a 30 gal it might be fine. It's really not worth the risk. I would take the platy back to the store in the interest of everyone's safety and wait for the big tank to buy more fish.

I know it's been fine so far, but I know someone who had a tank with female bettas who were great for over a month until the fish decided they didn't like each other. One was not only killed but gutted, and some of the others so badly injured they died.

Even with a filter and daily water changes? Most fish ar different you can't just say that its going to be a diasaster no matter what. It is about a month until the platy will be moved. ( I have friends that mix platys with a betta and it works) the platy doesn't have a fancy tail for the betta to nip at and it is a peaceful fish. They both eat together swim around together neither of them have fought or acted hostile towards each other. But if a horror story does happen you can say I told you so.

 

It's not just the territorial/aggression issue, but the bioload. Platys are pooping stomachs with fins and the guideline for small freshwater fish is 1 gallon per adult inch of fish. Platys get to about 2-2.5" and male Bettas to about 2.5".

We tried platys with our first Betta too in a 10 gallon tank. No fancy fins there, but the Betta took off 3 fins in the few days they were together. With any territorial fish like Betta, Gourami, Angels, even Dwarf Puffers; individual temperment as well as the amount of territory affect when/if aggression issues come up. When a balance is found, you need to watch for anything that could undo the balance and start a chain reaction.

We actually moved the Betta to his own tank because he didn't have as much personality when he was in with the Platys. After we moved him is when we noticed the lost fins on the Platys.

 

Your experiences have certainly answered a question for me! I have two females in a 2.5g tank and was planning to move them to a 10 gallon with a divider because of a little fin nipping. Not much, mostly they seem to get along fine so I was undecided about the divider. Now I know - put the divider in!

 

Most fish ar different you can't just say that its going to be a diasaster no matter what.

I agree they're different, but some things are unchangeable, like the amount of waste put out by livebearers. Like many people here, I learned about overcrowding/bad fish combinations the hard way. We're trying to advise you so you don't have to!

mostly they seem to get along fine so I was undecided about the divider. Now I know - put the divider in!

Wise move!

 

Perhaps not a disaster. Still, not pleasant for the fish.
Animals of all sorts can survive varying levels of waste, but that doesn't mean that they thrive in those levels of waste. Because some fish produce more waste than others, they require more space to dilute that waste between water changes, otherwise, they are literally breathing ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

 

I agree with all the above statements regarding compatibility and bioload...however that said it's not an automatic disaster. If they have not started nipping each other yet then it's possible they will hold out till you get the new tank. It's also known for fish like Bettas to get along fine for a long time and then all of a sudden decide they're sick of tank mates and start tearing them apart. So watch them closely. Definitely do lots of water changes too.

 

definitely. stress is the main reason that I think Bettas get sick, it lowers their resistance so much.

 

Oh that's a great move, LB. One of our member, after successfully keeping 4 females in the same undivided tank for weeks, has had disaster strike (biiiig aggression problems) just now. You might as well learn from our experiments than endander one of your females.

They're cute, aren't they? I only have females now.

Your experiences have certainly answered a question for me! I have two females in a 2.5g tank and was planning to move them to a 10 gallon with a divider because of a little fin nipping. Not much, mostly they seem to get along fine so I was undecided about the divider. Now I know - put the divider in!

 

The females are as pretty or prettier than any other tropical fish. They'd be in a lot more tanks if the males weren't so spectacular. And they, maybe more than the males, have that "puppy in a fish suit" personality!

 

We have 3 males & 3 females, love them all equally but the females are generally even more into the interaction with us than the males. There's always exceptions though, as our male "Teddy Bear" is the most affectionate of all our Bettas.

The females are as pretty or prettier than any other tropical fish. They'd be in a lot more tanks if the males weren't so spectacular. And they, maybe more than the males, have that "puppy in a fish suit" personality!

 

Puppy in a fish suit. That is EXACTLY what they are! All that wriggling their tail and getting all excited when they think they're getting fed!

But I have to say, yes, the males are way prettier in general.

The females are as pretty or prettier than any other tropical fish. They'd be in a lot more tanks if the males weren't so spectacular. And they, maybe more than the males, have that "puppy in a fish suit" personality!