Beta equipment requirements

[tuvok]

Following my first "fishkeeping in temperate climates" question is another one about Bettas.

Most of the folks I know who kept Bettas (2 or three neighbours) housed them primarily in jars of about one gallon or so with no filtration.

Most of the articles that I am seeing on the web suggest tank sizes that range between 1-10 gallons. There also appears to be limited agreement on wether filters are required and, if so, what type.

Any replies that can outline a good Betta keeping strategy (particularly with regard to housing requirements) would be very much appreciated.

[dpatte]

1 gallon unfiltered will do, but you will eventually be doing alot of waterchanges. larger tanks with filters will improve the fish health and simplify waterchanging, but will take more space, and be more expensive.

[RedFish]

Here's a couple of good sites
//www.bettatalk.com

and this forum has lots of betta info
http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=32461

This is what I have learned:
In short, if your house is consistently warm, (not likely in our part of Canada) you don't need  a heater.
If you are willing to do 100% water changes frequently (weekly for 1 gallon, 3 days for something smaller) no filtration is necessary.
The filter shouldn't be too strong, ie a AC mini in a 5 gallon might have too much flow, bettas are at the mercy of their tails.
If you follow the 1inch per gallon, Bettas should be housed in no less than 3 gallons (or 2.5 gallon).
My bettas are in 2.5 or 3 gallon, heated, filtered, planted tanks and are thriving.
I had a betta in a 10 gallon planted with a couple of cories and he terrorized them, but he did love his 10 gallon space.
I have two in separate 2.5 gallon tanks, and 3 in a 10 gallon divided.  They are all fiesty little warriors.
Have fun with your bettas...

[tuvok]

The filter shouldn't be too strong, ie a AC mini in a 5 gallon might have too much flow, bettas are at the mercy of their tails.
If you follow the 1inch per gallon, Bettas should be housed in no less than 3 gallons (or 2.5 gallon).
My bettas are in 2.5 or 3 gallon, heated, filtered, planted tanks and are thriving.

What kind of filter do you use for these tanks?

[RedFish]

Mine are in the *&#! expensive little bowfront tanks that use a whisper filter.  It can be set to have very little flow, which is great for bettas.   I have 25 watt heater in it too.
Petcetera has a sale right now, very good price on little tanks.
I don't know what kind of filter they have but it might be worth a look.  
http://www.petcetera.ca/flyer/searchByAnimal.do?animal_id=3

In one part of my divided 10 gallon I have a red sea nano filter (good for up to 3 gallons).  It works well too.

[tuvok]

I saw that last post shortly after going shopping. After looking at options I decided to get a 5g glass aquarium and a glass hood and some gravel. Of course there are a few other things I'll have to get before I even think about putting a fish in there.

Included among these items is a heater (no way aound that I think) and a test kit and all of the usual ephemera (water treatment, net,bucket etc . . .) that go along with looking after aquaria. I am in no hurry though. It was mentioned that the the AC mini could be too much filter for a small betta tank, however, I was looking at the Big Als onilne catalog and saw a small filter that was recommended for tanks up to 3 g. The filter was called the Red Sea Deco Art Nano Filter. I'm not sure if it would work in a 5g betta tank but it may be that if running on a tank over 3g it may pose less of a current problem for any potential Betta inhabitants.

As dpatte mentioned though it may be enough to keep this tank unfiltered and conduct water changes as necessary.

On a temperature related note is a 50W heater overkill for a 5g tank? 25W does not seem to be a very common heater specification (although I have not been looking very hard yet). Also, are there any brands that should be avoided? It seems that one piece of equipment that you really do not want to fail would be the heater.

Sorry for continually adding questions, it is just that I keep running into new choice dilemmas as I learn more.

[RedFish]

A betta will be a very happy fish in a 5 gal.  And no, you don't need filtration, they are pretty clean fish.   Just keep on top of the cleaning with a siphon. Some people who don't use gravel just use a big turkey baster to suck out the poops daily.
I am using that little red sea nano filter (3 gal) in a 3 gal capacity, and it does a good job, but I dunno whether it will be in a 5 gal.
An AC mini is definitely too much filter for a 5 gal- for a betta.
If you can find a store that sells it up here, Azoo makes a mini filter for up to 5 gallons.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=9821

You would probably be ok with a 50watt heater in a 5 gallon.   I've got a 50w heater in a 10 gallon.  With a higher watt heater, it just means it will come on less often, and stay on less time I believe.   If is should fail, and stick on, then it will heat higher than a 25 watt heater that failed.   I have 25w Visitherm heaters and I am not thrilled with them.
Other brands of heaters- I'm not sure - Don't buy BA's own brand fer shur, and I know both Hagen Tronic and Ebo-Jager have good reputations.

BTW, Big Als gets really wonderful crowntails and split tails and the occasional half moon betta, so make sure you look and wait for the betta you love.
Check out my web page, scroll down to see Spike, our CT betta.

[tuvok]

Thanks for the insights. I'll probably go with no filter unless I can find one that will suit the tank.

BA's own brand filter seems a litte suspect based on their very low price and the fact that I have not heard of anyone that actually uses them.

I checked out your page. Crowntails are an interesting variant, I must say that I do not remember seeing them when was first keeping bettas.

It will probably be a while before I actually am ready to select a Betta to bring home as I will be checking to make sure the tank I have does not leak, obtaining the rest of the required equipment and hopefully successfully conducting a fishless cycle once I'm satified that everything else is sorted out. With that said I am hoping that there will be some interesting fish around when I'm ready to bring one home.

[saltydog]

I kept 2 male betas in a partitioned covered 2.5 gal. tank without filter or heater.  I changed 100% of water weekly & influenced temperature by means of  an incandescent bulb in the canopy.
One betta lived longer than the other but I think they both had normal life-spans (not that long for betta, I think)

[tuvok]

I think I would be pushing my luck relying on incandescent lighting for temperature control as in my place it would probably have to be on all the time during the winter. When I was first asking about heaters the thermostat was set at 21C but now I think it has been turned down to 19C making a heater seem like more of a necessity.

[luvfishies]

I've had Bettas in a 5.5g with an AC mini, and they weren't bothered by the current at all. Just turn the flow meter to it's lowest setting, and give the fishie some decor to hide behind out of the current!

I've also used the internal stick-on sponge filters, and they work really well as well;

They do require an airpump to run, and the sponge is totally re-usable. Just squish it out when doing waterchanges, and reuse.