# Bettas in Coffee Cans?



## John (Apr 19, 2005)

Hi. I am going to start trying to breed different types of fish next spring (or earlier), including various bettas.

I know that, since I don't have any experience breeding bettas, I probably won't get fry for a long while, but I am one who likes to plan ahead. So, if I do get fry, do you think it would be possible to keep some of them in individual 34.5 Oz coffee cans (temporarily, of course) until I can sell them, pair them, give them away, or put them in their own larger tanks? I believe 34.5 ounces works out to about 2/10s of a gallon (.2 gallons). 

This surprised me, since a lot of the popular "bowls" that bettas are kept in at some pet stores are a lot smaller (of course, those weren't going to spend their whole lives in those bowls, just like mine won't spend more than a few weeks in their cans, when the cans are passed down to the next generation).

The can says that the can holds 34.5 Oz, but that may only the amount of coffee they put in there. So, it may be more gallons. 

Being cylindrical, the surface area of a can is pretty big, more than the estimation of gallons makes it sound like. The cans are also pretty tall (6 in.) and the diameter of them is about 6 in. also.

The only thing that worries me is if the mettalic inside of the can will be harmful to the fish. What if I line the cans with something?

Please reply!


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

I don't recommend putting a betta in anything metal.


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## John (Apr 19, 2005)

Okay, so what if I line the inside with something safe for fish? I have a LOT of pond liner lying around, could I use that?


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## Imbrium (Feb 7, 2005)

I agree. I wouldn't use metal. What I do is go to garage sales in the area. You can usually find jars pretty cheap. Goodwill type places usually have them to.


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## John (Apr 19, 2005)

John @ Sun May 15 said:


> Okay, so what if I line the inside with something safe for fish?  I have a LOT of pond liner lying around, could I use that?


But the metal won't matter since it's covered, right?


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## Ownager2004 (Apr 4, 2005)

maybe you should try to find smaller type buckets at walmart or something... I think it would be much nicer to keep them in a colored bucket instead a dark pit inside a coffee can... Im sure they sell cheap buckets or something useful at walmart. Maybe even some type of clear rubbermaid containers would be cheap.


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

why dont you use jars as mentioned earlier?


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## John (Apr 19, 2005)

I will probably end up using jars, small buckets, etc. anyways. But, if it comes down to it, if I have to use the cans as a temporary container they will be okay, right?


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## ijedic (Jan 18, 2005)

What size tank are you breeding in? If you use a 10 gallon, you can grow them up a bit and then use a rubbermaid tub (at least 29 qts) with a sponge filter. 

The biggest mistake you could make is to seperate them too early. The biggest one isn't always a male, and if you are planning on selling them, the fastest way is to the LFS. If females are seperated, then it's hard to sell them if they fight like males. My advice would be to save some half gallon to one gallon jars (glass jars) and use those as they start fighting. Leave the rest together, it will be easier on them and on you.


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## John (Apr 19, 2005)

Well, I have decided on it, and here's my plan:

There will be two wooden frames which will contain many plastic rubbermaid containers.

One of the wooden frames will be for breeding. This one will contain larger rubbermaid containers.

The other wooden frame will be for keeping males separated (until they are ready for breeding / selling / putting in other tanks / etc.)

The females will be put partly in other tanks (when the tank residents and the bettas are compatible) and partly in their own large all-female tank (if they become too territorial I'll remove them).

Here's a diagram of what the wooden structures will look like:


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## John (Apr 19, 2005)

So what do you think of that setup?


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## Celeste (May 13, 2005)

MASON JARS!!! they're cheap, and you can find them everywhere at garage sales! you can even buy a pack of 12 at walmart. i believe they're less than $10, i want to say even less than $5 though, but i'm not sure exactly.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Instead of coffee cans, I like to use the containers which hold coffee FILTERS. Those things are perfect for oodles of applications.

Yes, you can line the cans with something to make them safe. Long before the plastic fish bag was invented, fish were transported in metal cans which were coated with enamel on the inside. Today you could just sit a fish bag inside a coffee can and it would work fine. 

I do like your betta barracks idea, though.


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