# my 1st fish, worried that its uncomfortable in a small bowl!



## tazzz (Feb 11, 2005)

I posted this on the begginers forum and they suggested me posting it here:

hello! my girlfriend just brought me back a fish from her job where her boss gave everyone a fish. I'm not sure what kind of fish it is but its in a real small fish bowl and I'm worried that its uncomfortable. its a small fish with long, flowing, aqua and pink colored tail and fins. the fish is about two inches long and the bowl is about 4 inches diameter (about the size of two of my fists). I want to be kind to the fish and dont want it to be miserable. apperently a few ladies from my girlfriend's job told her these fish prefer smaller bows....again, I've never owned a fish and have no clue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! 

TAZ


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Well, I though you got answers for your previous post? Well, it wasn't misplaced anyway! You did it right! Just keep it there, and everything will be okay! 
Anyway, I think it's a betta, and these can get along with small tank well. But I'd like to keep them in a large, well-planted tank.
Peace
Can you post a photo of him up?


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## tazzz (Feb 11, 2005)

should I bother with a flitration system and heater? or is that not important? thnx for your help!


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Can your tank afford all of that? Some keep betta in just a little bowl and nothing else.


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## tazzz (Feb 11, 2005)

Its in a litttle bowl now but honeslty I'm concerned about the fish being uncofortable cuz he has very little room to swim. I want the fish to be happy and not live a life where only has room to turn around. I read somewhere that I should have a gallon of water per inch of fish? is this correct? thnx!

TAZ


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

i would suggest you put the betta in a gallon of water at least.....i have had quite a few of them and i kept them in gallon sized bowls (i found them at walmart in the craft or fish section) you do not need filtration or heater, in my opinion, but you should do partial water changes once or twice a week. a setup i would suggest for it would be a gallon sized bowl, with some gravel on the bottom and a little cave in there (another thing you can buy at walmart.....in the fish section) bettas are pretty easy to take care of...just feed them once or twice a day and do water changes.....good luck with your betta!!! 

ps. you will probably get alot of different opinions...this is what i have used alot of times and they seem plenty happy...


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

I recommend a 10gallon tank with a filter and a heater. It won't even cost that much, and you wouldn't have to do so much water changes. With a 10g 50% once a week would be enough.


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## tazzz (Feb 11, 2005)

great! thanks for all your help!

TAZ


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

If money and room is not an issue then go with a 5 or 10G tank with a small filter and heater.



RC


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## bettasngoldfish (Feb 12, 2005)

osteoporoosi @ Fri Feb 11 said:


> I recommend a 10gallon tank with a filter and a heater. It won't even cost that much, and you wouldn't have to do so much water changes. With a 10g 50% once a week would be enough.


Wow! I do fifty percent weekly water changes on my goldfish tanks but I can't imagine any betta living in a ten gallon tank would require a weekly fifty percent change. You must feed your fish an awful lot :?


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

A 15-20% WC would be plenty for a 10G tank that contains just one Betta.


RC


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

How silly of me, ofcourse I assumed you'll get some pals for the betta.
Like cardinal tetras for example.
With just one betta 30 % will be just fine.


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## koaPSYCHOcore (Feb 15, 2005)

Bettas originate from rice patties, and small places with water, so they really dont have a problem with confined spaces. They like to be alone, but if you want to keep them entertained I suggest putting a mirror on one side so he can flare at himself, or get a dual hex and get another betta to put on the other side. Bettas are tropical fish and like heat, if they are put in cold water they are suffering and thats not too good. Theyre nomral temperature is 76 degrees? Im not really surfe. Ive had a betta in cold water for 4 years and hes fine,. But ive read that they dont favor that too much. About the filtering, these are resiliant little fish. They can take alot and arnt pansys like say goldfish where you have to worry about dirty water and quick water changes that will put them in shock. They can go a long time without having a water change, but I vote you be nice and change it so he isnt all upset in dirty water. I have 4 bettas and I take good care of them and if you have anymore questions concerning bettas ask me, because I have learned alot since my first.


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

DO NOT put them in a dual hex, those are way too small for one fish let alone two, that to me is just cruel.


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## MegTheFish (Jan 19, 2005)

> Bettas originate from rice patties, and small places with water, so they really dont have a problem with confined spaces.


Pish. Yes, compared to an ocean, rice patties are small:








This is only a *small* rice pattie.


























See that little figure standing in the middle of the pic? Thats a *person*.









I could go ON and ON with the pictures...but I don't want to humilate you TOO much. Now you will never associate rice paddies with small spaces.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

exactly my thinking... a 5 gallon or 10 gallon would be best for this guy, he can have some peaceful tankmates as well... The smallest I would put a betta in is a gallon, but high water maintenance would be a must


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

I kept Bettas in 32oz jars for year with a 100% WC every 48hours.


RC


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## MegTheFish (Jan 19, 2005)

If your breeding bettas, nobody has room for hundreds of 1 gallon tanks, so its okay to keep them in tiny containers, they won't be in there their whole life anyways. And with proper water changes, your water quality will be good. But if you have bettas just to keep as pets (Like I do), *atleast* a 1-gallon tank should be the minimum. Its not fair for them to have to live their whole life in a cup.


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## anasfire23 (Jan 19, 2005)

I've got 6 betta's and about to havea w hole lot more ( got a pair to spawn) and I keep my full grown's in 1 gal tanks, some are in 800ml (sorry don't know that in ga) tanks and are quite happy..i make sure they all get a chance to sit next to each other atleast once a day and flare at each other.. I noticed this keeps their colours rally radiant too. Good luck.


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## kidbetta (Feb 2, 2005)

> Bettas originate from rice patties, and small places with water, so they really dont have a problem with confined spaces.





> Now you will never associate rice paddies with small spaces.


 :lol: I knew someone was going to put some pictures here of how rice patties look like.......

After looking at those pictures..... Maybe, I should move my betta to my backyard swamp with the Ogre???

Just Kidding...... 


Those are some nice pictures of rice patties and landscape...  I wonder about how many bettas live in those rice patties????? 


I currenlty have 1 betta that I rescued from a pet shop in a 5-1/2 gallon tank with an otto cat fish....
When I first bought him he had no color or energy... He didn't flare.... He was a sad looking betta and no one was buying him..   So.... I decided to give him a home.... Today he is doing good! He knows when I am sitting next to my computer.... He begs me for food.... He swims all around the tank... Sleeps on the live plants..... and is eating really well.... 

I use a mini Aqua Clear Filter to keep the water crystal clear.... I only make water changes once a month with this setup....  I don't over feed them! and I test my water to make sure it's in good condtion...  This Setup works perfectly fine for me!  Plus, it's more fun to see the betta reacting to other fish... With a bigger tank you can always add some fish... I plan to add 2-3 more fishes in my tank....  


In my opinion a 5-1/2 gallon tank or 10g  is a perfect setup for a Betta.... plus you can really hook it up the way you want.... 


Good Luck with your new BETTA!


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

really if you got $50 you can but a 10 tank for $8 at petsmart, a $20 filter at petco, a $20 light at petco, and a bag of gravel at petco (for everything labeled pecto a petsmart of a LFS may be cheaper). With these supplys you can set up a great home for your bettta with a bit of company. If you think a 10 gallon is to big 5.5 and 2.5 gallon tanks are avauble but cost more because they are harder to make


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

5.5 and 2.5 cost more then 10G because they sell more 10G tanks then any other size. It's the most common tank so they sell it the cheapest.


RC


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

the sales person at petco told me they were hard to make and thats why they cost more but thats proof that you can't trust the chainstores


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

the sales person at petco told me they were hard to make and thats why they cost more but thats proof that you can't trust the chainstores


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## (RC) (Jan 18, 2005)

I have found most people that work at chain stores don't really know much about what they are selling. There are a few people at chains stores that are great, but not many.


RC


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## MegTheFish (Jan 19, 2005)

What about bowfronts? They are more expensive because it is harder to make the bent glass, and the tank looks more elegant...thats what I thought.


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## lago (Feb 28, 2005)

Rice paddies may be "large" like how you've shown, but they aren't that deep (you can see the guy standing in one and still see his shins), they're extremely murky and muddy, and you can get nasty parasites if you're not careful in those rice paddies...Bettas can definitely handle small harsh environments, like small bowls, but the more space your betta has, the more room it has to move around (showing off its graceful tail/fins) which equates to a happier betta. I'd suggest a 5 gallon but a 3 gallon might be pushing it a bit, and definitely don't put it in one of those "betta bowls." They're just cruel.


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## Pia (Mar 15, 2005)

True that. LOL ^.^


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## Guest (May 21, 2006)

Sounds like a betta to me. You COULD upgrade to a 2.5g if you wanted to. Bettas really like smaller habitats. They don't go much anywhere.


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