# betta and current?



## jeffm1000 (Oct 13, 2006)

If a betta is in a 30 gallon tank, keeping in mind that it's been said they don't like water movement here is my question: With all the space, would the betta stay away from the current coming out of the filter?:chair:


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## Christine (Nov 4, 2005)

As long as he has places to go where he can be at the surface and avoid the current I would think he would go there if he gets tired of playing in the current. Some bettas may like to play in the current for a short bit (especially younger ones). I wouldn't worry about it unless he seems unable to find "safe places" away from the current.


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## dolifisis (Sep 27, 2006)

Mine went into a tank recently with 150gph flow and he doesn't seem to be bothered at all.


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## jeffm1000 (Oct 13, 2006)

Ok, the reason I ask is that so many are dead set that betta's don't do well in large areas and don't like current. I've got a betta in a community tank with an eheim 2234 filter that makes quite a current. I thought I may have had the odd betta that likes it because it swims around with the other fish, rarely sits still and swims up to the filter output. The current pushes the betta to the bottom of the tank and he constantly come back around for more. Am I foolish to think the betta is content or is there something wrong? He is a young betta, maybe just playful in their youth?


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## Sprite42 (Mar 10, 2006)

I think it depends on the betta. I have an older guy in a 29 gallon community with rasboras, dwarf bristlenoses and a couple of small loaches. He doesn't seem to mind the current, large area or tank mates. He, too, is all over the tank including the bottom.


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## dolifisis (Sep 27, 2006)

You can also check out this thread because I asked the same question a couple weeks ago and I received some good responses.

Duh, forgot the thread: http://www.fishforums.com/forum/bettas/13094-betta-150-gph.html#post117636


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## Guest (Nov 4, 2006)

My 10 gallon community has 2 pumps and i have placed them on oppisite sides and oppisite corners. This means there are 2 corners where he can hang out without a current. And if he feels playful he can play in the current.


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## Guest (Nov 6, 2006)

If you're using a filter designed for a tank that is bigger than the tank you're currently using, then you might want to turn down the flow control on the filter. If your filter doesn't have a flow control then get one that does. Another option is to buy some live floating plants so the Betta can rest close to the surface without having to fight the current all the time.


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## Bettaman (May 20, 2005)

It's true that Bettas don't like to be in water with a strong current because their big fins offer great resistance to the current and makes them use more energy to swim against the current or just to stay still in a strong current.

That said, all my Bettas are in tanks with filters and have a fair amount of current but not a overly strong current. What I do is I set the filter all te way to one side of the tank so the side rthe furthest from the tank will have a low current flow and that is always where my Bettas make they home and sleeping/resting area. But many of them do like to swim in the stronger current part of the tank. 

The older they get the more effert they have to make to fight the current so it becomes more critical in their weaker old age stage. 

As suggested above, I would adjust your filter to provide the least amount of flow and still give enough filtering.

The biggest bummer about current flow is that it tends to destroy their bubble nests in time and after a few months of re-building their bubble nests they will sometimes just give up and stop building them. So I keep plastic plants at the surface in the low current area to break up the current even more and they ususally build their nest around those plant stems.


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

jeffm1000 said:


> If a betta is in a 30 gallon tank, keeping in mind that it's been said they don't like water movement here is my question: With all the space, would the betta stay away from the current coming out of the filter?:chair:


The betta will try very hard to stay out of the current, however the commercial long finned variaties find it difficult to swim in even the slightest flow.
Either keep bettas in small tanks with no current, or in a very large tank (3-4ft) With an still and running areas.


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## MaryPa (Jan 25, 2006)

I just aquired a Juvi female who loves the bubbles from the airstick. She spends most of the day just swimming down the bubbles wearing a not so nice stress lines. I think she beleives she`s a cory.:lol:


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