# new to bettas - is setup ok?



## mick53 (Nov 2, 2006)

hi,

someone bought my wife a betta for her birthday. it was in a tiny, tiny bowl.

i watched the creature for a day and was hypnotized by its grace and beauty.

so i went to a pet store to buy it a larger home. well i ended up buying a 2.5 gal. tank that has 2 dividers. and i bought 2 more bettas.

i have done a lot of reading, here and elsewhere. opinions seem to diverge as far as proper space goes for these fish.

the tanks is 12"x6"x8". so it comes out to about .83 gal. per fish.

we have been changing the water weekly according to instructions and have placed plants in each "betta condo."

here's a picture.










they seem happy. 2 out of three are big on bubble blowing. they still flare up occasionally, but not nearly as much as when they first moved in.

they know when it's AM and PM feeding time. i think they are happy.

what can i do to make their living situation better? we plan to keep this set up.

any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

thanks,

mick


----------



## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

They look nice! How are you filtering?


----------



## mick53 (Nov 2, 2006)

zoe,

thanks for replying. do you think we need a bit more gravel in the tank to better anchor the plants?

we have a few other questions we need answered. and we're hoping you and some of the others here will be kind enough to supply us with some answers. we want to do right by these lovely fish. please have patience with the uninitiated. i'm aware a lot of this is common knowledge to msot of you.

1. so far we are simply changing the water every 5 days. is this adequate for three bettas in a 2.5 gal tank?

2. should we be saving a cup or 3 of the water to keep what i guess is beneficial bacteria?

3. we have been cleaning the gravel thoroughly in a collinder (which we no longer use for spaghetti). is cleaning the gravel beneficial or not?

4. does anyone make a heater for small divided tanks (2.5 gal.) like this one? we live in central florida and rarely turn the heat on, even in winter. but i fear the water will get too chilly for them come december. so we need a heater recommendation please.

5. is it possible to filter a divided tank like this one? do we need to if we change the water every 5 days?

i keep reading 2.5 gal. minimum per fish, 5 gal. minumum per fish and even a few 10 gal. minimum per fish.

these guys have .83 gal. and seem to be doing fine.

6. do you think their individual spaces are adequate? i mean, i watch them all the time and they are quite active and seem happy. are we being cruel?

thanks,

mick


----------



## aaa (Jan 19, 2005)

mick53 said:


> zoe,
> 
> thanks for replying. do you think we need a bit more gravel in the tank to better anchor the plants?
> 
> ...


1. the more watch change is better, but one per 5 days is not that bad... but if you chance let's say once per 2-3 days will be better for betta in a smaller space(compare to one betta in a 2.5 gallon or 5 gallon). betta like clean water.

2 and 3. no, it doesn't really matter in that little cup of water. the bacteria will only get you started on cycling the tank. it doesn't do much. plus cleaning the gravel like that wash away the bacteria.

4. you can get a heater for 5-15 gallon. the heater sense a certain temp and it will stop.

5. it is up to you whether if you filter or not. but i wouldn't add anything. in fact, i would take out the gravel. i just not a big fan of gravel. some bad bacteria grow in there and it would eat away betta's fin. that only happen in dirty gravel, but i wouldn't risk that. plus it is easier to just suck out the waste. plus you have clown tail and the extended ray is pretty easy to melt away.

6. your size of the tank seems fine as long as you keep up with the water change. of course 5 gallon per betta is better but they would do as great in a .83 gallon if you give them good care. people say at least 5 gallon or 10 gallon per betta just their believe. i even keep young betta in a quart jar and i keep up with water change and they actually grow great in there.


----------



## Christine (Nov 4, 2005)

First, your bettas don't have .83 gallons each. There is space lost to the gravel, dividers and plants. 

Imo, less than a gallon is too small to really cycle. It is possible to cycle a 2.5 gallon however it looks like glass dividers between compartments so theres no/not much water flow? Plus, I think 3 bettas would be to big of a bioload to cycle a 2.5 gallon tank (tho I've never tried it). If those dividers are solid, I think you will have a hard time heating or filtering it well. The live plants will help. My 1 gallons get 100% water changes every 1-2 days. Some fish seem more sensitive to water quality than others. It looks like you have some nice crowntails there. Be watchful of the ends of their fins curling. 

When people say clean the gravel, they usually mean with a gravel cleaner such as the Lee's Gravel vac which can be used to pull left over food and waste from the bottom without damaging the bacteria bed badly. If you are rinsing the gravel under tap water, you are likely killing any bacteria that is trying to accumulate. But again, I don't think you are going to be able to cycle the tank as it is.. so really its kinda irrelevant at this point I think.

There are heaters for 2.5 gallons, but the way your tank is divided I don't think I would trust them to work in the manner which you need. I've found a large difference in temperature using mesh dividers which allow for water flow, so I'm sure it would probably be even greater with glass dividers.

Just my opinion, if I were in your shoes I would either be doing daily water changes (every 2nd day at most) or I would be looking to acquire more betta living space. If you can come up with the space, it is *much* easier to care for a 2.5 gallon tank that is not divided than one that is. You'll find heating, filtering & cleaning are all easier. Another option would be upgrading to a 10 gallon which you could divide. Truthfully, Im not a fan of dividing as to me the circulation seems impaired. However, you could probably put a small sponge filter in each compartment and be fine that way.


----------



## dakotagirl (Nov 22, 2006)

*How about this?*

If the tank dividers are plastic, maybe you could drill little holes in them to allow the water and heat to circulate. I had a friend who did this and it worked good for her.


----------



## Sable (Nov 6, 2006)

....But if they're glass dividers, drilling won't go well. 

I'd suggest bigger, non-divided tanks. If you have the room, maybe three 2-gallon tanks? You'll only need one plug for each (unless you want the light on, too, but with bettas I generally use external lighting), and a Hydor mini-heater in each. The tall hex kits will take up very, very little space, so you can even put the tanks next to each other so that the crazy boys can flare at each other.  The 2 gallon hex kits should cost about $18-$20 each, probably less at day-after-Thanksgiving sales.


----------



## Phonemonkey (Oct 19, 2006)

You really, really, really need a filter.


----------



## Phantom_Cichlid (Jul 3, 2006)

Phonemonkey said:


> You really, really, really need a filter.


Thats not all that true if they keep up with regular water changes.


----------



## Bettaman (May 20, 2005)

It's easy to understand how anyone can be amazed by these beautiful loving Bettas. Christine made some excellent points that I agree with. You won't be able to heat that tank properly with the dividers and for the same reason a filter won't work and that tank is too small for a filter even without the dividers. You do not need any more gravel. You should be changing the water daily and looking for the fastest possible way to give them each more space. 

Not sure if it's just the way the picture is but it looks like the left side of that tank is hanging off the edge and not supported accross the entire bottom of the tank. If this is true this is very bad as that tank can easily become a leaker if it's not mounted on a smooth surface supporting the entire tank.

I also don't like havig three males this close to each other as they are likely to be too excited too often resulting in stress which in these fish often breeds disease. Try putting a female in the center compartment if you insist of keeping three Bettas in that little tank. Also get someplants that reach the surface for that Center compartment. My guess is that's the one not blowing bubbles cuz he's constantly surrounded by other Bettas.

That said, your tank looks very nice and all three of your bettas are beautiful.


----------



## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Just a side note. The plant on the left is not a true aquatic plant.


----------



## bettaboy691 (Nov 25, 2006)

first of all it looks like you have some very beautiful and healthy bettas.it would be better to get more space, and easier for you, but if your happy changing the water like you have been doing then thats fine. if its atall possable, try to change to clouded dividers so the bettas don't see each other,its not always good for then to be flaring up but if they are settling down then they may be ok.heating is better for the siamese fighting fish but not nessary,they can live in coldwater.even tho i keep my own bettas in heater tanks, i know people who dont and their bettas are fine.filtering is good and easier for you but if you keep up with the water changes then i dont see a problem.personally i would keep a small amount of the old water to mix with the new water (which i presume you are making safe with some water treatment before hand)it helps a little with the bacteria but gives the betta some old water to reconise.i wouldnt remove all the gravel but maybe have less.keep the plants tho.i wouldnt bother washing the gravel every time as to me this isnt nessary.as long as the bettas are swimming around and eating well and show no signs of illness then keeping them in the tank you have them in is aboustly fine.
it seems to me that you have some lovely, healthy, well kept bettas and i wish you all the best in looking after them.


----------



## aaa (Jan 19, 2005)

bettaboy691 said:


> first of all it looks like you have some very beautiful and healthy bettas.it would be better to get more space, and easier for you, but if your happy changing the water like you have been doing then thats fine. if its atall possable, try to change to clouded dividers so the bettas don't see each other,its not always good for then to be flaring up but if they are settling down then they may be ok.heating is better for the siamese fighting fish but not nessary,they can live in coldwater.even tho i keep my own bettas in heater tanks, i know people who dont and their bettas are fine.filtering is good and easier for you but if you keep up with the water changes then i dont see a problem.personally i would keep a small amount of the old water to mix with the new water (which i presume you are making safe with some water treatment before hand)it helps a little with the bacteria but gives the betta some old water to reconise.i wouldnt remove all the gravel but maybe have less.keep the plants tho.i wouldnt bother washing the gravel every time as to me this isnt nessary.as long as the bettas are swimming around and eating well and show no signs of illness then keeping them in the tank you have them in is aboustly fine.
> it seems to me that you have some lovely, healthy, well kept bettas and i wish you all the best in looking after them.


the betta usually only flare to display to each other. once they establish their position and they will calm down. betta can live in cooler water, but not cold. anything below 68 is not acceptable. 75-80 is a good rule to follow. as for the gravel, it often create more problem for long fin fish such as betta. bacteria grow in them and some bacteria will eat away the fin of the fish. in tank area this small better do 100% water change. in space such as this small the bioload is at its max and need big water change and cycled tank cannot handle the bioload.


----------

