Filter?

[rejohnson53]

Okay, so I just got a new 3 gallon tank for my new betta Poseidon (my previous one just passed away ) and it came with a filter. I was reading some literature on the internet about betta care and some say that a filter is beneficial because it keeps the water cleaner, but others say that you shouldn't have a filter in a tank smaller that 5 gallons because it moves the water too much, making it harder for the fish to breathe.

Should I run the filter, not run it, or perhaps only run it sometimes?

Can anyone clarify this for me? Thanks in advance!

[Jynx]

it depends on the particular tank- could you find the same or similar tank on an online store and link it? it's possible other people on the forum have the same tank and can give better advice

[rejohnson53]

This is the tank here

[rejohnson53]

I've looked around some more on the internet and I still can't come to a conclusion about whether 3 gallons is too small a tank to have a filter for a betta. Is there anyone else who has a three gallon, maybe a 2.5 gallon? If so, do you use a filter?

[ElmoFish]

I use a filter on all of my tanks, check if there is a setting to slow the current, if not you may need to make a baffle of some sort to slow the current for your betta.. Some betta's do fine in a current, so your best bet is to try it out, and if he looks uncomfortable with the current, turn it off until you can slow it somehow..

[ElmoFish]

Cute tank, btw.. I've been looking at those tanks a lot, but they're too pricey for my budget considering i can get a 10 gallon setup for the same cost.

[rejohnson53]

I actually really lucked out and got the tank on sale ($19).

So what exactly is a baffle?

[rejohnson53]

Never mind, I looked up what it was on the forum. I should have done that first before asking... Anyway, I made one out of a small Gatorade Rain Bottle and it works perfectly! Thanks for your help :).

[Kim]

You need a filter if you plan on cycling the tank. If you don't plan on cycling, a filter won't do much except for move the water around a bit. You'll also need to clean it out thoroughly at each 100% water change. I strongly recommend that you read this great link about cycling to better understand what Im talking about:

http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=3738