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Bowls

7K views 160 replies 28 participants last post by  ChoclateBetta 
#1 · (Edited)
As ChocolateBetta says, "bowls are for soup,not fish!"
When your in a pet store or Walmart, there are those TINY cubes that say betta cubes! Or 0.5 diving tank for bettas!
Lets face it, there not for bettas, or any fish really.
Bettas LOVE wide,open spaces to stretch out their fins and to show off.
These little fishies come from the rice patties if Thailand. Each bettas territory could range for MILES!
If your going to put a betta in a cube, say "How would I like to be cramped up, with no where to stretch and swim?" Trust me, you wouldn't like it.
If you get your betta a tank 5 gallons or bigger (depending on how much money you have) your betta will LOVE you!
To make sure he or she is SUPER HAPPY, make sure you have a heater, filter, plants ( live or fake ) and some hiding spaces for the best living possible!
Hope this helped, Bryana
 
#2 ·
It's so sad, petco says minumum tank size is two liters!! What's even worse is that they say the minumum tank size for a goldfish is 2 gallon!!!! What's up with these people? It seems like they should sell bigger tanks, I mean wouldn't that make them more money anyways?
 
#3 ·
Not trying to pick a fight... BUT...

Bettas can live quite happily in bowls, in fact, some even PREFER to live in smaller amounts of water. Though I agree that anything less than one gallon is pushing the limits, as many people say, it's about water quality not quantity. It's just as possible to have a very unhappy fish in a 5 as it is to have a unhappy fish in a 1 gal.

These threads tend to get people all riled up about tank size and what not, so I'm just going to leave it with this, if you do proper water changes and provide the right temperature and water quality for your fish along with having a good environment for them to explore and live in, a 1 gallon tank/bowl can be just as good as a 5 gal or larger.
 
#6 ·
The beautiful thing about a forum is that we can come together as a community and agree or disagree about various subjects. This is one that is a hotly debated subject. Many people, particularly the same breeders you likely got your betta from, could never house their hundreds of fish in 5 gallons each. Even 1 or 2 gallons would not only mean a crazy amount of space, but also a terrible amount of wasted water.

Additionally, some particularly heavy finned varieties of these fish simply don't do well in that much water. They weren't grown in it, they don't have the muscles to swim and live in it. The fish that are born in miles of rice paddies grew up there and are well equipped to live there. Don't forget that we have literally bred them to carry around a sometimes extreme amount of extra weight. This is not natural at all and thus we should not look at how they are kept in the wild when looking into how to care for them and how much space they need. Some things will be the same, but space is absolutely not one of them. It is like expecting an English Bulldog to run miles with the wolves and take down a caribou. Just not going to happen. lol.

I am personally of the mindset that water quality and proper temperature are more important than space. Is it harder to keep good water quality and heat in a smaller tank? For some. But don't knock the people that do and do it right. I personally recommend 2 gallons and up for beginners. It is a lot easier for people to get, especially since many people here are younger and subject to their parents rules, most people can keep up with the number of water changes (made even easier if they go with plants), and it does not take up too much space.

I absolutely adore my 2 gallon tank, and so does my fish, but if all I could have done was heat and clean the .5 gallon he was in before with a neglectful owner, he would still be a happy fish.
 
#10 ·
Additionally, some particularly heavy finned varieties of these fish simply don't do well in that much water.
thats my boy, he has CRAZY long, heavy fins so he just prefers to hang out in is plants and rest on the leaves. his 2gal is perfect for him. I MAY get him a 5 eventually but Im in no real hurry.

I am personally of the mindset that water quality and proper temperature are more important than space.
I absolutely adore my 2 gallon tank, and so does my fish, but if all I could have done was heat and clean the .5 gallon he was in before with a neglectful owner, he would still be a happy fish.
I have an actively growing pothos plant thats partially submerged to serve as a natural filter and he gets 100% water changes every monday. His water is clean and heated. hes a happy little fishy :) way happier then when I bought him and definitely healthier!
 
#11 ·
Bettas actually can survive in bowls. I currently have my betta in a .5 gallon . Anymore would probably stress him out.

Plus, for heavier finned bettas, smaller is sometimes better.

I feel like anything of about a gallon is good as long as it's being taken care of. Although there is no possibility of it being cycled, getting cleaned every other day works.

I had a 1 gallon with my first fish in it. He lived there for about 7 months before I moved him and put him else where, so techincally, anything is okay for a betta, but the bigger the better.
 
#12 ·
heres my little man in his 2g home, hes perfectly content in there....he gets 100% water changes weekly, he has an actively growing live pothos plant as a filter, he has a heater and thermometer.
 
#14 ·
hes not cramped at all, in fact he wastes alot of the space he does have b/c he just chills at the top on one of his leaves. hes got really heavy fins so he usually makes a few rounds a day then goes back to his leaf.
 
#16 ·
The same as how different betta owners have different opinions.
Is give my bettas a 20 gallon if it was allowed and if I could care for it
 
#18 ·
hes gone from his cup to a 1g then swiftly to the 2g hes in now and he was just as active in his 1g as he is in his 2g. the most I would EVER give him is 5g and thats just cuz I wanna go crazy with his decor not b/c I think he will actually need/use that much room. but a shorter finned variety might love the space. if u read thru this thread http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=117828 u will maybe get some insight as to the fact that it really is more about the quality of the water than the quantity. in fact alot of the people who have all the illnesses and fin issues are the ones who swear by the 10g+ cycled tanks....soooo...
 
#19 ·
A .5 is too small to me Carters tank is 20 that size he is activly swimming I think the main problem with small tanks is stimulation they need stimulation or resort to fin nipping. I keep Peace lilies in my filter and lucky bamboo in the main tank a plant grows above the tank my 20 has filter plants too. I love Betta bowls you can keep small plants in there.
 
#28 ·
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