so, i am trying to convince my dad to llet me get a fish... now, my mom is here, and she 'knows' that bettas only need a bowl and they'll be fine. i tried to explain to her that we only 'need a one room house, we only 'need' to eat one meal a day, etc. she said that people who have that aren't happy!!!! she's decided to buy a bowl and put a betta in it. help me please!!!!!!!!!!!! im gonna put a post, and i need u guys to comment on it!!!!!!!!!!! ill show it to her, and maybe she'll believe you guys..
Last edited by betta fan21; 07-25-2012 at 01:43 PM.
Well they can live in a bowl but to live and thrive are two different things..A betta needs at very least 2.5 gallons and some even say that is too small that they need at least 5 gallons. The smaller the tank the more water changes you need to do..They are better off with a filter also. I know many people will use the well they are in small cups at the store so this quart bowl must seem like a palace but that's like saying hey this guy was homeless so I'm sure if we give him a room that's the size of a closet he'll be comfortable. Most places have 2.5 starter kits at a decent price that comes with at least a filter..Oh! depending on where you are a heater may be a must too. Sorry didn't check where you live on your info.
Yes bettas can live in bowls but they need room to swim around bettas can't do that in a quarter gallon of water they diffidently need at least 2.5 gallons a good rule is about a gallon per inch of fish. you should diffidently get a heater. I'd say a filter is optional the smaller the tank the more water changes you have to do, which can make it harder to take care of your betta. With feeding I think 1 or 2 meals a day is okay personally I do 1 a day
A huge proportion of sick fish in the disease forum are in 1 gallon or under - and that's clearly no coincidence.
It's really hard to maintain water quality in a bowl that size. Lack of (gentle) water motion (filtration) plus lack of room to swim (stress) plus infrequent water changes (a 1 gallon will need 1 x 50% + 1 x 100% per week at least! 3 changes a week is better..) + lack of heater (basic requirement for tropical animal) = one very sick fish, most of the time.
With the cost of medications, I think investing in a larger tank and changing the water frequently will help prevent the fish dropping dead in a matter of weeks and costing that much in medicines anyway.
Some people here keep their fish in 1 gallon tanks in perfect health for years on end but make sure they get everything their fish need to live in that tank - warm, clean water and good quality food, as well as lack of stress in general being the priorities.
I do not think an extra couple of gallons is 'unnecessary' at all. If it means a better chance at an inexperienc3ed fishkeeper enjoying a healthy and delightful pet, rather than keeping some doomed, miserable table ornament barely alive -- I'd go the larger tank every time.
And do the research on what that (tropical!) creature I was purchasing actually needs..
You are off to a good start by joining this group..You'll be a pro before you know it. Just reason with your mother, things have changed since she was your age and one is people know a lot more about fish keeping and it starts by researching before you waste money buying something too small and will have locked in a closet once you find it's not idea for the betta's well being.
As much as I hate to say it, I doubt your mom will believe us either. Since this is a fish forum, she'll probably write us off as fanatics (Like I do with PETA). ^_^;
But here are my two cents anyway. :D
My personal min is 1 gallon. While on campus I had a 1 gallon tank (the corner tank you get from petco for $12 i think), and could fit a heater, thermometer, filter, small castle, and 1 tiny fake plant with a betta. Needless to say any betta in that set up didn't have much swimming room, but the water was clean water at the proper temperature. My water change schedule was 2 50% and 1 100% water change a week.
Average life expectance for a fish in my care in a 1 gallon tank is 2 - 2 1/2 years. Some people will argue that 2 years is too short since the average life span of a betta is 3-5 years old. But, since I have always brought my fish at pet stores, I could have come home with 8 - 10 month old fish without knowing the difference.
My current set up is a 5 gallon tank. It has a filter (that I had to baffle the lifing snot out of -_-), heater, thermometer, two hiding places (one big one small), some live plants (new addition), tons of swim room. Unlike a 1 gallon set up, a 5 gallon set up can be cycled. Once a tank is cycled it is basically on autopilot. My current water change schedule is 25% once a week with sand surface cleaning and 50% once a month with sand surface cleaning.
I can't guess if that increase life spam yet since both Luigi and Snowy lived most of their lives in 1 gallon set ups. But I can say that they were much more active had their personalities showed a bit more. They definately used the extra space once I upgraded their tanks. :)
So I go either way. I have had healthy fish in 1 gallon setups in the past without shorting there lives drastically, but it was difficult to keep up the water quality. I definately had random ammonia spikes in my old 1 gallon setup and still have a habit of using a lidded bucket to hold "emergency water" to this day. Not that I need it with a cycled tank that is very stable and doesn't give me the same fluctuations I dealt with in the past.
So, while your mom is technically right about a betta surviving in a bowl (if it is at least 1 gallon), I don't think she realizes how much work goes into keeping a betta alive in 1 gallon of water. If your mom doesn't want to be bothered with daily water monitoring and water changes 3 times a week, she should get at least a 2.5 gallon tank. She wouldn't be able to cycle it like I cycled my 5 gallon tanks, but its parameters would be more stable than a 1 gallon bowl and need less hands on maintinance.
In fact, if the bowl your mom got holds 2-3 gallons of water, she's already on the right track by accident. :)
You are off to a good start by joining this group..You'll be a pro before you know it. Just reason with your mother, things have changed since she was your age and one is people know a lot more about fish keeping and it starts by researching before you waste money buying something too small and will have locked in a closet once you find it's not idea for the betta's well being.
actually, im an old member here. i joined late last year, but i forgot my profile pass and my email pass. i've been here a while, my old prof. has over 100 posts, lolz
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