Exceptional Betta?

[Mizu_Betta]

Hey Guys! :D

I've had bettas in the past, and I've always heard that the bigger the tank, the better the betta. Following this rule, I got my two bettas (Apollo and Ryan) each a 5 gallon tank with heaters, filters, pH tests, the whole 9 yards. They died in less than a year.

However, my autistic little brother wanted to be just like his big sister, so we let him have a betta as well (named Mac). He keeps that fish in a 1/2 gallon tank with no filters, no heaters, doesn't check pH level, none of that. All he does it feed him twice a day and cleans his tank once a week. That betta is now 4 years old!!

Now I'm thinking of getting another betta, but should I still go through what I did in the past? Or, should I just keep it simple like my brother??

[Meatpuppet]

hey and welcome
i went through exactly what ur going through. both myself and sister have bettas and i keep mine the way you supposed to and she keeps her's in a cup. she is on her second betta while im on my fourth.
but since i figured what i think went wrong, my fourth is doing much better.
when i got my first and second betta i plopped them in a new 1/2 galon (this was years ago) without letting have time to build up benificial bacteria. when i got my third, i got a bigger 1 gallon but agian stuck him into an uncycled tank. but now that the 1 gallon is cycled i got my fourth. he is doing much better and i am yet again going to upgrade him to his 5 gallon (whenever it's done its cycle and the parameters are good)

so my advice to you, with my experience is to get at least a 2.5gallon with a little filter and heater let it cycle until the parameters read that the ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0, nitrate is under 20ppm, and ph is slightly acidic around 6.5 to 7.

hope this helps and good luck :D
and to make sure everything is right you should check out the betta care sticky at the top of the bettafish forum

[Flashygrrl]

What was your water change schedule as opposed to his? It's also just plain possible you picked out older bettas.

[Mizu_Betta]

I would always clean the tank once a week, just like my brother... :)

[okiemavis]

Did you clean the tank out 100% each time? It's a lot better to only change part of the water in a 5 gallon.

[Mizu_Betta]

Yeah, I actually would clean it 100%

Sometime next week, I'm thinking of getting a crowntail (soooo pretty! :D ) But, I got rid of those 5 gal. tanks years ago (thinking I wouldn't be doing this again..). I was looking more towards a 2 gal. bowl w/ a heater, but no filter....good or no good??

[ErinBBC]

Yeah, changing the water 100% is bad for any size tank, it destroys the good bacteria balance and can make the fish go into shock. It may be that this contributed to their early demises but you never know so don't feel guilty....could be they were sick when you got them.

If you use a 2 gallon bowl you should get a filter, it will help keep the water clean and ammonia free which is really important in smaller containers where ammonia can build up quick.

I'd suggest going one gallon higher and getting a 3 gallon bowl or tank, it's alot easier to find products for tanks 3 gallons and up based on what I've seen in pet stores. For example Tetra Whisper in tank filters start at 3 gallons. There are lots of 3 gallon kits that come with a tank, a filter, gravel, a hood, and a decoration - you'll need to buy the heater seperately. Just make sure it's not a power filter but that it's driven by an air pump.

[okiemavis]

Why not look on craigslist for a 10 gallon tank? You should be able to get one for pretty cheap. The larger the tank, the more stable the water, so it's harder to kill your fish.