How to move a Betta? And Filter Questions

[porcupine]

Hi. I have a gorgeous blue veil tail and his name is porcupine. I'm going off to college this fall and I am bringing him with me because 1) i would miss him terribly if I left him and 2) my family would never remember to feed him. :/ My school is only 30 or so minutes away from my house but I'm worried about the move. Are there any suggestions on how I can move him while inflicting the least stress on him? Should I leave him in the tank or put him in a cup or bag or what?

Also, Porcupine is living in a 1.5 gal tank (I know... I wish I could give him more but i don't have the space! but he is doing really well, so its ok.) the tank came with an air stone and air pump which has been nice and keeping the water oxygenated and not stagnant like in a bowl. but the other day i found a nice little filter made for 1-3 gal tanks. Its called a whisper filter i believe (made by tetracare, i think?) and I was wondering if this filter would do the same job as my air pump (oxygenate and such) in addition to filtration and so I should just use this instead of the air pump or if I would need both?

Porcupine and I thank you! :)

[Flashygrrl]

In a 1.5 gallon you're better off either using a sponge filter or one of these: http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...anofilterclear the water flow is VERY low so it won't toss your betta around. Whispers have a teeny bit higher water flow on them so they don't work in that size of tank.

Do you have a heater for him in there (bettas should always have a constant 78 degrees, no fluxuations)? One of these would be just nifty for him if you don't: http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...d10wminiheater

As for the original question, it would be safest to cup him, you could probably get an empty from the petstore if you don't have his, just put the cup in the water and guide him into there with your hand and just kinda scoop him up and put the water, gravel and any filter media into a sturdy bucket (preferably with a lid).

[ErinBBC]

I would definitely go with a less strong filter, I got a Tetra Whisper 3 gallon filter for free but I have a five gallon tank so that makes up for the stronger current. In a small tank, adjustable flow filters are always good.

Also you'd really need a heater. In most dorms you can't control the room temp and your betta could get too cold - resulting in illness or even death. Hydor mini heaters are cheap and work well.

Have fun with Porcupine in college! I'm sure your roomies will love him, but make sure they don't feed him unless you say so - overfeeding can really hurt a fish.