A few questions

[shealynn]

Hello all, I am new to this site as well as new to keeping a Betta. My boyfriend surprised me with a Betta and we bought what I thought was a cute 1/2 gallon bowl for him. After doing research however, I noticed that I should have kept my $5 and probably bought a 2 gallon tank. I've been looking around and have a few ideas, however since money is short it'll be a bit before I can afford one.

My main question is: how big should the tank/ bowl be for one of the mini hydor heaters? I thought I read somewhere that Hydor makes a heater for a 2.5 g tank or less, but I also just read something saying that was false.

Also, this may be random but some of you all have beautiful fish! Where are you getting them! I love my little guy, but I'm hoping to get another one day and was curious where people were getting the different breeds.

Any other suggestions for a cheap 2g tank or random hints and suggestions would be greatly appreciated as well.

Thank you!

[AngelicScars]

The mini heaters are best for 2.5-5 gallon tanks. I use one in my 2 gallon hospital, but it is getting cold here and it is keeping the water at a warmer temp that I need for healing.
A cheap two gallon suggestion would be to get a critter keeper. They can be used with fish, and you can use the mini heater in them. plus, they come with a lip (a must for Bettas, they are jumpers!) and a little door hatch on top to feed them.
I'm glad you did some research and decided to upgrade! The 1/2 gallon will be fine for now, just try to keep him in the warmest room of the house and keep up with the water changes. I would do a 100% change every 3 days, give or take.
The best variety of Bettas I've seen were at Petco. Sometimes you can luck out and find gorgeous Bettas there. Another place to find unique tail/color types would be aquabid.com. It's pricey, but the Bettas you can find there are breathtaking!
Good luck and welcome to the forum!

[dr2b]

You may also want to check Craigslist. You can get some really great deals on fish tanks there. I got my 5 gallon corner eclipse with the heater for $20 or $25 on there. It was in great condition too. I agree with everything Angelicscars said also.

[doggyhog]

Yes!! Def. check craigslist!!! I got one of my 10g tanks of there for 20 bucks!! Included everything except a heater and plants. :)

[shealynn]

Thanks all :)

I feel really bad for him because my house thermostat is set at 62 degrees and I have no heater yet. We're taking care of my sister's cats at the time being, and seeing as I have nothing at the top of the bowl I can't keep him in the kitchen or anything. The only thing I can probably do is keep him in the bathroom with the door closed.

I did look on craigslist and the tanks I found were all gigantic in my area, which will be nice one day when I have both room for it and money to buy it and fill it!

[Calmwaters]

I have 2 of the 2.5 gallons that Petsmart has they are about $14.00, the heater and filter I got at Walmart they were around $15.00 for heater, $10.00 for the filter then for lights I just have a desk lamp over each. Here is a picture so you can see what mine looks like. In this picture I did not have the filter yet.

and here is the filter:

Good luck with your guy. Oh and as far as my fish I have got them at Petsmart, Walmart, and a small family owned LFS.

[shealynn]

Awesome thank you!

[AngelicScars]

The critter keepers and the mini heaters are both cheaper then what was mentioned above. Plus, in that small of a tank a filter isn't necessary.
Also, I've used a Whisper 2-10 gallon filter before for a 10 gallon tank and it was just too much current for my betta.
Maybe the 1-3 gallon works better.

[Calmwaters]

I agree a filter is not neccesary but I like to have one. This one does not have much of a current at all if the water is kept to the lip of the filter.

[shealynn]

Good news so far, I'm buying a 5 gallon Aqua-tech Hex 5g with a little rock decoration/ hiding spot for him tomorrow off craigslist for $15. So I think between the bigger tank and the heater I'll get, he should be a lot happier and stress free soon.