Why would this offend anyone on here? You are on a forum full of betta enthusiasts

None of us keep bettas in vases! All of us have at least a 2.5 gallon heated set up and many of us have filtered and cycled aquariums for our fish.

 

well...not all of us. some of us are forced by lack of space and money to keep ours in unheated 1.5 gallon tanks....

 

I know someone who keeps their bettas in vases, but she knows they don't eat the roots, and she cleans the 2gal vases 2 times a week. The vases are huge (compared to most vases) and they are heated and there is surface for the betta to breathe. While I personally like my tanks, her vases are pretty and the bettas are happy and healthy.

I also know a person your describing. Tried to convince me they don't have to feed their betta at all or ever clean the water. Let's just say the betta died after just over a month. The water was cold and dirty, and the betta was starving. She still thinks the betta died of old age. Some people won't change.

 

...how would a fish die after a month from old age, though. Ugh. Some people...:roll:

I'd love to have a big two or three gallon vase for a betta. Hiding the heater and filter would be tough, but it could be doable if you had a whole bunch of plants. There's a hardware store here that sells 3 gallon glass vases for $15. Needless to say, I am very tempted.

Those "betta in a vase" things are ridiculous, though. You can't have a self-sustaining ecosystem if half of the "ecosystem" has no food and no air.

 

Yeah, I mean, as long as they clean, heat, and supply actual food, Then I'm ok with it. like your friend Hgaul22, But it just makes me so sad when I Watch people buy them and They ask for advice and the ( what they think as) "Pros" havent got a clue as to what they're talking about. . I saw some at jacks pets the other day, and the betta in a vase was actually DEAD. I was soo angry. But I'm kinda young, ( In my teens) , so I didnt think anyone would listen to me. Luckily there is one lady at the jacks near me that knows a lot about them and she tries to make sure that each customer knows what care a betta really needs. The betta that had passed was in the back with horrid water, So I don't know if she saw it, and she was not on duty when I was there.

 

There is really no reason to keep a fish in an unheated tank due to space, or unfiltered. There are tiny filters such as the Azoo Palm (7$) and tiny heaters meant for small tanks. Even my 1-2g tanks are heated.

 

I was in a LFS that I usually don't shop at and was told that a lady walked in a and ordered 35 Bettas to put in vases for a wedding.

I wish them an unhappy marriage with lots of lawyers in their future.

 

Because am full of snark and evil... this post made me crack up.:twisted:

 

Nothing wrong with something below 2.5g, as long as it's not below 1g... A gallon is actually what's most often recognized as the minimum amount of space for a betta, and they absolutely CAN live perfectly long and healthy lives in a tank that size. However, it is also well known that a larger tank is better, and easier to maintain.

Quite honestly I would rather keep a fish in a one gallon, heated tank than a 2.5 gallon unheated tank. If the container is a vase and an ok size, then that's all good too.

 

+1 what he said ^^^^

 

It is completely possible to keep a betta in an unheated unfiltered 1 gallon tank in a responsible manner, but it is extremely difficult.

You would have to keep the room that the betta is in temperature controlled to between 76 and 80 degrees with only gradual changes between these temperatures. You would have to do daily water changes, and you would have to carefully monitor all parameters.

The water changes are fairly simple, but temperature control (unless you are in the tropics) would be difficult unless you already have such a temperature controlled room for some other reason (bio-lab, greenhouse etc.) If you already have such a room, then keeping a betta becomes a trivial exercise.

 

I know breeders who keep or have kept a room heated with a space heater to around eighty... It's surprisingly simple. Those tanks would be considered heated, they're just heated in a different way.

You can also get heaters for that size of tank... A 25w, while significantly overpowered, will work.

You wouldn't even have to do daily water changes, three times or even twice weekly would suffice, water parameters permitting (it may also be worth noting that some of the best fishkeepers I know only test their water when something is wrong) of course. Keeping a betta in a gallon really isn't as difficult as it's made out to be on the forums sometimes, but like I said before bigger is better when it comes to tanks... I see very few circumstances in which there's any reason for the everyday pet keeper to only provide the bare minimum, and not go above that.

Basically it can be done and isn't as complicated or as much work as it's often said to be but there are very good reasons to get a bigger tank.

 

Yes, I do agree with the fact that a betta can live happily in a one gallon. Marius lived in a one gallon tank for almost a year and he never glass surfed or anything. he was not stressed or anything either he seemed quite happy. But what makes me made is the fact that the little card on the vase, and the pet store people tell you that you never have to clean the water or feed the betta or anything.