[cr357]

I'm new to fish so please bear with me, some of these questions may seem trivial. First of all, I'm a college student and this past year space was a prized commodity so when I got my betta, Martin, I got him a 2 gallon tank which is more deep than it is wide. I want to move him into a tank with dimensions more suited to the way he'd naturally swim. He will be coming back to college with me in the fall and I WILL have more room next year so I'm trying to decide between a 2.5 and 5 gallon tank? I like the 5 gallon better but it would also be trickier to transport. What are your thoughts? Should I go for the 5 gallon?

This brings me to my next question, is it at all possible to have 2 tanks going, one at school and one for when I come home over break? So I wouldn't have to transport a bigger tank? Would that stress him out too much? Also any advice on transporting bettas in a way that's as stress-free as possible would be appreciated! I tried a few ways this year and some seemed more stressful than others.

 

[Kumo]

A five gallon would be good, because if you wanted to add one or two extra creatures in there, you can. Plus, bettas like having more room to swim. My boy betta, Charmander, LOVED the 20 gallon I put him in while he stayed over at my boyfriend's place. Also, for summer break, you're going to have to take your aquarium back anyway.

My bettas, when I bought them, came in a tiny cup. I use that to transport them. I've also used 1 gallon jugs (NOT the milk jugs with the handle, they're circular and tall) to transport fish. Some people use tubble wear (which is also good, just be sure to tape around the sides with duct tape because water might leak from the top).

I recommend taking a 1 gallon jug with you and using that to transport back and forth. I've been owning tank animals since my fall freshman year in college (I recently just finished my sophomore year), and I've transported tanks of all sizes (2.5, 5, 10, 20) to and from the dorms and my home. The only "accidents" I've had is an animal passing away because they were already feeling sickly before the move.

I DO NOT recommend transporting the fish in the tank, full of water, for the ride back. That's going to be a lot of water sloshing around. 5 gallon tanks aren't really that heavy (full or not full of water and just water).

 

[TheBlur]

Large mason jars work well for transport too You can even put the lid on if you drill a little hole in the top for air~

I'd get the 5 gallon. They're small enough to transport easily, but large enough for your betta to live happily with a shrimp or two + decorations. My bettas all start in a 1 gallon quarantine bowl to get used to space after living in that horrible plastic petshop cup. Then they're transferred to 3gallon bowls. They're happy, warm, and have a plant and a hidey-hole each. If I could I'd put each of my bettas in a 10 gallon! But ya know- space... I also saved their petshop cups for when I do water changes (after I washed the cups with NO SOAP!) NEVER EVER EVER USE SOAP ON ANYTHING THAT GOES IN YOUR TANK!

Good luck with your fishy~

 

[cr357]

Thanks for all the advice! I went with the 5 gallon!

Maybe ill try the mason jar! I've tried Tupperware and my problem with that was that it was winter time and even though I put him in an insulated bag (in a heated car), the water didn't stay very warm. Any ideas on keeping the transport container at a reasonable temperature so it doesn't stress him out more?

 

[Morello]

Try to put one of this in your insulated bag.
http://www.amazon.com/Uniheat-Shipp...upplies_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1HGKC7WT8VJBN9XJQ2Q1