# What is the MINIMUM size tank for a betta



## casshyr

Please don't just say "the bigger the better". Based on your experience + what you have heard, what would you recommend as the minimum size tank in order to keep a healthy betta (not for breeding, but just a single betta)

I have a glass jar that is about ~3 gallons, would that be ok?
Based on my living space, I can't really go anything larger.


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## TheBlueBettaFish

Yes! I have my Red in a 2.5 gal. That's what i think is the minimum


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## Lion Mom

casshyr said:


> Please don't just say "the bigger the better". Based on your experience + what you have heard, what would you recommend as the minimum size tank in order to keep a healthy betta (not for breeding, but just a single betta)
> 
> I have a glass jar that is about ~3 gallons, would that be ok?
> Based on my living space, I can't really go anything larger.


A 3 gal. glass jar??? WOW - I would LOVE to find something like that!!! And, yes, that is big enough. :-D

Absolute MINIMUM size for a betta, IMO, is 1.5 gal. - with the needed water changes (two 50% + and one 100% per week), it would be fine. I know many will disagree, but that is my opinion. 

BTW, where in the heck did you find a 3 gal. jar?


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## casshyr

Lion Mom said:


> A 3 gal. glass jar??? WOW - I would LOVE to find something like that!!! And, yes, that is big enough. :-D
> 
> Absolute MINIMUM size for a betta, IMO, is 1.5 gal. - with the needed water changes (two 50% + and one 100% per week), it would be fine. I know many will disagree, but that is my opinion.
> 
> BTW, where in the heck did you find a 3 gal. jar?


I just bought it at a pet shop lol... Can you describe your water change schedule in more detail?


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## fleetfish

I keep most of my bettas in 2.5's or larger. Most - One boy is in a 1g and one of my girls is in a .5g . As long as you keep up with water changes every other day for a .5 and every two - three days for a 1g, it's okay to keep them in smaller spaces. Also, these are only temporary until I can get something larger and have a little more space.


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## Pitluvs

Size is personal matter, I know plenty breeders who say 1g is fine with proper care, others on here will swear anything under 5g is inhumane. It's all about what you feel comfortable with and what you are willing to do as far as upkeep. The smaller the tank, the more water changes. I have given my Bettas 2.5g and they did horrible. My current boys are quite happy with a 1.5g with all the trimmings


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## Lion Mom

casshyr said:


> I just bought it at a pet shop lol... Can you describe your water change schedule in more detail?


Wish I could find something like that! 

More detail? Don't know if this is what you want, but here goes:

Monday - siphon all but a couple inches of water out & refill with like temp. conditioned water.

Wednesday - remove fish, dump ALL water, clean everything, set it back up, acclimate fish to new water. 

Friday - same as Monday. 

This is assuming the tank isn't filtered.


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## Luimeril

my personal minimum is 1 gallon, and that's for Lulu. bigger IS better, though, and most say 2 gallons is the minimum. Lulu's my special case, though. x: she's scared of any tank bigger than her triangular one gallon, and trust me, i've tried. even 1.5 gallons is too big for her, and she hides until i fish her out and put her back in her triangular one gallon. x:


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## bettaloverforever16

I have a 0.75 gallon tank, and find if you do the proper ammount of water changes you're betta can do fine in one.


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## Luimeril

i make sure my smaller tanks(Lulu's, Purple's, and Ichi's, as well as Heavy's bowl) are cleaned regularly. x: Lulu makes sure i know when it's time to change her water. she freaks out at the tiniest bit of ammonia, so i know exactly when to change her water. x: as for Ichi, he bites his tail when the water starts getting 'bad', so i make sure to do a 50% twice a week, and a 100% once a week. x:


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## TonyK

I have a veiltail that I kept in a 2 gallon plastic jug with 1 silk plant. He was kept in my snake room which had a temp around 85 to 86 so I didn't need a heater and unfiltered. I kept conditioned water in another jug so when I did water changes the water was the same temp he was in. He did better in that jug then he does in a 10 gallon divided tank.


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## SmokeNLark

Personally, the minimum for me is 1 gallon. I have one of mine in a 1 gallon. At least 2 gallons for each would be nice. and in a perfect world, a 5 gallon for each. haha. 

Even if you keep up with water changes, I don't think a .5 gallon is an acceptable home. Temporarily I see no problem though.


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## Luimeril

when i first got my darling Caroline, all i had to spare was a .5 gallon. but, she was so tiny, it looked so big for her! sadly, soon after, i got Remy, my walmart save, but he passed away. i sterilized his 1.5 gallon, and she lived in that till she got ill. i swapped her and Ichi, who had a 2 gallon, and she lived there until she passed. now, the .5 gallon is for storage. x: i have spare rocks and betta cups in it.


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## Pitluvs

SmokeNLark said:


> Even if you keep up with water changes, I don't think a .5 gallon is an acceptable home. Temporarily I see no problem though.


This I agree with. I have a 0.8g that I do water changes on every night, and every afternoon I add an inch of clean water. I leave an inch of space every night while Jose sleeps and then add it the next day to stretch out the water. I am only using it for QT tank, it's perfect. But for everyday, I couldn't.


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## Arashi Takamine

casshyr said:


> Please don't just say "the bigger the better". Based on your experience + what you have heard, what would you recommend as the minimum size tank in order to keep a healthy betta (not for breeding, but just a single betta)
> 
> I have a glass jar that is about ~3 gallons, would that be ok?
> Based on my living space, I can't really go anything larger.


 I know from experience and what everyone else says 1.5 is the real minimuim but betta's if you get them young will out grow it. A 3 gal jar is perfection! I have two and my boys adore theirs. As long as you have the nessecery heaters, decor ect it'll be perfect.


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## Kytkattin

I want to see a picture of the jar!!! lol.

Personally I like 2 gallons, but I have kept smaller females in 1 gallon.


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## TonyK

Do you have any pics? or ideas where to find. I have looked everywhere with no luck.





Arashi Takamine said:


> I know from experience and what everyone else says 1.5 is the real minimuim but betta's if you get them young will out grow it. A 3 gal jar is perfection! I have two and my boys adore theirs. As long as you have the nessecery heaters, decor ect it'll be perfect.


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## bahamut285

Pitluvs said:


> Size is personal matter, I know plenty breeders who say 1g is fine with proper care, others on here will swear anything under 5g is inhumane. It's all about what you feel comfortable with and what you are willing to do as far as upkeep. The smaller the tank, the more water changes. I have given my Bettas 2.5g and they did horrible. My current boys are quite happy with a 1.5g with all the trimmings


+1 to this. My grandma's betta was left in a 1 gallon-ish bowl for 5 years. It used to be my cousin's (who treated it badly, probably, I don't see him as the caretaker type). My grandma however, changed his water every single day for at least 4 years before he passed away an old old fish 

However, as a personal choice, I prefer anything that allows the fish to actually swim around, not wriggle around in one position. I would probably never put a male in anything under 2 Gallons, but females maybe I'd go down to 1 gal.

If I had unlimited money: Custom built long tank to provide 5 gallons each for a bunch of bettas xD


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## casshyr

bahamut285 said:


> +1 to this. My grandma's betta was left in a 1 gallon-ish bowl for 5 years. It used to be my cousin's (who treated it badly, probably, I don't see him as the caretaker type). My grandma however, changed his water every single day for at least 4 years before he passed away an old old fish
> 
> However, as a personal choice, I prefer anything that allows the fish to actually swim around, not wriggle around in one position. I would probably never put a male in anything under 2 Gallons, but females maybe I'd go down to 1 gal.
> 
> If I had unlimited money: Custom built long tank to provide 5 gallons each for a bunch of bettas xD


But if your grandma do water change every single day...won't that stress the fish out? 
My previous experience tells me every time i changed a betta tank (i.e. 100% water change), my betta fish always got freaked out cuz i first gotta removed him from the tank, transferred to a smaller temporary container, then removed him again and put him back...


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## Pitluvs

bahamut285 said:


> +1 to this. My grandma's betta was left in a 1 gallon-ish bowl for 5 years. It used to be my cousin's (who treated it badly, probably, I don't see him as the caretaker type). My grandma however, changed his water every single day for at least 4 years before he passed away an old old fish
> 
> However, as a personal choice, I prefer anything that allows the fish to actually swim around, not wriggle around in one position. I would probably never put a male in anything under 2 Gallons, but females maybe I'd go down to 1 gal.
> 
> If I had unlimited money: Custom built long tank to provide 5 gallons each for a bunch of bettas xD


Wouldn't that be amazing?! With a big all of power outlets and no limit on electricity lol You could actually make this with Acrylic sheets. I think $150 would make about 8 - 3g tanks. So that's about 5 - 5gals. Ohh the ideas!!


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## bahamut285

casshyr said:


> But if your grandma do water change every single day...won't that stress the fish out?
> My previous experience tells me every time i changed a betta tank (i.e. 100% water change), my betta fish always got freaked out cuz i first gotta removed him from the tank, transferred to a smaller temporary container, then removed him again and put him back...


It's technically not 100%. She would never actually TAKE the fish out, she would get a cup and gently scoop him out, so he will have very little of his original water. She would also not just drop him back into the new water, she'd have to re-acclimate it as well.

Either that or her betta just didn't care too much. Haha


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## Jorjor2

I'm keeping my two veiltales in 1 gallon bowls and change out half their water daily using a Bioorb siphon.


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## Pitluvs

I remove my water and leave Betta in the tank, usually about 90% is taken out. Then I add water by siphon. They never know it happens really lol


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