# What filter and heater should we use in our betta tank?



## candicelee (Apr 9, 2009)

Hello everyone!
We just got a new betta right now he is in a 1 gallon tank, no heater or filter:|. Anyway were going to get him a 5 gallon kritter keeper ( Lee's Kritter Keepers at PETCO ). What we were wondering was if we're choosing the right filter and heater? Or if anyone had any suggestions for filters and heaters for betta tanks?

Here is what we were planning on getting:
Heater - Hydor Mini Aquarium Heater ( Hydor Mini Aquarium Heater at PETCO ) 
Filter - Penn Plax Small World Pump and Filter Kit ( Penn Plax Small World Pump & Filter Kit at PETCO )

Is the filter going to be too much for our betta? 
Were new to betta keeping so any advice is greatly appricated!!
Thanks in advance for any advise!


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## Fishin Pole (Feb 17, 2009)

The tank your talking about buying, if it is a Kritter Kage, your gonna have leaking issues.........Alot of people have been burned by the "kritter Kages" thinking they are made for fish.....These are tanks made for housing reptiles, gerbils and hamsters or anything else you can put in a non water tank.........Please ask or check at the store that this was made for fish keeping.......The Kritter cages are made from thinner glass and are NOT waterproof...........Probably with it only being a 5 gallon tank, the water pressure might not be enough to make it leak, but its not a risk i would be taking.........A friend of mine found out the hard way with a 40 gallon Kritter Kage that he put some fish in........needless to say, he came home from work with a wet carpet and alot of dead fish......Just a note when buying tanks, make sure they are labeled for fish............


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## candicelee (Apr 9, 2009)

Thanx! We had no idea that you couldn't use them for fish! The 1 gallon tank we have now is a kritter keeper......


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## candicelee (Apr 9, 2009)

Hmmm. I just checked and they say it is safe for fish. Does anybody else have any experiance with using kritter keepers as betta tanks?


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## Fishin Pole (Feb 17, 2009)

it is safe for fish if it doesnt leak......its not a safety issue, its an issue of the tank NOT being made to hold water long term........Something small doesnt have enough water pressure to really create leaks, but if this was a larger kritter kage, i sure wouldnt trust it to hold water.....I was pointing out, if it labeled Kritter Kage it was not made to hold water, but to strictly house other pets.......MOST pet stores will tell you whatever put cash in THEIR register, on products they sell.....


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## AngelicScars (May 5, 2009)

We bought a Aqua-tech 5 gallon tropical fish kit for our Betta Rex. we've had it for over a month and I'd highly recommend it. It comes with everything you need (although Rex didn't care for the food and you might like a different conditioner). I really like the heater from this kit, because you can adjust the temp on it. Also, the filter is strong, but I have rigged it with how-tos on this board. It is now running slowly and Rex is doing great with it!

We also have a Top Fin 10 gallon (that we JUST bought) and it's is a little different from the Aqua-Tech. So far so good. I haven't been able to fool with the filter yet, so I don't know if I can slow down the flow. It does have the heater I like in it at least. Honestly though, if I could have found a 10 gallon Aqua-tech I would have gotten that instead. 
Oh, and I found the Aqua-tech at my local Walmart!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Is the Kritter Cage the same thing as a Critter Keeper? I have 2 kritter keepers and have had no problem with them. Maybe its a different brand. Mine are acrylic.


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## candicelee (Apr 9, 2009)

dramaqueen said:


> Is the Kritter Cage the same thing as a Critter Keeper? I have 2 kritter keepers and have had no problem with them. Maybe its a different brand. Mine are acrylic.


A Critter keeper is wat I was looking at.


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## candicelee (Apr 9, 2009)

AngelicScars said:


> We bought a Aqua-tech 5 gallon tropical fish kit for our Betta Rex. we've had it for over a month and I'd highly recommend it. It comes with everything you need (although Rex didn't care for the food and you might like a different conditioner). I really like the heater from this kit, because you can adjust the temp on it. Also, the filter is strong, but I have rigged it with how-tos on this board. It is now running slowly and Rex is doing great with it!
> 
> We also have a Top Fin 10 gallon (that we JUST bought) and it's is a little different from the Aqua-Tech. So far so good. I haven't been able to fool with the filter yet, so I don't know if I can slow down the flow. It does have the heater I like in it at least. Honestly though, if I could have found a 10 gallon Aqua-tech I would have gotten that instead.
> Oh, and I found the Aqua-tech at my local Walmart!


Thanks for the advice! My wal-mart only has 3gallon tanks :-? But hey that is 3 times bigger than the 1 gallon he's in now lol.


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## Nataku (Feb 22, 2009)

I would be very careful about getting any of those plastic "critter cages" and whatever various off-shoot spellings they are registered under. They can hold the water fine when you first get them, however the acrylic tends to degrade rather quickly if its exposed to any sunlight. They use a very thin acrylic in those things, that are not at all UV treated to help prevent the acrylic from decaying. It will become brittle and warped, and then one day 'pop!' and there goes your fish tank all over your floor.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I don't keep mine in direct sunlight. I would advise inspecting them after each cleaning, to make sure there is no problem.


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## Nataku (Feb 22, 2009)

'Tis probably why you may not have had problems with yours yet Dramaqueen. =]
We had several in our marine science class, but being a class room an all, it had large windows along the one wall which helped provide light in the room (the room was really dim otherwise). And it didn't take but about half a school year before the first one cracked... good thing we had linoleum floors.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

lol What a mess that probably was! I've had one fish in an acrylic container for almost 2 tyears. I always check mine when I clean to make sure there iare no cracks. But, yeah, if they are going to be in sunlight its probably not a good idea to have acrylic.


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## caricolake (May 19, 2009)

Hi was reading about the acrylic cracking. We just ordered one of those eclipse kits and they are acrylic. I read reviews where people said that they scratch easily but do they crack over time too? Do you have any opinion about them? You can get them reasonably thru Walmart w/the filter/lights (no heater though) thanks


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

I breed in kritter keepers!

I use the small world filter and I recommedn it  The hydor is a big NO, they can cook your fish if your not careful, go with a 25 watt submersible heater.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I have a 4 gallon hex that was given to me. Its plastic and has some scratches on it but hey, it was free so I'm not complaining too much. lol I have a heater in it, too but if you get plastic just check every once in awhile to make sure its ok.


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