# Aeration for Betta Tank



## mjc2014tb (May 31, 2013)

Hello!

I keep my betta, "Peri" in a 5 gallon tank with some ghost shrimp friends and a live coconut husk plant. I recently bought a very small under the gravel aeration bubbler for the tank and my betta hated it! It seemed to stress him out and he hid in a small corner of the tank. I did tie a loose knot in the tubing so that there would be a few bubbles every minute instead of the shock of the rush of bubbles and it still seemed to cause discomfort. I waited for one day and could not take his suffering, so I removed it from his tank. This was disappointing because I do believe it added some flare and beauty to the tank, but what do you think? Did he even need it? and how do most bettas react to aeration in their tanks? Thanks much!


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Bettas do not need aeration... They breathe (mainly) atmospheric oxygen and not dissolved oxygen. All bettas react to things differently... Some will love and play in the bubbles, and some will act like yours did.


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## Krys (Jul 28, 2009)

My Armand has a corner box filter in his 5g tank. He doesn't seem to mind the small single line of bubbles it gives off, but it does create a current. If you want aeration in his tank, get a small airstone and a weak pump and set it in a corner to try. If you set it right in the middle, he wont be able to catch a break from the current. 

But aeration really isn't necessary because bettas have labyrinth organs. They come to the surface to breath air for more oxygen. Aeration just adds more oxygen to the water, but the betta will still "come up for air" every now and then. Basically, aeration for a betta, in my opinion, is just for aesthetics. Though, some bettas like the bubbles and current, they'll ride it up and down and side to side. But others may hate it.


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## wish4coner (Mar 22, 2013)

I have two kinds..the sponge filters that have the tube up the middle, with very little aeration and, the whisper 1-3. I had to stuff a lot of filter floss in there so the current didn't bother my betta. As for the sponge filter, everyone seems happy with that so, I think I will stick with those. Plus, I don't need to buy inserts.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

There are items you can buy that will allow you to control the airflow


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