# my tanks



## amberandfluffy1 (Apr 23, 2010)

For my male i have a big vase for his tank like you see in the doctor's office and for the girls a tank with a divider. Does that sound o.k. for them?


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## TeenyTinyTofu (Feb 7, 2010)

Can you post a photo of the vase and the tank? How large is the vase and the tank, and is there a heater in them?


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## amberandfluffy1 (Apr 23, 2010)

Yes we have a heater for Scipio and will get one for the girls quiet soon. I will post pictures as soon as I can. The girls tank is a 3.5 liter capacity it was recomended from the pet shop and skip's i'm not really sure but it is quiet big.


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## TeenyTinyTofu (Feb 7, 2010)

Way, way too small. 3.5 liters is not even 1 gallon of water. And then it's divided, so they are getting less than a 1/2 gallon of water each. I recommend upgrading them, so that the girls can have at least a minimum of 2.5 gallons of water each. Some people divide a 5 gallon tank if you want them to have 2.5 gallons each, or divide a 10 gallon tank if you want them to have 5 gallons each. But dividing a container less than 1 gallon for two fish is much too small, and would require a water change every single day in order to keep their water healthy.


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## amberandfluffy1 (Apr 23, 2010)

Well this is their housing for now...actually I think it's bigger than that but it will have to do for now as I can't go out to get another for awhile... let me see if I can get a picture of it..


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## TeenyTinyTofu (Feb 7, 2010)

I highly recommend this tank from Walmart...

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-Aquarium-Starter-Kit-5-Gallons-Fish-Aquatic-Pets/12177653

It's under $30, and is a glass tank with the full set-up -- hood, light, filter and filter cartridge, the only thing you'd need to buy is a heater. This is the tank I have my betta Tofu in by himself. And it could be divided, so that each girl got 2.5 gallons to themselves. 

In the meantime, how often are you doing water changes on the girl's divided container? You need to do a 100% water change every other day, otherwise it is going to affect their health greatly, because of the ammonia build-up from two fish in such a small enclosure.


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## amberandfluffy1 (Apr 23, 2010)

o.k. here's the girls tank(for now)..





















































and here's scipios, it's actually larger than on camera


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## Mister Sparkle (Apr 13, 2010)

TeenyTinyTofu said:


> Way, way too small.


haven't you learned yet?

Don't worry. No it isn't. Just do plenty of water changes.


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## TeenyTinyTofu (Feb 7, 2010)

Okay, the girl's tank is bigger than I first thought, they look fine. It's the vase, that I would upgrade into something a bit bigger, with more water volume, so that he'll have more swimming space.


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## TeenyTinyTofu (Feb 7, 2010)

Mister Sparkle said:


> haven't you learned yet?


Be gone, troll. :roll:


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## Noko (Jan 10, 2010)

You would have to do a water change a day. BTW I find my bettas become so much more happy in a bigger tank than in smaller ones. You can get big storage containers for cheap if you don't mind the look of them. They make very good betta homes.


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## Mister Sparkle (Apr 13, 2010)

TeenyTinyTofu said:


> Be gone, troll. :roll:


I would think the troll would be the unqualified person refuting those who know better! Read "Aquarium Care of Bettas," by David E. Boruchowitz (editor-in-chief of Tropical Fish Keeping magazine), and then explain to me how it is that you've determined you know better than he does!


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

Mister Sparkle, 

I might actually respect your opinion if you weren't so rude about it.


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## TeenyTinyTofu (Feb 7, 2010)

doggyhog said:


> Mister Sparkle,
> 
> I might actually respect your opinion if you weren't so rude about it.


My thoughts exactly. If he has any experience or advice that could be potentially helpful to anyone, it quickly gets lost in his, "I am so much better and I know so much more than you!" attitude.


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## Sella (Mar 21, 2010)

Just because one editor in chief wrote a book doesn't mean it's the gospel. 


I think the tanks are small as well and your fish would probably have a complete (Happy) Personality change if you put them in a bigger tank. =) Cute fishies btw.


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## ecoprincess (Jul 16, 2009)

Yeah when i moved my betta from a 1/2 gallon to a 5 gallon he changed completely!!!! SOOOOO much more active and spunky......its like he never stops swimming.....up and down, up and down, around and around hahahahaha

i love him! LOL


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## blackberryjoose (Apr 19, 2010)

Im toooo noob....... gonna let all yall duke this one out and just watch from the sidelines.

Think I saw that book at the library today?


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Do I need to remind everyone again to play nice in the sandbox??


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## rubyfire (Dec 10, 2009)

Off subject but, I think one of your girls is actually a boy.


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## CodeRed (Jun 11, 2009)

You can get a small (2 gallon ish) Critter Keeper for around 7 bucks. Even that split would be better than the tank you have now, and they would really do much better. Not to mention it'll make tank cleaning easier on you, since you'll be able to do it less.
Like everyone said, bigger is usually better. It's better for the bettas, and it's easier for the owner.
And yeah, your bluish red "female" looks suspiciously like a young male betta. Fins are very, very long for a female.


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## Mister Sparkle (Apr 13, 2010)

doggyhog said:


> Mister Sparkle,
> 
> I might actually respect your opinion if you weren't so rude about it.


Interesting that unwarranted accusations of cruelty aren't considered rude these days! Quite interesting, indeed.


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## amberandfluffy1 (Apr 23, 2010)

okay thanks everyone for their opinnion ;-)


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## Neelie (Feb 18, 2010)

LOL at the childish arguing...

aaanyways... yes, i think the blue red "female" is actually a male!  a young veiltail boy! have you any clearer pics of him/her?

as for the tanks. if you do your water changes rigorously i dont think they are brutally too small BUT your fish would do much better in larger tanks  something around the 2.5g - 3g with heater if you dont have lots of space! thats my setup atm and its easy enough to manage. also, with larger tanks like 3g you'll be able to spread the water changes too a lil more!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Can we please get back on topic?


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## BettaxFishxCrazy (Sep 5, 2009)

I think the red one is a male also. The split tank that they're in is a 1G so divided gives them .5G's each. Before I knew that bigger was better, I had a fish in a .5G and he was so lethargic and unhappy. You also can't heat a .5G safely, you'd probably end up cooking your fish. :| Once I moved that fish into a bigger tank, he perked right up. It's totally up to you (we're only here to recommend and suggest things, you don't have to do exactly what we suggest). IMO bigger is better, less water changes etc. In a 2.5G you could get away with 100% and 50% water changes a week. Where as in a tank/bowl that small you should be doing 100% water changes every day. Ammonia builds up VERY quickly in smaller tanks so watch out!


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## amberandfluffy1 (Apr 23, 2010)

okay i'll try to get a bigger one.


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## xxabc (Feb 1, 2010)

Hope Mister Sparkles is okay with that, hehe. 

Anyways, I agree with larger tanks. Perhaps using second-hand tanks for much cheaper, and dividing those would be nice. I see a LOT of 10 gallons on Craigslist, and the price is pretty nice, as well.


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## Mister Sparkle (Apr 13, 2010)

xxabc said:


> Hope Mister Sparkles is okay with that, hehe.


As long as we keep it to a proper "recommendation", I'm happy! :-D It's the "cruelty" argument that gets me going!


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## Welsh (Apr 13, 2010)

I'm a newbie but I still want to get in my two cents as they say.lol. 

From my research on bettas not just on this forum but others, I came to believe that bigger is better, that’s not to say small isn’t. When I first decided I wanted a betta I wanted to keep him in a smaller tank, something similar to yours but got told countless times, it was cruel. Small is only cruel if you don’t do regular water changes and neglect your fish and his well being. As long as you are committed to doing regular water changes daily or every other, then I think your fish will be fine where they are. 

Larger tanks are only recommended as there is more room for the fish to swim and if filtration is used water changes won’t have to be carried out as often. Apparently bettas thrive more in a larger tank that said, I have a 54 litre and I barely see my betta as he is always swimming in the background and hiding in the plants. I personally think he would do better in say, a 5 gallon where I can see him and keep an eye on his food intake.

 My advice would be do what you think is best for the fish we can only give advice, our suggestions and opinions but you’re the owner, if you think you are committed to the water changes, etc then keep your fish where they are =) 

But like I said I’m also a newbie to bettas and aquariums and what I have said is probably a bunch of BS lmao. 

Good luck =)


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## Jayy (Dec 23, 2009)

i'm soo confused about the fighting and such that all can is please get bigger tanks and do good with water changes for now


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## crownie (Apr 27, 2010)

TeenyTinyTofu said:


> I highly recommend this tank from Walmart...
> 
> http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-Aquarium-Starter-Kit-5-Gallons-Fish-Aquatic-Pets/12177653


Thank you for posting this link! I've been searching the internet tonight for a bigger, but not too pricey tank and I trust the recommendation. Thanks again! ;-)


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