# 2.5? 5? Sponge or? Fluval Spec III or?



## daylily (Nov 13, 2012)

I am new at this. Had tanks 40 years ago - but just got back into it last fall.

I have a Fluval Spec V that my betta has been in since last Sept. - but he likes to sleep next to the filter intake slots and it's tearing chunks from his fins. He has been doing this the entire time, but when he was younger and had shorter fins, it was less of an issue. Now he has long fins, it is really tearing him up. I tried blocking it with some thin filter material but it blocked the flow to much and I worried about burning the pump up. I tried getting a fake plant and floating it near the inlet but he would wiggle in there and hang on the slots anyway. After the latest big chunk missing, I moved him to a 2 gallon plastic Critter Keeper till I come up with a better solution. I took out everything in the tank that he could possibly get hung up on other than the filter slots - and it was still happening, so I think that has to be what is doing it.

I am wondering about a Spec III - but looks like it has similar slots - but if the flow is different, maybe he would not be so apt to "hang" out on the slots. However, I wonder if 2.6 gallons is really enough for a betta. 

What I do like about it is that it takes the same filter and inserts as the Spec V, so I could swap the bio rings, or maybe even the filter sponge, and maybe help the cycle along.

I'm also considering trying to figure out how to do a sponge filter, and setting up a 2.5 gallon standard tank, if I can come up with some sort of light for it. 

Where I want to put the tank is on a piece of furniture that would work best with less than 5 gallons, but I'd try 5 gallons if I have to. (I would get a regular 5 gallon tank or a mini bow or something)

I'm going to the Aquarium Store in the big city near me tomorrow to see what I can come up with.

I have a 10 gallon I am not using, but I don't have a solid piece of furniture to put that much weight on.

My questions are - 
1) is 2.5 gallons (or 2.6 for the Spec III) enough for a betta, if decorations are kept to a minimum
2) is it hard to find a decent light for low to medium plants for a 2.5 gallon? My local pet store has a glass tank for $12. It has a rim, so not sure about a clip on type lamp. It looks to tall for all the "desk" lamps I already have. 
3) do sponge filters work well enough for one fish and a couple plants?

I'm assuming that if I go with a 2.5 or the 2.6 Fluval Spec III, that I would only put the betta in, and not the nerite snail. I can leave him in the Spec V or put him in the 15 gallon... but wondered if the snail should go in with the betta for clean up.

I'm ok with doing water changes, if a 2.5 could go unfiltered, but I do want the best for the betta. Figuring planted and filtered would be best for the betta. The Fluval Spec III is more square, and I wonder about a betta preferring a regular 2.5 gallon since it is longer and not square.

Thanks!


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## VJM (Feb 7, 2013)

I have a Deep Blue Betta 5 (just under 3 gallons) with a Deep Blue Solar Flare Mini clamp on LED light. I quite like the set up. 

I also have a standard 2.5g with a swing arm desk lamp I got at Home Depot and a 6700 fluorescent Colormax bulb. Also seems to be working fine. 

Both are very heavily planted tanks, with soil substrate and a sand cap. Both are filtered. The water literally never shows ammonia, even with snails and leaf detritus. 

I know people keep bettas successfully in the Fluval tanks, but there seem to be a lot of issues with the filter and the built in light.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

My questions are - 
1) is 2.5 gallons (or 2.6 for the Spec III) enough for a betta, if decorations are kept to a minimum. Sure. I have a few 2-3 gallon kritter keepers that I use. I used this one as a hospital tank and as you can see, you can get a good amount of decor in there. I don't like bare tanks and like to use oversized plants.










2) is it hard to find a decent light for low to medium plants for a 2.5 gallon? 
A clip on lamp would work and you want a bulb 
that is 6500K for plants. You can find them in the lighting section at any store. 

3) do sponge filters work well enough for one fish and a couple plants? sponge filters are supposed to be superior to use for biological filtration. They do some mechanical as well but no chemical as there is no carbon. However IMO, one does not need chemical filtration unless you are removing medicine from the tank. If the filter is ripping his tail - i would switch over to a sponge filter. 

ALso, IMO - if the tank is less then 5 gallons, I would skip the filter/cycling and do the weekly water changes and gravel vaccumming.


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## daylily (Nov 13, 2012)

I looked at sponge filters today. Seems they need an air pump to run. I have one of those, one that was supposed to be a quiet one (forget the name now) that I was going to run an air stone in my community tank just for looks. I cannot stand the sound of the thing. I used it a few hours and took it down. 

So, I was looking at the Fluvals. One of the sales people told me that I can lay a layer of filter inside the filter chamber and it will cut the flow a bit, so fins won't be sucked in, yet not enough to hurt the pump like it was when I tried putting the filter material on the tank side of the filter slots.

I bought a funky looking bridge thing for him to go under that I plan to put gravel all around the back to make a cave, if I have enough gravel. I also bought a betta log. The sales guy thought putting the betta log up by the slots might convince Victor the betta to sleep on the log and not by the slots.

BUT the guy got the wrong color tank for me! I didn't even know that they came in white. I did not notice it till I got it home. So will have to take it back and get a black one.


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