# Kritter Keepers?



## Fawnleaf (Aug 31, 2010)

Hay guys!!

So, I got a new betta fish and put him in my community tank with a divider. However, I was hoping to use all the space I could in the tank for my other fish like guppies and mollies. So, are kritter keepers a good place to put him, if he had a heater? I don't think I can get a filter for it though. Parents only pay minimum wage.  But I will do frequent water changes. So, should I get it? What size is best? I was thinking probably the large, but I have never used them before. How much water can they hold? Also, what are the good things and bad things about kritter keepers? And if you don't recommend them, is there another type of tank you prefer? I was just hoping to get him out of the tank only because the divider took up so much room. Thanks for the help, guys!!

Peace~
Alissa


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Kritter Keepers are fine as long as you heat them and do frequent 100% water changes. I recommend getting the largest you can manage, but keep in mind that the minimum is 2 gallons because most quality heaters are designed to be used in no less than 2 gallons of water. A 2 gallon container will need a cleaning and a 100% water change every 3-4 days, a 5 gallon container will need a cleaning and a 100% water change once a week. 

I recommend an adjustable heater like this one: http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3743+11368&pcatid=11368 mini-heaters, heater pads, and pre-set heaters don't work on a thermostat, all they do is raise the temperature 3-4 degrees based on the ambient temperature of the room. This means they often don't heat the water enough, or overheat the water. Adjustable heaters give the user control and will keep the water stable at whichever temperature that you set it. It's a much better investment. 

In tanks without filters, a lot of people find it easier to skip the gravel and either keep a bare-bottomed tank, or if you like the look of something on the bottom, use larger river rocks or glass rocks (you can find both in the pet store or in craft stores) instead since it's easy to just put them in a colander and rinse them off without getting them down the drain.


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## Alex09 (Aug 9, 2010)

How much space does he take in the 14 gal? You can move the divider over so the tank is like this

|--------tank length--------|

=============|===
^guppies___________^ Betta

he will be fine in a kritter keeper though (with a heater). The bigger it gets the easier it is to maintain. I think they make 4 gal ones.


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## Fawnleaf (Aug 31, 2010)

Thanks guys! That really helped! I would just make his space smaller, but he LOVES swimming horizontally, so it would be cruel to make it any smaller. He has maybe about 5 gallons or so of swimming space. I think I will get the large kritter keeper. But it's SOO hard to earn money! There is only so many hours babysitting is needed!


ps. Thanks so much for the tip about the gravel! I was going to put gravel in, but now I will just get the large glass rocks for the bottom. That just saved me a lot of trouble!!!


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## SmokeNLark (Jul 22, 2010)

You could try taking the divider out and leaving your betta in your community tank. I know it is not recommended with mollies and guppies, but I know there's some people on here who successfully keep their betta with guppies. Also, I have one of my bettas in a 10 gallon which has a molly and they get along just fine. If you think your betta might be fine, I would try that. Just keep a close eye on him for a while to make sure everyone's getting along.

I also have a betta in a kritter keeper and it works wonderfully.


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## Ajones108 (Jul 7, 2010)

I have my blue betta in a medium critter keeper and he LOVES it, he's got a bubble nest over half of it right now...

And I have my hospital betta Survivor in a large critter keeper, and although it's only halfway with water, he loves being alive right now. >_>

My medium is heated with a hydor theo 25W and my large filled halfway with water is heated with a hydor mini TEMPORARILY.


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## Fawnleaf (Aug 31, 2010)

Wow! That really worked! I put them together, and he's fine! I still need to watch them to make sure he doesn't have an attitude change. lol I think he'll be good, though. Thanks for the tip!


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## Alex09 (Aug 9, 2010)

He may have gotten used to them from seeing them across the barrier. Still keep a vigilant eye on him lol.


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## SmokeNLark (Jul 22, 2010)

I'm glad that worked. And yeah, just keep a close eye on him. Every betta is different. Seeing them through the barrier probably got him used to all of them.


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## Fawnleaf (Aug 31, 2010)

He's actually freaked out by them. lol. They move so fast and he doesn't get it. But in general he's really not aggressive at all. I know because I showed him a mirror and he wouldn't flare until I turned it to the side that made him look huge.


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