# Fluval Chi for my Betta



## BettaBuddy101 (Aug 22, 2011)

This is my first post, so I hope it's in the right place 

My Bettas been in a Baby BiOrb since February, but I'm really fed up of it. It's too small for him and an absolute pain to clean. So, I'm trying to find him a new tank. I came across the Fluval Chi. I was considering it a couple of months ago, actually, but I was put off through the lack of a lid. Since then, I have found that Fluval now sell lids for them, so I'm re-considering it.

My questions are which size would be best (bearing in mind I am unable to afford the larger version at this present time and I'd have to wait a while, and I'm unsure of whether my bookshelves would hold the extra weight), and if anyone had any experience with these tanks and had opinions on them? What's the maintainance like? I've heard about water evapouration issues, would the lid combat this? I don't really want to be topping up the water every few days as well as a weekly W/C.

I was going to go for a pale sand substrate, with the purple flower plant in the middle planting pot, with some silk plants to the rear of the tank to start off with, though I'd love to have lots of live plants in the future. I hope to add a couple of shrimp too to a add to the setup.

Thanks


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## bastage (Oct 16, 2011)

I was considering the Chi not long ago & it was recomended against it due to the flow & no way to baffel it. Betta's dont swim so good as tehre more used to standing water so the chi with its constant flow isnt the best for them. I Also came across some youtube video's showing bettas having to constantly swam to stay in place which turned me off on it. 

You want want to check out the Petco bookshelf as its a great shape for betta's & much cheaper, yet still larger. http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=84076 That is the poll thread that I made when deciding on a tank for my home office where the Chi was an Option.


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## BettaBuddy101 (Aug 22, 2011)

I've seen that once before, certainly has potential, but unfortunately I'm in the UK


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## Wyvern (May 19, 2011)

I dont think the chi will cause any issues. I have been looking at them myself and have seen a few in action - the flow is minimal, my 10g and 5g has a stronger flow and my boy loves it. Actually sulked when I baffled the filter.


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## bastage (Oct 16, 2011)

Wyvern said:


> I dont think the chi will cause any issues. I have been looking at them myself and have seen a few in action - the flow is minimal, my 10g and 5g has a stronger flow and my boy loves it. Actually sulked when I baffled the filter.


Gwenny posted in my thread about the chi and its flow. And with Watter dropping that fee inch's that's bound to create some currents.


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## gwenny (Sep 20, 2011)

Yeah, I had 2 different bettas in my Fluval Chi (not at the same time of course!) and both didn't respond well to the filter. It took a couple days to see any effects, but then my betta was lethargic and didn't move from the bottom ground. 

In any case, before I bought the Chi, I google'd as well and there are a good amount of people who don't have any issues so it depends on the betta~ Just throwing my two cents in =]


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## ilovebunnies (Oct 11, 2010)

If you are planning to do live plants then stay away from the Fluval Chi. The lighting is terrible, even low light plants don't do well in this setup. If you are interested in the Fluval tanks, the Fluval Flora may be a better option for you. It comes with the stuff you need to start a planted tank and a lid. Also, if you don't like the background that comes with the tank, you can remove it.


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## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

To be honest, I wouldn't recommend the Fluval Chi, because:

1) It has no lid, if your Betta decides to jump and you don't notice in the next fifteen minutes or so, your Betta will die. 

2) You can't exactly baffle the filter, if your Betta is unable to withstand the current produced by the filter, the Betta is unhappy.

I would suggest the Fluval Flora if you're looking for specifically Fluval tanks, you could try the Fluval Edge but the limited surface area is not recommended. :3


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## BettaBuddy101 (Aug 22, 2011)

I've seen the flora, but I don't think my shelves will hold the 30L weight and in all fairness, I don't think I can afford to spend £100 ish on a tank without decor at the moment. Fluval do sell a lid for it now though, I know Seapets sell them. It's just that the Chi was the right kind of size and price I was looking for...


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## BettaBuddy101 (Aug 22, 2011)

gwenny: Beautiful fish, btw


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## eatingganesh (Sep 30, 2011)

I have the 6.6 fluval chi. My betta loves it. The flow is barely noticeable. I live in the humid tropics, so I've only had to top off once per week so far. We'll see what winter brings. 

I added a couple of mystery snails this week and was scared they might escape, as they are known to do. So I went to a craft store and got a thin but not flexible sheet of plexiglass (cheaper than their cover). I cut a cover out for the top of the chi (a challenging task, but using a professional plexi groove tool made it alot easier) and it works great... keeps in the moisture and prevents jumps and break outs. Totally unobtrusive. I'm hoping this means that I won't have to top off at all and can just do once weekly water changes.

I have a bunch of plastic plants in there, but honestly the footprint is so small (10x10 inches) that I think I spent less than $25 between 3 kinds of plants, standing bamboo, and the gravel.

If you like the tank's looks, as I did, you will love it once it's set up -- you can gradually add decoration. If you find the filter is too strong for your betta, you can add a square of cheesecloth inside the filter compartment (cut to the same size as the filter material and it will slow down the pull.


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## BettaBuddy101 (Aug 22, 2011)

It's nice to hear from people with experience of the Chi aquariums with bettas. If I did get a chi, which size would be best? I'd prefer the 19L due to costs (£55 vs £80), but I want what's best for my fish. If I got the larger version, I wouldn't be able to quite afford it right now though, and would probably have to wait a few months.


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## eatingganesh (Sep 30, 2011)

Well, I found that the 6.6 gallon that I got turned out to be 5.25 gallons with all the decorations, heater, and the filter in place. I was glad I got it over the 5 gallon because I have more than one critter in there.

If you are going to just have your betta alone and maybe one snail/shrimp, the 5 will be plenty of room (1 gall per fish on this side of the pond). 

Glad I could help! Wish I could send you a few bucks to make up for your budget shortage... the 6.6 is a really nice size!

ps. Sorry my metric sucks - dang American school system, I honestly don't know why we haven't switched to metric yet (35 years ago when I was in grammar school they were teaching it to us because the switch was inevitable).


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## tokala (Feb 20, 2011)

I have the Chi for one of my bettas and love it. It was easy to baffle and I really can not think of a single problem aside from water evaporation. I wouldnt recommend it for a jumper though


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## eatingganesh (Sep 30, 2011)

By the way... where did you find a cover for it? I looked on Hagen's website and couldn't find anything... maybe it's only available in Europe or something?


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## BettaBuddy101 (Aug 22, 2011)

I've seen them for sale on UK eBay as well as a UK aquatics site (http://www.seapets.co.uk/) Maybe they are just available in europe, I haven't seen them online anywhere else and haven't checked out Hagens website. What other critters do you have in your chi?


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## eatingganesh (Sep 30, 2011)

Funny you should ask because I've moved my aquariums around. Last week was my birthday and a friend got me a second tank (though sadly not a Chi, it is a pretty cool 5gallon hexagonal number). The water was perfect yesterday, so I plopped Yoshi in there along with a single mystery snail and 2 ghost shrimp (he doesn't even acknowledge their existence LOL). In the chi I now have a purple mystery snail, two ghost shrimp, and 6 very happy Glofish (genetically modified danios with wild neon colors). 

Thanks for the link and info on the cover!


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## eatingganesh (Sep 30, 2011)

Darn... Seapets can't deliver the top to the US for some reason. I searched every US store I know (and google) and it seems to only be available through Seapets at the moment. Not even Hagen USA lists it as an available product. What a bummer. At least I've got my homemade job... Those snails are escape artists!


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## BettaBuddy101 (Aug 22, 2011)

I know a seller has them on UK eBay, but the description about where they ship to only says the UK, and the US ebay doesn't have any. Amazon has some, though they are currently out of stock: http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-A13957-...?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1319734514&sr=1-2


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## eatingganesh (Sep 30, 2011)

Right after I posted I went through google a little more aggressively and found that Aquacadabra sells them too and will ship to the USA. Seems silly that they wouldn't sell it here. Thanks for your help!


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## poopoomeow (Feb 29, 2012)

i bought a 5 gallon chi in january for my son's betta. it was the display & the last one at the pet so everything that was in it came for free: 2 ornaments, 2 bottom feeders, 5 neon tetras, 3 crawfish, and 1 molly. i removed the crawfish but left the rest..i figured since the pet store put them all in there, they should be ok.
anyways, they all seem happy and the water flow doesn't seem to bother him because of the ornament on top. also, the ornament in the tank is the lilly pad and the betta kinda hammocks on it


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## a123andpoof (Apr 10, 2010)

poopoomeow the bio load cannot handle that many fish in the 5 gallon. You can maybe get away with a betta and a few shrimp or a snail, but nothing else. I would suggest taking the other fish out. Pet stores are notorious for overstocking tanks. So just because they do something doesn't mean you should.


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## JBosley (Jan 28, 2012)

I have a 5 gallon Fluval Chi and LOVE it! :-D The light is awesome, although it can get gunky and gross if you don't clean it. The filters are really good and inexpensive! You can't get the lids here in Canada, so I made one for REALLY cheap out of craft mesh. It works great!

Here is a picture of mine and my sisters. We each have one!


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

poopoomeow said:


> i bought a 5 gallon chi in january for my son's betta. it was the display & the last one at the pet so everything that was in it came for free: 2 ornaments, 2 bottom feeders, 5 neon tetras, 3 crawfish, and 1 molly. i removed the crawfish but left the rest..i figured since the pet store put them all in there, they should be ok.
> anyways, they all seem happy and the water flow doesn't seem to bother him because of the ornament on top. also, the ornament in the tank is the lilly pad and the betta kinda hammocks on it


+1 to a123. Petshops rarely do what is right for their fish, especially in display tanks. One of my local petshops has about 5 large black moores in what can't be more than a 20 gallon (for 5, you need 75 gallons minimum). 

Here's the requirements for your fish:
- Neon tetras need ten gallons
- Mollies need groups of 3, 20 gallons minimum, 30 is better, and they do better in brackish water
- I don't know what your bottom feeders are, but I can guarantee that they aren't suitable for a Fluval Chi. You need to identify them ASAP to find out what they need. 

That tank is really only suitable for the betta.


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## gastonfrenchbetta (Feb 24, 2012)

I have my Betta in the fluval Chi and I could see how it could cause a problem for the more "relaxed" bettas, however my Betta loves it but he is hyperactive or something, I've never seen a Betta swim as much as my Gaston, even when I picked him out at the aquarium store he was in such a small bowl but would not stop swimming in circles. So I knew he would work perfect with my tank.


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