# 7 gallon tank?



## GeekyGuy (Aug 5, 2013)

Hello everyone! So I kinda have two fishies left in my tank and I'm looking forward to getting a betta. My tank is a 6/7 gallon cubic tank (30x30x31). I have lots of questions and I would be pretty thankful for any advice I'll get. I know 5 gallons is the minimum size of a tank to house a betta fish, but can I put anything else in there? Is it dangerous to put baby guppies with a betta? I thought it would be OK since they still don't have long fins and vibrant colours, but when they grow up will he start attacking them? How should I plant my aquarium? I personally like gravel so is sand a necessity for plants? Yeah, that's it. :shock:


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I have several tanks that size and I would be hesitant to put any other fish in there with a betta simply because it doesn't offer much of a horizontal footprint for bottom dwelling fish, and not enough horizontal swimming space for most of the commonly kept schooling species. 

You could maybe try a couple of female guppies in there but honestly, I would just keep a betta in a tank that size.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Personally I only say 10+ gallons is suitable for tankmates, due to the fact the betta will become more stressed in a smaller space he has to share... And same with the fish. Guppies, if you get females, you can get away with only 3 with him, however in my own personal opinion I wouldn't really risk it. The bigger the tank, the easier it is to find tankmates. 

5 gallons is NOT the minimum size to house a betta. As much as people will snarl and complain how EVIL some of us are (yahoo answers is the worst place on the planet for getting nice people), they are wrong. The tank size (preferably 1+ gallons) depends on the person's upkeep of the tank and ability to supply heat appropriately and safely. Here, we will not tolerate people bashing others for their tank size (save a few, who are bad at husbandry, and think 0.2 gallons unheated is awesome )

Fish will eat whoever and whatever is smaller than their mouths. Fish, especially babies, are targets for snacks. 

Do you want to plant your aquarium? To be honest it is up to you how you want the tank to look. There is a thread just for plants and plant care, which you may love to go through. 

Some hardy plants are: anubias, java fern, marimo moss and assorted sword plants.
Gravel will work for most hardy, beginner to intermediate plants. Some intermediate to expert plants need a more fertile substrate, which is actually dirt topped with sand (to keep the dirt from drifting), or just dirt/sand. Some of these plants will also need CO2.

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=223890 plant database
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=114575 how to guide


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## GeekyGuy (Aug 5, 2013)

Thank you both for the information! I went through the links you've provided and realised some things: first I should get stronger light bulbs, and second I'M IN LOVE WITH BETTA FISH. 

So today I made a trip to my local pet store and found a few marble VT bettas and I can't wait to get one. They had a lots of Vallisneria Spiralis, java moss and several other plants. 

Here's a picture of my tank/ what's left in it TT.TT
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/George_Sirakov/IMG_5129_zps96d145ed.jpg

Is a sponge fillter like mine ok for a betta and should I lower the airator so the betta can swim propperly? (the water won't have this huge stream to blow the fish)

I was thinking about a planted composition with driftwood. What can I do with such a small space and those plants?


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Sponge filters are great. If it's attached to air hose, you can get an adjustable valve which adjusts the flow. I don't usually have mine on high, usually mid-way instead allowing circulation without shoving the fish around.

Driftwood is great, sometimes it leeches (harmless) tannins making the water a light or rich dark brown. Moss loves driftwood! Lives longer and better. I notice java fern also loves driftwood. Really how you plant it, or organize it will be up to you. Some plants you get may not look "amazing" at first, maybe even bar ren but most plants once they begin to "bloom" there's no stopping them! :lol:


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