# Do you think this will make an acceptable betta habitat?



## Midnightx21 (May 13, 2011)

Hi! I'm Midnightx21, aka Lauren. ;-) I just joined the site yesterday because I'm [hopefully] getting a betta soon. If I can just convince my parents....LOL.

Anyway. I've been researching various tanks, decorations, etc. and wanted to know what you guys thought about the things I've found. Please keep in mind that I'm on a limited budget and can't afford anything super-expensive.

Tank: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752291
I'm planning on buying the 2 gallon one. I thought it was a bargain with all the built-in features, especially the light, which will help keep the water warm.

Gravel: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3064352&lmdn=Type
Not much to be said here...

Plant: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3859661&lmdn=Brand
I have a couple questions with these. Are they of good quality? Do I need more than one? Are they big enough?

Decorations: [no link]
I have tons of seashells and rocks that I've collected from previous beach vacations. If I wash them off, will they make suitable decorations?

Thanks!


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## SillyCone (May 7, 2011)

Hmmm I'm not an expert but you should try to get a 2.5G instead of 2, but if you get the 2 anyway, don't spam with gravel like the one in the photo, I think 1 plant is enough on that tank because of the size, and you would need a cave for him to stay in, also a filter and a heater, and a thermometer to check the temp from time to time.

Sounds a lot but when you buy everything, it's just fun later, I have just 1 betta and 3 snails in a 10G tank, the food I bought, gosh that's enough food for like 5 years for him, and I even bought another one for snacks.. xD!

What you can always do, like most people here in the forum do, is to get a 5G tank, then you can buy a divider and have 2 bettas on it.

oh and welcome to the forum



edit:

If you are from the US, check this one another guy from the forum linked:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hawkeye-5-gal-Tank-Aquarium/14660258?findingMethod=rr

Almost the same price and 2.3x bigger!


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## nowzem (Apr 14, 2011)

You wont need a filter necessarily with a tank that size...you just have to do more frequent water changes. You will need a heater & a thermometer. 

You also should not put any seashells or rocks or things from the beach in your tank because it will alter the pH. (Usually too high)

Also, plastic plants aren't the best for bettas. Look for silk or cloth plants that wont tear delicate fins.

And I agree, gravel also makes it more difficult to do water changes in a smaller tank...but you'll probably need a little to anchor your plants. See if you can talk your parents into a 3 or 5 gallon kit that comes with most of the things you'll need. I have a tetra crescent 3 gallon that I like (about $50), but a 5 gallon kit..even a critter keeper would be nice. Then you can easily have a heater and gravel and lots of plants and hiding places.


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## Midnightx21 (May 13, 2011)

Thanks so much for the advice!!  This will be my first betta, so I'm trying to figure everything out lol.


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## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

Okay, stop by your local PetCo. There 2.5 gallon tank (lighted hood, filter in the hood bow front betta tank) is on sale for like 50% off. So depending on the price at your store it could be $18 or $25. But it's SO worth it. 

If you can't afford that, or your parents think it's too much for a single betta, get the walmart Hawkeye 5 gallon for $25 then you can put a divider in for two bettas! 

As for gravel, ditch GRAVEL. Ditch sand, too. Those are better for much larger tanks. Because they need basically a 100% weekly and a 25-50% sometime during the week, too, it's a PAIN. Trust me. Get larger pebbles or go for "river rock". The larger pebbles anchor REALLY well. I'll show you a picture of my male's tank with it and hopefully I have a picture of my female's with dollar store "stones" in it. The pebbles hold down his live plant extremely well and the stones in my female's hold down her fake plants wonderfully as well. Plus, I just dump it into a strainer and rinse it out with hot water really quick. The larger size of them means they don't stick, either, unlike gravel!

Plants. My first option? Go live! Anacharis is a super beginner plant and don't need anything fancy besides light. They are generally $2-$3 for a whole bunch of it. They also reproduce on their own! It can stay floating or can be tethered into gravel. It's perfect for decorating a smaller tank. Also, moss balls are decently priced and take next to nothing to maintain and flourish. If you're going fake, definitely go for silk plants. WalMart sells about 3 in a package for $5! 

Thermometer is a must and are $2 at Walmart, too! Heaters go with this. Unless you live somewhere where it's reaaaal hot (like where I do!) you have to get one for your fish. Heaters vary from $12-$30, but for a smaller tank you can get one for about $12-$15. Look online for deals, too. You'd be surprised how much cheaper you can find them on online stores! Also, pet stores regularly have heaters on sale. So it pays to wait and look around.

I wouldn't use real beach items. They can affect the hardness, pH, etc. Not good for the fish! Plus, you don't know what's in them or what animal or species it came from. There are plenty of good, cheap things out there. I got a cave for 99 cents for my girl's tank from PetSmart! My boy's skull was on sale for $3 at Walmart. Just keep your eyes open! Plus, things like a terra cotta pot or a mug are cheap and can be used as a hidings spot. 

Here's my male's tank broken down:
$3-Anacharis
$3-Skull
$5-Gravel (5lb bag, only used half!) 
$2-Thermometer

=$13!

Female's:
$3-Fake plant
$2-Substrate
$2-Thermometer
$1-Cave

=$8!

_You can do this on a budget._ 

Not to mention, thrift stores and Craigslist are wonderful places for cheap or almost free tanks. I got a 1.5 gallon tank plus filter for $3 at Goodwill and there's no cracks or leaks and the filter works! On CL I've seen full set 10 gallons (heaters, lighted hoods, filters, etc.) for $20.

http://i54.tinypic.com/2czvic1.jpg

^ That's my boy's tank. It provides ample hiding space (with the skull) and the anacharis provides him somewhere to rest. I see him laying on it allll the time. Plus, because it's "bare" but extremely functionable, he actually gets to swim! It's not flooded with things. Half the time I can't find him in there, LOL! Those pebbles I found at PetCo, by the way.

Good luck!


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## Grundylady (Jan 7, 2011)

The 2 gal is perfectly fine. Having a filter is nice but not necessary. (I have both my tanks filtered and cycled. It means I only need to do a 25-50% water change 1x per week.) But the light won't heat the water so you will need to spring for a heater and thermometer. 

If you use the gravel - which is fine if you are going to cycle the tank - you will eventually want a gravel vacuum but they are nice for water changes also since you use them to remove water from the tank without having to suck on a siphon hose.

My hubby looked at the stuff I had for my first one and said...Its a betta, they don't need that much. BUT - now he sees how active - and interactive - my bettas are agrees that the heater and larger space are worth it. (I have a 1.8 gal. and a 2.5 gal. tank both filtered, cycled and heated.)

Good luck!

P.S. - Silk plants are MUCH better for Bettas then the plastic ones. The sharp edges can hurt their tails.


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## Neil D (Apr 10, 2011)

laughing is correct, but at walmart ive seen 5 gal tank kits with all the equipment for like 30$! thats cheap! and a heater for that im sure is around 20$.


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## Midnightx21 (May 13, 2011)

You guys are awesome. Thanks! :-D


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## SillyCone (May 7, 2011)

That petco thing almost makes me wish living in the US. LOL!


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## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

Yeah, you can easily build a good tank on under $15...if you live somewhere warm. It's the heaters that take a good chunk out of your wallet. The preset heaters at Walmart are some of the cheaper ones ($11) while still doing a pretty good job heating smaller tanks.

Welcome to the forum btw!


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

you could also get a critter keeper..They go up to 4-5 gallons..I have my one betta in a 3 gallon critter keeper and he loves it. It was around 11 dollars at petco.


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## pumpkinspikepie (Feb 18, 2011)

Littlebittyfish said:


> you could also get a critter keeper..They go up to 4-5 gallons..I have my one betta in a 3 gallon critter keeper and he loves it. It was around 11 dollars at petco.


 My female is in a 3g, and my male is (for now) in a 5g Critter Keeper and they're both doing well!


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## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

Ok, this is my female's current set-up:









And speaking of Kritter Keepers, I used one, too. It was the 2 gallon one. But it definitely goes larger for only a couple dollars more. There's a Whisper 3i filter that I LOVE (and have two of!) for about $10-$12. So $10 for 3 gallon keeper and $12 for a filter isn't that bad. It would just be harder to get the light in for your betta. So you'd have to place it somewhere where light is whether it be a room light or sunlight. (Not direct sun!)

These are all the same decorations as the other tank in here for her. I like the Kritter Keepers because they come with a little hole in it, too, so the filter cords can come out while the lid stays on. Plus, it has a feeder part, too.


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## cadi731 (Mar 9, 2011)

For my betta, I got one of those Aqua Culture Aquarium sets at Walmart. It was somewhere around $25-$30. I love it, and so does he. It comes with everything you need, except for the heater.

Walmart sells a Tetra brand heater though, for $14. I got a 2-15 gallon one, since I have a 5 gallon. It does pretty well, I think. It keeps the tank about about 76 on cold days, and 78-82 on hot days.

As far as bottom coverage goes, I have gravel, pebbles, and marbles. xD I think it looks pretty. The gravel can be a pain though. If you can, I'd stick with just pebbles. I got a baggy of them from Walmart for like, $6. It was enough to cover my old 2.5 gallon's bottom, so if you do get a 5 gallon and decide on pebbles, I'd suggest 3 or 4 baggies of them. The dollar store probably has some for loads cheaper though.

I'd get a silk plant, instead of a plastic one. My poor boy tore his tail on his old plastic ones. I got him a big silk one, and he loves it. :3


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## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

Here's a great 5 gallon tank (though the price did go up by 3 dollars).

It has a good filter on it too.

The reason earlier posters said that you would probably like the 2.5, 3, or 5 gallons better is because 2 gallons and under are more difficult to heat, and you can't cycle them so you have to do lots of 100% changes. At least weekly but often it's better to do more.

If you have 2 gallons or under you should do 100% changes every other day or at least large partials (like 75%) every other day and then 100% weekly changes.

If you have a 2.5 gallon or up though you can cycle it and do once weekly 50% changes or twice weekly 25% changes. Both are much easier to do than constant 100% changes.

If you're going to be getting a home for your betta I'd get the right size tank from the very beginning so that you don't waste time and money on a smaller tank just to get tired of the constant maintenance and upgrade to a larger (that you could've bought in the first place) later.

So yeah I'd get the 5 gallon, a heater, some gravel, a cave of some sort (I saw these REALLY cool bird-shaped ones at petsmart! <3 they look like bird skulls!), some silk or real plants (if they're real I'd make sure that they're stem plants (like anacharis and water sprite, Java fern is AWESOME too) and to get a daylight (6,500 or higher K(elvin)) CFL (swirly light bulbs) so that they get the light that the need and don't die on you), some water conditioner (I HIGHLY recommend Seachem's PRIME water conditioner! You only need 2 drops per gallon! (1.6 drops to be precise), some aquarium filter foam (Aqua Clear Filter Foam refills are great) for baffling the outflow of your filter and then set it all up.

That's my two cents anyway. ;]

Good luck with your future buddy and thank you so much for doing your research before you got your pet! <3 It means a lot to me. =]


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## inkrealm (May 15, 2011)

be careful with the plastic plants, they can tear their fins REALLY easily. 
I do have the blue one though, and it's pretty soft for plastic, and my Betta loves to sleep behind it at night, maybe because he's blue too, 
not sure about the others though, just watch them really well and see if they snag pantyhose before you use them with your betta. even if they pass the pantyhose test they can still harm them, but it's less likely.


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## Thunderloon (Feb 6, 2011)

I wouldn't buy any of their products even for a hospital tank.
Everything but the acrylic is made of recycled plastic and some of it has lead in it, they use under-gravel filters and have no hose guide to keep tugs on the air-hose from pulling the grid off the bottom. If the riser pipe breaks free it can suck your fish in and they fly off the grid like planes from Heathrow.

When you see little tanks for under $25.00 or so what you're seeing is a waste product made to gouge you. The light won't keep the tank warm and is no-where near as bright as those pictures show.

Be better off with a one gallon mason jar and a desk lamp honestly.


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

laughing said:


> Ok, this is my female's current set-up:
> 
> View attachment 28486
> 
> ...


That's a beautiful critter keeper! well done! I am planning on getting the same filter for my 3 gallon critter keeper..How did you get it in there? Did you just cut a piece out of the lid?I am hoping my critter keeper will look as nice eventually! I had to take out most of my live plants because I was using aquarium salt.:-(


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## inkrealm (May 15, 2011)

I'd really like to know how you got the filter in the critter keeper with its lid too; once I learn how to keep my first happy and balanced I'd love to be bale to get a few more from those horrible pet stores and give them nice homes; and a critter keeper+heater would be much cheaper than another glass tank and far more likely for my parents to allow ^-^; I guess I could clean it manually but it's always good to cycle if it's possible...


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## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

The one I had had a push-out circle thing in the lid, but I didn't use it. The lid once securely on was basically locked for all eternity, LOL! I could barely get it off, and if I did, I had to hold it sideways and have a friend help me. Therefore I decided to never put it on with water/my fish inside or else they'd be doomed in there! LOL Or there'd be a big watery mess everywhere. 

So what I did was keep the tubing right underneath the lid. The lid rested nicely on top. It worked because the lid wasn't heavy at all so it didn't press down the tube. And there wasn't a hole for her to jump out, and of course she wasn't strong enough to jump and actually knock the lid off. It looked nice, too! 

I love the filter because it has a slow intake and the intake isn't one of those grated piece intakes. The intake is only on the _bottom. _Therefore she's MUCH less likely to get sucked in because she'd have to swim directly to the bottom and swim right underneath it to even get near the intake. And a major tip is do NOT point the filter length wise. Then you'll have disruption with the flow all the way down the Keeper. Instead, point it directly to the next side like I've done. Then you have the flow only on one part! 

And thank you for the compliments! In there are 2 fake plants and anacharis. She loved that set-up. I just wanted a "nicer" tank for her and the tank was cheap. Plus, it had about .6 more gallons, which I think counts! The Keepers are good, too, because they don't have strange views, you can see directly on to check on your fish. Plus, they are cheap! 3 gallons for $10? Heck yes!


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## Midnightx21 (May 13, 2011)

Thanks everyone! Your tanks are beautiful. <3

I found some pebbles, but I'm having trouble finding silk plants. Do you know where to buy those?


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## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

Midnightx21 said:


> Thanks everyone! Your tanks are beautiful. <3
> 
> I found some pebbles, but I'm having trouble finding silk plants. Do you know where to buy those?


As I said WalMart sells a 3 pack for $5. Also, I've seen PetCo sell them. You can also purchase online!


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## falconboy99 (May 14, 2011)

You could just start off with an Aqueon Minibow.
And use this http://www.petco.com/shop/searchres...Gems&cmrefr=5001&cmrefid=4294956238&cmrefpf=1
And buy a thermometer.
If the temperature is too cold, then grab some of the gems and run the over hot water, then drop them in to the tank.


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## Midnightx21 (May 13, 2011)

Cool, thanks! I'll look at Petco.


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## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

Where I live is extremely hot, but every so often we get cold "storms". They just randomly blow through. When this happens and I notice their tanks are getting kind of chilly, I will remove partial water and slowly add in warmer water.

For example; if I see it's at 74*, I will take out 25%, then slowly (over a course of an hour) add water about 84* or so. Then, by time the tank is full again, the temperature is up to 78*-80* generally. Usually it stays around this. The tank light on mine does warm the water, but only by 1 or 2 degrees. So if the water is about 76* or so I'll usually put the tank light on for a bit so it'll go up by just a tad over some time.

Another great tip is just do frequent water changes. Putting water in at 82* in a 2 gallon with decently warm inside temperature means that by the next day the tank will be down to about 74*-78*. (Depending on how cold it is.) Therefore if you're regularly changing all the water it'll maintain a good temperature. Especially if you slowly get your betta used to the water when you do this!

This is not a permanent situation though. It's just a good one until you can afford one, or until it starts to get cold. (It IS summer, so be careful of your household temp. Because it's hot outside usually people crank up A/Cs or fans making the house/apartment 78* or less, meaning tank water will be at 70*-72*!!!)


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## falconboy99 (May 14, 2011)

Now i know how lucky i am in Southern California.


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## falconboy99 (May 14, 2011)

laughing said:


> Where I live is extremely hot, but every so often we get cold "storms". They just randomly blow through. When this happens and I notice their tanks are getting kind of chilly, I will remove partial water and slowly add in warmer water.
> 
> For example; if I see it's at 74*, I will take out 25%, then slowly (over a course of an hour) add water about 84* or so. Then, by time the tank is full again, the temperature is up to 78*-80* generally. Usually it stays around this. The tank light on mine does warm the water, but only by 1 or 2 degrees. So if the water is about 76* or so I'll usually put the tank light on for a bit so it'll go up by just a tad over some time.
> 
> ...


I now know how lucky i am in Southern California.


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