Is 10 gallons to big for a betta?

**petslover** · 09-23-2005, 12:37 PM

I got a 10 gallon tank and and i believe the other is 15 gallon tank given to me and I want to put it to use.. So is a 10 gallon tank to big for a betta or should I just buy a divider and let each have 5 gallons?

Thanks for any advice.

**Jessika** · 09-23-2005, 12:45 PM

Nothing is "too big" for a betta, only too small.

I know you hear that "in the wild in the rice patties they live in up to 4 ounces of water", but that's not year-round, and only during the dry season!

Some Bettas like having room to swim in, some don't do a whole lot of moving around and like sticking towards the bottom. It's just up to your betta!

**K9soul** · 09-23-2005, 12:54 PM

I've found the more room they have, the more active, curious, inquisitive they are. I put lots of plants, caves and hidey places in my betta tanks and they are always swimming around and going in and out of their hidey holes. There are ways to slow down a filter current too if your betta is bothered by it. I've used this method, very simple and easy and works great for my tanks.

http://www.petfish.net/currentkill.htm

**Jessika** · 09-23-2005, 01:03 PM

k9soul you're exactly right, and also contrary to popular belief bettas thrive in tanks with plants (its not unsafe). It only becomes "unsafe" when you hav the entire surface of the water covered. Bettas are "surface breathers" and NEED a clean spot on the surface to come up and breathe air with their mouth. SO if you do decide to have plants and stuff in your tank, just make sure theres an open spot on the surface so they can breathe!!

Oh yeah another rumor to kill -- bettas CAN be in a tank with other fish, just not other bettas, and not other aggressive or fin-nipping fish. They can live in harmony with.. goldfish is one example. There are TONS others but I can't possibly name them ALL.

**lvpets2002** · 09-23-2005, 02:41 PM

No I would not think so && now you do know not too put them together due to they will fight each other.. I kept mine in separate bowls & they still would try to fight if they saw each other thru the glass..

**Jessika** · 09-23-2005, 02:59 PM

That's why you aren't supposed to have a clear/transparent separator, you need to have a solid, opaque or colored piece separating the tanks. Otherwise they will try to fight and will end up hurting themselves from banging into the separator in attempts to get to the other betta

**binka_nugget** · 09-23-2005, 03:11 PM

If you really want, you could use a divider and house two in a ten gallon. But a ten gallon for a single betta is fine. One of my girls is spoiled and is living in the ten gallon on her own.

**petslover** · 09-23-2005, 03:30 PM

Okay thanks. I have to make room for the tank(s) this weekend. Then I am going to buy the cool wallpaper to put with it.

I did not know you could put other fish with bettas. What other fish could I get with a 10 gallon tank.. thats if I don't divide it. It might be a few weeks before I get the tank actually up and ready just like I want it.

Thanks again.

**petslover** · 09-23-2005, 03:41 PM

Can anyone post a picture of their tank so that I can get an idea with the plants/decoration/caves, etc?

Thanks!

**K9soul** · 09-23-2005, 03:46 PM

Actually you probably don't want to put other fish in unless you have a bigger tank. Perhaps a couple smaller ones would be okay but only if your 10 g are set up and properly cycled already. Otherwise all the fish waste will make the water become toxic. The betta might be able to handle it since they are a labyrinth breather.. or whatever the actual proper term for bettas are, but the other fish would quickly succumb. Goldfish in particular tend to produce a lot of waste. And no matter what fish you add, there's always a chance of even a normally docile species being a fin nipper or vice versa with the betta.

Here is an excellent FAQ about tankmates for bettas from TFF:

http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=96682

**Jessika** · 09-23-2005, 03:50 PM

General rule of thumb as far as how many fish go in a tank --

one inch of ADULT FISH per gallon.

So lets say you get a fish that is only 1/2 inch now but will grow to be 3 inches. You need to think long-run and just assume it will grow to be three inches. So instead of buying six baby 1/2 fish, you should only get 1 fish because it can get up to three inches in length.

10 gallons = 10 inch of adult fish and NO MORE.

Hope that makes sense??

NON AGGRESSIVE and NON FIN NIPPING fish will be good to be housed with a betta. I don't recommend going to WalMart because their associates aren't educated enough to be able to help you out (that, and their fish are always sick). I recommend PetCo or Petsmart where they actually have to take classes on aquatic care before even working in the aquatic department. I used to remember from my class what fish were compatible with a betta, but I forgot lol

**K9soul** · 09-23-2005, 04:01 PM

Originally posted by Jessika
10 gallons = 10 inch of adult fish and NO MORE.

That's assuming the tank is cycled though. If they are new tanks I'd definitely just start with the betta for a couple months to be sure it's cycled before adding anything else. Or you could set the tanks up, wait on the bettas, and do a fishless cycle before you get the fish. If you don't know what I'm talking about with cycling, there's a good explanation here:

Tank cycling

And an article on fishless cycling here:

Fishless Cycling

Not trying to overwhelm you, it does seem like a lot of info if you are new to it. I remember how overwhelmed I was! But in the long run having all this knowledge can mean the difference between having fish for a couple months versus a few years

Addendum:
I didn't know about cycling when I got my bettas, but with some careful diligence and a lot of partial water changes and daily testing, they cycled okay with the bettas in them.

**K9soul** · 09-23-2005, 04:05 PM

You asked for pics. Mine are 3g, and the first one in the pic was a 2.5g but I've since moved him to a 3g. But they can give you some decor ideas perhaps

**Jessika** · 09-23-2005, 04:05 PM

Originally posted by K9soul
That's assuming the tank is cycled though. If they are new tanks I'd definitely just start with the betta for a couple months to be sure it's cycled before adding anything else. Or you could set the tanks up, wait on the bettas, and do a fishless cycle before you get the fish. If you don't know what I'm talking about with cycling, there's a good explanation here:

Tank cycling

And an article on fishless cycling here:

Fishless Cycling

Not trying to overwhelm you, it does seem like a lot of info if you are new to it. I remember how overwhelmed I was! But in the long run having all this knowledge can mean the difference between having fish for a couple months versus a few years

Addendum:
I didn't know about cycling when I got my bettas, but with some careful diligence and a lot of partial water changes and daily testing, they cycled okay with the bettas in them.

I said that with the assumption they knew to cycle the tank first, lol.

**sandragonfly** · 09-24-2005, 07:29 AM

10 gallon??.. it's his heaven!!

yeah sure, you can put him in with other community fishes.. I've tried my purple/white betta, spirit into goldfish (chandler & speckles)'s 6 gallon, they're doing great. for yours, make sure you watch every minute for first hour..then check closely over 24 hours..

(just like some bettas would flare, some wouldn't)..

oh yeah, goldfishes make such a mess, they eat like they haven't eaten..lol and leave 'food' all over.