Betta Questions

[lute]

i recently got a betta. i havn't had a betta in many years and i have a couple questions. i have a 1 gallon tank. is this big enough? also, the tank came with a light. do i need to use this light? and how long do i leave it on durring the day?

[binka_nugget]

Most betta people I run into say 1 gallon is the absolute minimum. Most of my bettas are in 1 gallons. I have a one in a .5 gallon and couple in large beanie containers.. not ideal but it's temporary and a step up from where they were before. All are given regular water changes and seem pretty happy.

Anywho, 1 gallon is alright. Just make sure to keep up with WCs and you'll be fine.

Edit: Oh yeah.. don't worry about the light. The only time I turn on the lights on the hoods are when I want to take pictures. Other than that, all they get are lights from our lamps during the day.

[IRescue452]

1 gallon won't hurt them. I never use lights. Some people leave lights on all day and all that comes of it is algae on everything. I hate that. How many fish live less than a foot away from the sun? None. So they shouldn't live directly under a light that is on 12 hours a day. As long as they are in a room with a window or where people have the room light on sometime then that is enough light for the fish.

[lute]

thanks!