You’ve no doubt seen all kinds of “betta bowls” on shelves throughout all kinds of pet stores that claim to be the “perfect betta habitat” for your little guy. Most of these little containers are less than a half gallon, and come with “fact” sheets about your little guy. Most of these myths are the usual cop-out that bettas prefer to be in tiny little spaces, that it makes them feel safe and that they live in little mud puddles in the wild.
HOGWASH!
Sorry, but I have to kill that myth for you very quickly, or I could never forgive myself. Here’s how it works. Bettas live in rice paddies that, during the dry season, dry up to just a few inches of water. These dry season is when new bettas are captured to refresh the betta gene pool. This is where that myth comes from. The rest of the year, these paddies are completely filled and there is plenty of room for bettas to roam.
The following pictures show habitats unsuitable for bettas:
The infamous “betta in a vase.” These traps are horrible for the following reasons: 1 - Bettas need to be able to reach the surface of the water to breathe. 2 - No matter what the pamphlet says, bettas will not feed on the roots of the plant, since they are carnivores. 3 - The plant is going to pull all the minerals and oxygen from the water, which means less for your fish.
Itty-Bitty “Designer” Betta Bowls. There is no room in these damn things for the betta to move around. Plus, the ammonia and nitrate levels will build up so fast in these bowls that you would have to do 100% water changes everyday, and the stress from that alone would make your betta susceptible to disease. 
Ah, the “divided betta bowl.” To quote an instruction manual on one of these: “…the close proximity to other bettas will prompt them to flare his gills, spread his fins and intensify his colors.” This is crap. The bowl is too small and constantly being near another male will stress your betta out.
The Hanging Betta Bowl, honestly, looks kind of cool, if it were about 10 times bigger. But, once again, this is too small. It also is susceptible to extreme temperature fluctuations, which will stress your betta out, and may even kill him.Now, there are quite a few good homes for your betta. For a beginner, though, I recommend 3 types of aquariums to start:
The Tetra 1.5 gallon Desktop Aquarium is a minimum for bettas. 1 and a half gallons give your betta plenty of room to swim around and breathe. This dandy little kit even comes with a little air-pump operated filter. Should this flimsy little filter hold up, it will keep your water looking alright. I just have an issue keeping the water flowing through it. Quinn is living in one of these tanks for the moment.
The Aqueon Mini Bow aquarium is pretty nifty as well. It comes in 2.5 and 5 gallon sizes, has a filter built into the hood, and is plenty spacious enough for your betta. I know plenty of betta owners that rave about the Mini Bow (like Christie from NippyFish Blog, see my link in the sidebar.) I think this tank is pretty awesome myself.
The 3 gallon Eclipse System is another great buy. 3 gallons is right in the middle of what plenty of betta owners will tell you is good for your little guy. Like the Mini Bow, the Eclipse has a unobtrusive filter built into the hood, and a really good light. The only problem I've heard about this is the feeding door. Most betta owners who own one say they just remove the entire hood to feed their fish.
1 comments:
"No matter what the pamphlet says, betta's will not feed on the roots of the plants becuase they are carnivores... the plant is going to pull all the minerals and oxygen from the water, which means less for your fish."
I'm sorry I call you stupid, I honestly thought you knew. If you are going to right an article, you might to make sure it's one everybody can depend on, the opinions and facts.
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