Bettas in a Jar?

Hello all

i have a question to the betta breeders on this site... there is tons of different opinions on this that bettas enjoy small amounts of water volume and can be kept in jars or small tanks of as little as 1 liter... is this cruel? and if so why does all the sites say the same thing... that it is perfectly fine to keep them in such small spaces as they feel more comfortable... i have seen alot of breeders with these guys in jars with less than a liter of water ... also if jars and so on are not a good idea should you be running tons of large tanks for every male you get?

so just a question that i think the guy who have experience in this field could answer

 

The task of breeding Betas on a reasonably affordable budget almost necessitates the use of plastic containers which are floated in a larger "holding" tank, which requires daily 100% water changes of each individual plastic container with top up water from the larger "holding" tank.

 

Imo it depends, nothing better then this proud fish with space to swim and be free. So my answer to this is always, would u like to c 10 males ripping each other to shreads or keep them in a small space, with the right temp untill they r old enough to go to a new home? As your pet and pride I would say give the guy the space it deserves, as a breeder, do the right thing and give the right conditions for the champ, right small conditions is better then wrong big ones.

 

nippyfish.net/2011/10/23/the-native-betta-habitat-separating-fact-from-fiction/

 

would a few containers floating in the tank with holes for water flow work?

 

@HennieRoux

Hennie, I've got my Bettas Males set up in 15 liter tanks - will that do? (Planted, will still have to rig some sort of lighting)

I've also read that it's best to provide the tanks with some sort of filtration and heating. I've managed to locate small enough heaters, but I'm at a loss as to what to use for filtration, if any.

Would appreciate your input.

 

The whole idea behind the small jars is the environment from which Betta splendens originates - small, shallow pools. And in fact studies have been done on exactly how much space male Siamese fighters use in an aquarium setup. It so turns out that the space that they actually need is rather minimal - preferably much more than a jam jar, though.

Aside from the ethics or morality of it, the real issue lies in the water in the small environment. A small volume of water is vulnerable to rapid changes in chemistry and temperature. For instance, such a small jar of water will quickly change temperature, and while Fighters will tolerate a wide range of temperatures, a rapid swing in warmth will easily stress the fish and leave them prone to disease. Likewise, a smaller volume of water will quickly accumulate a high concentration of metabolites (fish waste), which again will be detrimental to the fish health. In the wild, this is mostly taken care of by flushing of the waters, other organisms taking care of the metabolites and a very stable temperature.

That being said, a betta can be kept in a jar if the water is regularly changed, and is kept in a temperature-controlled room. The problem lies in that people don't do this - and as a result many, many bettas live very short lives and people kind of just expect fish to have very short life spans, when in fact it was just a result of poor keeping.

That's why bigger tanks are recommended - you can fit in a heater, filter, plants etc. to provide a much more comfortable environment for the fish, in which it will likely have a much higher life expectancy. That, and it doesn't look so cramped. At the end of the day it is up to you, but among many aquarists it is considered most ethical to provide nothing less than the best for your pets.

Regards,

 

i guess it wouldnt be a bad thing to just use the jars as holing jars? till i build a perspex tank with large enough chambers? does anyone know where i can get large amounts of perspex for a good price?

 

@Quue I am sure a container with holds won't float for long but I may be wrong. what size tank do you have maybe I can give you ideas on what to do? perspex you can get from http://www.maizey.co.za

@Dinky I will say 15L is fine but do atleast 2 water changes a week ,small heater I hope it's a 25watt and temp should be between 24 to 28. Filter on a small tank like that maybe look into a fry filter they clean ok and don't make alot of water movement. But I'm sure Hennie will help more

 

well the bottles are 2l in capacity and will be held on the inside of the tank by hooks... something DIY

 

What size is the tank, because some times in my 2ft tank I just cut the bottoms of a coke 2l bottles and make holes in the top part place them in the tank with fish inside works well,

 

i have a 3ft and a 1ft but will make some sort of plan for the good of the fish and the good of tanks will keep you guys updated

 

@St@tic - Thank you very much. It is 25 watt heaters preset to 25 degrees. Tx for the tip on fry filters, will see if I can trace them. :bigsmile:

 

SO many ideas you can use, the less work involved the better....as long as you keep the right water conditions it doesnt matter where u keep them if you breed, as they might only be in the container for a month or so, before the reach the right size. DOnt forget you only have to split males @ about 2 months plus, females you can keep together.

 

i got 2 more males yesterday and a female and put all in their own tanks and the one male started to make a nest but the bubbles would just pop on the cup any ideas of how close it has to be on the water and if theres another way?

 

HI @Quue no need for a cup if he is building a nest without it...plastic plant works just as well. Or else nothing in that matter as you can see.

 

hey @HennieRoux
theres a cup in there but the bubbles just keep popping and non are staying does this mean he couldnt be bothered?

 

It shouldnt pop unless there is a slight breeze by your tank....if there is, u might want to use the pollystirene cup.

 

thats what im using :egg: