Revelation: bettas and tank space

Hi everyone,
I just had to post this bit of info regarding bettas and tank space. I have my first betta Flame in a 3 gallon Marineland Eclipse tank. After getting my second betta (unnamed pink guy) I was looking around for another 3 gallon but since I couldn't find one that wasn't scratched I bought a 5 gallon MiniBow. I just transferred him tonight and I've never seen a more active betta. He is a blast to watch! I had been keeping him for a couple days in a little 1-1/2 gallon tank temporarily and I thought he was active in there but now, he is just zipping around, investigating everything. Really appears to be extra happy. I hate the light in the MiniBow (makes everything look yellow. Horrible!) and will be exchanging it for another Eclipse tank but a 6 gallon this time.

This has all been a huge learning experience for me since first getting into bettas in July. I hope my experiences might inspire other people who keep bettas in less than 5 gallons to give a larger tank a try! When I can afford it, I'm going to replace my first tank with another larger one too! I used to scoff at the idea that bettas need at least 5 gallons like a lot of people say but now I am a believer! 3 gallons is great, but 5 or 6 gallons or even more is excellent. Seeing is believing.

Yeah bettas love a lot of room but the smaller ones are good if you have to travel around a lot.

Right now the biggest size I have is a 2.5 gallon....but when I get my own place set up I hope to upgrade BIG time.

I'd consider finding a used ten gl. tank as people sell or give away on
Craigslist if you are close enough. Then you can divide it and it gives each
one a cube. This way you only need one filter and heater' Just a thought!

Aww that's great to hear! They really do LOVE the extra space and become very zoomy little fellas

Aw I'm so happy to hear that your wee fella is loving the 5g!!

The suggestion of getting a 10 gallon and dividing it in two is a great idea! I wrote that down as an idea for the future. Unfortunately, right now I have no space for a 10 gallon. I barely have room for two smaller tanks and they are both in different rooms.

One drawback is they share the water so if one contracts a malady the
other stands a good chance of getting it too!

my first betta, was kept in a bowl, since that's what the pet store said was fine. after my sister got sick of cleaning his tank, when i moved out, he got upgraded to a one gallon, and swam around alot more! then, he got super-upgraded to a 10 gallon, and swam around so much! my boys and girls are mostly in 2 gallons, and are always swimming around alot. my tiny girl, Freya, loves exploring, even though it's the same 2 gallon she's been in for a while now. so, yeah, more space is much better than 1 gallons or less. :3

I just finish upgrading my MG/VT Jules from a 1gl. critter tank to a heated 5gl.
palace with new silk plants. Boy is he ever kicking it now! Tomorrow he gets a
filter and a terra cotta pot, and I get rid of the guilts!

It does a heart good to see how much more "alive" these little guys are when they have more space. My new pink betta just got transferred to his final 6 gallon home and he is just zipping around, exploring everything. He's probably thinking "Wow! How did I get so lucky!" I can't recommend the Marineland Eclipse tanks more highly. I first bought a MiniBow 5 gallon for this new fish but I really disliked it. Exchanged it for the Eclipse 6 gallon and it is just a gorgeous tank.

I've done the size upgrades, too, with great swimming/activity results. When I got Finnegin out of his tiny bowl at the pet store, my first 2.5 gal. bowl seemed big. Then, the more I read about their history/environment I put him in a 5 gal. tank. He loved that, too, but I noticed he adapted to it very fast and after the first couple of weeks seemed bored. Now he's in a 10 gal. tank, with 12 plants of all diff. heights, and has 3 caves for hiding. He seems really happy and active. It's a lot nicer to watch him swim for greater lenghts than just a quick scoot across that tiny 2.5 gal. bowl.

Sounds great Finnegin'sMom