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im looking at a 2-3 gallon desktop tank, i want to put to males. i know i need to keep them seperated. so if i put a clear divider in the tank would it be ok? do you think it would stress them too much if they constantly see each other? even though they are sepperated?

*click *flash *click "whered he go???"

Hi,
I found that with a clear divider they eventually become
stessed from all the posturing. I thing an opaque one
would be best. If you ever want to show off the fish
flaring, then just borrow a mirror and hold it up to
the tank to impress your visitor.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I wouldnt use the divider in a 2-3 gallon tank. This would only leave 1 - 1.5 gal per fish, and while this is fine, they do prefer larger spaces. Also, the bettas will continually see each other and flare, which, while it may be pretty, it is not good to make the fish constantly do that. (Its like making a pufferfish puff out all the time)

Inky

thats what i was worried about. plus i didnt think of splitting the tank = splitting the volume (sorry half asleep when posted) i think i will go with a solid splitter, and maybe a 5 or 6 gallon tank

*click *flash *click "whered he go???"

Depending on where you live, you could get a 10 gallon for 10 dollars. Then you could put a tetra whisper 10 on it, and maybe one on each end. Furnish with some floating plants and VIOLA, you have a perfectly fine 5 gallon betta tank for each betta!

They sell the larger dividers anywhere really.

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Many people would not consider a 2-3 gallon suitable for one fish let alone two, and siamese fighters do as the name implies, the males seriously fight, even the sight of each other can be stressful.

I like to get away from these absolute minimum sizes wherever possible, its asking for trouble in terms of water quality, even with tough fish like bettas, but more to the point I dont think its psychologically humane to keep them in something so small.

These are living creatures with minds of their own.Not to give them more room and mental stimulation when it so cheap, easy, and minimal work to do so, is and will always remain, a shabby way to treat animals IMHO. Lots of people do it, but in my book that doesnt make it ok.

This is not a slam, but 1.5 gallons , well, Ive been to the loo and produced more than that . I just want people to look kindly upon their fish, and give them a little more room. It is so easy to do so. When you look at the health of a betta kept in a 10 gallon and one kept in a 2 gallon, in terms of muscle mass theres no comparison. To me a betta in a 2 gallon or less is like not walking your dog. Ultimately its just not good for its condition.

Lets try working up instead of down ,say 5 gallons? Its only a bucket. Theres nothing to lose.

I know people want a little living thing in a tiny tank, but isnt it really about time that we let such ideas go, especially for the creatures we profess to love?

After all, its absolutely nothing to ask.

Im sorry if I go on a bit about it, but somehow the thought of a fish never living up to its potential makes me feel deeply sad. I wouldnt be doing my bit for animals if I didnt mention it. No slamming, no condemning, no accusing, lets just make an effort to do that little bit more. Like helping a little old lady across the road, or making new years resolutions. 3 extra gallons. Its nothing to us, and everything to them.

Im hardly militant about bettas, after all I could espouse how wonderful it is to see them behaving normally and vigourously in a 30, taking their place in a well balanced community, with species chosen that will avoid conflict with them, but I think everyone knows thats really the mark to live up to. We dont like to moan and we know people will always go for the minimum, and with bettas its almost like a tradition , no matter how dumb that may sound to some of us.

Under 5 gallons my alarm bells go up. Thats when i feel I have to say something to my fellow man.What I say , I say for the health and happiness of the fish.

If the fish is in the office , I can well appreciate the boss might not be too keen for there to be a bigger tank on your desk, but to me , all that does for me , is perhaps make me wonder if it is better not to keep the fish in the office under such restrictions. Maybe the fish might be better if its at home- and if its home, get that bigger tank . Desktop tanks you can buy, but did nature select fish to become desktop fish?

Peace and love dudes.

thanks again lhg i think i need to reconsider about the bettas. in your opinion what should i get for a 5 gal. i wanna be able to keep it on my desk

*click *flash *click "whered he go???"

Well, that gives you a few options, are you going with lit or unlit, filtered or unfiltered?

it will be lit and filtered, i was thinking a few micro sword plants as well

*click *flash *click "whered he go???"

IME when I was keeping males in a split tank where they could see each other constantly it seemed they got used to each others presence and quit flaring after a short time.

I've witnessed this on more than 20 males kept in these conditions.

Sounds nice with the microswords, perhaps a little java moss too, and a small crypt or anubia for foliage variety. Maybe a couple of amano shrimp for algae control and scavenging duties, and although a fighter might go for regular guppy fins, how about a small shoal of male endlers? Theyre dead pretty, and will love the lights and plants. Their dietary needs match the bettas, and the amanos will eat anything they dont, so you could have a pristine little tank with nice plants and some shoal interest, and no algae issues. As long as you feed them sparingly you wont need to do much gravel cleaning, and the water should stay crystal with small changes.

A tiny piece of bogwood to attach the anubia and the moss to will be a nice foraging ground for the endlers and the amanos, and the betta can happily watch it all going on with his authority unchallenged.

lol, im quite tempted to give it a whirl myself.

ok thanks for the advice guys. i won the bid on a 10 gallon. i think i scored, i got the tanks two gravel siphons two nets gravel and a small filter for 8.25 plus 5.99 shipping

*click *flash *click "whered he go???"

Thats a great deal

You could always setup a 10g community:
1x M Betta
6x Harlies
2-3x Ottos

^^ Or you have enough room to split it

Inky

i think im gonna get some shrimp and a male betta. the other thing i was thinking of is i like the bumble bee goby. would those be ok with the shrimp?

*click *flash *click "whered he go???"

Be careful with bb gobies, some of them are brackish fish. I'm not sure about them with shrimp but I'd be weary of it.

well i got some time before that gets all set up. so i gonna keep looking around. ill find some thing that i like.

*click *flash *click "whered he go???"

In my experience, male bettas quickly get over seeing their "rivals" close up and personal if they can't get to them. I suppose a seriously aggressive betta would never get over it, but I have three in a split 10 gallon tank and they barely even look at each other. They look better than they ever did in an unfiltered smaller tank and seem to enjoy their new digs.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

I'm curious kitten, do you use clear dividers or opaque ones?

... okay, I swear I wrote out a response to your question earlier, randy. Let me try again, as it obviously doesn't seem to have taken.

I use the type of clear dividers you can pick up pretty much anywhere you can buy aquarium supplies. They're thin, clear sheets of plastic perforated with holes to allow for water movement.

Because I originally setup my ten gallon tank to run with the filter in the back right hand corner and have cut the plastic part of the glass lid to fit, the filter has stayed in that position. I run an airstone in the left section to promote better water current.

The only thing I don't like about the setup is the bright aqua blue plastic pieces that hold the dividers into place...



There's a combination of fake and real plants. And the white thing in the left section is the thermometer... which has fallen yet again.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

You could put some black electrical tape over the blue bits on the ouside. Might help the looks a bit.