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Hi can anyone tell me of the most minimum, without being cruel (none of this Betta in a vase nonsense) that i can get away with.

Do they get on fine by themselves, or do they need tank mates ?

Please let me know as I think they are excellent fish, there is one for sale in my Local Fish shop.

Thankfully

Leon]

At least one gallon of water is the minimum for a betta, though one would always appreciate more. They are commonly placed in much smaller containers, which I feel is a cruel practice. A gallon provides the fish a little room to roam, and doesn't get dirty as quickly as the small bowls do.

Bettas don't need tankmates, though they are happy to live with certain fish. Any good betta tankmate includes fish that do not have long fins, and those that do not nip long fins. Otherwise, you're pretty open as to what to keep with the betta.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

The minimum is at least a quart bowl/jar/ or mini aquarium with at least weekly water changes of nearly 100%. Your betta will be fine by him/herself. The best thing going right now are the 2.5 gallon mini bow aquariums. These make more than outstanding homes for a single male betta.

sirbooks, I want you know I wasn't trying to argue about minimum tank/bowl size. we just replied at about the same time. I had always had godd results with display bettas in quart bowls. But you are correct a larger aquarium does give the fish more room to stretch their fins. Also in an aquarium you can add a heater which is very good for bettas.

I agree that the absolute minimum should be a 1 gallon container and the new mini-aquariums 2 gallons plus make a more suitable home, but you still need to make sure that you are doing your weekly water changes.

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

ok, when u breed bettas the males must be jared, and that is only temp. so that is the only time a betta should be keps in such a situation, i have 2 males in a 10 gallon, and soon i will be making another divider to put in a 3rd male, my girls get the 29. i hate putting my bettas in 1.? gallon vase for temp holding, i would much rather have 10 gallons set up for them, 3 per 10 gallon, that is so they get heated and space, but i dont recoment gravel for bettas kept in 10 gallons, seeing how they dont have too much space (a couple gallons) it is much easier to just suck out what u see on the bottom, and to pot a large leafed plant for them to sit on and build a nest, the most i use a filter in a betta tank is if i have a snail problem, this particular filter kills snails, it sucks them from their shells into the filter, just a buncha shells wedged in there after its done, u justyure it off, crush the shells left behind, or just remove them, and wait till the next infestation]

vaces are o.k for bettas, just as long as u don't listen to the directions or add the top plant,rocks etc. a bowl is good enough, but ideally a 1 - 2.5 gallon tank is good.