Why do people in fish recommend this in regards to bettas?

2.5 gallons is acceptable, and serious breeders with a dedicated breeding room at a a stable temp might go as low as 1.75 gallons (the room is set int he high 70s so individual heaters are not needed).

The reasons for the minimum size of 5 gallons as commonly referenced is that in most cases the average owner cannot regulate a tank smaller than 5 gallons and keep a stable tropical temp. 2.5 gallons is very hard to keep stable, it is prone to temperature shifts or overheating from most commercial heater, 5 gallons is much easier and can be kept stable. So for beginners, 5 gallons is really best, but 2.5 is acceptable if you can find a good heater.

OK. A 5 gallon tank costs only a tiny bit more than a 2.5 gallon tank. Anw. It's all about stability and more water means more stable temperature. A 2.5 gallon tank is impossible to keep clean, a betta that has to be removed from its tank every week for you to change all of the water is stressed to death really. Also breeders don't need filters, the best filter is the plants. Live plants feed on the waste of fish (ammonia, nitrites nitrates and stuff). That's why they don't use any filters.

A filter is nesescary in my opinion. Some people don't use any but those people don't care if their fish live for a few months instead of years. A betta can easily live 5 years if taken care of.

A betta can live in a 2.5 gallon tank heated even without a filter but that's only if you are an EXPERT. A 5 gallon tank is much easier to maintain so it's safer for the fish. That's why most people say that 5 gallons is the minimum.

"I've seen a lot of people in the fish section saying that bettas need a minimum of a 5 gallon tank that is cycled."

Well first of all, "a lot of people" is a broad term. Not everybody recommends a 5 gallon tank. Lots of this is personal opinion. For example, bettafish.com(reference you gave) suggests 2 gallons minimum. Then you proceed to say that the IBC only recommends a 1 gallon minimum. There is no set rule. Second, it is always better to have a higher tank volume for better dilution of wastes in case you or a family member that does not know about fish overfeeds the tank. More experienced betta keepers will obviously know more about care for their fish, but most people asking for help on yahoo answers are new fishkeepers and thus, should always err on the side of safety.

You are questioning why some people on yahoo answers advocate mandatory filtration, when Thai breeders don't filter their water and produce show quality bettas. Then you provide us a contradictory reference(bettafish.com) that recommends filtration.

"

1) Weekly Water changes. A filter cannot take out everything in the water. Would you like to live in your own poop? This is why bettas need regular water changes.

A betta tank should never need 100% water changes unless working with medications. Too drastic of a change in water params can cause illness and death to any fish. Bettas can withstand more than the average tropical fish, and 50% changes are good for them if done frequently enough. The smaller the tank size the more frequent the water changes should be done. Anything under 2.5 gallons should have a 50% change every other day. 2.5 and more should have 50% changes at least twice/wk. If a filter is running in the tank, 50% changes once/wk are usually plenty."

What? >.>

And honestly I don't know how thai breeders can get around no filtration with 100% weekly water changes. That provides a lot of time for ammonia to build up. Maybe they feed very low amounts(fish can survive much longer than it seems...), and rely on beneficial bacteria growing not on the filter, but on tank surfaces for biological filtration, whereas a new betta keeper would most likely feed much higher amounts daily. Maybe they rely on plants to absorb ammonia(which again, is difficult to rely on completely unless you really lower bioload by feeding small amounts every few days).

You are correct, a betta is OK in a 2.5gal tank, as long as the temperature is correct, and you keep the water clean. Either filtering or lots of water changes.

For a beginner, a 5 gal tank is ideal. It wont cost much more and is more forgiving of newbie mistakes (overfeeding or missed water changes etc)

But everyone parroting "5 gal or your betta will die" is a bit excessive.

I would still suggest it's the ideal home for a betta, even if smaller is acceptable.

Ian

Because anything less than 5 gallons is impossible to safely heat, and I believe a fish deserves at least a little space to swim. People who keep Bettas in tiny tanks often complain that they're "boring". When kept in a larger space, these are actually very active fish who swim about and patrol the tank throughout the day.

Unless you're performing full water changes, a cycled tank is going to be easiest to maintain, and best for Bettas health. Since full water changes done weekly are prone to stress the fish, partial water changes seem to be the way to go. This means you need a cycled tank. Again, you're unlikely to obtain and maintain a proper cycle in anything under 5 gallons.

My understanding of large scale breeders is that though the Bettas are kept in tiny containers, the water is changed out at 50% daily. Some have drip systems that continually replace/renew the containers water. While this may keep the water parameters in order, and reduce the stress of full water changes, IMO, that's not a happy fish they're keeping.

Of course, the breeders in Thailand don't need heaters, as they live in, well, Thailand, obviously warm enough for a fish who's native there.

I say if your intent is to house as many fish in as small a space as possible so as to maximize your profit margins, then small containers with clean water is the way to go. This practice can be found in all sorts of animal breeding facilities, including kennels used for breeding dogs, and crates for cats. That doesn't mean that folks in the cat/dog section would condone keeping an animal in this matter. If you're keeping your fish as a pet, then your concern should be with its overall quality of life. I don't believe that quality can be obtained in a tiny tank, an unfiltered tank, or in a tank where full water changes are the norm.

i think people on this site (and you are right, i have only noticed this on this site) say 5 gallons for the fish because they do believe that is right ... while a betta can do well in 2.5 gallons (i know, i have one), when you move them to bigger tanks they are more active (in my experience) ... i think the myth that bettas can live in small amounts of water (1/2 gallon bowls) because they are used to living in footprints of water is just that, a myth ... bettas originate from rice paddies that are about 100 gallons and slow moving rivers ... so they are used to having swimming room ... the only time they live (and die) in footprints of water is during drought season ... so i think people who have seen bettas is small containers and then the same fish with a completely different personality in a 5 gallon, it is assumed it is the better for them ... i started with a betta in a 1.5 gallon and i was bored for him just swimming in that small amount of water day in and day out and moved him to a 5 gallon ... both tanks were gently filtered and heated and in the 1.5 gallon he hung out by the filter ... in the 5 gallon he is all over the place ... more room for live plants that he likes to swim through or rest on ... and my second betta i just moved from 2.5 gallons to 6 gallons because again, a fish that beautiful needs some swimming room ... now i can't say i will not put another betta in the 2.5 gallon but i am also pretty sure it will have a 5 gallon within six months ... i do think it is possible to have bettas in bowls as i have friends who keep them in bowls and are successful, but to me, if i am going to keep a fish or an animal, i want to keep it in an environment it will be happy and not just a decoration for me ... and i find some bettas in bowls are just decorations and when they die from crappy water conditions they are just replaced ... any anyone with fishkeeping experience knows that 100 percent water changes are harder on a fish than water that is filtered and replaced just a bit a week ... and as a person with nine tanks, there are some weeks i will go two weeks before a water change, just due to the life getting busy and all ... a betta in a bowl with no filtering requires diligent water changes which are not performed given the amount of OMG my fish has fin rot questions posted here ... thai breeders are a different story, they are advanced aquarists and have worked out what is best for their breeding ... a betta in a tank i think is much more likely to live longer, happier and healthier in a tank with some plants and decorations, an interesting environment ... i think anything can be found on the internet to support pretty much any idea, but i am a person who thinks bettas enjoy a little swimming room and the IBC should be ashamed of themselves ... i read through your links and i respectfully disagree ... i have tried bettas in small amounts of water and then moved to larger tanks, the fish are more active and use the space provided ... would you rather live in a room or a house ??? but i don't see things changing any time soon since pet stores continue to perpetuate the myth that bettas can live in a gallon with some gravel and a fake plant ... just last week at two different pet stores, staff told me that bettas BELONG in small bowls, one employee said because they live in footprints (wrong) and the other said a tank would be too large for a male betta with the large heavy fins to make it to the top to get air (wrong) ... so as long as pet stores and crappy websites continue to perpetuate this myth, bettas will continue to live crappy, boring lives in small bowls of water ... i think people in this section, most are truly fish people and want the best for fish which i think is why 5 gallons heated and filtered is pushed ... it gives the fish a fighting chance ... and i also think that someone who has invested some money, time and research into getting a fish, there is more chance that fish is going to be cared for appropriately ... a person wandering through a pet store and spontaneously buys a 1/2 gallon bowl and a fish with no idea what it is all about, i think that fish is not going to make it, it will be seen as disposable ... and small amounts of water, it is hard for the most advanced aquarist to keep clean, how can a newbie be expected to maintain the same quality ... 5 gallons per betta is the only way to go :O)

well you see if u had a brain and did proper research you would realize a thia puddle can be miles long and has HUNDREDS of gallons of water in it

now last time i checked hundreds of gallons of water full of natural filters doesnt need to be filtered.

The people breeding them in thia i am 98% sure dont use 2.5 gallon water.

in an analogy shoving a beta in a 2.5 gallon tank is like shoving u in a closet. I can make you live if i feed you but i doubt you are going to be really happy

So yes it is possible to put a betta in such a small tank but it is actually really cruel if u think about it.

the right Plants can actually pull a surprisingly large amount of chemicals out of the water.

I think it all depends on your own opionons. I have a 5g that I keep betta's in. Have I kept them in smaller? Yes. I like my tank how it looks (nice piece of driftwood w/ lots of java fern) so it's my betta tank. I prefer also to cycle it before putting fish in. A filter though, no I do not agree on that. I have found over the years most betta's HATE filters, tears up their fins, and they then spend most of their time laying low. Even a tiny filter that is on my 5g hex (eclipse system). I dont do 100% water changes, but have had too in the past. I prefer waiting a few weeks and doing a good 50-75% change.

Hi In India we keep beta in wine glass & I have a fighter where it is in a very good condition from past 2 years and no Temperature is maintained. I change water once a week

you can keep them in a small tank or even a bowl or vase and they will do just fine as long as you just clean the bowl. They dont even need heaters, really. As long as they are in your house and away from a cold door or window. Seriously, they are hardy fish. Just clean the bowl so they arent swimming in stuff.