# 2.5 Gallon Betta Tank



## justinmo (Nov 3, 2016)

It might be Rotala Indica? Also why do you want an airstone? I would recommend a small sponge filter that you can find on amazon, it'll help you both cycle you tank and provide aeration from the airstone if you don't have a filter already. You have a heater right? 


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

You can call it a striped unicorn tank, it is still not fit to house large living creatures.


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## justinmo (Nov 3, 2016)

Nordic said:


> You can call it a striped unicorn tank, it is still not fit to house large living creatures.




A betta can actually go in a 2.5 gallon tank, it's not ideal- which would be 5 gallons but 2.5 is the minimum. 


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## RWaters (Nov 12, 2003)

Nordic said:


> You can call it a striped unicorn tank, it is still not fit to house large living creatures.


The key word here being "large".


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

justinmo said:


> A betta can actually go in a 2.5 gallon tank, it's not ideal- which would be 5 gallons but 2.5 is the minimum.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


This is false and often said, 2.5 for a betta is half of what it should be in, the minimum is 5 gallons...


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

RWaters said:


> The key word here being "large".


Dwarf Brown Bettas would work, but you'll need very soft water, live and frozen food, and Alder cones to up the tannins.


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## AnthonyW8822 (Feb 15, 2014)

BettaBettas said:


> This is false and often said, 2.5 for a betta is half of what it should be in, the minimum is 5 gallons...





GrampsGrunge said:


> Dwarf Brown Bettas would work, but you'll need very soft water, live and frozen food, and Alder cones to up the tannins.


I should have probably mentioned that this is a decently small betta who will be moving into a 5G (that I'm already designing to have all hidden fixtures) when he gets a little bit larger. This tank will end up home to some shrimp or a small school of tetras.


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## justinmo (Nov 3, 2016)

BettaBettas said:


> This is false and often said, 2.5 for a betta is half of what it should be in, the minimum is 5 gallons...




I disagree, I'm sure many people have different recommendations and bigger is obviously always better but generally the recommended BARE minimum is 2.5 gallons for only one betta. If you could get a 5 gallon that would really let your Betta's personality shine through. Though I might start saying 5 gallons is the minimum because when you say bare minimum most people choose the bare minimum.


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## justinmo (Nov 3, 2016)

AnthonyW8822 said:


> I should have probably mentioned that this is a decently small betta who will be moving into a 5G (that I'm already designing to have all hidden fixtures) when he gets a little bit larger. This tank will end up home to some shrimp or a small school of tetras.




Also, that's great!! But 2.5 gallons isn't enough for any tetras. You'd be better off making this a shrimp tank 


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

AnthonyW8822 said:


> I should have probably mentioned that this is a decently small betta who will be moving into a 5G (that I'm already designing to have all hidden fixtures) when he gets a little bit larger. This tank will end up home to some shrimp or a small school of tetras.


I don't know if I would recommend a school (small) of tetras in a 5 gallon... its harder than it is saying it, I had a school of black tetras in my 5 gallon long and they did fine for a while though, I sold them to someone who I knew got them a better home though. brings me to my tanks today (but here's a pic of the 5 gallon long), the corys are going into my bigger 75G soon so don't freak out lol









Bump:


justinmo said:


> I disagree, I'm sure many people have different recommendations and bigger is obviously always better but generally the recommended BARE minimum is 2.5 gallons for only one betta. If you could get a 5 gallon that would really let your Betta's personality shine through. Though I might start saying 5 gallons is the minimum because when you say bare minimum most people choose the bare minimum.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Contradict this still. Beginners are usually geared towards bettas which means low tech, so five or 10 gallons is the bare minimum not 2.5, all that ammonia build up with only a once a week water change, and other fluctuations wouldn't be healthy. I personally wouldn't put a betta in anything less than 10 gallons. 2.5 gallons is geared more toward something like shrimp.


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## FishRFriendz (Dec 21, 2016)

BettaBettas said:


> Contradict this still. Beginners are usually geared towards bettas which means low tech, so five or 10 gallons is the bare minimum not 2.5, all that ammonia build up with only a once a week water change, and other fluctuations wouldn't be healthy. I personally wouldn't put a betta in anything less than 10 gallons. 2.5 gallons is geared more toward something like shrimp.


Even a 1 gallon aquarium can be cycled. I have one that was fisheless cycled and had been doing an ammonia drip to persist the cycle for a few weeks. Ammonia build up is solvable.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

There is no such thing as a 1 gallon aquarium, it is a vase.


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## FishRFriendz (Dec 21, 2016)

Nordic said:


> There is no such thing as a 1 gallon aquarium, it is a vase.


True, it is mostly a vase. But it can be cycled. 

In any case... @AnthonyW8822 2.5g won't be good for neons, but it will do shrimp just fine. And the betta will be quite happy moving to your 5g.

Edit: I hate to just tell ppl what to do without justification, 2.5g runs into two problems, 
1. The fish need sufficient area to swim
2. The fish need to be in a school (exceeding stable population of a 2.5g)


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

FishRFriendz said:


> Even a 1 gallon aquarium can be cycled. I have one that was fisheless cycled and had been doing an ammonia drip to persist the cycle for a few weeks. Ammonia build up is solvable.


Agree with what @Nordic stated above. I never said it couldn't be cycled, a fish produces ammonia you know... no one said it couldn't be cycled


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## FishRFriendz (Dec 21, 2016)

BettaBettas said:


> all that ammonia build up with only a once a week water change, and other fluctuations wouldn't be healthy.





BettaBettas said:


> Agree with what @Nordic stated above. I never said it couldn't be cycled, a fish produces ammonia you know... no one said it couldn't be cycled


You didn't say it couldn't be cycled, but you mentioned ammonia build up, which implies that there is no cycle.


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## justinmo (Nov 3, 2016)

Yea ^ you said that ammonia build up would be an issue, though you could just cycle the tank. I would probably agree if you said that 2.5 gallons isn't enough space for a betta but you didn't mention that.


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## Fishbeard (Aug 20, 2016)

I would agree on the airstone... just go with a small sponge filter off of amazon. I use them for all my tanks (including a betta) and they work great! Their especially good for bettas, since they aren't powerful swimmers.

Here's one that I'd suggest... https://www.amazon.com/XINYOU-XY-28...qid=1486075704&sr=8-15&keywords=sponge+filter

That one might be too tall for a 2.5, but there are smaller models that would work for you!


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## FishRFriendz (Dec 21, 2016)

Fishbeard said:


> Here's one that I'd suggest... https://www.amazon.com/XINYOU-XY-28...qid=1486075704&sr=8-15&keywords=sponge+filter
> 
> That one might be too tall for a 2.5, but there are smaller models that would work for you!


And they all take AGES to deliver! I'm still waiting on 3 I ordered last month, should be hear end of this month or next month!


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## justinmo (Nov 3, 2016)

I've always been confused on those, what do you do when they eventually get covered in muck? I would think swishing it around in old tank water would get rid of a substantial amount of bacteria?


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## FishRFriendz (Dec 21, 2016)

justinmo said:


> I've always been confused on those, what do you do when they eventually get covered in muck? I would think swishing it around in old tank water would get rid of a substantial amount of bacteria?


Probably no worse than the bacteria getting knocked off of fluidized bed filter media. The strong survive and the old and dead get knocked off and washed away.


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## AnthonyW8822 (Feb 15, 2014)

justinmo said:


> I've always been confused on those, what do you do when they eventually get covered in muck? I would think swishing it around in old tank water would get rid of a substantial amount of bacteria?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





FishRFriendz said:


> Probably no worse than the bacteria getting knocked off of fluidized bed filter media. The strong survive and the old and dead get knocked off and washed away.


When I ran a sponge filter in my 5g setup (that I no longer have) I would change it by putting a new sponge on, knocking/briefly rinsing all the bigger debris off, and paperclipping the old one to the side of the tank for a few hours next to the new one.


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## Fishbeard (Aug 20, 2016)

FishRFriendz said:


> And they all take AGES to deliver! I'm still waiting on 3 I ordered last month, should be hear end of this month or next month!


I made the mistake of ordering one without Prime shipping... still waiting for one I ordered a month ago. If you wait until one is available with Prime, they come a lot quicker!



AnthonyW8822 said:


> When I ran a sponge filter in my 5g setup (that I no longer have) I would change it by putting a new sponge on, knocking/briefly rinsing all the bigger debris off, and paperclipping the old one to the side of the tank for a few hours next to the new one.


You can get the ones with 2 sponges attached, and then you can clean 1 at a time, then you're not risking your cycle! But your method sounds good too! I might steal that idea to clean one I've got running in a 10 gallon haha.


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