Shall I Keep MY Fighter In a Smaller Tank?

Question

This question folows on to my original question about my siamese fighter fish dying. First of all thanks for all the replys. But now i am confused, is everyone saying that it is beneficial to keep a fighter in a smaller tank? The fighter that diedseemed to love the space of a huge tank and swim around every part of it. Am i right in thinking that in nature they don't have a choice as to how they live? I have got a new fighter, so would it be better for him if i took him out of the big tank and put him in the smaller tank? Is the reason that they feel safer in a smaller tank?

Answer 1

i have a fighter that has lived happily in a largish communal tank for a year and a half. i think there is a fashion for people keep fighters in wine glasses as ornaments (a horrid practise) and i think the small amount of space thing is a way of justifying this. mine loves the space.

Answer 2

Bettas, like people, have individual personalities. They are also creatures of habit.
If you take a naturally shy betta, put him in a 1/4 gallon cup for two months, then dump him into a big vaste 50 gallon tank? No, he won't be too impressed.

But will be happy in a that 1/4 gallon cup for the rest of his life? No, no he won't. And the rest of his life won't be very long.

There's a happy medium, an ideal for your fish. Do you have a community tank or a betta only tank? If you only have a betta, a 5 to 8 gallon would be just fine. Put some plants in there, a filter, a little heater, and he'll be happy as pie.

You could probably go as big as 20-30 gallons if you wanted to have some other fish. Again, just make sure he has lots of plants of hide in if he feels threatened.

Some bettas just cannot adapt to other fish and to seeing their reflection in the glass. These would be better off in 2-3 gallon plastic fish tanks, with an AZOO filter or a sponge filter, near a lamp to keep the water warm.

But most betta fish, once settled, will enjoy and make use of a large tank area.

In nature, no, they don't have a choice, really. They can change territories or move upstream, but they can't decide to move to an area that is far away.
But, they don't in captivity, either. But YOU do. You have a responsibility, not just a choice.

Answer 3

It really depends on the betta himself. They can have very different personalities. They do love lots of space, and nooks and crannies to explore, but some get stressed by being around other fish. I find this is especially the case when you have other open water swimmers (as opposed to bottom dwellers and such like cories, otocinclus, etc). Other bettas will get too agressive with other fish.

If your betta seems stressed or aggressive, he'll do much better by himself. That doesn't mean he has to have a tiny tank, 3-5 gallons is a good size if you want him active and a tank large enough to filter and cycle is much lower maintenance than a bowl or vase which needs weekly 100% water changes.

You can see stress or aggression in bettas not only by their behavior, but also in color changes. A stressed fish of most types will go pale, some go dark instead, like puffers, but any color change is definately a signal of a problem.

Stressed fish will also clamp their fins, hide or hang around in corners or generally be very inactive. Any fish that is constantly chased will be stressed.

A stressed betta will pale and may also "stripe" by displaying a horizonal stripe along their sides. This is a signal of submission amoungst bettas, like a tail between the legs on a dog. Along with the flaring of fins, a betta feeling particularly aggressive will "band" by displaying vertical bands of color on his sides, this is a display of dominance, like hackles raised on a dog. Unless you have a white or very light betta, these color changes will be easy to see.

A happy betta will build a bubble nest.

Answer 4

The ideal tank for one fighter is 12"x!2" well planted with an undergravel filter. They do not like a waterflow so internal filters are not the best. I find they do best in a tank this size and are very easy to breed. In the wild they live in very shallow weedy water, not much more than puddles. Good luck.

Answer 5

Hi.I have a siamese fighter he his in a 5 foot tank.I bought 2 females to keep him company not for breeding.I keep water temp
at 25 so its too low for them to breed.I was shocked to find out they only live untill there 3.My male siamese has a lovely nature
& hes very playful.Keep him in your big tank he will be okay.

Answer 6

Heres my 2 cents first of all with so many different opinions its gonna be hard for someone to decide how to properly fix a problem there having but hey theres nothing sadder to me when i walk in someones house and the poor fighting fish is in a .25 gallon shame of fish bowl i always have the urge to steal and rescue the fish. theres so many new and cool 5 gallons or so i think you should hook the little guy up and give him a real home i mean would you be happy living in your closet

Answer 7

The bigger the tank the better!!! u cant keep 2 males in the same tank but u can mix females with fem,ales and male with females.

Fighters dont like fast moving water however they need a big enough tank, if u cant accomdate it, give it to the pet shop.

Fighters do their own thing and generally dont feel threatened by other fish however u cant keep them with fin nippers

Answer 8

Hi Tanya W,big cage little cage makes no diffrence
what you thinks best,me i just partition with a piece of
glass then i can have two fighters in same tank You will get some good displays from your guy`s facing off ether side of glass.
Try it with a mirror .

Answer 9

Just make sure that the water quality is up to scratch by checking the chemical levels in it. i doubt it would benefit bing in a smaller tank though. Ask the aquatics shop for advice.

Answer 10

I have always kept a pair of this wodnerful breed and always in a massive community tank. Your fish may have died from a variety of reasons. I doubt very much that it died because the tank was too big!