Best water for Betta fish

Betta Fish Center > Aquarium Setup> Choosing a Tank for Your Betta

Today, there are many choices when deciding what tank would be the best home for your Betta. And with so many interesting selections, your local pet store or online shop can provide you with just about any size and shape to fit your specific room and budget.

Glass Tanks

The most popular choice for an aquarium is a glass tank. Obviously, glass is clear, so it allows for the best viewing of your fish, and also provides a scratch-resistant surface. And although Betta owners choose glass liberally, there are a few drawbacks.

Glass tanks are much heavier than their acrylic counterparts, making them very difficult to move. Also, with a glass tank, it is more difficult to drill holes for filter parts. Lastly, this type of tank can break, which can leave you with a monumental task to clean up.

Acrylic Tanks

Over the years, acrylic tanks have become more popular. They are much lighter than glass tanks and they come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. And although acrylic tanks cost more than glass, and scratch easier, they are easier to work with when installing equipment in the aquarium.

Tank Shape and Size

The tank shape you choose will depend on the room size and where you will place the tank. Rectangles are the norm, especially if you are interested in glass. But, if you desire acrylic, you can purchase a tank that is a square, hexagon, octagon, a tube, bubbles, L-shaped, and of course a rectangle.

When choosing the shape of your tank to house your Betta, there is more to consider than just aesthetics.

The oxygen content of your water should be a concern when purchasing your tank shape. Bettas love warm water, which has less oxygen in it than colder water. To keep your fish alive and healthy, a specific amount of oxygen has to enter the water and a specific amount of carbon dioxide has to be released as well. This gas exchange always occurs at the top of your tank. Hence, the more surface area at the top of the tank, the easier it is for this gas exchange to take place.

In their natural setting, Bettas thrive in a shallow, but wide pool of water. Therefore it’s easy to understand that a rectangular-shaped tank is probably the best way to go considering it has a large surface area to ensure proper gas exchange for your Betta.

When considering tank size, it’s important to know that water conditions become more stable as the size of the tank increases. For this reason, it is advantageous to purchase at least a 10-gallon size, although for a single betta, a smaller tank will suffice. Always remember, the more fish you desire as tankmates, the larger the tank requirements, so if you ever plan on adding more fish, I recommend a 10-gallon tank or larger.

Tank Weight

Finally, tank weight is also an important factor considering that fresh water weighs approximately eight pounds per gallon. Therefore, a 20-gallon tank without any equipment would weigh about 160 pounds. This is heavy, so you would need a sturdy stand and strong flooring to maneuver it.