[AquaticLife] Prepping Tank for Betta

March 23, 2008 @ 5:19 pm · Filed under Philippines Internet Koi Society

Thanks Steve! I guess the half-full tank is out then as I’m at the mercy of what equipment I can get for free.
I was planning on putting the whisper on the side of the tank that I can’t see from the couch since it is so huge. My betta is female, so she is very short finned in comparison to the males. If I do the full tank (1″ within top), do you think the whisper will work for my betta?
Thanks!
-Lana
On Sun, Mar 23, 2008 at 5:07 PM, Steve Szabo wrote:
> Lana, > > The rule of thumb is to fill the tank to within one inch of the top. > Your idea of filling it only half way is good for the betta. However, > for you to do this, you will need to use some different equipment than > you have now. You’ll need to replace the Whisper, in any case, with a > sponge filter. You will need an air pump to drive the sponge filter. The > Whisper will simply provide too much water flow for your betta. You will > also need to get a submersible heater for the half full tank. A heater > needs to be submersed to a certain point so that the thermostat can get > an accurate reading of the water temperature. The half full tank will > not provide the depth you need for the heater you have. With the > submersible heater, you can place it horizontally in the tank, near the > substrate, which makes it easier to hide . > > The original _Betta splendens_ comes from relatively warm, shallow > waters that are still (think swamp). Unless you have a Pla Ket (which is > very close to the original, water movement is even more important, since > the longer fins of the fancier varieties makes it even harder for the > fish in a tank with rapid water movement. They will find an area of the > tank with relatively still water and hang there. Usually, it is a back > corner–not providing optimal viewing for you. > > \Steve//
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