Bettas in a 1 Gallon Jar, ok? or no?

[FreshFishKeeper]

I have a few one gallon jars laying around, the kind that you can get pickles and stuff in at like Sams Club, and was wondering if I could keep my bettas in them. If so what is the best kind of gravel to put in it and I would like to put a live plant in with each. What plant would be best? Do I need to have an air pump running, even if I have live plants? How often would I need to change all the water?

And lastly does it not bother the betta to have to move ever time you clean its tank/jar?

 

[Quagaar]

I gallon is too small for any fish. Please reconsider. 5 gallons is the minimum I would reccomend to anybody thinking about a betta. Heres an article I wrote about setting up a tank for a betta.
http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5
One gallon of water will be almost impossible to manage the quality. The temp will swing wildly and there just isnt enough room for the bare essentials of keeping a fish. Dont do it, get a small 5 gallon tank, filter, heater and plants, any betta you get will thank you.

 

[Iggy]

Jars are for temporary (juvies) conditions only. My 1 gal tanks are just for a few weeks MAXIMUM, with no rocks, 50% water changes every 3 days, and yes it bothers them but it is necessary.

There are TONS of 5 and 10gal tanks sitting around in your neighbors garages, bargain finder magazines and other fish keeper homes waiting for a new owner. If you have the space, get a nice tank or I suggest you skip a betta for now.

Give your jars to a breeder. They are NO fun to keep fish in, trust me!

 

[PreciousGems]

I think your one gallon should be fine if you will be able to:

Keep the jar in warmer room (75-78*F)
Not over crowd the jar
Perform complete water changes once a week or more

I have kept bettas in 1 gallons before just fine, but I suggest to anyone keeping bettas as long term pets (my breeders rotate to the one gallons during conditioning) to get a bigger tank. 2.5 gallons are perfect sizes, of course bigger being better. In the 2.5 gallon+ range you can get heaters and plant it more.

The best plant would be java moss as it grows well in low light and grows fast.

Alexa

 

[pablo111]

I agree that bigger is better. And the most humane thing to do is put a betta in a 5gal. It will SURVIVE in a gallon bowl if the temp is reasonably constant, and water changes are done every three days. But, if you can afford it, putting your little homie in a proper tank would be kinder.

Just be careful if you use a hang on back filter- my ex lost a very nice male I gave her to an aquaclea intake. Poor sucker's tail got sucked in there and he couldn't get out to breathe. So a corner filter might be a good move- albeit kinda high current. Dont forget that a Betta doesn't need a filter either. If you change the water 2x a week its going to be fine. Bettas cant handle current. Especially the ones with long fins. Still easy to keep. Second only to the Danio.