New Betta and now looking for a tank.

[kannan_1983]

I got my first Betta today. The guy at the store told me I would keep him in one of those 1 Litre bowls. Now that I have bought him he seems happy in the bowl but with limited lighting his colors don't seem to be highlighted. After some reading of other post I get an impression I am better of moving him to my 25 Litre planted tank with filter and sufficient lighting.
What worries me is I already have some neons, red eyes tetras and a guppy in that tank. Wondering if the temperamental Betta would fit in well.

 

[Thyra]

Bettas aren't temperamental - they can be territorial. As you have probably already read a 1 litre bowl is not considered fit environment for a betta. Unfortunately your 25 litre tank isn't really big enough for that many fish, although admittedly you don't say just how many. Bettas can be nippy at guppy tails, some tetras can be nippy at the bettas fins. In my opinion in a 25 litre tank there would be too much activity for the betta. Oh, and it takes a couple of days to get their original color back. They need to get comfortable. Good Luck and Welcome to this forum!

 

[PlecoCollector]

I have found the most success keeping my Bettas in a 2.5 gallon (so about 9-10 liter) tank without a filter. The current caused by a filter can stress a Betta out and cause them to hide to keep away from it. I usually do about an inch of fine gravel, a few larger rocks, and then some plants to provide shelter and a nice natural look. I find that my Bettas have been very active in this type of setup and really thrived.

For maintenance, I so small water changes (just taking out a few cups of water) a week, scrapping down the sides for algae when needed, and then, usually once every 2-3 weeks, I do a full water change. Though I'm not a fan of total Betta water changes, it's worked well for the past two years. The tank is also large enough to effectively use a small siphon, which is nice if you're not looking to dump the whole thing!