# 8g tank for Betta, input welcome



## LariM78 (Nov 2, 2010)

Hi there,

The pictures show an 8g/30l tank that I have which is not being used at the moment so my plan is to use it for a betta. It has a heater and a filter, the filter sponge is currently in my community tank to gather some bacteria. As you can see I have put some sand in the bottom with some bog wood which I hope to attach some java moss and Anubias to. I have 2 questions 

Firstly, Is there a danger of the bog wood tearing the Betta's fins?
Secondly, what kind of fish would make good tank mates?

Input would be much appreciated. See photos below.

Thanks.








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## ionix (Oct 11, 2012)

OK. Well, that tank and setup is really nice, but as you say, will the bog wood possibly hurt the betta.. well.. I recently had one take out half its side on a piece of dead rock (beween the glass and rock) chasing a cardinal tetra (heavily planted tank, takes a while to ever find anything in the tank (the cardinal is too quick for the betta to keep track of him for long). 

So.. Try to get rid of any sharper edges and don't have it against the glass (maybe he thought there was more room). But as bettas are slow, my personal opinion is that as long as they aren't at his fins and he can't get at theirs, you haven't much to worry about. 

My betta lived very happily (besides the cardinal, he didn't like anything coloured like another betta) with cories, ghost shrimp and baby platies (in a heavily planted tank, keep that in mind).

FYI to go planted you could buy some amazon swords (very nice in abundance) and use them as some coverage and eventually as a part of the biofiltration. You should get a bottle of the fertilizer, use it very seldomly for the trace compounds that plants need. You will not need a CO2 system, my tank is heavy and I do not use one, it is entirely unnecessary for these plants (there are others, but this one is really notable in my experience).


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

A rule of thumb. If he can fit his head somewhere he will try to squeeze his body in as well, and we all know it wont happen. So make sure he doesnt have any areas he can wedge into and not out of. Use a pair of panty hose to test the wood. It should be fine but rub the hose over the wood and if it snags, it can snag fins. 

I would be careful with tank mates. Theres not much that will fit in that size tank and get along with mr betta. You can get a snail to go in there. Shrimp can be a hit or miss as most will see them as food. 

Be sure to have the top covered well. Not only will it keep him in, but humidity as well which will aid his nest building and breathing.


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## chipmunk1210 (Jul 3, 2012)

That is a nice sized tank for a betta. I think the wood looks pretty smooth but I do recommend what Majerah1 suggested and run some pantyhose over it to see if it snags anywhere. If so, you can try sanding down that particular spot to make it not a danger for snagging. For a tank that size, I do not recommend any other tankmates except a snail. 8 gallons is really too small for more than just the betta. I personally am not an advocate of keeping bettas with other fish. Sure there is always someone that lucks up and keeps a betta with other fish and seems to have a nice peaceful tank but the majority have all out war on the other fish or a slow decline in the betta from stress related problems. To me it just isn't worth it to keep a solitary fish with other fish. Definately make sure you have a good lid or else you risk losing your fish to the "I believe I can fly" rationale that all bettas share. I can't wait to see it all come together and what it will look like when finished and complete with the betta.


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## Amethyst (Jul 15, 2012)

I know this is a kind of old thread, so maybe you have already decided on your final setup, but if you haven't yet, here's my 2 cents worth. I agree with the above about checking out the wood and sanding any rough spots as suggested. I also agree about swords. Anubias are good for bettas, because they don't need a lot of light and have leaves big enough to rest on or under. As for tankmates - one possibility might be dwarf or dainty cories. I've forgotten their scientific names, but both are species of cories that stay about an inch long. A small school of them, maybe 3-4, 5 max, might be OK in an 8g tank with your betta, in terms of size. In terms of compatability - depends on the betta and the specific cories. If you decide to try it, you need to have a back up plan in case it doesn't work - someplace else to put the cories, or someplace else to put the betta.


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## LariM78 (Nov 2, 2010)

OK, sorry for the long silence. It took a while to get to this project as I was soaking the wood to get the tannins out of it and also just did not have time. I completed everything over the weekend. I saw this Betta in the store and it was the nicest looking one. The picture quality is not the best though because I took them with my phone, these pictures actually don't do the setup justice. I was hoping the Betta would flare his fins for a photo opp but did not unfortunately.

What do you think.






So this is my fist experience with these Bettas. I do have a couple of questions. Firstly I notice that he spends almost all the time on the right hand side of the tank going at the glass - in fact I think he sees his reflection and is trying to get to it. If i put my hand up against the glass he moves away. What can I do?

Secondly, I bought some special Betta food from Tetra and put some in the tank for him but he did not really seem interested in it. Is there a special way I need to feed him?

*c/p*


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## Dustin86 (Sep 22, 2012)

LariM78 said:


> Secondly, I bought some special Betta food from Tetra and put some in the tank for him but he did not really seem interested in it. Is there a special way I need to feed him?
> 
> *c/p*


I kept my betta in a 1 gallon tank for a month or so. He had no problem finding his food when I fed him. When I moved him to a 14G (tall) tank, I found that I had to wait to feed him until he was swimming at the top of the tank. To add to the confusion, I kept duckweed and frogbit in that tank, so I had to find a clear spot to feed him.

My solution? I got a feeding ring from Petco. He figured it out rather quickly. Now, if I come anywhere near the tank, he swims up and hovers under the feeding ring expectantly. I can look down through the ring while he is looking up at me, and as soon as I drop food in, he's all over it. I never have to worry about him finding his food again. A few pellets invariably sink before he can get to them, but the shrimp in the tank usually take care of them. Occasionally he shows the initiative to check on the tank floor directly under the ring but usually he ignores food if it's not floating.


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## LariM78 (Nov 2, 2010)

Thanks, I don't know what a feeding ring is or what it looks like... Is it something I could make?


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## Dustin86 (Sep 22, 2012)

Probably. It's just a ring of styrofoam (so it floats on the surface) covered in purple plastic, attached to a flexible arm and a suction cup to hold it in place. This is the one I've got. If you've got the materials on hand I bet you can make it, but it only cost me $3 or so at Petco or Petsmart, I forget where I got it.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

A loop of airline hose would work also,just no way to keep in one place.


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