fish container

Question
I have my betta in a 1/2 gallon plastic betta container. I have looked for something bigger, but everything has a filter.  Is this acceptable for a betta fish?  Can you reccommend a larger, suitable living area for a single betta?  He just appears to need more room?  Also, he appears to sometimes be swimming very quickly and almost running into the side of the container and his front gills flare.  Is this normal?  Please help.

Answer
Hi Cindy;

His flaring is quite normal. It means he sees something that he thinks is another betta and is trying to scare it away from his territory. Sometimes it is just his own reflection or something colorful he is reacting to. He's a sassy little fella!

Regular tanks with filters are fine for bettas. But, if you don't want to use a filter you should be able to get a tank without one. A good size is 4 or 5 gallons. The important thing is heat. Bettas need 78 degrees or higher all the time in order to stay healthy.

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Chris Robbins

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