Fishbowls

Question
Hi Karen!
i already have a tank filled with goldfish but i got this fishbowl and im thinking of putting a betta in it with some gravel, plants, and an aerator(even though bettas are labyrinthine).im not sure how many litres but its a little bigger than a basketball.can i put in a couple of guppies in with the betta or a pearl gourami?
Yours sincerely,
Gayantha.M

Answer
Hi!
Sure, you can certainly put a betta in decent-sized (large) fishbowl. Ideally one that contains at least 1 gallon of water (1 US gallon equals about 3.78 litres) Your bowl is probably pretty decently sized. An aerator is not neccesary of course, but what would be really great is if you used your aerator and hooked the tubing up to an air-driven little filter. There is a tiny little filter made by "Penn-Plax" brand that runs by air and is great for bettas. There are also tiny little air-driven 'box-like' filters that are shaped much like the impeller driven hang-on-back power filters for large aquariums. They all are usually very gentle for betta tanks, but do a decent job at filtering your water. Another thing I would highly recommend is you could connect your aerator to run a small sponge filter. You might be able to find a small-sized sponge filter for your bowl or you can also make one yourself. I'll provide links at the end of this email where you can learn more info on these kinds of filters.

A great setup your bowl could be for a betta would have a gently running air-driven filter, a thin layer of fine gravel, and a small plant or two, either silk plants of live ones like Java Fern and Java Moss. Using regular plastic plants can be risky for bettas because they can have sharp edges that snag a betta's delicate fins.

Bettas are easy to care for, but they have specific but simple needs that must be looked after if they are to thrive, especially in a fishbowl. First, they must have clean water all the time. Ammonia can buildup in a bowl within just a couple of days. Some fishbowls can be 'cycled' just like regular aquariums but this takes careful monitering if your ammonia and nitrite levels through testing your bowl's water everyday. What I highly recommend is when you have your bowl setup with dechlorinated water of the proper temperature and when you have brought your betta home and have him floating in your bowl to equalize the temperature, take a handful of the goldfish tank's gravel and place it in the bowl. The gravel from your goldfish tank (provided it is well- established and healthy) will contain many good beneficial bacteria that can help with the ammonia levels when you add your betta in there. And you could jumpstart your bowl on cycling and getting a benenficial bacteria colony going.
Make sure your betta's bowl never drops below minimum 75F. But bettas do much better at 76-79F. Contrary to popular belief, bettas do not do well at room temperature and must have the warm tropical temperatures to really thrive and have higher immunity to common diseases.

Bettas must have clean water just like any other fish of course. A bowl doesn't give much dilution when the water is polluted by fish waste. So please try to change at least 100% of the water two or three times a week. Make sure your replacement water is properly dechlorinated and of equal temperature to your betta's water. Gently scoop him in a fish-safe cup with his water in it and set it in a safe area. Then gently stir the gravel with the old water still in it to loosen any debri then pour the old water out. Make sure you stir it well. Alternatively, you can use a small aquarium siphon on the gravel to vacuum up debri very easily. Vacuum all the water out but make sure the gravel doesn't dry out (you may loose your beneficial bacteria thriving on the gravel) then simply pour fresh clean dechlorinated water of equal temp into the bowl and gently release your betta back into his clean home. Make sure to work as quickly as possible to avoid the water in his holding cup to drop in temperature and to limit stress on the betta himself.

You could try putting a few small hardy fish with your betta, but this has the high possibility of not working out. Either the little fish will be stressed by the possible poor water conditions that can happen in a bowl if you aren't careful, or they can be chased by your betta. Every betta has his/her own personality and some are docile around all fish while others are very relentless and aggressive, and others are very shy around fish! You'll just have to experiment and see. But be ready to remove the little fish if you see any trouble.
Avoid the big fancy tailed guppies that most male bettas can mistake for another rival betta. The common guppies are often just known as 'feeder guppies' at most petstores and they tend to be hardy and easy to care for, they won't have the extravagent tails of the fancy-types but they do have unique colorations none-the-less.
Another fish you can consider for bowls is the White cloud Mountain Minnow, also known as White clouds. These are hardy little fish that sometimes are dull in petstores but once happy and established they will color up nicely. They can tolerate cooler temperatures well and usually get along with bettas. You'll want to keep at least 3-4 of these little fish together as they enjoy being together but you don't want to overstock your fishbowl.

You might want to consider other critters such as Ghost shrimp or African Dwarf frogs as tankmates to live with your betta. Ghost shrimp are unique little see-through animals that don't bother fish and are easy to care for. They will need a hiding place when they molt their exhoskeleton about once a month. A little aquarium cave or small flowerpot can provide a hiding place for them.
Frogs will need frozen foods like worms to be healthy. Bettas and other fish also enjoy frozen foods as occasional treats as well.
I wouldn't recommend a Pearl Gourami because these fish can be delicate when it comes to water conditions (they must have no ammonia or nitrites in their water) and these fish also grow larger than bettas and Pearls are best suited to aquariums of at least 20 Gallons.

I really hope this helps!!
Best of luck,
Karen~
Links---
Penn-Plax small fishbowl/small tank filter-
http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?familyid=3199

-Airdriver box filter for small bowls/aquariums-
http://www.tetra-fish.com/catalog/product.aspx?id=866

-Sponge filters-
http://www.aquariumguys.com/aquarium-sponge-filters.html

-Homemade Sponge filters-
http://www.petfish.net/articles/Do-It-Yourself/sponge_filter.php