Sorry if these have been answered a million times (I can't find the exact article on this forum....).
I'm starting to have interest in keeping a betta fish, but have absolutely no clue on what equipments I need. So...
1. What's the suggested tank size for one betta? (gallon)
2. Do i need filters, air pumps, lighting like goldfishes?
3. Do I need a heater?
4. My tap water is pretty hard... can they still survive?

Again sorry for my ignorance....
Thanks for your time!

1. What's the suggested tank size for one betta? (gallon) I would suggest 2 gallons + is a good amount of water to keep them in. 2. Do i need filters, air pumps, lighting like goldfishes? Bettas a labarynth (sp?) fish, which means they can breathe air, so an air pump is not essential. Filters are though, and so is some sort of heating. Lighting is up to you, but it does look nice if you can see them in light. 3. Do I need a heater? oops, yes, you will, unless you can keep the room they are in reasonably warm 4. My tap water is pretty hard... can they still survive? where i am, we have VERY hard water, and my 6 are all doing great

I have kept bettas for several years and just to confuse the issue, I will say that I have kept them in larger tanks and smaller ones, with filters and without, with heaters and without.

To clarify:

I keep some bettas in two gallon tanks without filters and without heaters. These fish are in my bathroom, which is warm. I have found that as long as the temperature stays in the 70's, my bettas do great. The temperature in the bathroom is usually around 72 f. Actually, I have found these bettas to be longer lived than the ones I have in heated tanks kept around 78 f. I have had occasions when there has been power outages, and the temperature in the bettas tanks has dropped to 68 f. for short periods, and this hasn't harmed them.

The larger tanks are 5 gallon and 10 gallon and they are heated. They are glass tanks and I have 25 watt heaters in the 5 gallon and 50 watt heaters in the 10 gallon tanks. The little 2 gallon tanks are acrylic tanks and unheated. As tinkerbelll has said, I wouldn't go lower than a 2 gallon tank for a permanent home for a betta.

I don't have filters on my little two gallon tanks. I do 100% water changes on these tanks once per week. I rinse off the ornaments and I fill the tank with tap water that has sat out for at least 24 hours. That way any C02 has dissipated (so the ph will be the same) and the water will be room temperature (the same as the 2 gallon tank). I use Prime as a water conditioner.

With the 5 and 10 gallons tanks, I have Aquaclear filters with sponges in them. I use a piece of filter floss over the outflow of the tank to reduce the current. With these tanks, I generally do a 30% water change every 10-14 days or so. I have river rocks on the bottom of the tank, so I siphon any mulm off the bottom when I do my water changes. If I have 2 bettas in a divided 5 gallon tank, I would do water changes more frequently, then if I have 1 betta in a 10 gallon tank.

I would have a light with them. It makes there colours show up so nicely and I think they are a little more active when they have a light, especially if the room they are in is dark (as ours can be during winter).

My tap water has a ph of 7.8 - 8 and is hard and I have had no problem with my bettas adjusting to it. Use a good water conditioner, such as Prime or Amquel +.

I hope all of this helps. It is just my experience in betta keeping and there are lots of ways to keep bettas They are fairly versatile. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

I found a pretty good 12 gallon tank and since I already have a heater, I think it will work out . I might just add some other fishes in it also!
I guess one thing I should keep in mind is to regulate the current so they can swim easily.

....Dang, now I'm REALLY looking forward for getting a betta!
Thanks for the replies guys!

A 12 gallon will be nice. You have to be really careful about what fish you mix with bettas though. Some bettas will live peacefully with community fish and some will kill tankmates especially if the tankmates have tendencies to nip fins. If you want tankmates for your betta I would suggest looking into cory cats. You could also divide it for multiple males or put a group of females in it.

Yes, good advice from Imber. Male bettas need very peaceful tank mates because of their trailing fins. Females do well in a group of at least 5 female bettas. They can live peacefully with most other small fish. I currently have my females either alone in a 10 gallon, or sharing a 20 gallon with some danios & white cloud mountain minnows.

Provide lots of hiding spaces and plants and your bettas will be very happy

cory cats sounds awesome, but how many do you think I could fit into a 12 gallon tank with a betta? I hear you need at least 3 cory cats to keep each other company...

You could easily put a shoal of cory cats in a 12 gallon along with a betta. Bettas generally eat off the surface and cories eat off the bottom, so you will have to feed each accordingly.

Both bettas and cories are not messy fish (like goldfish). I have found my cories to remain around 2" in length, so if you use the 1" per gallon rule, you could go with 5 cories and 1 betta. I wouldn't add all of the fish at once, though, because you will have to cycle the tank. Are you familiar with cycling?

Thanks for the reply Touchofsky!
Yep, I do know about cycling. I was reallly paranoid about it with my goldfish
If I do get bettas and cory cats though, I'm planning to try out the fishless cycling. Sounds pretty cool to do

Oh and by the way, how are plecos with bettas? Do they follow the 1" per gallon rule also?

With a small tank, I wouldn't put a common pleco in it because they get way too large. Even bristlenoses get fairly big (5"). That is going to take up a lot of your space in the tank.