# 36 gallons of ahhhhh



## PhillipandChristopher (Sep 28, 2007)

I was just recently given a 36 gallon tank as a birthday present. I have a 5 gallon tank with a Betta fish and a singular neon tetra [ bad, bad, I know, but the other ones killed themselves].

I want to make sure Phillip [ the betta ] is happy, because he is my absolute favorite [ he has so much character ], and I need to know a few things.

- I can't find an appropriate aquascape that would suit him, due to him being an air breather. Reccomendations?

- What other types of fish work with betta splendens? Him and chirstopher don't get along so well all the time, due to chris being a bully on ocassion.

-How many fish can I have [less rather than more], that would be fun, easy to maintain, and breeds that won't stress or attack phillip/christopher?

Also, why do fish jump out of tanks?


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

hey welcome to the forum.

Please don't refer to your fish by name because (no offense) we dont care and it makes it harder for us having to think "Ok so the paradise fish is Craig" you know?? Its kinda lame too 

So your neon is beating on your Betta? That's pretty bizzare...


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Fish jump out of tanks when the tank is unacceptable. If the fish is happy it usually won't jump. Fish sometimes jump just because they'd like a change of scenery and they figure theres more water outside but in the short term typically jumping is due to stress from other fish or the tank conditions.

5 gallons is like the taj mahal to a betta. leave it there. It will not be happy in a 36 they dislike big spaces.


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## elmer (Jul 18, 2007)

Welcome to Phillip and Christopher.



> What other types of fish work with betta splendens? Him and chirstopher don't get along so well all the time, due to chris being a bully on ocassion.


Community fish but no fin nippers, no fish with big fancy fins, no other bettas.



> How many fish can I have [less rather than more], that would be fun, easy to maintain, and breeds that won't stress or attack phillip/christopher?


Probably instead of one tetra you could have a school of them.



> Also, why do fish jump out of tanks?


To get to the other side, and/or because people refuse to call them by their names.

P.S. I like Pablo's idea - leave the betta in the 5g. That will give you much, much, much more options for the 36G.


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## summ3r (Jul 23, 2006)

"Also, why do fish jump out of tanks?"

Bettas are well-known as jumpers. As they're really good at it too! As for why they jump, here's what bettatalk.com has to say on the subject:

Why oh why do bettas jump in the first place?

Well I did ask them, many time (and most of these times I was quite pissed off sorta like :"What in heaven's name were you thinking??". Bettas usually are a bit embarrassed and give me lame excuses that never make much sense (something they have in common with my boyfriend I guess LOL). So since they won't help us understand, we are left to our own device in trying to read their mind... This is what a betta psychic found out for us: Below are the last thoughts on a betta's mind right before he jumped.
* "Woaw, that's a nice ceiling up there, I want to check it out"
* "This water SUCKS! I want OUT"
* "This universe is so small... There must be something bigger and better out there"
* "I can jump! I can JUMP! Weeeeheeeeee!"
* "Darn, I really feel frisky today! How about I do me a little hop to celebrate!"
* "The grass is always greener on the other side..."
* "Hey you pretty female over there, get ready cause here comes Daddy!"
* "I always wanted to be in the Guinness Book of records for highest jump"
* "As of today, I am officially starting to train for the betta Olympics!"
* "Darn, I sure am hungry, a little snack sure would feel nice right about now... Not a thing in here to eat. NADA. Mmmmm....Any bugs flying up there I could catch?"
* "AGHH!! WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT LOUD NOISE???? HELP!! HELP!!! ! I gotta get out of here or I'm gonna DIE!!"
* "Life sucks and I'm bored to tears."
* "How could I drive my owner crazy today?... Mmmmm.. Let's see.... Spit my food out? Done it. Get stuck under a rock? Done it. Pretend I am sick? Done it. Really get sick? Done it, too. Get sucked up the filter intake tube? Done it. Stuck behind the heater? Done it. Fall into the sink? Done it.... Darn I am starting to run out of ideas... .... ....... WAIT! That's IT! Yop, I'm gonna scare the daylight out of her by JUMPING. Oh, she'll be impressed, I can't wait to see her face when she finds me miiiiiiles from my bowl hehehehehehehe... OK, here we go, One.... Two.... Three.. And HOP"

Above are the last thoughts on a betta's mind before he jumps. Below are the last thoughts on the same betta's mind AFTER he has jumped:

" #@%*@!### "


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## Harry Muscle (Mar 21, 2007)

Pablo said:


> Fish jump out of tanks when the tank is unacceptable. If the fish is happy it usually won't jump. Fish sometimes jump just because they'd like a change of scenery and they figure theres more water outside but in the short term typically jumping is due to stress from other fish or the tank conditions.
> 
> 5 gallons is like the taj mahal to a betta. leave it there. It will not be happy in a 36 they dislike big spaces.


Sorry, but I'd have to disagree with the last comment about Betta's disliking big spaces ... it's an urban myth, made up in order to justify selling them in small little cups without making the buyer feel bad. They come from rice fields, last time I saw a rice filed (on TV) it was bigger than a football field. They are shallow though, so Betta don't like deep spaces because they need to reach the surface to breath, but large spaces they love like any other animal. I have one in a 55G tank and he swims in ever single corner of it. Sorry to chime in like this but it's my pet peve when I hear people say Betta's don't like big spaces ... totally untrue. 

Harry


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

They dont like big spaces. You can easily have several small spaces in a big space, if you know how to do it, but nobody's going to say a betta wants to be in a huge wide open tank. If the tank is heavily planted with lots of nooks and crannys and its mellow with low current and the fish always feels secure, you can keep it in 1000 gallons if you want to- the thing is more how most people decorate their tanks.

If you know how to do it ya you can put it in as big a tank as you want.

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/crep/lib/crep/epa_pasture_wetland.jpg

this has lots of small confined spaces, but its still big, know what I mean?


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## Harry Muscle (Mar 21, 2007)

Pablo said:


> They dont like big spaces. You can easily have several small spaces in a big space, if you know how to do it, but nobody's going to say a betta wants to be in a huge wide open tank. If the tank is heavily planted with lots of nooks and crannys and its mellow with low current and the fish always feels secure, you can keep it in 1000 gallons if you want to- the thing is more how most people decorate their tanks.
> 
> If you know how to do it ya you can put it in as big a tank as you want.
> 
> ...


That is true ... so I guess we're both sort of right  ... I guess my concern was that the OP might misinterpret your comment about the Betta not being happy in a 35G just because it's a large tank. If the tank is bare then you're probably right ... most fish would be unhappy in a bare 35G. However, as long as you provide some cover the Betta should be more than happy in the 35G. Also you wanna provide some more or less still areas in the tank where he can retreat to. I guess to be more specific, the Betta doesn't like open spaces, but does love big tanks.

Harry

P.S. On a side note, my guy loves the front of the tank where it's wide and open and he loves swiming in the filter outlet where there's lots of current, but I doubt this is normal Betta behaviour.


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