7 Best Small Fish Tanks for Betta Fish

Betta Fish are among the most popular fresh water breeds you can get for your indoor aquarium. They come in many different colors, and beautiful shapes, which is the main reason for them being so popular.

If you plan to buy 1 or 2 of these fish, you may want to consider what kind of an aquarium is best for their breed. Luckily, this article will cover just that. More exactly, we’ll talk about the 7 best small fish tanks for Betta Fish.

As you can see, we will talk about small fish tanks. So, if you want to buy a big aquarium, for a whole community, these items won’t be a good idea. Keeping this in mind, let’s begin with our first item on the list:

1. Marineland ML90609 Portrait Aquarium Kit

The Marineland aquarium is our first choice, when it comes to buying a small fish tank, for a few specimens. It will do great for 1 or 2 Bettas. What do you get in the package?

First of all, the aquarium itself. This is a 5-gallon fish tank, with curved glass walls. Like its name suggests, it sits in a portrait mode, which is a little different from most other tanks.

What else do you get with it? It includes a 3-stage filtration system as well, which will clean your water using a Rite-Size Z Cartridge and a Bio-Foam. This means that you get a bio-filter included in the package.

Also, an adjustable flow filter pump is added to the package as well, which allows you to control the water flow inside the tank. A white and blue LED system is installed in the tank, which will mimic the sunlight in the water, if your tank will sit in an area where not much sunlight penetrates.

The top is easily opened by sliding it to the back of the tank. This allows for an easy feeding process, without any headaches.

2. Tetra LED Cube Shaped 3 Gallon Aquarium

This is the second item on this list, and it’s a cube-shaped aquarium, that comes with a pedestal included in the box. The following items are also present in the package:

• Power Filter
• Bio-Bag Filter Cartridge
• Pedestal Base
• LED lighting system
• Low voltage power adapter
• Set-up guide

Since this is a 3-gallon small aquarium, it will fit almost anywhere, which makes it a perfect choice for beginner aquarium enthusiasts. Many people use it in schools, due to its small form factor, and all-in-one kit.

As you can see from above, it comes with a filter system included in the box. This is great news, considering that a filter would cost quite a lot, if you purchase it separately. Also, the LED lighting system is a great addition, which will allow for a bright environment for your fish to live in.

The aquarium cover is made of durable plastic, and it include a convenient feeding hole. This will let you feed your fish easily, and it’s good especially if you have kids in the house. You can close this hole, and prevent them from accidentally giving something to your fish, that will negatively affect them.

3. Aqueon LED MiniBow Aquarium

This is another starter kit, designed for those who buy their first aquarium. This comes in multiple different sizes, but we’ll focus on the one with a capacity of 3 gallons. It was designed to fit perfectly in small areas, even on your desktop.

It comes with a built-in quite flow filter that allows for 2 things: to filter the water to keep a clean environment for your fish, and to control the water flow, which is a good aspect, no matter what type of fish you’ll put in it.

Just like the previous items, this one also includes a LED lighting system, which lets you keep the tank in dimmer places as well. The LED system will very well imitate the sunlight, and give your fish a well-lit tank to thrive in.

It includes a plastic top cover, that is durable against shattering. Also, you get a convenient hole on the top, that is used to feed your fish in an easy manner.

Since Bettas are good jumpers, a covered tank is necessary, to keep them inside it. This is another reason why the feeding hole is such a good idea. This way, you don’t have to open the whole cover, and risk them jumping out of it.

4. Fluval Spec-III Aquarium Kit

This is a 2.6 gallons aquarium that comes as a starter kit, for those new at fish keeping. For Betta Fish, the size of this tank is enough, so you can confidently buy it for 1 or 2 Bettas.

A big pro that comes in this kit, is the oversized filtration system included in the box. Not many aquarium kits will give you a fully-fledged water filtration system, like this one does.

It includes a big mechanical filter, that will collect all the debris that floats around in the tank. Also, they added a chemical filtration layer as well and a biological one too. These will make sure, the water consistency is good for your fish to thrive in.

The mechanical filter consists in a foam block, that will capture the solid debris; the chemical layer is made of an activated carbon layer, and the bio-filter includes BioMax bio rings, that will get rid of algae and other bacteria that could harm your fish.

The filtration area is concealed in the back of the tank, making it modern-looking, and stylish.

There is a 31 LED lighting system installed in the aquarium too, that will mimic the sunlight just as well, as the all the previous items I already talked about.

5. Aqueon Betta Falls Kit

This aquarium kit is specifically created for Betta Fish, so it probably fits among the top choices for your new Bettas. Up until now, this is the most unique looking aquarium, why is that?

Because it’s made up of 3 separate compartments, that communicate with each other through waterfalls (hence its name). The waterfall between 2 compartments provides a steady and constant water flow, thus providing your Bettas with constant fresh water.

Each compartment can house 1 Betta Fish, so buying this setup will allow you to own 3 Bettas, not just 1 or 2. It’s best to buy 3 of them, otherwise, one of the compartments will be empty and unused.

The panels between the compartments are frosted, preventing your Bettas from seeing each other. This is quite important, because otherwise they would try to attack one another. And since they can’t, they would only hurt themselves for no reason.

Like the other items I already talked about, the Aqueon Betta tank also comes with a sophisticated water filtration system, that ensures a clean and constant flow. This will result in a healthy environment, making your Bettas happy in the tank.

The filtration is also pretty quiet, meaning that it won’t disturb your Bettas (or you for that matter), while functioning.

6. Marineland Contour Glass Aquarium Kit

Here’s another Marineland product, that comes in 2 versions: one of 3 gallons, and another of 5 gallons. In our case, I will focus on the first version, the one that houses 3 gallons of water.

This is a glass tanks, that includes a pedestal, like a previous item from above. This gives it a unique look, and it stands out from the rest. Like the name says, the LED lighting system is a rail light setup, on top of the tanks. It comes with white and blue LEDs, which will mimic the sunlight when necessary. Also, the blue lights are designed to mimic the Moon’s light at night.

The filtration system is hidden in the back of the tank, which improves its look even further. But that’s not all. Besides looking modern, it comes with all the functionality you’d expect.

For instance, the filtration system is a 3-step water filter, that includes mechanical, chemical and biological layers, to create a proper environment for your Bettas. The filter also comes with a flow control system, that you create custom water flows inside the tank, to fit the need of your fish.

7. Tetra LED Half Moon Betta Aquarium

This is the last item on our list. If you are a total beginner to fish keeping, I really recommend this aquarium, due to its small size, and easy to install features. It can contain 1.1 gallons of water, making it the smallest tank of the 7 in this article.

Even so, 1.1 gallons of water is enough for a single Betta Fish. It’s made of clear plastic, half-moon shaped (hence its name), and with a dark plastic cover that includes a small feeding hole.

It comes with a repositionable LED light, that will illuminate the tank from above or below, however you’d like to place it in the aquarium. Due to its small size, you can place it pretty much anywhere, but sits best alongside a wall, on your desk for example.

Because of its half-moon shape, it provides perfect viewing angles. You can see the whole habitat at once, no matter where you place the aquarium in your room.

Now that you learned about the top small fish tanks, that are best suited for Bettas, we should discuss what is the minimum size for a Betta tank:

What is the Minimum Aquarium Size for Betta Fish?

If you plan to buy only a single Betta, then 1 gallon is the minimum you need for housing it. But if you plan to buy multiple ones, you should aim for larger tanks. If possible, buy a 3-gallon tank, if you have 1 Betta.

This will give it plenty of room to swim around, and even if you add another besides it, they won’t feel crowded by one another.

Keep this in mind: a new fish requires its own space to live, especially a Betta. This breed is quite territorial, that’s why 3 gallons of water are recommended for housing them.

Do Betta Fish Need a Filter?

The answer is yes, Betta Fish do need a filter. There are very few fish species that won’t need one, but Bettas aren’t one of them.

If you buy a tank without a filter, or you don’t set up one besides it, you can expect your Bettas to get sick and even die from certain diseases that will appear in the habitat. That’s why a filter is a must-have device, no matter the fish you own.

Luckily, all of the tanks I mentioned above in the article, come with built-in filtration systems, most of them even 3-step filters. If you’ll purchase one of these items, you won’t have to worry about setting up a filter by itself.

Do Betta Fish Need a Heater?

Think about this: Bettas are tropical fish. This means that they live in warm waters in their natural environment. Usually, the normal temperature for Bettas, is between 75- and 80-degrees Fahrenheit. If your room where you keep the tank has the same temperature, you can go by without the need of a water heater.

However, if your room is often colder than that, the water inside the tank will also cool down slowly. In this case, you will need a water heater, to be able to provide a great habitat for your Bettas.

You can find great heaters on Amazon, right beside the fish tanks I talked about earlier. All of these products are found there.

How to Maintain a Betta Fish Tank?

How to Maintain a Betta Fish Tank?

Maintaining a Betta Fish tank is not as hard as you might think. The most important step you must do regularly, is to clean it. Even if you have a performant water filter, you will need to clean your tank from time to time. Not even the most expensive filter will be able to get rid of all the dirt in your marine habitat.

Something else you have to do, is to change the water regularly as well. You can do this best when you clean the tank. This way, you’ll get “2 birds with one stone”, as they say.

Before beginning the maintenance work, make sure to unplug any electrical device that works in your tank, like the filter or the heater. Also, you’ll need to remove your fish until the whole process is dealt with.

In Betta tanks, most of the dirt will accumulate in the gravel, on the ground. You’ll have to clean that as well. For this, just take all the gravel out, and rinse it with warm water. Most of the dirt and filth will be gone this way.

Also, make sure you don’t change the whole water entirely. Why? Because if you do, your Bettas could enter in a shock state. It’s best to keep 50% or even 80% of the water you previously had in the tank. Put it aside, and when you’re done with the whole maintenance process, just put it back, and the rest will be new fresh water added to the aquarium.

Don’t forget to rinse the whole fish tank with clean water, after you finished cleaning. Once you did everything well, just set up the tank as it previously was, and add your Bettas back inside it.

Conclusion

In this article, I told you about the best small fish tanks, used for Betta Fish keeping. Any of the ones I listed above, can prove to be a good choice, especially if you’re a beginner fish keeper. Here’s my advice for you:

Personally, I recommend the Aqueon Betta Falls Kit, if you plan to buy 3 Bettas. This works really well, because of its unique setup. Also, like I said above, it protects your fish from fighting each other.

However, if you want something even more simple, for only 1 Betta Fish, I recommend the last and first product. These come with all the required functionalities, and they don’t cost a fortune either.

This doesn’t mean however that the other products are bad for some reason. They are just as good. I only recommend these as my personal preference.

To choose the one that’s right for you, first of all, think about how many Bettas you want to buy. After that, see what your budget is, and according to this and your previous expertise with fish keeping (if any) choose the tank that best suits you.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt if you like that choice as well. After all, you’ll look at it day-by-day.