I have been asked by a friend of a friend, if I would like his fighter fish as he is moving to another country and knows I liek all sorts of unusal pets. I used to have one of these as a kid, but it has been a long time since. I have forgotten everything about them .

He has it in basicaly a bowl and the water looks dirty and is full of green wavy algae stuff (don't know how else to explain it) I have an issue with things looking dirty or untidy (in pet vivs) so I would like him to have a filter and clean water. Do you think that this would affect him in anyway, if i was to keep the water clean ?

Thanks
Joe

No a filter won't hurt him, Lots of people keep them in little bowls with no filter ect and it is wrong IMO.

Make sure you only keep one male otherwise they will fight.

Nick

i disagree a bowl is often betta...lol get it...lol...if it is cleaned every week then there wont be anyprobs with it.

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why is a bowl better?

I have kept and bred SFF in large clean tanks.

Nick

well from when me and my dad used 2 breed them we all ways had them in proper tanks with filters and kept the water at about 25degrees (ill have 2 check the temp with my dad tho coz he'll know for sure) but yeah i have heard that people keep them in 'goldfish bowls' i personally wouldnt but i spose its your own personal choice?

There's not really a whole lot of choice. fish need filters. cleaning it everyweek is not really enough. it's like you being locked in a room and letting your crap build up for a week and then being cleaned out. Thats gonna eventually cause you health problems like it will for a fish.

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Fighters tned to stay around the top of the tank in the areas where there is less water movement, they dont like the moving water.
In a comunial aquarium theres little choice but to have the tank filtered, but if it is just the one fish.. then a bowl with just a bubble blower to oxygenate the water would be best wouldnt it?

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Betta sp. do not need filtration. infact, it can effect their morale and well-being.
Healthy males will blow bubble nests all the time to 'boost themselves up', especialy when conditioning to breed and they see a female in the next tank.
The bubbles/current from filters will disable the fish to build a nest, andthis will damage their well being, its quite sad to see actually, as they still try to build nests.
In the wild, they live in ride paddies (puddles!), where the water is non-moving, and the only movement would come from rain and wind..they are physically built for still waters. If these fish were put into a fast-moving current, suitable for fish such as tiger barbs, rainbow fish and other current-dweling species, when breeding takes place the male will not be able to pick up all the eggs that drop to the floor..this is why it dosnt happen in the wild.
Betta are very individual fish, very interesting to keep. im not a fan of jars personally, bt a 5 gallon tank or a small faunarium type thing would be ideal.
Also, deep tanks aren't really too important as this species is a surface dweller, as, unlike non-labyrinth fish, they take their oxygen from the air. This is why with every-other-day 10% water changes these fish will thrive in an unfiltered, small enclosure on their own.
Sheesh, that was long!
They are very interesting to keep, and love to be fed on all sorts of live food, bloodworms, fry, tadpoles, they will of course it dried foods, but to get the lovely colours live foods every week will help them come through.
Good luck with your male!
James

yes i agree no strong currents. But all the fighters ive ever had have lived longer in a filtered tank. I used to have unfiltered fighter tanks and they were fine but the ones ive had in filtered tanks have all outlived the others. Not trying to start an argument but I can't see why any fish would benefit from unfiltered water. You can filter water with very little water movement which will not bother the fighter at all

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I have had many betta's in community type set ups. There care is no different to the norm for trop's. I also think the little bowls are wrong. Just because they have the ability to survive in one doesnt make it right to put them in it. They are an animal not a decoration.
A filter and a small tank is the way to go. A few tank mates wouldnt go a miss either. Just as long as you dont add another male fighter.
If space is an issue a nice 'biorb' set up would work well..

Good luck with him whatever you do, they are stunning fish
Mark