Native to Asia, betta fish are originally from the Mekong river basin of Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. Its scientific name is Betta splendens, yet people call them in different names like Siamese fighting fish, labyrinth fish, or just betta. They are popular as aquarium pets.
By description, betta fish commonly grow about 7cm in length. They are popularly known as having impressively vibrant colors with big, flowing fins and an array of tail types. However, their natural colors are brown, green, and gray.
Belonging to the gurami family, betta fish are very territorial. These species live in slow-moving waters like canals or shallow waters like floodplains, marshes, rice paddies, or ponds. Due to their natural habitats, wild betta even has a high tolerance level of low oxygenated water.
As a pet, they mostly come from breeding farms delivered to different parts of the globe. You can see them almost in every place like pet shops, traditional markets, florists, big discount stores, and even online websites. Unfortunately, most of them trade betta fish by forcefully placing them in little cups, petite bowls or even vases, flower vases.
If you don’t want to make your betta suffer, there are some cares you need to know before keeping them. The next question is, do betta fish require for filtered tank or aquarium?
The need for the filter will depend on several factors like the size of your tank, tank mates, care level, and more. Still, the proper filter for betta fish offers the following benefits:
- Clean the betta tank that will reduce the water cycling and maintenance.
- Help the fish to breath better due to the oxygenated water.
- Reduce toxins from betta waste by removing the feces, excess food, ammonia, nitrates or bad bacteria.
- Accumulate good or beneficial bacteria or microorganisms found in the filter and tank.
The filtered tank provides a stable water parameter and establishes a natural-like ecosystem for betta fish.
Take a look at some of the best filter for betta you can pick
Here are some of the best filter for your betta fish that we managed to compile. The list is in random order.
1. Tetra Internal Power Filter – Whisper Filter (4-Gallon)
Tetra has been in this business for 50 years and known for its famous fish food and filter best-seller ranks. This time, Tetra comes with its Whisper In-Tank Filter with BioScrubber for 4-gallon aquariums.
This product offers a complete package for up-to-4-gallon aquariums, including filter cartridge, internal filter, hinged lid, and tank clip. You can easily adjust the small filter cartridges to a high or low level of water by using the adjustable clip. The hinged lid gives easy access for changing the cartridges.
The cartridge provides mechanical and chemical filters in one. The cartridge floss captures fish waste and debris, while the Ultra-activated carbon eliminates smell and change of water color.
The last is an internal pump in 27 GPH that offers pump cycles for more than six times per hour. This filter for betta fish also has a space-saving design and easily camouflages with your decor.
2. Penn-Plax 20 Mini Power Hang-On Filter
The second best filter for betta is from Penn-Plax with its Cascade Hang-on Aquarium Filter With Quad Filtration System. Something special with this betta filter is that it quietly delivers crystal clear water.
This filter is ideal not only for freshwater but also for saltwater up-to-7-gallon tanks or aquariums. It pumps water at 20 GPH (gallons per hour). Its hang-on design provides a safer mounting with its extension lift tube of minimum 5inch and a maximum 1.5inch.
The adjustable flow knob allows you to increase or decrease the water flow at your will, really helpful during the feeding times. The filter offers double-sided cartridges of Activated Carbon and Poly Fiber Floss. They help you with catching certain floating matters, eliminating hazardous chemicals or toxins, preventing water discoloration, and reducing revolting odor.
3. Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter
The next filter for betta fish comes from Aqueon with its QuietFlow Internal Power Filter. Great for 10-gallon tank size, you can apply this filter to your aquarium or even an aquatic terrarium.
It has a unique feature where they can fully submerge in both horizontal and vertical positions. In this case, you will have a pipe in an adjustable direction and return where you can vertically or horizontally mount.
This filter unit operates with one (or more) small replaceable cartridges with 57 GPH of flow rate. It gives you control over water flow returns in which you can adjust the flow rate, flow direction, and the height of water flow or return.
The filter also offers filtration in a three-stage process, i.e. 1) a dense foam to eliminate debris and particles, 2) activated carbon to get rid of toxins, foul odor, and change of water color, and 3) patented BioGrid to remove ammonia and nitrates.
4. Zoo Med Nano 10 External Canister Filter
This filter for betta fish by Zoo Med is especially for nano aquariums or tanks up to 10-gallon in size. You can use it for freshwater or a saltwater aquarium.
For a complete package, you will get the Nano 10 external canister filter, filtration media made of bio-ceramic and carbon chemical, a spray bar for better aeration, a removable hose-connecting device, and a mechanical filter sponge.
The design offers an easily to-be-open filter head. The filter is convenient due to its space-saving and compact design. It is also quiet that provides a calibrated anti-vibration bushing.
This external filter uses three-stage through mechanical, biological, and chemical filtration processes. A control system allows you to adjust the flow as well.
5. Fluval External Canister Filter
Fluval offers its superior external canister filters in different series, ideal for different sizes of aquariums. Appropriate for freshwater and saltwater uses, Fluval’s canister filters have their topnotch performance of first-rate filtration capacity.
The filters have a sophisticated motor technology for maintaining a strong flow rate, particularly between regular maintenance. They also have AquaStop Valves that will stop the water flow without the need to disconnect the hoses, therefore preventing leakages and mess.
The filtration works through in multi-stages. The mechanical stage occurs when vertical twin foam pre-filters in large capacity take up more debris, thus preventing the media from clogging. Both chemical and biological stages, thanks to their autonomous modules, allow you to remove the media in effortless and mess-free ways.
Other features are as follows:
- A precise-engineered bearing for a quieter operation by lessening the impeller vibration and minimizing the noise
- Lift lock clamps by locking motor housing in its place, quickly and securely
- Class fibers that guarantee strength and durability
- Instant start-up without manual tubing
6. Tetra Internal Power Filter – Whisper Filter (10-Gallon)
Another filter for betta fish by Tetra is Whisper In-Tank Filter with BioScrubber for 5- to 10-gallon tanks or aquariums.
Similar to the previous series, this filter offers quietness and convenience as the motor submerses under the water. Unlike the external filter hanging from the outside, this filter also mounts on the inside of the tank or aquarium. The filter features a pre-assembled Whisper Bio-Bag filter cartridge.
This filter also works well in as little as the 2-inch height of water. It is not only ideal for betta tank but also for turtle, as well as making a waterfall within the aquarium. It provides effortless, adjustable high-or-low water levels through mounting ingestion cups (or brackets).
7. Aqua Clear Fish Tank Filter
The last in the list of the best filter for betta is the Fish Tank Filter by Aqua Clear, ideal for up to 20 gallons of fish tank or aquarium.
This kind of hang-on filter is a power filter offering a complete flow rate option. The design enables up to seven times of media volume and the longest water between the contact time and filter media.
The AquaClear Vibrator Pumps offer a high-tech air pump with time-tested power for air requirement and an additional movement, as well as oxygen to tanks or aquariums. They create a virtually silent waterfall or running air pumps for a long operation. It pumps the filtered water to gently break the surface tension, thus resulting in the necessary oxygenation.
Its patented re-filtration system gives you the control of the flow rate without reducing its efficiency. It also has the what-so-called CycleGuard Multi-Stage Filtration System, namely mechanical, chemical, and biological ones. The function is to obtain good, harmless bacteria to get rid of toxic ammonia and nitrites.
A full pack will consist of AquaClear Foam, Activated Carbon Filter, and BioMax, as well as Cycle Guard for maintaining an excellent quality of water.
The first three are typical filter media placements. You can insert AquaClear Foam at the bottom of the tank. For the middle location, you may insert the AquaClear Activated Carbon Filter. For the top part, insert the AquaClear BioMax Filter made of BioMax ceramic rings.
Final Words
In sum, there is a wide array of for betta fish you can purchase when your aquarium or tank does not come with one. As previously stated, they are available in various types like internal filters, external filters, hanging-on filters, and more.
For the first purchase, the recommendation is to buy a tank or aquarium for betta fish that features a filtration unit. Moreover, if you buy a filter, it’s advisable to choose a weaker or lesser than the recommended size. For instance, if you have a 5-gallon tank or aquarium, it’s better to take into account a 1- to 3-gallon filter.
The best filter for betta ultimately should create such a stress-free environment and atmosphere for your fish. The filtered tanks need to have an adjustable flow feature, allowing your bettas to freely and happily move without trouble. Ultimately, their healthy condition radiates contagious happiness to you.
