Betta fish make excellent, relatively low-maintenance pets. Properly known as Siamese fighting fish, bettas are the brightly colored, fan-tailed fish you often see in those little cups at the pet store. These little guys often exhibit personalities well beyond their relatively small size. If you’re considering making a betta your pet, discover the best betta fish tanks to give your colorful friend a great place to live.
Starting out small and functional, this Fluval features an integrated filter behind attractive frosted glass. It’s modern and compact and looks great in a variety of environments. It’s available in both black and white.
The filter is three-stage and flows at a rate of 40 gallons per hour. This kit comes with the glass aquarium with molded cover, an LED light unit, a circulation pump, foam filter block, activated carbon insert, BIOMAX insert, low voltage transformer, and adjustable flow control.
Keeping with the small theme, this little tank is designed for use on desktops and counters. As in the one above, the light and filter are integrated, leaving you a single cord for this desktop unit. The kit also comes with a single filter cartridge.
The plants are sold separately, but otherwise, this is a complete kit to get you started. I especially like the look of this one with the blue gravel.
Ultimately, this is probably the very smallest you should attempt with a betta and you should keep the decorations minimal to leave them enough room to swim actively. It’s filtered, so you won’t have to worry about regularly replacing water, but still choose this only if space is at a premium, like college dorms.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive but still interesting option, this basic three gallon setup offers a few interesting variations to liven up your room. First is the bubble curtain that generates continuous visual interest, which is further augmented with a color-changing LED lighting that cycles through the full rainbow of colors.
The bubbler and lights can be use independently of one another in case you decide you don’t love the effect of the two of them together.
Add your beautiful betta and you have a veritable entertainment system. This is a plastic tank, so if you have hard water, you might want to skip it as cleaning might be difficult. Comes with the tank, light, and a filter. The small Whisper Bio-Bag cartridges work in this.
This combination fish tank and planter is a novel solution for betta fish enthusiasts. The closed-loop system works via a symbiotic relationship where the plants clean the water and the fish waste feeds the plants.
It’s a nifty little aquarium that will make an excellent conversation starter. This has a traditional filter pump, but can also be used unplugged if you want to make the regular 1/3 water changes. Comes with everything you need to get started except a heater.
Available in both three and five gallon sizes, this stylish aquarium features a nifty light rail on a hinge. To add to the vibe a bit, the light rail is selectable between white and blue or just blue modes. The blue looks especially nice at night when decorated with plants that cast neat shadows.
The three gallon size is sufficient for a comfortable life for a betta, yet only measures 9.5 inches by 10 inches, so it’s still compact enough for a lot of surfaces. The floaing platform base and prominently curved corners give this a great look overall.
It also includes an integrated, hidden filter pump with adjustable flow. While you’ll have the tank, light, and filter, you’ll still have to grab a heater, gravel, and some plants to finish off the setup. The replacement filter is the Rite-Size Z.
With a focus on ultra-low maintenance, the makers of the EcoQube tell you directly that you should never have to change the water in this aquaponic solution.
Using the power of the included basil plant seeds, the live plant acts as the tank’s filter, becoming a stronger water filtration system as the plant grows larger. All you’ll ever need to do is feed the fish and top off with filtered water when the level drops.
Included in this kit is the special plant-based filter, remote control for the customizable LEDs, sand, a rock decoration, and the basil seeds and plant medium.
It’s on the smaller side, but with the novel filtration situation, could possibly be a cleaner, healthier environment. Of course, it’s pretty pricey for the size, so you have to consider that, too.
Somewhere between a fountain and a fish tank, this elegant piece offers five spacious gallons for a betta to explore. From any angle, your brightly-colored fish friend will be visible, making this a good choice for any room.
Included in the kit is 17-LED lighting solution, pump, and filter media. It is billed as a “powerful” filter, but because the water cascades down from the top, the current shouldn’t overwhelm a betta.
One odd thing to note is that it doesn’t come with a lid out of the box. You’ll want to grab the Chi cover if this is a concern. And, yes, a heater, as well. Use the Fluval Chi Filter Combo Pack for replacements.
Combining elements of the previous tanks on this list, this Tetra model is a nearly seamless fish-viewing platform. This is made of high-quality acrylic made to be as clear as glass without the weight. At ten inches square, it will fit on most surfaces and look good doing it.
There’s a simple LED light fixture perched over the convenient feeding hole. The filter and pump combination is also included, using the standard Tetra Bio-Bag replacement.
Another tank that focuses on a wide viewing angle, this cylindrical option again packs a lot of tank into a small area, measuring only eleven inches in diameter. Unlike the others, this is entirely seamless thanks to the round design.
The pump and filter are included, as is a novel LED lighting solution. Rather than a light rail, the bulb unit features a multi-color LED that you can change between seven colors: amber, aqua, blue, green, purple, red, and white.
The depth helps mitigate the filter flow, so current shouldn’t be an issue in this tank. There’s enough room to sneak a heater cord in the back, but it might be necessary to retrofit the lid a bit to ensure that everything plays nicely. Two and three gallon sizes are available, as well, but I think you might as well go with the six here.
Available in four, eight, and sixteen gallon sizes, this biOrb presents a different take on the seamless, 360-degree fish tank. This is again an acrylic construction for superior strength and visibility and the five-stage filtration is integrated.
The lid is magnetic to ensure a tight fit, though this may actually be something of a drawback once you add your heater. If you live in a particularly warm area or keep the space the tank will be in quite warm, it might be possible to skip the heater if you opt for this one.
Like the Aquaview above, the LED scheme in this unit is multi-color, with sixteen colors and brightness controllable with a remote. This one also one-ups the Aquaview in that the shape hides the water line so all you see is the fish environment. In addition to this gray color, you can get it in white. It’s a bit pricey and not exactly perfect for all betta owners, but the novel approach and healthy tank sizes make it an interesting option.
The tank I used to have was the five gallon size, which is pretty ideal for most places you’d want to put a betta tank. This one features a seamless acrylic construction which maximizes the viewing surface.
It also includes an LED light with seven light modes: daylight white, blue, green, amber, aqua, purple, or red. This kit includes the tank, the lid and lights, and a filter. White gravel might be a nice touch, as would these glowing plants, which work best under white and blue light. Uses Tetra Whisper Small filter cartridges.
Admittedly, this is a bit of form over function to some degree, but it’s worth a mention, especially if you’re prepared to do regular water changes to keep each tank oxygenated. This two-piece tank includes the acrylic condo-style minimalist design with a 1.8 gallon glass tank inside of it.
The real charm of this is that you can stack them or put them alongside one another so you can have a fish apartment building as your display. Again, there’s no filter, so you absolutely need to stay on top of water changes, and it’s on the small side, so you may not get the very brightest colors from your betta, but it’s a pretty neat idea, anyway.
Another offering from biOrb, this one provides a wide viewing angle and a modern, minimalist look. The acrylic construction allows for super-clear visibility. At about 12 by 12 inches, the four gallon model doesn’t take up a huge amount of space. If you have the room and want to go bigger, an eight gallon version is also available.
A tri-sided tank allows for multiple large viewing areas from nearly any point in the room. It isn’t seamless like other options, but it’s still a novel construction that looks great in a variety of settings.
The LED lights are integrated into the hood and totally concealed for a cleaner look. You also get the filter using Aqueon extra-small cartridges, a setup guide and food samples in the package. Add rocks and plants and you’re ready to go.
If you’re looking for something really novel, a wall-mounted aquarium definitely fits the bill. This, of course, means you won’t have to dedicate a surface in your home to your tank and adds a certain level of drama to your setup. These can make great focal points in a room.
Depending on substrate and decorations, this will hold two to three gallons of water, and a filter is included to help with aeration and cleaning, which use proprietary sponge and charcoal filters. You can choose from black, brushed silver, and matte white finishes.
