The Marina Betta Kit is the largest of the Marina betta kits at 6.7 litres, supplied with sand and decorative plants, in white or graphite.

Key Features

• 6.7 litres — more than double the other Marina betta kits, and the only one with enough room for a betta to turn and swim properly
• Supplied with sand and decorative plants, so it looks like a planted tank out of the box
• Available in white or graphite
• Enough depth that a small heater can be added, which the smaller kits cannot take
• No heater, no filter and no light are included
• Made by Marina, Rolf C. Hagen's entry-level aquatics brand and a sister brand to Fluval

What A Betta Actually Needs

• Bettas are tropical fish from Southeast Asia and they need heated water, 24–28°C, held steady. Room temperature in an air-conditioned home is too cold for them
• Most welfare guidance puts the minimum at around 19 litres (5 US gallons), heated and filtered. A betta kept warmer, filtered and with room to swim lives years longer and shows far better colour and finnage
• A betta can breathe air through a labyrinth organ, which is why it survives in a small unfiltered container when other fish would not. Surviving and doing well are different things
• One male per tank, always. Two males will fight until one is dead, and a male kept with females will harass them
• They are intelligent and curious. Plants, a cave and somewhere to rest near the surface matter to them more than decoration matters to us

Stocking It

• One betta. A single male, on his own
• Do not house a male with females. Male bettas are territorial and will harass and injure females, and a 6.7 litre tank gives a female nowhere to escape to
• Breeding bettas is not a beginner project and it cannot be done in a tank this size. It needs a dedicated spawning tank, conditioned fish, and the female removed the moment spawning ends
• No tank mates at this volume. Even a few small fish would overload it

Looking After A Small Tank

• A small volume swings fast. In an unfiltered container that means partial water changes every few days, not weekly
• Always dechlorinate replacement water and match it to the tank's temperature before adding it
• Feed a small pinch once a day and take out anything uneaten. Overfeeding is what fouls a small tank
• Do not fill it right to the brim, and keep the cover on. Bettas jump
• Wash new gravel and ornaments in plain water before they go in — never with detergent

Good To Know

• This listing previously described the tank as ideal for a male betta with two females and as a breeding setup. That advice would get fish injured or killed, and it has been removed
• 6.7 litres is the best of the Marina betta kits and still under the 19 litres usually recommended. If you add a small heater and a sponge filter it becomes a reasonable home
• The sand needs rinsing thoroughly before it goes in, or the tank will stay cloudy for days
• Not suitable for goldfish