Tell People The Truth About Bettas

[bruinsbro1997]

Today I was killing time at Petco and it's just killing me inside how a mom and her little kid are just buying a small one gallon kit and a betta right now. I have tried telling people before that you need to keep Bettas in a proper home, but they just don't listen. I doubt they'll listen to me, especially because the mom is trying to be cheap and buying the least expensive starter kit.

Not like they'd listen to a teenager anyway. What does he know? I see them think.

Well, to all of you who keep buying those Bettas to "rescue" them, I ask you to do something else: tell people. People may not listen to some teenager, but I'm sure they'll listen to an adult. Keep people informed. Buying the Bettas only keeps the supply in demand. Inform people about how toxic an environment an unicycle and unheated aquarium can be for fish even as hardy as Bettas and that they need good homes. Just spreading the word will help keep people from killing innocent fish that have done nothing except being in the wrong place at the
wrong time.

All I have to say. Spread the word and feel free to post on here about your opinions

 

[FreshwaterTropical]

That is so true!

 

[HN1]

Very well stated Sir.

 

[CatmanDru]

I don't know if it will make you feel better, or worse, but often people won't listen to adults either.

People don't like to hear what they don't want to hear, regardless of who says it.

Other than that, I agree with what you've said, and thank you for saying it.

What the betta-in-a-gallon people don't realise is that they are cheating themselves. They don't care about the wellbeing of the betta because they are getting the betta for their own enjoyment. But they are cheating themselves.

They are cheating themselves because they will only see a fraction of the beauty, a fraction of the charm, a fraction of the wonder, and only a glimmer of the betta's personality of what it would fully be in a 10 gallon, heated, filtered tank. They will never know what they are missing. And their loss is their own fault.

It's like having a ballerina dance in a telephone booth. Sure, the dance would be nice, but it would be only a fraction of the enjoyment of watching the same dancer dance on a full stage.

So tell people that they shouldn't be cheating themselves.

Tell people they shouldn't deprive themselves of the wonderful experience of watching a betta in a heated, filtered, 10 Gallon tank.

Our betta was given to us in a 1 gallon, unheated, unfiltered fishbowl. Now he's in a heated, filtered 10 gallon half-moon tank where he is much, much more interesting to watch, and watch swim around, and 'patrol' his tank and do his 'happy laps' of swimming down at an angle 12 inches, around a plant, back up at an angle back to front and center of the tank, then back down around the plant again, repeating about 3 times. I would have never seen that if I had kept him in the 1 gallon bowl because he was only able to swim maybe 4 inches in any direction.

Don't tell those people to get a heated, filtered 10 gallon for the betta. Tell them to get a heated, filtered 10 gallon tank for themselves.

Otherwise they are just cheating themselves.

 

[SwimsWithFish]

Thank you! It's about time.

 

[skiweeangel]

Yes! Both are well started.

 

[absolutangel04]

I agree with catman that people do not always listen to adults (like me) either. They also do not always listen to scientists (like me) or to fish keepers (like me). Despite that, I tell them anyway. Good post.
@catman, I like the ballerina metaphor. I do not usually agree with people-based metaphors when dealing with fish, but I like that one.

 

[jetajockey]

Inform people about how toxic an environment an unicycle and unheated aquarium can be for fish even as hardy as Bettas and that they need good homes.

Definitely, those toxic unheated aquariums on unicycles are the worst!

Just kidding, but yeah, I agree that people should put more thought into keeping bettas.

However, I do think that people tend to get very preachy on the subject. Does a betta need a heated, filtered 7.896g to thrive? I don't think so.

That doesn't mean that bettas belong in bowls, but honestly, I've seen and had perfectly thriving bettas in everything from gigantic heated tanks to room temperature plant-filtered 2.5g's.


The small tanks are not always the best thing, but I've kept perfectly happy bettas in them without any issues or concerns related to the tank setup.

That said, my idea of fine and someone else's is going to be different, but is my idea of a small betta tank cruel? If so, how?


This thread reminded me of an interchange that I witnessed last week on a FB

 

[SwimsWithFish]

Lol that's sad.

 

[absolutangel04]

*snicker* I do have to agree that internet sarcasm is hard to catch sometimes!

I have a question while we are on this topic. Why do people think bettas live in puddles? Honestly, I personally avoid stating a tank minimum for bettas because people have various ideas about it and I am not totally sure what to tell people. Filters are a different matter. But anyway, I know I have heard before that bettas come from areas with draughts so they can live in tiny puddles and thats why they are ok in cups, because thats what they live in the wild. Something similar to that used to be printed on the betta cups that I got when I was younger and the internet was not as readily available to me as it is today. But, all the legit research I have done on the matter has said that wild bettas come from rice paddies which are big and decently deep. So, is my research missing something or what?
Just for the record, I am aware that betta splendens is a captive variety of betta, and I am not endorsing bettas in cups despite their ability to survive it.

 

[SwimsWithFish]

People say "puttles" but there referring to the shallow rice patty fields in Asia where they originate. Lol you can't walk down the street in Japan and find bettas in rain puttles (I used to think that)

 

[severum mama]

The rice paddies experience dry seasons, but from what I understand, this is a far cry from "living in puddles" or the cups we are accustomed to seeing.

 

[absolutangel04]

The rice paddies experience dry seasons, but from what I understand, this is a far cry from "living in puddles" or the cups we are accustomed to seeing.

Thats my understanding too. And I would certainly not call a rice paddy a puddle. They are huge! I am making a generalization here, but when people like the girl from the FB convo say that bettas live in puddles, I do not think they are refering to giant rice paddies.
Like I said, I am pretty sure I remember that puddle thing used to be printed on the cups that bettas came in, so I am curious if other people remember that too. I am refering to this being like 5 or more years ago BTW.

 

[GodFan]

My friend has a betta in a bowl. I dont want to offend him but it urks me. Didnt use to until I saw how a betta in a tank acts. I like the angle of cheating themselves. I may try that on him

 

[jetajockey]

My friend has a betta in a bowl. I dont want to offend him but it urks me. Didnt use to until I saw how a betta in a tank acts. I like the angle of cheating themselves. I may try that on him

Sounds like a good time to get your friend a nice 5g minibow kit as a gift, say it was on sale =]

 

[Hholly]

I confess. I bought a Betta tonight and he's in a heated 2 gallon bowl. But only until my 45 gal. finishes cycling. I did feel guilty contributing to the status quo, though. I feel so dirty.

 

[adeebm]

Haha that facebook pic is hilarious. If people want a creature that can live in a puddle, the should go get some desert shrimp or triops They actually do live in puddle, which during the dry season, the water completely dries up and they die. The eggs however lay dormant until it rains, and then hatch to complete the lifecycle. Pretty cool IMO, and much more suited for a puddle than a betta.

--Adeeb

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Thanks for all the responses everyone! Good to hear them

Definitely, those toxic unheated aquariums on unicycles are the worst!

Just kidding, but yeah, I agree that people should put more thought into keeping bettas.

However, I do think that people tend to get very preachy on the subject. Does a betta need a heated, filtered 7.896g to thrive? I don't think so.

That doesn't mean that bettas belong in bowls, but honestly, I've seen and had perfectly thriving bettas in everything from gigantic heated tanks to room temperature plant-filtered 2.5g's.

The small tanks are not always the best thing, but I've kept perfectly happy bettas in them without any issues or concerns related to the tank setup.

That said, my idea of fine and someone else's is going to be different, but is my idea of a small betta tank cruel? If so, how?

This thread reminded me of an interchange that I witnessed last week on a FB

Ooh another one of those typos gone wrong
I know it's a touchy subject, but I think two gallons is a fine minimum tank size for Bettas. Judging how happy mine was when he got a tank and got out of his bowl and how active he was, I could say that just two or three gallons will not be exactly the best, but better than nothing, for Bettas.
I don't think it's cruel. It just seems that more swim room seems better. I know fish love to swim, I have always thought bigger means more swim room, which equals happy fishies

That FB convo was soooo hilarious.
(sarcasm or not? )

 

[bruinsbro1997]

About the "puddles"-
I've been to parts of Asia where the rice paddies are during summer. Puddles is an understatement. These things were around 6 feet wide and about two feet deep, connected by little streams of water. Not sure how a 6'x2' puddle is the same as a 6"x2" cup.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

I confess. I bought a Betta tonight and he's in a heated 2 gallon bowl. But only until my 45 gal. finishes cycling. I did feel guilty contributing to the status quo, though. I feel so dirty.

IMO if you have a filter and do PWC for him you're alright
Sounds great!

IMO I think perhaps my point was that you shouldn't keep Bettas in UNCYCLED small tanks w/o filters, and that people shouldn't just be buying Bettas and dumping them in bowls filled with unconditioned water. That's probably what that poor child's betta is in right now from Petco

Also, I guess you guys are doing a good job! Five minutes after I posted this, another girl with her mom was looking at the Bettas. The little girl said, "Can we buy one mom?"
The mom said "No, sweetie. You already have a fish."
And the girl said, "I wish we could. They look so bad and unhealthy in there. I wish they had bigger cups and the people cleaned them so they weren't sick."
Nicest conversation I've heard without being a part of.