Stop betta abuse !!!

[mzzguillory]

do betta need airaters? mine seem to hate it alot. they have filters...

 

[mzzguillory]

what plants are easy and better for betta in a 10 gallon?

 

[hecurcia]

In my high tech 20 tall I have cabomba, hair grass, baby tears, riccia, ludwigia, bacopa, telanthera, rotala rotundifolia and walichii. In the 20 gallon I have the same except for the foreground plants. Any plant can work with a betta. And yes, they don't like strong current. I have sponge ( air) filter in my 20 gallon long. I modified the aquaclear on the other tank in order to reduce the current.

 

[hecurcia]

Plants will depend on the type of light you have. Bettas love live plants and places to hide.

 

[mzzguillory]

ok thankyou very much. my bettas will soon have planted tanks and ill see about getting a new filter

 

[Surfer]

Hi, Surfer, sorry for the loss of your betta pal. I'm planning to move my crowntail betta Renji to a 15g column soon, and I like the setup in your pics. Could you tell me what kind of plants and rocks you have in there?
Thanks!

Ill pm you, I wish I had more knowledge about plants but when I can ill post an old video of the tank on YouTube and link it to you so you can get a good idea of the setup. There were neons in this tank too

 

[shellyx]

Yay I'm happy someone understands and loves their betta(s)

Thank you! They definitely love the space.
One good thing about my lfs is the betta's are all placed in tanks with other fish and not in cups its actually nice to see

 

[Fish_lover]

Thank you! They definitely love the space.
One good thing about my lfs is the betta's are all placed in tanks with other fish and not in cups its actually nice to see

That's awesome that they do that , how many gallons do they keep them in ?

 

[shellyx]

That's awesome that they do that , how many gallons do they keep them in ?

They're in 10 gallon tanks, peaceful fish in with them as well which is really good that's where I bought mine. And the fish are well cared for i wouldn't go anywhere else

 

[Fish_lover]

They're in 10 gallon tanks, peaceful fish in with them as well which is really good that's where I bought mine. And the fish are well cared for i wouldn't go anywhere else

That is awesome , I have a little LFS that's awesome ! The bettas are in cups though but they take good care of them , and they sell lion fish , sting rays , jelly fish , sea urchins , a poisonous octopus , etc . You should check out their website it's called Pete's tropical fish .

 

[bettasalltheway23]

Aww, cute bettas. I have 2 males in my 75 gal planted tank, they don't mind each others company at all, worst I've ever had was a little flaring. They even feed side by side. Ones a blue veil tail, and the other is an elephant ear that I got for adoption price at petco because of a small growth under his eye. I love them! I also have a male VT in a 10 gal.

 

[Kuddos 2 U]

Stop betta abuse

I love bettas, like if you do

 

[Cactuspixie]

I hope everyone on this forum will read this but I bet 90% won't because betta fish are so misunderstood people think they can just throw them in a vase or little bowl that's smaller than 0.3 gallons , but bettas actually need 3-10 gallons the best are 5 , 8 , and 10 and if you don't have enough money to buy them a 3-10 gallon tank , heater , good food , treats , a liquid water test kit , plants , etc than don't even bother getting one , just because stores sell them in little cups doesn't mean they have to go in a 1- gallon bowl , if you've ever heard that betta fish live in puddles in the wild , its a myth , they use puddles to travel to huge bodies of water , and the longest they will live in a puddle is 2-5 days if they have to but they don't enjoy it , that is why they are good jumpers and they have a labrynth gill so they don't need oxygen in the water , I hope all the 10% of people on this forum that read this now understands the some of the proper needs of a betta fish and I hope they do not misunderstand betta fish anymore

The same is true for goldfish. Some people think they can shove a fancy goldfish in a 20 gallon tank and that it will be healthy and happy! Can you believe that??
It's one thing to do it out of ignorance (doubtless we've all been guilty of that) but some people, despite all information and advice to the contrary, still do it anyway. Incomprehensible.

 

[Andy Sager]

I hope everyone on this forum will read this but I bet 90% won't because betta fish are so misunderstood people think they can just throw them in a vase or little bowl that's smaller than 0.3 gallons , but bettas actually need 3-10 gallons the best are 5 , 8 , and 10 and if you don't have enough money to buy them a 3-10 gallon tank , heater , good food , treats , a liquid water test kit , plants , etc than don't even bother getting one , just because stores sell them in little cups doesn't mean they have to go in a 1- gallon bowl , if you've ever heard that betta fish live in puddles in the wild , its a myth , they use puddles to travel to huge bodies of water , and the longest they will live in a puddle is 2-5 days if they have to but they don't enjoy it , that is why they are good jumpers and they have a labrynth gill so they don't need oxygen in the water , I hope all the 10% of people on this forum that read this now understands the some of the proper needs of a betta fish and I hope they do not misunderstand betta fish anymore

This is a nice post but unfortunately, your statements are not back up by facts. If you study the history of the development of today's "designer" Bettas, you'll see that they were kept in bowls, successfully, starting over 300 years ago. If this was the wrong way of keeping these fish, they would not have survived. Also, considering that the thousands of Bettas that are created today in the Far East for sale all over the world spend some of their growing time in bowls, again, if this was an incorrect way of keeping these fish, there would not be so many available to the market. Now I'm not saying that keeping them in bowls is easier than tanks. In fact, it's harder. But there is no way you can say that it is cruel and unhealthy to keep them this way. My 2 Male Bettas are just as active in their 1/2 gal bowls as they were in my 20 gal filtered tank. That's because I make sure I keep my bowl water is as clean as my tank water. ( and yes, I have clean tank water )

As for the puddles, you are talking about the wild Bettas and they can exist forever in those puddles provided that there is clean water and a food source in that water. Of course there would need to be rain to revitalize the puddles as evaporation alone could deplete the water to the point that they wouldn't live. A time limit of 2-5 days is unsubstantiateable. As for them living in large, deep waters, there are videos online of Betta collectors in extremely shallow water collecting wild Bettas so NO, they don't come from large deep waters. But we are not talking about wild caught Bettas. Today's Bettas are a far link to their wild ancestors and should not be compared.
You do make a very good point that if the person isn't prepared to supply all the necessities to keep their Betta fish healthy then they shouldn't buy the fish. I agree totally with that
As for the abuse, it's only abuse if you neglect to care for your fish properly, no matter what you are keeping them in. Again, using my males as examples, I highly doubt they would be blowing nests in their bowls if they were not healthy.
It's great that you are so passionate to want people to take better care of their fish but you need to also tell the whole story. You or I or anyone else cannot speak for the fish that they are not "happy" or "don't like" their living situations. The fish's actions alone need to be interpreted correctly to ascertain their level of "happiness". Your comments only sensationalize an already touchy subject.

Hopefully this will be taken in the spirit it was written, as an educational piece, and not a confrontation. I have not offered any opinions, just documented facts. I have worked with Bettas for over 40 years so I also have a wealth of experience with the fish. You are correct that this is a misunderstood fish. It's misunderstood because it does not need all the same requirements as most of the typical fish kept in aquariums. People's desire to make them live the ways of other fish is how they have become so misunderstood. ( THAT'S my opinion )

Thanks for reading this through

 

[aluka]

I believe that how big of a tank a betta should be in depends on how much space that particular betta wants. As long as there is enough room for the betta to swim freely and the water conditions are good and free of ammonia and free of high nitrate levels. That is a healthy home.

I have 7 bettas, all in different size tanks from 1 gallon to 10 gallons. The one in the 1 gallon cannot be kept in anything bigger. Since he was born he was kept in a small tank/cup/whatever his breeder used. He is used to it. I started him in a 10 gallon cycled filtered and heated tank, where he freaked and moped in a corner for weeks. I switched him with the betta in a 6 gallon. The new betta loves the new 10 gallon. He (henry) continued to mop. I downsized him few more times before he found a happy home in a 1 gallon tank, where he now swims around actively and naps in his betta leaf.

So its not about size, its about what the betta is comfortable in. There is no point in putting the betta in a 100 gallon if he is unhappy and frighten about it.

 

[Platiesareawesome]

I hope everyone on this forum will read this but I bet 90% won't because betta fish are so misunderstood people think they can just throw them in a vase or little bowl that's smaller than 0.3 gallons , but bettas actually need 3-10 gallons the best are 5 , 8 , and 10 and if you don't have enough money to buy them a 3-10 gallon tank , heater , good food , treats , a liquid water test kit , plants , etc than don't even bother getting one , just because stores sell them in little cups doesn't mean they have to go in a 1- gallon bowl , if you've ever heard that betta fish live in puddles in the wild , its a myth , they use puddles to travel to huge bodies of water , and the longest they will live in a puddle is 2-5 days if they have to but they don't enjoy it , that is why they are good jumpers and they have a labrynth gill so they don't need oxygen in the water , I hope all the 10% of people on this forum that read this now understands the some of the proper needs of a betta fish and I hope they do not misunderstand betta fish anymore

I agree!

 

[bettaowner]

Bettas are amazing fish and it's sad that most people dont admire them the same way they admire marine fish.

 

[Fish_lover]

Bettas are amazing fish and it's sad that most people dont admire them the same way they admire marine fish.

I know it's really sad , they shouldn't be in anything smaller than 2.5

 

[Andy Sager]

I know it's really sad , they shouldn't be in anything smaller than 2.5

I guess my question is : On what basis do you make this statement?

 

[annabel1066]

Hello, I'm still a relative newbie, and just putting in my two cents worth... I moved my male crowntail Renji from a 5g to a 15g column, and he seems to be happier. He swims all over the tank, hangs out with the cory cats (who occasionally crash into into him mid-antic, oh yeah, brave little corys) and he rests in the bamboo I have floating on the top.
I've read that bettas are very much individuals with their own personalities, so seems to make sense that betta-keeping may not be a one-size-fits-all proposition.
Interesting discussion...