I say to all those people, great job!I see from time to time people posting that they saw a Betta in a bowl in a pet shop and thought the pet shop was being cruel to the fish so they bought the fish and put it into their 30 or 40 or 55 gal tank so it could swim around and be free. To all those people who believe they did good by doing this, I am directing this towards you.
This absolutely varies from one fish to the next. I've had males that absolutely hated the filters flow, and those that played in it all day long. If you have a betta that doesn't like the flow, turn it down, or baffle the filter with a sponge or pop bottle. No biggie.The labrynth organ is still there and the fish is still not a big fan of or equipped for fast moving water.
Nonsense. If they are struggling, baffle the filter. Many won't even need that. Throw in some floating plants. They'll lay in them (surely just how they would in nature) if they want to rest at the top so they can easily surface. If they aren't laying up in them constantly, they aren't struggling to breathe. These fish are not weak. And don't forget, they use their gills too!Taking them from the dirty water to put them into your fishtank, at least to me, is crueler! You are making this fish struggle to breathe because they must come to the surface to breathe.
Here's my tip, don't buy bettas from those places. You might feel like your "saving" it, and trust me, I totally understand, but in reality you are just booking the order for the next two sad little bettas that are going to sit there in those filthy cups. They will never stop stocking them unless we stop buying them. Buy bettas from shops/sellers/breeders that keep the bettas in a fashion you feel is actually suitable for them. Those are the kind of businesses we should support!!So here's a tip for the next time you see a Betta in a bowl full of dirty water thinking the store is being cruel
I have an angel that hates the filter flow, does it then belong in a bowl? I have killifish that could easily survive in bowl, do they then belong in a bowl? No and no....These fish are meant for bowls and not meant to be in a fish tank with fast moving water.
The bodies of water they originate from, contained more than a half gallon of water or your average bowl or jar.I think you are on a good point but missed by an inch or so
The rice paddies that you are talking about are a more modern version of the original wild paddies. These fish originally came from "ponds, drains, ditches and other sluggish waters" (as quoted from the Handbook of tropical aquarium fishes) throught Siam and not just paddies.
What fish does? What fish have you kept in the same conditions that did not survive because they required swimming space?So no, they do not REQUIRE swimming space.
I didn't have to keep warehouses of thousands of bettas to figure out they like heated water. Just a few of 'em and some time observing them under both conditions. Few of us have a home that remains the same temp every hour of the day every day of the year. I've kept many bettas at many temps, and I've said it before, and I'll say it again, they love a nice stable 80 degrees. If what makes them the most comfortable is of concern to you, that's what I'd encourage you to keep your bettas at.As for heaters, I used to have a warehouse with over 1000 bettas at any time in various stages of growth or for sale. There was not one heater in any of them. What I did do was make sure that the air temp. never went lower than 70 degrees thereby the water temps never went below 70 degrees. You were close on this point but there is more than 1 way to heat the water. For the Bettas that are in my house, I use my central air/ heat to keep them warm or cool. No tank heater necessary.
I have never seen any betta in any one of my community tanks struggle to get to the surface.Nothing wrong with keeping a place to hide in a bowl.
As I mentioned, I don't rely on gallonage, I rely on water depth. It doesn't make sense to make the fish struggle to get to the surface.
I would have to question the judgement of any hobbyist who would put a betta in a 20 gallon tank and observe it for a month and then, put the same betta in a bowl and observe it for a month and then, come to the conclusion that it preferred the bowl. This hobby can be a selfish one, but I ask you all to throw out the "facts" and go with your gut on this one.