HannahJ
Aquarium Advice Activist
Okay, Weasel and Cinder, I am going to have to disagree with your statements. Your posts heavily imply that someone choosing to regularly stimulate and exercise their fish in accordance to the behaviour they would be showing the wild is somehow neglectful and even deliberately harmful is offensive to me.
Weasel, you say that bettas flaring are "*beep* off", by which I assume you mean to say that they are being infuriated and angered; I would disagree with this characterization. You're anthropomorphising these fish. For them, flaring is a natural reaction to an external stimulus, not a representative of emotion (which I would hesitate to apply to a fish in any case). Would you likewise disapprove of dogs showing their teeth or holding their tails stiffly to each other? Or of horses pinning their ears to each other? This is similarly nothing more or less than a natural territorial behaviour that bettas would regularly engage in in the wild, since those rice paddies you showed certainly held more than one betta each. Also, please refer to the wikipedia article on bettas, which states:
In light of that, I would say that I am hardly going on a lark and a whim when I say that giving a betta the opportunity to display natural behaviour is something other than "just mean". By the way, why do you continually refer to the betta as a "mean" fish? It's a fish. It's actions have no intent of either meanness or kindness behind anything they do. I think you should take a step back from this situation--I think you are attaching emotional significance to the actions of an animal and are possibly having your judgement biased. (Forgive me if I sound a little defensive, but I really do not appreciate be called flat-out "mean" and being accused of not being a "true fish lover" because I do something I've researched and judged to be best for my fish.)
Cinder, I would also like you to elaborate on your "research". Do you mean anecdotal experience when you say research, or have you done large-scale, controlled experiments based on the theory that stimulation equates to a shorter lifespan? Why have you asked a rhetorical question like "Why do people purposely stress their fish by making them flare?" when I've clearly explained my reasons above, unless you are trying to somehow shame people of opposing viewpoints from you? I personally find people who let their bettas live sedentary lives to be harming their fish, since a lack of stimulation results in far less exercise, and thus a lowered quality of life and health, but I'm not going to create posts that center around the implication that anyone who does choose to stimulate their fish are somehow intentionally cruel to their fish.
Please, step back and take a harder look at your accusations against people who choose to stimulate their bettas. There is a difference between agreeing to disagree, and straight up insulting people with an opposing viewpoint.
Thanks.
Weasel, you say that bettas flaring are "*beep* off", by which I assume you mean to say that they are being infuriated and angered; I would disagree with this characterization. You're anthropomorphising these fish. For them, flaring is a natural reaction to an external stimulus, not a representative of emotion (which I would hesitate to apply to a fish in any case). Would you likewise disapprove of dogs showing their teeth or holding their tails stiffly to each other? Or of horses pinning their ears to each other? This is similarly nothing more or less than a natural territorial behaviour that bettas would regularly engage in in the wild, since those rice paddies you showed certainly held more than one betta each. Also, please refer to the wikipedia article on bettas, which states:
Interesting results were obtained, however; for example, it was shown that the presentation of such an aggression-eliciting stimulus will act as an unconditional stimulus in classical conditioning, and as a reinforcer in operant conditioning (Thompson, 1966). It is as if the fish finds the opportunity to attack another fish rewarding."[emphasis added]
In light of that, I would say that I am hardly going on a lark and a whim when I say that giving a betta the opportunity to display natural behaviour is something other than "just mean". By the way, why do you continually refer to the betta as a "mean" fish? It's a fish. It's actions have no intent of either meanness or kindness behind anything they do. I think you should take a step back from this situation--I think you are attaching emotional significance to the actions of an animal and are possibly having your judgement biased. (Forgive me if I sound a little defensive, but I really do not appreciate be called flat-out "mean" and being accused of not being a "true fish lover" because I do something I've researched and judged to be best for my fish.)
Cinder, I would also like you to elaborate on your "research". Do you mean anecdotal experience when you say research, or have you done large-scale, controlled experiments based on the theory that stimulation equates to a shorter lifespan? Why have you asked a rhetorical question like "Why do people purposely stress their fish by making them flare?" when I've clearly explained my reasons above, unless you are trying to somehow shame people of opposing viewpoints from you? I personally find people who let their bettas live sedentary lives to be harming their fish, since a lack of stimulation results in far less exercise, and thus a lowered quality of life and health, but I'm not going to create posts that center around the implication that anyone who does choose to stimulate their fish are somehow intentionally cruel to their fish.
Please, step back and take a harder look at your accusations against people who choose to stimulate their bettas. There is a difference between agreeing to disagree, and straight up insulting people with an opposing viewpoint.
Thanks.