Bowl a good place for a Betta????

Question

Ha got ya, who ever clicked on that question and wanted to answer yes, YOU ARE WRONG

Bettas are NOT happy and healthy in a bowl or in a 1 gallon tank

It's your responsibility to your fish to get at LEAST a 2.5 gallon tank with heater and filter for your betta

There is no truth behind that, that a betta is happy in little bowl?!?!?!

Would you like to be confined to a space of 2X2???
Don't think so

Remember one thing, you're going to cut down your betta's life to about 2 years if you're lucky

But if taken proper care it can live up to 7 years!!!!!

So what would you reather have, a happy and healthy betta or one that has a short expected life because of your iresponsibility?????

Voice your opinions
Have fun


EB

This was not suppose to be ment to offend anybody, I know that the people that own their own stores do it differently of course, that was meant for people that are new at the keeping of bettas and usually don't know the proper care of any fish, so please don't be offended
Thanks
EB

Betachris and MM
But, would you keep your betta in a teacup like I have seen some answers like that already?

Thanks John V, I wish more people would think like that
I thought I put it out there, because I feel sorry for these fish, and I have seen lots of bettas in stores in these tiny cups, and about 80% are usually sick with fin rot or broken fins, it's so sad :-(

Thanks Luvin, if I can just save 1 betta from living a cruel live i'm happy

Thanks 8 in the corner for additional info

There ya go betta girl, ;-)

Answer 1

You are right Evelyn. If you are a personal Betta keeper, you really should be keeping it like any other tropical fish to be fair to it. I know MM is the man on so many things, I hate to even think about trying to disagree with him, but I really think keeping a Betta in a bowl, while it can be done, shouldn't be put out as advice.

It honestly is so irrelivant to the practical home owner how these fish are shipped and kept, and it isn't the practical home owners problem about trying to store googles of billions of them. From a business point of view, while you have fish that influx in and out of your store, of course they will not house fish properly because they are in the volume business, not actual home care. It's like comparing the horse to the motor vehicle, you just can't. By comparing how fish are shipped and kept commerically to the practical home owner, and using this type of logic, just because a species can be kept a certain way, it should be? I don't think so by far. Humans can be house in little cells in jail in 10x10's so everyone should be like this? Put that out as logic and see how far you'll get.

I would have to really agree with you Evelyn that PROPER care should be listed as a heated filtered tank, even the small end ones. Like MM also said, can you keep them in bowls, of course, but you'll never see me dispense that as advice. If people don't have the time to do care or upkeep, don't have space, then they simply shouldn't get the fish. If we were talking about dogs and cats, would we seriously advocate keeping them in travel containers thier whole life simply because they can be put in there? If people are talking about Bettas from a commercial or business point of view, of course in order to achieve a profit, they don't have much choice, but by no means should a GOOD breeder/seller ever advocate they keep thier Betta's in bowls, unless thier end mind set is recurring sales, then of course it's great advice.

Even considering the Betta is native to Thailand and shallow waters does not mean mimic that enviroment either. I mean, do we build a 5,000 foot deep aquarium for the whales that are kept in zoos?? Understanding where they came from and how they evolved certainly helps for thier care, but I don't see this as saying, oh they live in shallow water so keep them in a plant vase. Anyways Ev, I hope you do reach some people, but in the end, people just going to keep doing whatever they think is best anways. I think no matter what we put out, you can still only change the world of the ignorant, one client at a time, and our clients are all those that ask on here :)

JV

Answer 2

Ok ... so I'll be the advocate for the other side then.

Can you successful keep a healthy betta in a bowl? Yes, without a doubt. I have done it for years and continue to do it today.... literally thousands of them over the 20+ years I have been keeping, breeding and showing bettas. Yes, my show fish stay in bowls and yes, I do win at shows. Also, I'm not the only one, the majority of other IBC show competitors I know do it the same way I do.

I have had bettas live 5 years in a bowl and that's actually quite good. That 7 year number is misleading, that's extremely rare and has far more to do with genetics than anything else.

I change 100% of the water in the bowls every other day and it stays cleaner that anyone's tank. I'll be glad to put my bettas water up against any established tank out there.

Now, is a bowl the right thing for a new hobbyist or a lazy hobbyist? No, a filtered tank is far superior for that situation, however, I personally know what I'm doing with bettas and take offense to being told I'm irresponsible.

ADDITION: I was referring stricting to the Bettas I keep and breed at home, not in the shop or in the breeding facilities at the school. In my shop, Bettas are placed in a wall rack style tank system that allows each fish 1 gallon of filtered, heated water. Yes, it is a central system for all of the "tanks" but as I quarantine bettas before putting them on the sales floor and only buy from IBC breeders for my sales stock, the risk is very, very small.

Would I keep a Betta in a teacup? No, but a bowl is larger than that. I did once keep a betta in a 32 oz drinking cup for 4 days when it was given to me unexpectedly while I was on a trip. Didn't lose the fish and not the first fin curl or split.

At the school the smallest thing we have any bettas in would be a 10 gallon tank.

Oh... you will not find a bowl for sale in my shop. The smallest thing we sell is a 2.5 gallon minitank. I don't advocate the pet batta keeper using a bowl at all, but I don't think just because you raise Bettas in bowls you are automatically irresponsible.

As a side note we don't sell chinese algae eaters, redtail catfish, pacu (any of the "tank-busters) any dyed, painted or tattooed fish etc. I might or might not go broke, but I don't support irresponsible fish keeping in any form.


MM

Answer 3

I agree that bettas need to have bigger tanks than what some people use. And I also don't like the plants in the bowl or vase. Bettas need to take oxygen out of the air so it a plant is in the way soaking up the oxygen how is the betta gonna live a long healthy life. I have my betta in a 2.5 gallon tank with some fake plants, a cave, and a filter. He loved it. He died last year but he was one tough fish and so big, He loved to eat. He lived about 3 1/2 years.

Answer 4

Might as well add my 2 cents. In the wild, bettas live in a small area that is actually part of a much larger body of water. The toxins produced are cleansed by the huge amout of water and good bacteria in that biological system. So, they are constantly getting a slow but sure water change. Unless you have a drip system set up for your bettas, you are not giving them the proper amount of water changes.

The advocates of larger containers with filters are right in that the greater amount of water takes longer to build toxins and a 30% water change every week is adequate to remove them before they harm the fish.

The size of the container does not affect the length of the fish's lifel, however, only the quality of it. In the wild, they are free to explore their neighborhood and move to the next area if it suits them. In a bowl, that's it, no next area.

If you do your water changes frequently enough to maintain pure fresh water and feed a varied high protein diet, that's good, but then you run into the one problem that I believe is the most important.... the temperature.

Bettas come from southeast Asia where the water temp is normally in the high 70's to low 80's. Nobody I know has the cash to keep their house at that temp so their bettas' immune systems will not be compromised by the constant up and down temps from day to night. They have no way to regulate their body temp other than the water temp. In the wild, the closer to the surface in the day, the warmer the water, at night it will be cooler. So, where do they spend their time? Days, at the surface, nights at the bottom...

Put yourself in their place, if you had no clothes and were locked in a room that was about 6'x10' where the temp fluctuated from just barely 72 degrees down to 66 at night, how long before you got sick....? Your immune system might help for a while, but eventually the illnesses would win out and you would die an early death.... kind of like bettas that live for a few months to a year or so.

I have read so many times that people have had bettas that, "lived for almost 2 years!" Big deal! When their lifespan in the willd is 5 years (with no human care), that's no big accomplishment, rather it is an inditement of their ability to care for another creature.

BTW, it is pronounced bet-tah, not bay-tah.

Answer 5

Evelyn I can relate to you in so many ways on this! But my main problem is most people who purchase a Betta have no clue about where they come from, what temps they should be kept in or how often to even change the water. I know that Magic man is the main Betta breeder in this forum and he has helped me out many times (Thanks MM) as well as a few others. I know that fish can be kept in bowl if they are taken care of properly. Water changes are a must, no slacking allowed! My oldest son who will be 10 next month wants his own fish. So he chose one of my 3 month old Betta's. He has learned alot about them because from what he asks me or from watching what I do. He helps me feed them, do water changes (15% water change every 3rd day in the grow out tank) as well as watching all of my fish looking for signs of illness. Most people haven't had the opportunity as my children do for being well informed about Betta's and other Tropical fish. Thats why Betta's have such a bad rep for killing everything it comes across, and even where they come from. I can't believe that people think they come from little puddles..they have no clue how large those bodies of water are. I find myself passing up questions because I am so sick of hearing ..my Betta's not moving and he's in a bowl....blah blah blah.. We could all type until our hands cramp up and I don't think many people will care as much as a few of us do. I truely love my fish, their beauty, their personalities, the differences between them all and it saddens me how bad some fish get mistreated when people are misinformed about that type of species. It is the pet store's responsibility to give correct information on how to care for fish, but at the same time it is the fish owner's responsibility to look up the fish and do research before buying it so the fish will thrive.
Oh and FYI I had a single female Betta in a 10 gallon tank that just passed away about a hour ago. I do my water testing, partial water changes weekly as well as gravel vacuuming. My fish had no illness that I could see. She hadn't been acting weird or anything. She was only about a year old. So fish still die regardless how well you care for them.

Answer 6

I have watched this thread with interest (also knowing many compassionate Betta breeders as well). Although this is NOT my specialty in the aquarium keeping industry, I find it ironic that others get thumbs down or condemned for their method of keeping Bettas which is subjective; all the while objective bad information gets thumbs up such as treating fish ulcers or bleeding with drugs such as Tetracycline that LOWER red blood cell counts, which is the last thing you want to do to a bleeding fish is give them anemia.
(That is my field of experience, disease treatment and prevention, water chemistry, UV Sterilization, and filtration [both pond and aquarium])
Reference: http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Medication.html

Answer 7

Hi Evelyn!

When it comes to questions like yours and statements like "How would you feel like if you ahd to be confiend to a 2x2 space", my eye brows normally go up.

You can't compare the natural living requirements and human emotions, human thinking and human nature with each other.

To know what's best for a Betta, you may want to learn about the natural habitats for this type of fish. You will be surprised to learn that a 1 gallon bowl, vase, you name it, is actually more then a Betta in the wild would require.

They are territorial fish, territorial of the tiny space they will "Call their own".

Anyway, we own two Bettas. Both are in a 10 gallon tank, got clean water, maintained (We actually use some stuff which is made for Betta water to be perfect), they get Betta fish food, they both got Cori fish in their tanks to make sure the gravel get's cleaned, they got plants and hiding spaces, and they have NO filter (Betta fish fins can get shredded by filters), but oxygen stones in it.

They are happy, bright in color and a delight to watch. Our tanks also got little lights, so the Bettas just look breath taking.

My son's got a dark purple, almost black head, the rest is ink blue, my daughter's is pink, red, purple, turquise/silver and blue, even some green and is also super happy, floating around, colors extremely bright!

I had Bettas in community tanks, 100 gallons or more - and they lived for many, many years. I think 10 years and more for one I got from PetsMart once.

Bettas are happy in vases with bamboo, in big tanks, little tanks, you name it.
As long as they a clean tank and good food... as long as they are maintained, they are happy!

They are modest fish... size does not matter to them!

Answer 8

is there any way i can keep 1 of mine in a vase the 1 that you put a plant in the top of?? i'd say it's a 1 1/4 gallon. just temporairally!!

P.S.
Yay to me!! i m putting my female in a 10 gal with a heater and filter!!!

Answer 9

i would not fit in a 2x2 because i am to big, but bettas are small. I do agree a little because they are happier the bigger but they can be healthy and happy too in a gallon bowl

Answer 10

How do you want us to answer the question? ; )

Thanks, I completely agree. If you want a fish, make the effort to give it reasonable housing. A filter, a heater, and a 3 gallon tank isn't much to ask for a beautiful Betta.

Nosoop4u