whats the deal with people keeping betas in tiny little cups.?

Question

i know that they fight each other but can they not be with ANY other fish? and if there so aggressive then wouldn't it be better just to not keep them then keep them in a tiny pint size cup?

Answer 1

It's cruel to keep a betta in a tiny cup or even a 1 gallon bowl, in my opinion the minimum should be 2.5 gallon, heated and filtered, if you get a bigger one, even better

Because then you can keep them with other tropical fish like the ones that follows, and these I have kept with a betta

Here are actually 2 sites that show the compatibility for a betta
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1918&articleid=2200
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1918&articleid=2201

But if you keep your betta with any of these fish you should have at least a 10 gallon tank with heater, filter and live plants because they love to have space and love to rest on the plants


Hope that helps and answers your question
Good luck


EB

Answer 2

Keeping a betta in a tiny cup is cruel. People do this just to get a better "view" of the fish. Every fish, no matter how small, needs to be in atleast 1 gallon of water. Furthermore, studies have shown that fish in an aquarium by itself lives a shorter life that one with tank mates. Even a betta could be kept with MANY fish. i.e. swordtails,mollies, platies, neon tetras, and so many more. In a small container, there is very little gas exchange and no circulation at all. The condtions in which betta fish are shipped are atrocious! In little bowls with 4 ounces of water. The water is completely filled with feces and food. Even at a huge chain store like wal-mart, there are tiny betta bowls for $5 and a complete one gallon aquarium set for $10, I encourage all of you to shell out the extra $5 to provide more swimming space and circulation. Great topic.

Answer 3

They can be with other fish, and responsible pet stores ditch the cups and put the fish in their regular sale tanks (1 male per section) and all the females in a tank of their own. This lets them have access to heated, filtered water that's a color other than blue, so the people who want to buy one can tell what color the fish actually is. They're also a lot more active and colorful when kept this way.

BTW: The cups aren't the store's idea, this is what's sent with the bettas from the suppliers. At the very most, all they're good for is to transport your betta home.

Answer 4

They are kept in cups so it is easy to import and export them. Other than that it is extremely cruel because although they are hardy they can only liv in those conditions for a few days or so.
bettas can live with any other fish unless it is a pair of male bettas together or with gouramis which will attack the betta instead of the other way round and guppies, which it will nip at playfully.

Answer 5

They keep them in the tiny cups because they can...betas can survive (for a while) in a tiny space, so for whatever reason people don't want to put in the effort/money to get them a less-cruel living situation. I think it's cruel. The other reason is because when they're in a cramped space, they get stressed, and when they're stressed, they fan their fins out, which makes them look "prettier". Also cruel.

Answer 6

It does seem extremely cruel. But those betta sold at pet stores are most likely males. Males can not be put in the same space as each other, because they are extremely agressive fish and will fight each other to the death. I've had betta fish most of my life (One right after the other, never had two at a time) and two of them got a long well with the other fish in the tank. But after the third one, we had to put him in his own tank because he would go after the other fish. It does seem really cruel to put them in these tiny cups. If they are not aggressive with the other fish in the tanks, then it should be fine to put them with other fish.

Answer 7

It is mean. But people think beacuse it is a very low maintence fish that it doesn't need room. Did you know that they don't feed them when they are selling them at the pet store? How cruel

Answer 8

Betta splendens is the Latin name for the fish many people know as The Siamese Fighting Fish. Aquarists often simply call them bettas. They are called fighting fish because the males will fight to the death if placed in the same tank.

Male bettas are bred in a wide array of colors, from royal blue and purple to brilliant scarlet red. They are truly striking as they swim through the water with their long fins flowing. When courting or upon sight of another male betta (even their own reflection!) the male's gills flare out in an impressive show of virility. The female bettas are drab and brown, but much less prone to fighting than their male counterparts. It is not recommended to keep males with any of their own species except during breeding. They can live with other short finned freshwater species in a tank if there is plenty of room. Fish with long fins will probably provoke the male betta to attack simply by looking too much like a betta!

Male bettas are the pretty 2" to 3" fish with flowing fins often seen in pet stores in rows of small cups. This may seem cruel, but it is difficult to house large numbers of them otherwise because of their vicious nature. Although not ideal, they can live for a time in those little cups provided their water is exchanged with fresh treated water regularly. In fact, their ancestors' homes in nature were often quite a lot worse! Betta splendens come from Eastern China, in Thailand and Malaysia. They are sometimes seen in rice paddies, or nearby in water filled holes left by a horse's hoof.

The water they live in is sometimes quite stagnant, but they can live for some time in these adverse conditions due to a body part called a labyrinth. This is a chamber inside the fish that allows them to breath small amounts of air and use the oxygen from it. This characteristic also makes them hardy aquarium candidates.

Bettas are carnivorous and love live foods like water daphnia, tubifex worms and blood worms. They will even eat mosquito larva and small ants. You can also feed them prepared foods sold in small canisters at pet stores. It doesn't take much food for one little betta.

While the betta fish can live in the tiny cups in which they are sold, it is far better to release them into a larger tank or bowl. They do not require the fuss of many other aquarium fish but they enjoy the freedom of a tank, even one as small as two gallons. Their first release into a larger tank after a lifetime in their little cup can be interesting as they first learn to move about. It is not until they are released into a larger container of water that their true beauty can be seen. They make an ideal pet for desk top, small apartment or college dorm.

Answer 9

I think it's cruel,too.The poor things can't even swim.They should at least keep them in a quart - sized container,so they can move around a little.

Answer 10

I had a beta that never was bothered by goldfish in a 35Gallon aquarium. he seemed to enjoy the company...