How come????

Question

That people promote the
1 inch of fish per 1 gallon of water
BUT
think it's ok to put a 3 inch male betta, including their tail in a 1/2 inch gallon bowl?????????

well, i guess i should add a site here then about this myth to get it cleared up then
http://www.petstoreabuse.com/betta.html
and where they live in nature
http://www.cultureshocktherapy.com/pic/id/rice_paddy.jpg

thanks taurus, well that's unfortunately so true


as for chrissie, sorry to burst your bubble, but the 1inch per gallon is absolute BS
If you would be able to apply it to any fish, then you wouldn't need a 75 gallon minimum for a 16 inch oscar, would you?

Thanks TopPotts, 8, David and BG for supporting me on this one

I answered a bunch of Q's yesterday, and came accross this horrible answer about 50 times, so i figured i would put it out there :)

Answer 1

To put the "one inch of fish to one gallon of water" rule in perspective, picture this: 10 one inch neon tetras in a 10 gallon aquarium..... now picture this: one 10 inch oscar in a 10 gallon aquarium..... Well, whaddya think? Doesn't work does it?

This rule is not really a rule, it is more of a guideline for small slender bodied "tropical" fish, not large cichlids or predators.

Talking about the betta, you have hit on one of my pet peeves. Just because a fish can "exist" in a small, unheated, unfiltered bowl, does not mean that it "should" be forced to "exist" in one. It must be pure torture for the fish as that small volume of water warms up during the day and then gets cold at night. Fish have no way to regulater their body temp and must depend on the water they live in to keep them at the proper temp to keep them healthy. Repeated cooling and warming compromises their immune system response to any diseases and parasites that might gain a foothold.

They are "tropical" fish from Thailand (formerly Siam, hence the name, Siamese fighting fish) and live in rice paddies and sluggish, slow moving streams. These habitats are not "small puddles" as some believe, but very large eco-systems that continually add fresh water to the betta's environment as they are irrigated and flow.

People who brag that their betta lived for over 2 years disgust me! In the wild they can live up to 5 years and in a properly maintained, filtered and heated aquarium they can and do live up to 7 years. I believe the record for a betta is just over 10 years in a lab setting.

BTW, it is pronounced bet-tah, not bay-tah.
8

Answer 2

Hmm...never seen a 1/2 inch gallon bowl. But I do agree completely and would seldom recommend for any type of fish. Exception being for breeding certain killifish and keeping tiny fry in to ensure the food is concentrated where the fry are.

Answer 3

crissy you can't keep a 2'' fish in a 1'' by 2'' by 2' (tall) tank. it doesn't matter how many gallons it is it's space, space is three demensions.
FW rays need huge tanks not cause they particularly need alot of water but be cause companies just dont make regular tank that are 3' by 8' by 12''. if you find a tank with a 3'x8' footprint it's probably 30'' tall.

Answer 4

Don't know, I always thought it was sad, though I've heard some people say that they sometimes don't do well in a larger environment. I think in nature they usually live in a small spot of water, so maybe that's why.

Answer 5

I think it's because people think they live in PUDDLES. There are different puddles. Think of the puddles as our houses. We have different size house. One might have 3 bedrooms one might have 1 bedroom. Bettas can pick which puddles they live in, in little bowls, they can't.

Answer 6

This is a rule of thumb not a law of the wild. In the caculation of one inch of fish per gallon of water you dont include their fins - you only include the body portion of the fish. Bettas dont typically fall within this rule because they are air breathers and can surface to get the air they need therefore not relying on the oxygen transfer in the water. To have adequate oxygen transfer you must have surface area and this is where the one inch of fish to one gallon of water came into play. When you add the more advanced methods of filteration and as your surface area expands then the rule of thumb can be adjusted. Also know that it matters what kind of fish you are keeping. If you are keeping goldfish (which are very dirty fish) then I would allow 1/2 inch of fish per gallon of water and I would never personally keep goldfish in a goldfish bowl without filters of some kind. I suggest goldfish especially the expensive kind (not pond koi) be kept in large tanks with advance filteration that can accomodate taking all the ammonia they release into the water out of the water. Hope this answers your question to some degree and when it comes to fish they are many differing opinions on what is the right thing to do - I suggest you get a good book or go to the library but you will find that one inch per one gallon rule of thumb used widely and favorably among fish enthusiast.

Answer 7

you are so right