A Question About Bettas

[Genesis]

how comes they are kept in such small tanks?

 

[Ethos]

Edit: Sorry aboutt hat.

Anyways, they can because...I guess because people think they aren't that active, and some people just know to keep them is small bowls because everyone else does,so it must be ok.

 

[Durbkat]

Because there are very few fish that they are compatible with and since they have more bettas than they do tanks with compatible fish they put them in those cups since they can breath air from the surface and they aren't to messy. So thats why they keep them like that until somebody buys them and hopefully gives them something bigger than what they were in.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Bettas have an aparatus that permits them to breath air. Therefore, you can technically keep them in an aquarium that does not need all of the fancy aeration, filtration, etc. equip.
Bettas also are seasonally in shallow water in the wild. However, they have a TON more space in acres-large rice paddies, even if the water is shallow, than in these cups. Just because they can survive in a puddle during a dry spell doesn't mean they should have to for their entire life.
And finally, once store owners discovered they could survive in small amounts of water, they decided to market fancy eye catching decorative tanks that make them less an animal and more a decoration. And, because people are shallow, cruel, and don't give a flying crap about fish, the fad caught.

In short? There isn't a GOOD reason to keep a betta in a tiny tank. I'm sure that so long as it isn't much more than a foot deep and is well planted, bettas would be fine in a massive tank. They can certainly stress in fast currents, and too much space without enough hiding/resting places, but we have to remember that this is a condition of being bred to have overly large fins. I'm sure wild betta splendens would do just as well in a big tank as any other fish.

 

[rimmer 05]

bettas dont need filters? so i cud have one with jst a heater?

 

[Durbkat]

They don't need a filter but it will make it easier on you when you do vacum cleanings or water changes, and yes you can have one with just a heater if you wanted to.

 

[RandomWiktor]

:oints to the "technically"::

If you can find a filter gentle enough for a betta, it will keep the surface of the water from gumming up, and it will also help keep the water clean. However, it isn't essential in smaller tanks, as frequent water changes will keep it just as clean.
Ideally though, you'd even want to cycle a betta tank.

 

[Silvani]

You know this whole thing reminds me of a talk I had with a co-worker of mine. I was at the pet store and ran into them. They were buying a couple of goldfish for their little boy. I asked them what size tank they had and they told me 7 gallons… so I was a bit worried that the two gold fish would grow out of the tank rather quickly.

So I suggested they get a betta instead. Their reply was “They don’t move though, they just sit there.” That actually really shocked me… because mine at home are constantly moving around. But that is the common conception that most people have of bettas.

Because they are kept in such small containers that they don’t move, there for they don’t need more room to move. Told my co-worker the whole closet analogy that I’ve seen used here before. “Now you can live in a closet, but you wouldn’t be very happy. Or you can live in a house and have room to move around. So yes they can live in the little cups, but that does not make for a happy fish. I promise you if you put a betta in a 7 gallon tank he would be moving all over the place and be as happy as can be.”

But… alas they bought two fancy gold fish instead… It’s hard to change people’s minds even when you have the best intentions.

 

[Genesis]

wouldnt it get boring for a betta in a small lil container?

 

[Durbkat]

It does because all they can do is go up and down and around in a small circle and thats it. So I guss it would be boring if all they could do is barly move around in the same way.