This thread has gone off pretty quickly.
Bettas are not all fighters. Strains of domestic B splendens have been bred for aggression. They have been used in gambling, like fighting dogs. But no one here will deny fighting dogs were bred for aggression as well as physical shape. It's exactly the same for Bettas. It seems a fair number of male Betta splendens are lousy fighters, and a lot of them are dumped in Thai markets for very low prices. Or so friends who've hit the Betta markets there have told me. I've had plakat, short fins from the Bangkok 'cheapo' market, and they were not fighters. I always figured they were gamblers culls.
I've kept wild caught Betta splendens from Laos, and they were not especially fierce. Males coexisted. The fighting that excites people who are into blood sports was not evident. So that attempt to rattle people's cages falls flat. Males who are familiar with each other from a young age get along, with no love but just flaring of fins.
One reason they are raised in cups is that domestic forms, with their huge finnage, would not sell here if the fins were ragged from sparring with their siblings. You want big fancy fins? Your fish will be jarred til you get it to keep the price up. Is your fish a fighter? Maybe, maybe not, But finding out would be ugly.
B splendens can live in .5 of a gallon. The entire argument is if they should. They can live without filtration, and with their air breathing abilities, are largely able to ignore the cycle. Yup, that's what I said. Now, would I want to take keep the fish in sub-optimal conditions? No, but I do have the choice. Betta splendens will live like that. Do they need 5 or 10 gallons? No. Are they better off in larger small tanks? Yes.
In small tanks, if they have frankenfinnage, the folds in the fins will provide homes for bacteria and fungus that can kill the fish. But with no infection, lifespan doesn't change.
I have noticed a lot of very long finned Bettas dying in the early days of life in a good tank. Think about it. Jarred in stagnant water the moment they show their sex. Exercise once a day when the cup gets dumped and filled. Can you imagine how poor their muscle tone is? They are badly out of shape. Now, add massive finnage that creates drag.
Then blame the cycle.
Do we do cruel things to animals? Obviously. We can debate what the cruelty might be here. Using small containers? Buying intentionally deformed fish? They can be very loaded discussions, but opinions should never be presented as facts.
For the record, I would never again keep a splendens with long fins. If I did, I'd use a 5 gallon.
