Betta Bowl

[FishFanatic04]

Right. I have happily kept bettas in 1 gallons for years, knowing nothing about cycling. But I did regular water changes and they all lived for years. I do cringe at animals in captivity, but then get excited about the fish I have. I guess without all of the variables, there is no room for judgment. My fish are in better suited space then lions in a zoo.

 

[Tolak]

I think a lot of it is meeting a happy balance. While we would all like to provide the very best for our pets or other animals under our care, there are at times space or budgetary constraints we have to work within. These are specific to the individual, and while some just will not work, such as keeping a betta in a cup, others can work with the proper information given, as well as follow through by the owner.

 

[FishFanatic04]

I meant to agree with you Tolak and think it came out wrong. Breeders Have to separate Bettas. But the buyers should have the responsibility to care for them well. Any fish can be kept in a small container, but the quality of life depends on it's care. It's like having a dog, but leaving it in a kennel all the time.

 

[HannahBear77]

I've seen Bettas live happily in small tanks not saying I would keep mine in a 1 gallon, but like a guy I talked to at my lfs said he keeps Bettas in vodka bottles at the bar until they outgrow them and give them to some one to put them in a bigger tank which I can see that it looks cool with the coloring but I think it's kinda dumb but thats m opinion
Personally I don't like keeping Bettas in a tank smaller than a 5g because of the daily water changes you have to do and it is nice to have a bigger tank so they have room to swim around to i dont like having a fish just sit there and stare at me

If your fish or dog came from a bad living environment It is your responsibility as a fish keeper or any other pet keeper (if that sounds right) to give that animal a better living condition than what it came from

 

[FishFanatic04]

My betta swims around A LOT in the 3.5g and never just sits and stares. I have a Cycled filter powerful enough to shift him when he swims by... I don't need to do daily water changes.

I would love a large planted tank for him...but since Bettas aren't friendly with other fish, he will live in the 3.5 until someday I have LFS credit and can upgrade.

The point of previous posts...quality of care and good judgment can be the deciding factor.

edit: I wasn't clear, I do NOT keep Bettas in 1g anymore. That was wayyy before I learned anything about tropical fish.

 

[HannahBear77]

Ya I know I'm not saying all of them are like that I was basing that of from what I seen my new male that i got is in a 4g Which I hope to upgrading him, and he is very active and very happy but like mentioned before it all goes back to the care of the fish you feed them give a living environment and treat them like you would any other animal

 

[lilfishie]

Yes breeders often use jars as Tolak said, these get daily sometime twice daily water changes to stop ammonia build up, if your not willing to do the water changes daily then get a bigger tank with a filter. they do need a heater though

 

[FishFanatic04]

Heaters for Bettas. I wish they had more small bowl heaters available so at least even with the bad marketing of Bettas, people would end up with a warmed bowl instead of an unfiltered AND unheated one.

 

[Flubberlump]

lies bettas can live in bowls just fine it depends on how big it is but they are just being spoilt if they tell you they need a 3 gallon tank

How can you possibly call giving a betta a better quality of life spoiling them? I have seen bettas cooped up in tiny 'tanks', with no room, no heater, no filter and no enrichment. They looked thoroughly depressed and fed up. They didn't even bother to swim around as they knew there was nowhere to go. I have also seen them in fully planted 10 gallon aquariums and the difference in their activity level, health and lifespan is immense when kept properly. It's true that they're not necessarily the strongest swimmers, but that's due to OUR breeding. It's no reason to keep them in cramped conditions. Do you think a betta in the wild has a territory of that size? No of course not. It's completely unnatural and irresponsible to keep them this way. So they can survive in a 1 gallon tank, so what? That's simply because they're underwater and getting fed. I'm sure you would have something to say if you knew of someone keeping a dog locked in a cage for it's whole life. Fish keeping follows the same principle. There is a difference between surviving and living.

 

[Rummynose]

I wouldn't want to permenantly keep a betta in anything less than 5 gallons with a filter and heater, so I would also agree that both bettas and other fish cannot live in bowls

I agree! Nothing less than 5 gallons!

A Betta is such a gorgeous fish, you can't see his full beauty by making him hover in a "vase"!!!

I guess you could fill the Betta bowl with some marbles to make it look pretty!

 

[pablothebetta]

I wouldn't want to permenantly keep a betta in anything less than 5 gallons with a filter and heater, so I would also agree that both bettas and other fish cannot live in bowls

I agree! Nothing less than 5 gallons!

A Betta is such a gorgeous fish, you can't see his full beauty by making him hover in a "vase"!!!

I guess you could fill the Betta bowl with some marbles to make it look pretty!

^ the vase still wouldn't be as pretty as the betta though

 

[betta lover35]

tell me now how big is it they need at least 18 liters to swim mine is fine its not even really a bowl it a sort of tank bowl thingy

 

[Fishy friend2]

10 liters

 

[Tolak]

Heaters for Bettas. I wish they had more small bowl heaters available so at least even with the bad marketing of Bettas, people would end up with a warmed bowl instead of an unfiltered AND unheated one.

They have them, they just need more market exposure. This is probably the biggest downfall, and most commonly ignored part of keeping bettas in smaller containers. Getting someone to change water on a smaller container is not real hard, getting them to understand that bettas need warmer temperatures is considerably more difficult.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I agree. A betta can be kept happily in a small filterless, tank, provided there is enough room. I prefer at least three gallons as I have seen betta happy for a while in a 3 gallon filterless tank. A heater however, is a must, as the majority of disease I have had with bettas has been stopped by having a heater. Just make sure if you make the decision to go filterless that you are on top of water changes every other day.