Bettas Natural Environment

[Gurglar]

So i'm fairly new to this job at one of my local pet stores and had a little disagreement with my co-workers. One of them was talking to a lady about bettas and told her that they can live in tiny amounts of water because in the wild they live in tiny puddles of the footprints of buffalo in rice paddies.

Now after she left the store I told him I disagreed with him (hes the manager by the way) and I thought they lived in lake type places (I know thats kinda wrong) with a fairly decent amount of water. He then disagreed and another co worker jumped in on his side saying he was right (hes worked there for years).

Now after doing some research they were right about the rice paddy part but not in the slightest that they live in buffalo footprints.

What I found is that they actually live in the rice paddies where the rice gets grown which is usually shallow but a large amount of space. Also found that the labryinth organ was not made so they can survive in tiny puddles, it was made because they live in really hot water which is low on oxygen levels so they needed another way to get more oxygen.

So yeah just annoyed and will be having a talk to them when I work with them again but can't imagine all the bad advise they have been giving to people for years. Its not just the betta part i've heard heaps of stuff I disagree with but end up being overrun by the poeple that have been there longer and get why there are so many misinformed people out there about fish.

End rant/

 

[5teady_2012]

See this thread

click here

 

[Tolak]

You are both wrong. Today's domestically bred Betta splendens, with their beautiful colors and fabulous fins are not found in rice paddys, nor in hoof prints.

 

[5teady_2012]

You are both wrong. Today's domestically bred Betta splendens, with their beautiful colors and fabulous fins are not found in rice paddys, nor in hoof prints.

yeah thats why i gave him that link cos it says that in it lol

 

[tom130691]

See this thread

click here

1/2 a gal (small spaces are fine for a small while)
sort it out it will live yes but will it be happy no its like you being stuck in a prison cell tbh you wont like it

3-10 gal is better in my opinion

 

[grumpysteve]

thats the problem with a lot of shop staff. i informed a manager of a pet shop that siamese algae eaters are different from flying fox after another customer asked about them, only for her to say "i don't know" then walk off.
i suggest you find out as much as you can about all the fish your shop stocks, and if someone asks you a question you don't know the answer to be honest. maybe even try and find the answer for them in a book or something before they leave.
most shop staff are there to sell, and don't care about the fish or customers, this could be your chance to make a difference!

IMO no fish should be kept in a tank smaller than 13G, and betta's can be just as happy in a slighlty bigger tank than a small one. anything less than 10G is just cruel in my opinion. Its all about providing what the fish needs

 

[GuppyGoddess]

See this thread

click here

1/2 a gal (small spaces are fine for a small while)
sort it out it will live yes but will it be happy no its like you being stuck in a prison cell tbh you wont like it

3-10 gal is better in my opinion

Ugh, this subject is repeated over and over on the Betta Forum!

 

[Honeythorn]

You are both wrong. Today's domestically bred Betta splendens, with their beautiful colors and fabulous fins are not found in rice paddys, nor in hoof prints.

No, but their bodies still function in the same way, ( aside from some of the Very fancy types being a little more hampered in their swimming but even they tend to do just fine ) and they are still as agressive which is why we don't keep males together as adults.

Some bettas in the wild do get stuck in hoofprints and small puddles, but not for their whole lives, just the dry season . They can certainly survive in such a small amount of water, but this manner of survival has led people to believe that such fish should be kept permanently in daft little tanks, based on this ability. Because it's nice and convenient for the owner to have a pretty little tank to put on a shelf with an amusing fish in it.

Ugh, this subject is repeated over and over on the Betta Forum!

And no doubt it will be as long as a betta forum exists.

 

[OohFeeshy]

and they are still as agressive which is why we don't keep males together as adults.

Actually, they're more aggressive. 'Cultivated' splendens will, if given half the chance, fight to the death; even if one surrenders the other one won't generally stop attacking. This has no advantage for wild bettas- once one fish has won, the other leaves and the winner stays in the territory. They've been bred for generation upon generation to modify their behaviour as well as appearance.

 

[GuppyGoddess]

You are both wrong. Today's domestically bred Betta splendens, with their beautiful colors and fabulous fins are not found in rice paddys, nor in hoof prints.

No, but their bodies still function in the same way, ( aside from some of the Very fancy types being a little more hampered in their swimming but even they tend to do just fine ) and they are still as agressive which is why we don't keep males together as adults.

Some bettas in the wild do get stuck in hoofprints and small puddles, but not for their whole lives, just the dry season . They can certainly survive in such a small amount of water, but this manner of survival has led people to believe that such fish should be kept permanently in daft little tanks, based on this ability. Because it's nice and convenient for the owner to have a pretty little tank to put on a shelf with an amusing fish in it.

Ugh, this subject is repeated over and over on the Betta Forum!

And no doubt it will be as long as a betta forum exists.

Ahhh, everyone should just post the same thing in his/her signature lines and then type, "read sig. below for answer."

 

[grumpysteve]

i just want to say, although a betta can survive in a small tank doesn't mean it should or that it's happay and healthy.

there's a HUGE difference between surviving and thriving