Petco Why?

[T3Knical5urg3]

All I have read online is that bettas should not be kept in the small tanks, and from my short period of experience I totally agree. The problem is when I went to petco to buy my first fish there was a little sign that went something like this.

Why are bettas kept in suck small containers?:
Bettas are kept in small containers because they don't require much space. They only use about the size of the cup (maybe a 1/6 gallon) in nature to roam around.

After seeing this I bought a one gallon tank. Shortly after being online I went out and bought my 2.5 (don't have much room) and my lil guy is way happier. It just makes me mad that they make people feel ok going out and buying these tiny little tanks for these poor fish.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

They only use about the size of the cup (maybe a 1/6 gallon) in nature to roam around.

And that is where the ignorance lies?

Isnt it only in the dry season that Betta's live like that in the wild, during the otherseasons they have vast quanitities of water in rice paddie fields to jump too and from, some spots its deeper then 2 foot. The reason they are kept in the cups is because they can breath from the surface and that they have been so interbred to get the desired tail type that they are now crippled by the most appealing feature, where in the wild they are alot more active....

thats what I thought anyway..

 

[metromyers]

I am sorry but there is no way any creature should have to live in something the size of an orange, in water that only fills the cup 1/2 way, and is the color of toilet water. Then the tanks they sell are not much bigger or better. Sorry for getting on my soapbox (again) but the box pet stores and even some lfs are at blame. We look to them for correct information about fish care and most of them don't know sh#t. That idea that "it's only just a fish" needs to change.