Unpopular Opinions (fish related)

Yep, but I wouldn't recommend it though, I've done it before and the main problem is feeding, either the betta got to much food which isn't good or the betta doesn't get enough food. I keep my betta alone now, it's better this way :D

Yes, I've done it too and the feeding is really tough to navigate.
 
Here's another opinion from me, betta can be a good centerpiece fish if done correctly.
I've only kept Bettas as centerpiece fish. I prefer to give them larger tanks with other fish, than to keep them alone in tiny tanks.

More of my potentially unpopular opinions:

Algae is good. I like algae in my tanks. Nothing wrong with it.

Pest snails aren't pests. They are great to have in a tank, just don't overfeed.

I much prefer wild fish to all of the fancy domestic strains that have been produced nowadays.

Fish bred for longfins look terrible.

When a neon tetra or a dwarf gourami are sick, many people jump straight to NTD or iridovirus. This results in the unnecessary deaths of a lot of these fish.

Bettas, guppies and discus are overrated. All flash and no substance. Discus in particular are not worth the effort that is needed to keep them in my opinion.

"Rescuing" a fish from a store does nothing, as you have just provided the funds and the incentive for that store to get more fish like that. You are unintentionally feeding the cycle.
 
I've only kept Bettas as centerpiece fish. I prefer to give them larger tanks with other fish, than to keep them alone in tiny tanks.

More of my potentially unpopular opinions:

Algae is good. I like algae in my tanks. Nothing wrong with it.

Pest snails aren't pests. They are great to have in a tank, just don't overfeed.

I much prefer wild fish to all of the fancy domestic strains that have been produced nowadays.

Fish bred for longfins look terrible.

When a neon tetra or a dwarf gourami are sick, many people jump straight to NTD or iridovirus. This results in the unnecessary deaths of a lot of these fish.

Bettas, guppies and discus are overrated. All flash and no substance. Discus in particular are not worth the effort that is needed to keep them in my opinion.

"Rescuing" a fish from a store does nothing, as you have just provided the funds and the incentive for that store to get more fish like that. You are unintentionally feeding the cycle.
This Betta in a big tank with other fish thing has caught my interest. My son would like a betta and I'm freeing up a 200l so potentially he could have one in there with other fish? What other fish would you advise? Is it preferable to keep female Betta if doing so?
 
This Betta in a big tank with other fish thing has caught my interest. My son would like a betta and I'm freeing up a 200l so potentially he could have one in there with other fish? What other fish would you advise? Is it preferable to keep female Betta if doing so?

A lot of us on here would tell you that you should never keep a betta with other fish. That being said, there a plenty of people who have had a lot of success keeping bettas in a community tank. It mostly depends on the betta and what his/her tankmates are.
You might have more success keeping a female in a community tank, but that, again, depends on the individual fish.
For tankmates, you should choose smaller schooling fish that don't move extremely fast, don't look similar to a betta, and won't nip the betta's long fins. Rasboras are always a good choice, as well as certain types of tetras like neons or ember tetras.
If you do decide to try keeping a betta in a community tank, remember that there is a chance that the betta might randomly flip out and start killing the other fish. You should have a separate tank ready in case this should ever happen.
 
I've only kept Bettas as centerpiece fish. I prefer to give them larger tanks with other fish, than to keep them alone in tiny tanks.

Sometimes this works.

Algae is good. I like algae in my tanks. Nothing wrong with it.

No! :angry: Not unless you have an algae eater to get rid of it.


Pest snails aren't pests. They are great to have in a tank, just don't overfeed.

This is true. Pest snails are actually a good way to tell if you are overfeeding your tank. I don't mind them at all.

I much prefer wild fish to all of the fancy domestic strains that have been produced nowadays.

Most of the time, yes, the wild strains are better.

Fish bred for longfins look terrible.

I agree, except for the longfinned cherry barbs. They don't actually look that bad.


When a neon tetra or a dwarf gourami are sick, many people jump straight to NTD or iridovirus. This results in the unnecessary deaths of a lot of these fish.

:good:

Bettas, guppies and discus are overrated. All flash and no substance. Discus in particular are not worth the effort that is needed to keep them in my opinion.

Guppies and discus I agree with. Not bettas though. I love bettas. :wub: They just have so much personality.

"Rescuing" a fish from a store does nothing, as you have just provided the funds and the incentive for that store to get more fish like that. You are unintentionally feeding the cycle.

This is true, except for if you steal the fish (which I'm not saying you should do, but at least the store doesn't get any money and the fish gets a home) or ask to get it for free.
 
This Betta in a big tank with other fish thing has caught my interest. My son would like a betta and I'm freeing up a 200l so potentially he could have one in there with other fish? What other fish would you advise? Is it preferable to keep female Betta if doing so?
That's a nice sized tank. I do feel that a larger tank with tankmates is better for them than the small tanks that most people keep them in. I've come to learn that most here consider keeping a Betta in communities as a sin. They would strongly advise not to keep them in communities, you likely won't be seen in a good light around here if you do as I do. So you may be best reconsidering on the Betta. Anyway, I agree with FishFinatic on the rasboras. Harlequins and espei are among the better options for schoolers. Corydoras species that don't need cooler water, Pangio loaches. Plecos. I don't keep them with anything too flashy, or anything with a reputation for nippiness.

Females work fine in my experience. I try to stick to short finned Bettas nowadays. They are better off without the long fins.
I agree, except for the longfinned cherry barbs. They don't actually look that bad.
Longfinned oscars and arowana are among the worst.
except for if you steal the fish
This. This I'm okay with.
 
Just looked up long finned oscars. I'm sad now. How do they look like that? Is it selective breeding?
Yeah, they were selectively bred to look like that as far as I'm aware. It completely takes away from the look of the oscar.
 
Yeah, they were selectively bred to look like that as far as I'm aware. It completely takes away from the look of the oscar.
I agree. It probably makes them miserable with other cichlids too. Impossible to defend your territory when your busy getting caught on stuff :(
 
Algae is good. I like algae in my tanks. Nothing wrong with it.
Including hair algae and BBA ? :eek:

Fish bred for longfins look terrible.
couldnt agree more, i used to love betta with long fin, but after keeping one myself i changed my mind. This isnt applied to betta only though.


Bettas, guppies and discus are overrated. All flash and no substance. Discus in particular are not worth the effort that is needed to keep them in my opinion.
i agree with guppies and discus
 

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