I do not understand betta bowls

[windeindoiel]

How do they work? They don't have any filters, they don't have anything that would hold denitrifying bacteria well, they don't have bubblers... How do they function? How are the fish ok in them?

The reason I ask is that I came home and looked at the forgotten non fluffy pet stuff stored under the lizard tank (he's coming with me one day!) and I discovered a betta bowl. And I was thinking perhaps I'd fix it up, clean it up, add some live plants, and get myself a betta. Maybe a frog too, if I can, I'll research that stuff when I understand this.

So help me out, how do the fish live in them?

[Kasakato]

No filter= bad
Size- Bad
No bubbler= So-so
Space for bacteria= walls, gravel, etc
----------------------------------
Over all rating fir beta bowls: Bad

They just aren’t meant for fish.

[shadrac]

betta bowls are not good in my opinion they really not a suitible home for any fish it will take a long time for any bactira to build up to do anything about nitrites(plants help) you have to change the water everyday from what iv seen algea grows like crazy in them so you always have to clean it and you betta is not going to look as good as he can.i would recomend nothing smaller than a 2.5gal. red sea makes a nano filter for small tank up to 3gal which works good for betta tanks i also wouldnt put a adf in anything smaller than a 2.5.

i always feel bad for bettas in little bowls.

[Harlock]

They work by providing the minimal needs for the animal's life. Quite sad, really. Bettas have a labyrinth organ and so can go to the top of a bowl with little gas exchnage and actually "breathe" air. Not exactly a lung, but they can survive in lousy conditions. Also, as Kas pointed out, the necessary bacteria can cling to glas and any meager gravel base in the bowl, but most betta bowls really need very frequent water changes in order to keep the toxins down. All told, they are not fit for fish.

[greendeltatke]

One thing it would work great for is a carnivorous plant. They have to be kept very moist, but they need an open top to attract prey. We got a Venus fly trap a few weeks ago at a Lowes store.

[FishSeller]

Trying not to start a flame war or argue, BUT Bettas have beeen raised in bowls in the far east for much longer than the United States has been in existance. I have photographs of literally thousands of bettas being kept in half-filled whiskey bottles- so many, in fact, that you could walk over the tops of the bottles. Keep your feeding in check, change your water at least twice a week. Avoid the ADF. You should be just fine.

[mvigor]

It would also be good to mention the sizes of the "bowls" being mentioned. As the size increases the chances of the Betta being comfortable increase as well.

I've seen on the shelf at Wal-Mart a fancy desk light slash Betta bowl combo that looks to hold about 1 to maybe 1.5 cups of water. That's horrible.

On the other hand if you get your Betta 2 quarts or a gallon of water and a live plant, although it's not all you can do for him, it's certainly better than the smaller one I mentioned.

Of course try to tell me he doesn't look happy. (http://www.vigorfamily.com/post_images/fishnpics/betta_aquarium/betta_aquarium.html) :thm:

[Dub-Dub]

So glad I saw this thread. My niece has a beta in a bowl, and it has been there for months, and months... i think she may have got it at a birthday party last summer. Anyway, it always irritated me, but since my family and I have other things to fight about, I let it lie, but feel guilty every time I see it.

I have a 2.5g tank from which I rescued my current goldfish (where he had originally been living with 4 other goldfish before they died). I think I am gonna bring that over to them. Could I set it up with gravel from my current tank? Maybe a plant too? Do they have to dechlorinate water for betas too? Advice?

For the not-wanting-to-start-a-flame-war person above... i can show you pictures of humans living in cages for 50 plus years... that doesn't make it right.

[Harlock]

Trying not to start a flame war or argue, BUT Bettas have beeen raised in bowls in the far east for much longer than the United States has been in existance. I have photographs of literally thousands of bettas being kept in half-filled whiskey bottles- so many, in fact, that you could walk over the tops of the bottles. Keep your feeding in check, change your water at least twice a week. Avoid the ADF. You should be just fine.
Yes, FishSeller, this has been a practice for a very long time. However, when we know better, shouldn't we also change how we do things? For instance in dog breeding now we are finding out more and more what the rampant inbreeding of related dogs has done to them. Should we simply turn a blind eye and say, "Oh well, the Boston Terrier was made this way, it should be just fine."? Or, should we learn from our mistakes and move toward correcting them?

In the case of bettas we know that they do, in fact, thrive in larger tanks. The old advice about the stronger currents of larger tanks is bunk. We now know that they'll enjoy an occasional swim against the current just to play. We also know they'll swim all over the larger tank and not just sit nearly motionless like they are forced to in a betta bowl. I, for one, will not let history dictate how I keep my fish, especially when new practices have proven to be better. Just my $.02 USD.

[mvigor]

My niece has a beta in a bowl...it always irritated me...I feel guilty every time I see it. I have a 2.5g tank. Could I set it up with gravel from my current tank? Maybe a plant too? Do they have to dechlorinate water for betas too? Advice?

I think that's an excellent idea. The gravel from your current tank would have some bacteria in it, which is a very good thing. A plant would be great too, but unless there is a light I think you'll want to find a Java Fern or Java Moss. Others MIGHT grow, but probably wouldn't. A silk artificial would be soft enough to work as well, but avoid plastic that might rip his fins.

You definitely do need to decholorinate the water, so buy them a bottle of that product too. I picked up a 4 ounce bottle from Wal-mart of Warley Watercare Chlor Out. I like it because you use 5 drops per gallon of water, which makes it easy to dose small tanks without the need for teeny measuring spoons.

[Dub-Dub]

My other idea... My brother has a 20g built into the wall like 8 feet from where the tiny betta jail is now. He used to keep a host of tiny fish, and be into it, but as the kids multiplied, the time for the tank got divided...

If he just started that tank again, the betta would have a great home, and I think my brother would like the hobby again...

Maybe I'll bring the tank for the short term solution, and nudge on the more perminant solution.

My girlfriend loves (or hates, or, more acurately, gets amusement from) how I can't do something without doing it 120%. My rescued goldfish of 2" now lives in a 30g tank, with another small goldfish... and I'm planning for a 55 or 75g replacement... maybe a 150. I just like to go way overboard... think how happy the betta would be in a nice big tank!

[reignman40]

I completely agree with most in this thread. Bettas as well as a lot of goldfish will "live" in horrible conditions, but that certainly doesn't make it right or even humane in that respect. I can't stand when people say "they seem fine in black water" or other comments pretty much just as ignorant.

I just spent 3 hours last night thoroughly cleaning my parents tank. It smelled bad, weird brown substance covered the entire tank. The water hadn't been changed in prob a year and they just added straight tap water when it evaporated. Yes the fish lived but how do you think they felt.

Yeah...
Betta + small bowl = very unhappy fish

Mine LOVES my 20 gall and utilizes every last inch of it. Plays in the current. Swims through the live plants. Hides in the cave. Contrary to popular belief they love larger environments.

My $.02,
Curtis

[mvigor]

Maybe I'll bring the tank for the short term solution, and nudge on the more perminant solution.

Yes, good idea. If he had the wall tank running in the last few years then he probably still has the filter and heater, etc. too.

I just moved my Betta into a 5 gallon tank this week and already I couldn't imagine keeping him in anything smaller. You should see him swim around the place! He swims through the plants, plays in the current, explores the coconut cave on the bottom, just generally enjoys himself.

[windeindoiel]

Thanks for all the replies. Yeah the bowl is about a gallon, maybe a little less. The venus fly trap thing was a good idea, does anyone else have ideas of what I could use the betta bowl for?

[zazz]

Thanks for all the replies. Yeah the bowl is about a gallon, maybe a little less. The venus fly trap thing was a good idea, does anyone else have ideas of what I could use the betta bowl for?

Snails?
Crickets? (with a sceen on top)
Sea monkeys?
A floating candle?
Growing something the lizard likes to eat?
With a tiny filter, could a pair of endlers live in there?
A mini terrarium, mostly moss?

[Boohoo]

Put some polished river rocks in and then get some lucky bamboo.

[greendeltatke]

Triops- the new sea monkeys.

[windeindoiel]

You know I really like the idea of triops/sea monkeys. Actually I also have this stupid little spongebob tank that is the same kind of deal (although it has a bubbler, like it matters). So last night my boyfriend and I (funny story really) went out to get some plants for his pond and some little water creatures for me. He had borrowed a tracker that he had for like 8 years and sold to his cousin. He has 4 by 4ed in this thing before, so he thinks it's invincible. The plants were pretty deep in the pond so he just drove right out there. Well we got stuck. So he called his boss. And he got stuck. Finally someone who drove by (we were right by the road) came and helped us. They got us out but his boss has a big huge truck that the little jeeps we were driving couldn't pull out. So we had to call off-terrain rescue. :thud:

At least while I was sitting in the car watching the water cover the pedals I decided to stick the net I'd brought out the window and I caught a bunch of little water bugs and some tadpoles. Right now they're all in the sponge bob tank but if the little bugs get meanish I'm going to move the tadpole. One of them unfortunately didn't make the ride home. :(

Thanks for the ideas by the way. :D

[FisheyLisa]

A few Least killiefish and some little plants.

I have had experience with bettas in a vase and 3,5,15, and 30 gallon tank. Depending on personality, they are more active in a larger tank (mine seems to be more so with tankmates.), swimming in a current, poking around at things, or laying in plants. If it wasn't for the fact that they eat a lot of other things, they'd be kept in aquariums with the rest of fish for sale, and perhaps treated better by pet owners who saw a good habitat demonstrated. (could you imagine the carnage though, with all the people who don't do research before having certain fish ...myself included!)

[D4MI4N]

As long as they are maintained, ie, the water is changed weekly, and
they not over-fed, I do not believe that a betta bowl is
necessarily cruel.

I have used gravel from an established tank to line the bottom of betta
bowls, and tested ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates every day for over a
month, and ammonia and nitrites remained at 0ppm, and nitrates were
slower in growth that my full tanks.

When I have kept bettas in traditional (western traditional) setups,
they choose some overhead cover in the corner, and stake it out. Once,
I placed the bowl a betta (Geraldo) had been living in, inside his new
10 gal aquarium, which he had to himself at the time. He took up
residence inside the bowl, inside the tank.

In the wild, Betta Splendens lives in oxygen poor, bacterially rich,
shallow muddy paddies, replete with rotting matter. A maintained
bowl is pristine in comparison.

Bettas in bowls are not the same as goldfish in bowls. Goldfish bowls
are always bad news. Goldfish get too big too fast, create copious
amounts of waste like no other fish I know of, and have no labarynthine
organ with which to breath surface air.

Betta bowls do have problems. Temperature regulation is of some
concern. Such a small mass of water, without heating or cooling
elements can fluctuate drastically. No fish digs that. For the moment,
I keep my bowls in the most temperature stable areas of my home. I
would be interested in a better solution, if someone's got one. But for
now, and the last eight years or so, they've been doing quite well (none
have lived 8 years, max is 4, average 2-3), exhibiting healthy, normal
appearance and behavioral responses.

Another problem is that many betta bowls have reflective inside surfaces
so that the bettas is constantly at odds with a phantom foe. I don't
know if they design them like this on purpose, so they're always
displaying, or not, but that sucks. Be sure your betta can relax.

I hate it more than anything when people do not provide the proper
environment for their living wards. I just don't think this is one of
those times. Don't get me started on the others...

[TKOS]

Umm betta's in the wild live in rice paddies, yes. But rice paddies are huge. We seem to discuss this every so often here. Rice paddies aren't small puddles, though they are shallow by human standards.

As for what to keep in a betta bowl, how about goldfish crackers. They are transfat free.

[Boohoo]

Thats a great idea TKOS but in my house the bowl would still be empty 99% of the time. :)

[Kasakato]

I thought that this was dead!

[Emg]

I'm with D4...

I have put two of my betta in those small quart sized betta hexes...a temporary situation as I had to use the 10 divided I had them in to house some juvenile rams...well...

I used Echo-Complete as the substrate and added some small live plants....and those betta have been doing just fine in these tanks. Algae, not a problem...plants doing very well (I dose with excel)....betta...seems happy and healthy and haven't had an issue with either of them since being in there. And frankly...I don't change the water every day either...about once a week. I believe the plants are a big help here.

I keep a close eye on these little tanks..because they are so little....but the fish have room enough to swim around..granted, not as much as a larger tank..but enough that they don't look cramped. I do plan on moving them into larger quarters when I can...but for now......they're fine !

If someone wants to keep fish, but doesn't have the room for a larger tank...I see no problem with betta bowls....but...I would definitly recommend a good substrate and live plants and keeping them in a place where the water temp can remain fairly stable. I have 3 one gallon betta tanks in one of the cubbies on my computer desk. With the tanks surrounded on three sides, plus the shelf overhead....the temp in that little cubby stays pretty even...(I have thermometers in each of the tanks) A well thought out and carefully cared for smaller tank (say, at least one gallon) can work out rather well if you are conscienceous in your care. ;)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/morroman/emgfishpics/DCP_5646.jpg

[Holly9937]

Ok, How about this (which would be better?): A 2.5 g tank with heater and filter, or a 5g tank (or even slightly bigger) with no filter/heater, but kept in a stable temp. room, and frequent water changes (and set up with established gravel, etc.)????

[reignman40]

Those are nice little setups Emg. I really like the small live plants in those. Those are some of the nicer small tanks I've seen.

[D4MI4N]

Umm betta's in the wild live in rice paddies, yes. But rice paddies are huge. We seem to discuss this every so often here. Rice paddies aren't small puddles, though they are shallow by human standards.



My point about rice paddies is not volume, but quality. Have you seen a southeast asian rice paddie? Rice paddies in Japan, Korea, and northern China tend to be clearer, but in Laos, Viet Nam and Thailand, they are muddy as hell. The visibility is nil. A fish growing up in zero vis, suddenly transplanted into even 5 inches of clear water would think he could see for miles. As for water quality, please see previous post.

[Tetras_Rule33]

Okay, lol but I feel like bringing this back. I don't see anything wrong in betta bowls if the fish is taken care of well. I mean they have thousands of bettas in stores everywhere in little cups that need anything better than that. A betta bowl or a nice big vase would be a lot better for a betta than those cups. So your saving one in a way from being a lot less stressed.

[RUSH2112]

Bettas at Wal Mart have a pathetic life. Don't contribute to this and provide good filtraton, live plant and water changes. These are no less fish than tetras, chiclids ore goldfish for that matter.

Not a tree hugger, just don't like abuse

RUSH2112

[jaenelle]

The smallest tank I would even consider putting a betta in is a 10-gallon. That's what one of mine is in, the other is in my 29. I just think bowls are cruel. Like PPs said, they provide the minimum needs but little else. I wouldn't do it if I could possibly avoid it by doing something better.

[TheMightyQueenPixie]

If you wanna keep one and aquascape it, go for it...EMS did some nice stuff with her simple set ups...Personally i always keep bare bottom becaus I keep too many and it is much simpler to keep the water healthy without gravel (traps detrius) and without plants ( that can rot and foul water ) ...Jars are fine if you can keep them about 74 degrees...The smaller the jar, the more frequent the water change...This is a pic of my 45 long that i over winter Bettas in the house...It is also handy for growing out my never ending supply of platy fry... http://themightyqueenpixie.tripod.com/fishpics/index.album?i=11

[nlmadison]

Thanks for all the replies. Yeah the bowl is about a gallon, maybe a little less. The venus fly trap thing was a good idea, does anyone else have ideas of what I could use the betta bowl for?


I have some pothos (ivy which grows in water or soil) in my old goldfish bowl. The ivy has been growing in water in that bowl for over 20 years! I just add/change the water on a regular basis and give it some water soluable fertilizer once in a while.

N.

[lkh]

OK, here's my 2cents. What sucked me into the betta hobby was my coworker got one, which she kept in one of those hourglass shaped vases that MIGHT hold half a gallon of water. He was a lively little guy and I fell in love. That was about three years ago. I researched bettas and then bought two, which I housed in 2.5 gallon filtered tanks. I eventually got three more, which I kept in various bowls, all at least a gallon.

I kind of felt sorry for my coworker's betta, stuck in a bowl that she maybe cleans every other week if it looks nasty. My tanks were cleaned weekly, with partial water changes in the tanks and complete changes in the bowls.

One of my bettas in the tank did awful from the start. He saw his own reflection in the side of the tank, and started tearing his own tail. So I kept his tank dark, but he still did it now and again. I covered the sides of his tank to make it less reflective. Still a problem. I noticed the current from the filter was making him nervous, so I turned it way down. Still a problem. He eventually succumbed to infection. The other tank dweller is still going strong.

Of the three in bowls, one died of a tumor, and the other just passed from dropsy (which did NOT have to do with the water parameters, which were checked weekly and were absolutely fine - I've been told by breeders that dropsy is just something that happens sometimes to bettas). The third is happily ensconced in a gallon jar at work.

As for my coworker's betta, he is still going strong. He's now in a 3/4 gallon drum bowl, which she still cleans maybe every other week.

Anyway, all that to say I really don't think it makes that much difference. Just keep in mind that water changes are essential, no matter where you keep them.

And the point made much earlier in the thread about temp is a good one. It's VERY hard to keep bowls at a stable temp.

L