any gourami can go in a betta bowl

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Hans

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Oct 24, 2003
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there is an ongoing argument at my place of work, some people think that any type of labyrinth fish can go in a bowl, not just bettas since they all have that lung thingy, also gouramis are proven to live in water that is 40 degress F. so i dont see why I cant have a dwarf gourami on my desk!
 

EvanH

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Dec 25, 2003
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well, i don't know about the science... but when my power went out for 5 days, my gourami's were very happy... so happy infact that they just floated and didn't move!
 

dethjam316

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Apr 6, 2003
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i don't know about 40 degrees...maybe 60-65 degrees. personally, i wouldn't keep a betta (or any fish) in a bowl. i just see this as a stressful life, not merely because of the tiny size, but also because of the potential stress involved with massive, frequent water changes.

i have a blue gourami quarrantined in a 3g eclipse. i don't think this is good for the fish, but it is necessary at the moment. the fish is actually doing fairly well in that unheated, but filtered tank. however, i do live in florida, so the ambient temp in my apartment never drops below 70, and is usually between 74-77. most gouramis get too large to really consider them good for bowl-sized tanks...larger than bettas, in any case.

but...when i think about it, i suppose one *could* keep a single dwarf in a bowl and have it *survive*. i just don't think it would flourish. of course, i'm not sure that bowl-bettas *flourish* either.
 

PumaWard

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Jul 23, 2003
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some people think that any type of labyrinth fish can go in a bowl, not just bettas since they all have that lung thingy,
Well, I hate to say, but this is quite simply not very smart. By saying this, you're saying that you can keep a giant gourami (24'' fish) in a bowl. Maybe a snakehead ?? Or a 12'' kisser, 6'' 3-spot??

A dwarf gourami would most likely die off quickly if left in a bowl long term with no heat. It would most likely develope dropsy before long due to the high polutants and low temperature.
 

dethjam316

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Originally posted by PumaWard
A dwarf gourami would most likely die off quickly if left in a bowl long term with no heat. It would most likely develope dropsy before long due to the high polutants and low temperature.
but how is this any worse than keeping a betta in a bowl? in fact, most things i have read note that bettas prefer about the same water temperature as dwarf gouramis, and a couple sites i just checked listed the minimum temperature as LOWER for dwarves than bettas (72 v. 74). this may be because of the shallow water pools bettas typically inhabit in the wild, i don't know.

i don't see your argument, puma, when i really think about this. are we being held down by the convention that it's okay to keep bettas in bowls, but not dwarf gouramis? that's what it seems like to me. personally, i don't think either is a good idea, but are dwarves that much more susceptible to dropsy, etc., than bettas?
 

yonderway

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Mar 14, 2004
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Originally posted by Hans
there is an ongoing argument at my place of work, some people think that any type of labyrinth fish can go in a bowl, not just bettas since they all have that lung thingy, also gouramis are proven to live in water that is 40 degress F. so i dont see why I cant have a dwarf gourami on my desk!
Personally I think putting bettas in a tiny little bowl that they can barely turn around in is poor treatment.

A human being can go for a three day stretch without drinking a drop of water. That doesn't mean that they should.

Strive to provide an appropriate environment for your pets. You are a steward of their environment, and they are totally dependent on your for their health and long life.

People that put bettas in a tiny bowl should be shoved in a small coat closet for a few weeks.
 

dethjam316

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let's please try not turn this into an ethics of keeping bettas in bowls thread...we've done those time and time again.

i think the thread is far more interesting if the debate is over whether dwarf gouramis could also be kept in a setup like a betta. i don't see why anyone would want to do this, nor would i advise it, but it is interesting to consider whether the established practice of keeping bettas like this has skewed the perception of other fish that no one would ever consider keeping in a bowl but might live just as "successfully" in one. i think the important questions to consider are: are bettas "ok" to keep in a bowl (as seen by most people) merely because they have been kept like this so commonly for so long? or our there more complex reasons (ie: selective breeding, evolutionary traits) as to why betta splendens can be kept in these setups but its close relatives can't?
 
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dethjam316

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i think y'all are missing my point. please re-read all my posts in this subject, before simply chiming in that you think bettas shouldn't be in bowls. that's not in question here...because:

there is an established convention that bettas are the *only* fish "okay" for a bowl, whether you agree with it or not. i personally don't, but that is immaterial to the question at hand.

so, i'll ask again: why have bettas been accepted as a fish that "succeeds" in such an environment, while its small relatives are deemed not acceptable for a bowl? i for one think hans has a posed an interesting question. by saying you don't think bettas should be in bowls, you're ignoring the complex question and putting 2 cents in on a simple issue that's been beat to death.
 
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