I do not understand betta bowls

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Mar 24, 2005
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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?
 

shadrac

shadrac
Feb 4, 2005
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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

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Dec 15, 2004
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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

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Mar 28, 2005
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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

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Apr 28, 2005
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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

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Mar 24, 2005
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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. :thm:
 

Dub-Dub

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Sep 27, 2004
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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

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Dec 15, 2004
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FishSeller said:
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

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Mar 24, 2005
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Dub-Dub said:
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.
 
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