Is it INhumane to keep bettas in a 1 gallon fish bowl?

[Alan R]

then why did you bother making a poll?


do some research.

Because i am curious what other people think. I only pointed out that the argument could be made about any fish in any tank. i never said anyone's opinion was wrong. i have mine. You have yours. The reason I made the poll about Bettas specifically is because from what i read they are the most commonly debated as far as the space they are given. From what I often see anyway.

No need to do research. The poll is the best way I know to find out what the popular opinion is. research won't tell me that.

 

[AshK]

They live in rice paddies most of the time..which are shallow but expansive. Think football field....definitely not a puddle!

Just as the "1 inch per gallon" rule is a falsity created by the pet industry, the "bettas live in dirty mud puddles" should be ignored the same.

 

[gmh]

Lupin's post was illustrative (thanks for the pics BTY) . I draw the line at 2 gallons as the smallest acceptable size. It's somewhat subjective of course. We don't know for sure that a Betta is suffering in one of those little bowls. I do know that if I owned fish store I would refuse to carry them housed that way.

 

[DAVIDFBT]

Just because they can for short periods of time doesn't mean it's healthy for them. I would say a minimum of 10 gallons for a male betta.

 

[vampie]

10 gallons for a Betta? That's like saying 80 gallons for a Zebra Danio.

 

[Amante_di_Betta]

I have bettas in 10 gallons, I had a betta in a 29 gallon.

What your research would do is give you knowledge on what they would like, and what they should have as far as conditions and such and my zebra danios will have a 50..how would you like to be put in a bowl small enough for your waste to cycle through your lungs? How long would YOU stay healthy?

 

[Lupin]

10 gallons for a Betta? That's like saying 80 gallons for a Zebra Danio.

Your comparison is largely disproportionate to me. A 80g seem tremendous for a zebra danio but no one in his right mind would ever keep only one zebra danio especially as these are schooling fish. I'd say the 80g is still fine for a large group of zebra danios but not a loner itself.

As for the betta, why not? It's your personal choice. I for one think a 5g ought to suffice as minimum. We are forgetting once again in small tanks, water parameters are not easily controlled compared to large tanks therefore there is always the likeliest chance the fish is suffering from the toxicity of the ammonia and nitrites to the obliviousness of the aquarist.

 

[vampie]

I might not have worded that as well as I would've liked.

I still think 10g is a lot to be considered a minimum for a betta though.

 

[67chevelle]

I keep mine in 5 gallons.They both have a mystery snail with them.They seem healthy and happy,as far as I can tell.But who knows,they don't talk to me.I personally would not keep them in anything smaller.And I do not see the need for companies to make anything smaller than 5 gallons.Anything less and you will probably have water quality issues.The more water,the more the toxins can be diluted.But I think we all know that.

 

[Hooked Newbie]

A lone Betta or Killis are fine in a 5, but I can't imagine anything smaller being suitable for anything besides pond snails.