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

[Hooked Newbie]

Bettacreek... I think we are actually agreeing, but stating things differently.

A betta can survive healthy and even be bred in a 1G enclosure... yes.

Should it be permanently homed in that type of tank, No.

If they weren't so popular and "disposable", there would not be "COMMERCIAL" breeders mass producing them.

 

[AshK]

As for the "save the fish in the cup", the people who do this are fools.

Ouch. I do not consider myself a fool. My peers and I are working diligently to better the lives of bettas. It is true that the bettas we save will be replaced by others, but our "rescues" is not all we do. We are working to change the industry standards of bettas in cups, improper temperatures and mass breedings. Every betta we save is just a small gesture, and not the whole picture of what we "fools" are striving for.

 

[katuuuz]

If you were fed properly and the closet cleaned weekly. you could easily survive in a 2x2x2 box. Does surviving equal proper housing?

This is oblivious to everything. You are comparing a Betta fish to a human being. And to answer your question, if I was properly fed I could survive in any space I could fit. Would I be happy? No, but I'd have to say my human brain is far more advanced to know the difference, and harness any type of emotion at all for that matter. At the end of the day, it's a fish, and it can live healthily in a 1 gallon bowl. I think we're giving it a little too much credit talking about it's "happiness".

 

[katuuuz]

My peers and I are working diligently to better the lives of bettas.

I think I can say we all agree that the Betta fish should not be improperly kept, or abused. If the debate is about Betta in fishbowls vs. 5 gallon tanks, as long as they are healthy everyone wins.. no? I'm sorry but I can't see how you can make a healthy Betta's life better. If we both have Betta that live full healthy lives, is yours better because it had more trees to swim by?

 

[Adroit]

I agree with katuuuz. If the betta is healthy and properly fed, then there is nothing wrong with it living in a 1 gallon tank. The real issue here is always about the person taking care of the fish and their knowledge of how to properly maintain a tank that size.

 

[vampie]

I'd have to agree as well. And to be fair, a 1g bowl for a Betta is much bigger proportionally than a 2x2x2 box for a human being.

 

[Amante_di_Betta]

Its still a living thing, its not meat to be taken literal..

 

[katuuuz]

Its still a living thing, its not meat to be taken literal..

...and my bowl Betta is a living healthy thing. Space, plants, toys are all extras for the benefit of the keeper. If you enjoy watching your fish flourish around a million gallon tank swimming through hoops - and he's healthy, congratulations - you've accomplished what you want to see your fish do.

 

[Amante_di_Betta]

healthy and living yes..but is it happy?

 

[vampie]

And how do you tell if it's happy?