10g Betta tank - pic

Blinky

Blinky

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I recently had someone at work (LFS weekend job) lodge a complaint with my manager for telling her that a Betta would do better in a 10g than the bowl she had planned on buying. Apparantly she did some 'research' and learned that 'because Bettas live in puddles in the wild they're most comfortable in a bowl' and thought I was lying to her so I could sell her something more expensive :rolleyes:.
I brought home a male and a female from work, gave them a 10g to themselves, and they look pretty darned happy to me :D

10gNov25.jpg
 
What a great picture. I keep my Betta in a 10 gallon tank too. When they have more room they really blossom. He loves having a larger territory to dominate. I keep him with 5 baby Platys. They get along great and love to tease eachother. It is a very entertaining tank.
Some people can be so dumb. I hope your manager didn't give you any trouble.
 
nice tank my betta (well its my moms) is in a little 1 gallon tank but mabey when i move my cichlids into the big tank i could put the betta in my ten gallon
 
Blinky said:
I recently had someone at work (LFS weekend job) lodge a complaint with my manager for telling her that a Betta would do better in a 10g than the bowl she had planned on buying. Apparantly she did some 'research' and learned that 'because Bettas live in puddles in the wild they're most comfortable in a bowl' and thought I was lying to her so I could sell her something more expensive :rolleyes:.
I brought home a male and a female from work, gave them a 10g to themselves, and they look pretty darned happy to me :D
Click to expand...
Bettas should not be kept in bowls and they do not live in puddles.

They live in large rice paddies that have slowly moving fresh river water irrigated into them. During the drought or dry season some of those paddies do dry up and only a few puddles are left, but that is a temporary condition. Their ability to survive in puddles until the rainy season recommences hasn't done them much good in the pet trade at all.

That's why they are so hardy. They are survivors that can live under very harsh conditions, but those conditions are usually temporary in nature. I'm sure there are some that are cut-off from the main paddy or the season doesn't get wet enough to restore them to a large body of water, or the environment changes and the paddies are no more, but they survive. Those are the ones who probably end up perpetuating the myth.

There are some Australian freshwater rainbow fish, Melanotaenia australis, that live in the Blackmore river. The river drains into to the sea and during the dry season, the river water drops and is blocked by a road that runs across it. Those rainbows that become stranded on the other side and in the tidal pools survive in 17ppt salinity. By the time the rainy season starts up again and the water becomes fresh, it's almost full marine.

Those fish are not brackish or marine fish, they are just very adaptable. But, like the betta, people see them in marine conditions and assume they are supposed to be kept that way.

Roan
 
poor bettas

I have one betta in a 5 gallon tank and he is very happy and active compared to when he was in the little bowl they had him in i feel so sorry for those bettas in those tiny bowl i think it should be animal cruelty
 
Nice tank picture. I would keep an eye on the two though as sometimes the males can harrass the females a bit much.
 
right now i have my betta in a 1.5 gallon bowl, but i think for christmas i might buy him, and me, a 5 gallon tank and some compatible friends, maybe some white clouds or something.
 
By the way, that woman will either be back for a proper tank or a new fish because that Betta will most likely jump out.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys :D

Roan - just to make it clear, I did know they don't actually live in puddles, I was just quoting what the customer said to us :)

Beeker - I wouldn't doubt it, but if it does jump I'm sure she'll try to somehow blame our store, she's just 'one of those customers'.
My manager thought she was a nut, it was actually funny. Her complaint got my back up, because I consider my prime duty at work to be looking after the welfare of the animals, but he just laughed, said 'don't worry, I have your back, she's insane'.

TKOS - I do definitely keep an eye on them. The female was in the tank a few weeks before the male, and I chose a small male that didn't seem overly agressive. So far they're doing well and actually seem to play together, but if he does become more feisty with time I'll get him another female or a couple little tetras to distract him :)
 
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