I absolutely love the Marimo ball Idea, I hope Kandy will too. Thanks Webcricket
This is exactly what I was trying to tell her. She even told me ….. “Bettas will be fine, they live in puddles in Japan… She must have heard or read that on one of our many pet store excursions
I found this posted by Rockabillychic
i'll copy and paste the same reply from petshub.
do not put a betta in a little bowl. they need at least 5 gallons, 10 is better, and they need a heater and a filter and a cycled tank just like any other tropical fish.
its true that during the dry season in their native habitat they must survive in tiny puddles of stagnant water, but this is a very stressful time for them and many die, and it is only for a few months. as soon as the rain comes again they have several hundreds of thousands of gallons of water fed by irrigation streams.
why would you want to replicate a bettas habitat during the worst part of the year when many die in a tiny stagnant bowl?
not to mention that the bettas we buy in the store are many hundreds of generations out of the wild and have little in common with their wild cousins.
please provide your betta with a 5-10g tank with a heater and filter.
i'll also add that i agree with rosemary. why put a beautiful fish in such a tiny container he can't even move? i have seen bettas in 10g tanks with full run of the tank and they are so gorgeous. they are active and swim around like crazy, flairing their fins and desplaying beautifully. whereas bettas in those tiny bowls just sit at the bottom or on a leaf and don't do much of anything. its quite sad.
when you make the commitment to bring an animal into your home, you make the commitment to provide that animal with everything it needs to THRIVE, not just survive.
a 10g tank is cheaper than a 5, about $10. a filter for a 10g tank is about $11. some gravel and plants and a little heater is about another $20. so $40 and you have a lovely little tank and a perfect habitat for a betta and even some tank mates.
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