New Betta first time parent :)

[anaerobe]

I'm sorry, but from what I know of bettas, some of the regular rules of fishkeeping don't apply here!!!

Bettas... natural in-the-wild bettas... live in steaming rice paddies and marshy bogwaters that are soft, acidic and often full of decaying vegetation. Part of the reason bettas and other labrynth fishes adapted to breathing surface air was because the natural water conditions were so harsh on normal fish's gills and was generally stagnant and had little to no oxygen content. They also deal with heavy rains, flooding, and monsoons which cause the water conditions and depths to fluctuate during different times of the year.

They are also used to cramped living conditions due to the low water levels forcing bettas into encounters and struggles for territory in shrinking tropical pools. And when the betta was being domesticated for the generations, it was natural to keep them in nothing more than a jar or other small container until it was to be taken to a fish fight or bred for more bettas.

Granted, today's betta is a much softer, frillier fish than it's tough-as-nails wild counterpart, but a lot of that same sturdiness and adaptability has remained in the species. It can handle rough water conditions, no filtration, and cramped living spaces because this is how this fish has lived and been kept and domesticated over the generations.

I get so tired of people treating the betta like it's as long-suffered as the goldfish. Yes, keeping a goldfish in a bowl is inhumane and terrible treatment... but not all fish are created equal. The only thing inhumane about the 'betta bowl' is the lack of controlled temperature (since bettas like it at least 74 degrees F or warmer!) and the myth that Bettas with those Calla lily plants don't need to be fed. Now THAT is a crock of crap! Bettas are carnivorous and only eat vegetation when they are STARVING.

So there. That's the truth about the betta. My opinion? If you want filtration, go with a sponge filter or something that doesn't aggitate the water's surface. Bettas make their bubble nests best on stagnant water surfaces where the surface tension is thick with dust and particles and not broken up by constant aeration. That's correct. Just don't let it get so stagnant it makes a skin over the water. That can get kinda gross.

As long as you keep the water fairly clean, there's no need for anything other than what you're doing. Just make sure and feed him a varied and protein rich diet and if you want, add some blackwater extract to the water. It has a water chemistry that is most like what bettas naturally experience in the wild. He'll LOVE you for it.

I respect a lot of opinions here and many of them go off of years of practical fish keeping and enjoyment of this hobby. But you can own a fish for its entire lifespan and never know the real nitty-gritty about it's preferences, tolerances, and origins. Most people think they can have a betta in a tank for a few years and know everything about how it should be treated. But not all 'fad fish' are created equal. Yes, goldfish in bowls swim in their own waste which eats at their already starved gills until they slowly suffocate to death in a bliving space that would be like stuffing a 6'6" man in a broom closet and asking him to thrive. But that's goldfish, people... not bettas.

Granted, it's not bad treatment to keep them in large, filtered tanks... but some of the 'insisted requirements' around here are honestly over-the-top in my opinion and to insist them on anyone interested in keeping a betta is so unecessary, especially given the information above-mentioned.

I sincerely apologize for ranting in your thread, but this is an issue I feel rather strongly about in this community. And I'm backed by years of breeding, caring, and researching bettas. It was my top hobby and first love as a teenager.

PS: Yes, this is reposted... but it's too long a rant to have to rewrite it. ^_^;;

Kyohti, great to know you know alot about golfish!! But you obviously don't know enough about bettas to type essays supporting how it is humane to put a betta in a small bowl!
It is CRUEL to put a betta in a small vase! 1) Bettas can jump and will jump out & die. They are more likely to jump in tiny bowls! 2) Wild Bettas normally live in small holes of water during DROUGHT season. this is not something they do all the time. Normally, they live in rice paddies with endless gallons of water! 3) How would YOU like to live in a closet? Given food and fresh air you'd be able to survive.
I think that answers this misinformation.
Yes, goldfish suffer alot. Bettas suffer alot as well. Too many vases are sold for bettas, and too many misleading information about bettas living in small cups and being HARDY. The emphasis on hardiness is the cause of so many betta death!! And I dont know if you have your own betta (sure hope you keep him in something larger than a vase), but my betta is nothing close to hardy! He gets finrot the second the water gets less than stellar. He's so sensitive to bacteria I can't put gravel in the tank. And if I hadnt medicated him when he got sick, or changed & cleaned the tank 100%, he wouldn't be here today. I learned alot from his non-hardiness.
ANd yes, vase or tank, the water must be clean.

 

[Kyohti]

. Normally, they live in rice paddies with endless gallons of water!

Point noted, Anaerobe... but in those 'endless gallons' bettas tend to restrict themselves to a patch of space that is generally no bigger than about 1 square foot, often much less. Why? Because they share that territory with thousands of other bettas who also stake their claim and fight viciously and to the death to defend it. Not even females are safe unless they prove themselves submissive and prepared to mate. Otherwise, it's all highly competitive and only the strongest and most aggressive survive. Anything less is resorted to living in the worst areas, if not ripped to shreds first. That is nature and darwin's law at it's finest.

Disregarding that, even, is the domesticated betta splendens which was kept as a fighting fish in the southeastern areas of asia for many many years. It evenutally became the lovely delicate little hobby fish it is now through generations of breeding to increase color and finnage and reduce aggression and territorialism. This breeding and keeping of bettas was often done in containers and jars of about 1-quart capacity in order to keep the most amount of fish in the least amount of space. Females had a little more leniency, considering their less hostile temperament, but the territorial male betta was often kept singly in this way it's entire life from the age it first showed aggression at about 2.5 months to the end of it's days, only seeing a larger container during scheduled matings. So over the years, the new betta has been adapted to small-space lifestyles.

This is not to say that keeping bettas in larger aquariums or community set-ups is detrimental at all. Quite the contrary for the most part. But it still stands that most bettas are sturdy, beautiful, adaptable fish that were bred to live in small containers of about a quart or so for multiple generations of their breed and larger accombodations, though nice, aren't always necessary.

Over my 12-24 years of experience and research, off and on, with betta splendens both as a small-scale breeder and general hobbyist and fan, I have seen nothing in this species to change my mind. Mine were mostly kept in lidded, plastic rectangular containers dimensions roughly L3"xW3"xH7". I only ever had one 'jumper'. Most all of them lived to their full lifespans (roughly 4-6 years) and most all of them exhibited a health and vitality that was the envy of anyone who saw my stock. I've kept roughly 25 or so bettas in this way or in similar fashion over the years and so I feel my opinion is founded on fact.

I respect your opinion and other peoples' based on their own experiences... but I hold to my own and I'll continue to do so. And I believe I sent you a responding PM for the one you sent to me respectfully detailing more of my experiences and opinions on this matter to better explain my stance. I hope this clarifies a few things for you.