Small Betta Tanks

Listen. ..I think that everyone is getting way bent out of shape here .Bettas in the wild live in murky mud puddles. they survive just fine. If isolated with other fish, they will kill them. They wait until the next rainy season when the floods join the puddles and fish back together for mating season. they are used to not eating for long periods of time. if you give your betta lots of attention and a treat of dried or frozen shrimp now and then, he could actually have a better life than if he had been born in the wild. and for those of you who say store Bettas are not bred for conditions like this, well, instinct is hard to kill. Besides, what are we doing buying fish for pets anyway? Saving them from being killed by nobody buying them. Actually, we shouldn't be supporting the industry at all., but I don't know how many times I have bought a betta just because I couldn't bare to see it continue to live in the back shelf in a pet store.

you have great instructions and betas are extremely hardy by the way and despite what people, may think, betas have a vast range of habitat they are only in rice fields or puddles(in rice fields) for less that three months out of the year then when the rains come back they are literally carried back to the pawns and swamps they breed in this is what makes them so hardy, is that they are biologically programed to live in vastly different habitats. my two are healthy and full of life and I have had them in gallon pickle jars for years with some Java moss and river stones. and soon they will be in a heated tank (with divider) to boost their metabolism and bring out there highlights. warm watter will do wonders by the way to bring out your fishes highlights. but having a Betta in a small environment is just fine and will not effect the over all health of your fish. think of Betta's biology as a tool that helps the fish quickly adapt to rapped change the fishes habitat. we love our pets and it normal to be concerned for the well being of something that is depended on you but sometimes people tend to project their love just a little to much on to a fish I have been guilty of this my self, also please know that I have over 25 years of experience with tropical fish, amphibians and reptiles. I have raised abandoned Betta fry successfully to a healthy adulthood several times( I even still have one of the little fellas) sorry if I come off like I'm bragging, but I'm just sharing my knowledge.

There are a few things that are wrong with this. First, please don't ever wash out a tank or any other tank decoration with soap, it it toxic to fish and can make them very ill or even die. Second, a betta needs at least a 3 gallon and it is highly recommended that one uses a 5 gallon or higher. Thirdly, bettas need a filter and a heater, they are tropical fish that like warm water (between 78 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit or 25.5 and 26.5 degrees Celsius) and if you don't want to do a water change every day, you're going to need a filter. Lastly that fish it sick, bettas tend to have bright colors and obviously this one does not (and elephant ear bettas have very long flowy tails). Bettas turn a lighter color when sick and I bet if this fish had the proper care it deserves, it would be all of lively colors (or maybe a whole different set of ones.) If you are going to have a pet, take care of it by doing your research simple pets (such as bettas) need tons of care and are very often neglected. I'm not trying to start a fight, I'm only trying to help, as a owner of many beautiful bettas I hate to see them being treated so badly. Just because an animal can survive harsh conditions doesnt mean they should live in them.