So called Betta experts, who think Bettas are happy in a cup...read on?

I agree with you that Betta Splenden/Siamese Fighting Fish are grossly misunderstood. I blame unethical marketing companies for presenting these fish in "trendy" containers along with incredibly inaccurate information regarding proper care of these fish. I am equally frustrated with similar misconceptions regarding goldfish. I am posting my "standard" betta information response below. Although my information is correct, the answer typically generates multiple thumbs down ratings (probably because of the length). I don't mind the thumbs down so much. I can only hope that although readers react negatively initially, they "secretly" do follow up research and learn the truth about these wonderful creatures. Other mishandled fish include oscars, arowana, clown loaches and pacu....... and, of course, goldfish!

Bettas are native to Thailand which used to be Siam hence the common name "SIAMese Fighting Fish". Bettas are also found in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. Wherever they are found naturally they live in shallow rice paddies, slow moving streams and shallow lakes. All bodies of water where bettas live are heavily vegitated hence the need for plants in a betta's tank. The average temperature of native betta's water is around 82F. Bettas do NOT live in small muddy puddles as some believe. There is a 6-8 week "drought" period where bettas live naturally. During this time, the shallow waters evaporate leaving puddles. Many bettas die during this dry spell. Those lucky enough to find themselves in puddles live because bettas have a labyrinth organ that allows them to breathe air directly from the surface. Bettas are very "lazy" and inactive during this dry period. Once the rain begins to fall again and the water levels rise, the bettas become active again and "stake out" their territories. Once they have re-established their territories they begin breeding to replace the fish that died during the drought.

Are bettas killer fish? NO! Bettas are highly territorial and in natural environments, they do not kill. When a competing male enters another male's territory, they flare fins and challenge the other. The male that is eventually chased away does not die. The "weaker" male simply swims away and finds another territory to defend.

Bettas can be kept successfully with other fish in tanks that provide enough space. A 10 gallon tank is the bare minimum recommended for tropical community tanks containing bettas. You should avoid keeping any fish that has long flowing fins with bettas. These fish are commonly mistaken for bettas and either the betta or the fish with flowing fins is nipped and stressed to a point it succombs to a stress induced illness and/or bacterial infection resulting from the fin nipping.

Note: Some bettas won't tolerate other fish at all. If you want to keep a male with a community of fish, be prepared to have a few extra bettas. You may get lucky the first time and find a placid male, but you may need to separate it and try again.

Good pet shops will have identified placid bettas and may even have them swimming in tanks with compatible fish. Select one of these bettas is possible.

And do they work well with goldfish, e.g fancy goldfish such as a black moor? No. Goldfish are coldwater fish and thrive in temperatures between 60F - 72F. This is too cool for tropical bettas. Also, goldfish require large, heavily filtered tanks. The only good tankmates for goldfish are goldfish. Both fish have different feeding, temperature, and water chemistry requirements. Do not mix these fish.

Recommendations: Bettas do best in heated tanks of at least 5 gallons and silk or live plants are necessary. In a 5 gallon you could keep a couple of apple snails or 3 dwarf corydoras. A 10 gallon heated tank will permit you to keep 8-10 neon tetras, a single male betta, and 5-6 dwarf corydoras. Avoid guppies, mollies, platies or other live bearers. They breed too frequently and your tank will quickly become overstocked. Also, some livebearers have "fancy" tails and this would cause territorial problems with the betta.

I was in petco the other day and all of their "tanks" designed just for bettas are completely wrong. They sell these tiny "betta bowls" and these designer tanks that don't even have a lid. They also have this thing where you can make it all pretty with rocks and lights and in the end you would just stress your betta out and kill it. No wonder people are so stupid. When they see these betta products they're going to think "oh, this was made for a betta, it must be the best thing" but its not. It sickens me to think of the countless bettas that jump from their designer tanks and die or are left in tiny little bowls. People, for the most part, buy bettas because they're pretty. however unhappy, sad, cold bettas are not pretty. If a betta is in a large warm tank his colors will be a thousand times prettier and he will be much more active and entertaining to watch.

I totally agree! I must admit that I've never had a betta, but I'm learning as I go along, and if you read through my Answers, you'll find that I've always advised that the minimum tank size should be 5gal.

Personally, if I had my way, 5gal would be the minimum tanksize available and they'd only be for QT. A minimum tanksize that I would consider as a permanent home for ANY fish would be 10gal.

Oh - and, just to mention a point S H brought up - I also advise (where-ever appropriate) to feed more than 1 food. My fish are fed a variety of different foods and actually only get flakes/pellets twice a week.

I agree that a bowl with no filtration, heat, or aeration is NOT suitable for a Betta or any fish for that matter. I also believe that in the wild, the fish most likely have a better life because nature has her own way of keeping them alive, preventing/treating disease, ending suffering, maintaining water quality, heating/cooling, etc. That being said, none of us can measure up; however, we all choose to try and do our best, which isn't always without rewards.

Of course they aren't happy, nor healthy, confined to a cup or cold fish bowl. Many people fail to realize the proper care of a betta. They are only second to goldfish in being the most abused fish.

Don't you wish people would research before buying /any/ pet, even a fish?

In addition to keeping B. splendens, I also keep a pair of B. pallifina. Most people are shocked, shocked! to find that there are other 'bettas' in the world! It is quite entertaining to listen to responses I get when they see them.

When I attempt to educate people on cups and small bowls being bad for bettas (and other fish), I use the closet analogy. Most people only change water once every two weeks to once a month. Complete inappropriate as one gallon should get a 100% water change every three days...anyhoo. Keeping them in a small cup is analogous to living in a cold closet (not a walk in) for at least two weeks. You have no access to a toilet, and thus must live in your own urine and fecal matter. You are trapped and can only move from one wall to the next, not much room. And, you are only fed bread, since most fish owners rarely feed more than one type of food. It is easy to see a person would be miserable in such conditions, and thus a fish would also be miserable. It is not healthy in the least, for the fish or the person.

I agree, there are plenty of misguided answers regarding bettas on YA. Initially one gets passionate enough to diligently 'educate' others, but sometimes you feel like a lone voice crying out in the wilderness against all the propaganda perpetuated by retailers & manufacturers of ridiculously small betta 'tanks'.

You read all sorts of things about bettas here. Many get their geography wrong, commonly calling them Chinese or Japanese fighting fish. Other than the usual myths you mentioned, there were two I particularly remember along these lines: "they will die if kept in larger tanks" and "they'll be happiest if we replicate their natural habitat, so they should be kept in small containers". Imagine if you adopt a child from a slum area with very poor hygiene standards, surely you won't think to recreate the same filthy environment to make the kid 'happy'? Bettas are adapted to less than ideal conditions not by choice but forced by circumstance.

Many people have never seen a rice paddy in their lives, maybe thinking of fields for other crops with the odd small puddle from occasional rain. Rice paddies are at least semi-flooded constantly, from irrigation & the very frequent rains in tropical equatorial South East Asia. That makes a very large water surface area, so it's hardly as oxygen deprived as many people assume. Some rice paddies also do commercial food-fish farming in the SAME paddy (I hardly think you can rear a large group of over 1-foot long fish in a small puddle, right?). As you mentioned, bettas also appear in rivers. And canals running through cities. Hardly tiny puddles at all.

People also use the betta's labyrinth organ to defend placing them in small containers. Bettas primarily breathe the same way as other fish through the gills, the labyrinth organ is only a backup.

And don't forget the plant! Rice paddies are week choked and bettas use this to their advantage. I have two betta boys sharing a divided ten gallon with dozens of plants. I love my betta boys and if the 'hoofprint' people could see what my boys are like compared to the ones in bowls and vases...it's like a totally different fish. I don't get people sometimes...of course the money grubbing pet stores don't help.

No no no!! betta fish are not happy in little cups. I hate it when people say that, seriously.. Yes, we researched on how they live in the wild.. But most likely the fighting fish in stores today are not from the wild, they were probably bread in tanks..

They do need alot of space to swim around, in the wild they have plenty of places to swim, its just unfortunate that some are stuck in puddles because of the dryer months. its not their fault

Lots of swimming space and clean water, and good care is what makes them happy..

People complain that their fish dies after weeks because its in dirty water and they still wonder why it died..

It makes me sad and angry sometimes how people treat fish.

i am amazed by my own level of ignorance at the beginning as well. but now thanks to good web sites and people answered my often panicked questions my Betta has a good home.

5 gallons heater and spoiled rotten.

he has a different meal every day i swear that fish eats better then i do.

thanks to people on the web, i think ignorance of Betta keeping will soon been banished.

i always buy bettas from the stores that have them in those cups then i put the into a vary big fish bowl aor a 2-5 gallon tank