How not to treat your Betta fish
I have written this article with the hope of discouraging Betta owners from engaging in potentially hurtful practices when it comes to their fish. Bettas are treated quite casually and often abused. I believe they are much smarter than generally known (see article entitled The Underrated Betta Fish) and deserve better treatment.
The most important abuse that takes place is this: they are made to fight with each other in many countries, their owners knowing full well that they fight to the death. In the US and the more “civilized” countries, this practice is not as wide-spread, though what we have here is not a whole lot better. Here we sell Betta aquariums with clear dividers that are meant to house two or more Bettas in clear view of each other. This is supposed to enhance their appearance, because the poor things puff up their fins, thinking their territory is threatened. What few people realize is that this practice is very stressful for the Bettas. Although the fish are not damaged externally, and what I mean by this is that they don’t tear each other up, internally they experience the same stress. We all know what stress does to our bodies. Well, it has the same effect on Bettas. How would you like to live every moment of the day continually angry? That is what happens to them when they are placed in those sorts of aquariums. They feel continually threatened, and live in constant stress. Overtime, they get sick and die, whereas they would have had much longer and better lives if they were left to lead a peaceful existence.
Bettas are bred and transported in tiny little jars, and most of them never see a bigger aquarium, since they are also kept in small jars by their owners. This is an error, and it can be attributed to those people who say that Bettas are not pretentious, and that they’ve even heard of them living in the puddles left by horses’ hoofs somewhere in Southeast Asia. Just because Bettas can live in that sort of an environment doesn’t mean they like it. Fish love to live in large spreads of water, no matter what species they are.
Another issue is the cleanliness of the Betta aquariums. Just because Bettas can live in murky water doesn’t mean the average Betta owner can let the tank water get ridiculously dirty before they change it. What’s worse, some people actually believe that they can buy these sorts of Betta jars, where the poor thing is sandwiched in between the bottom of the tank and some silly plant growing above. I’m not sure who spread that silly rumor, but apparently they’ve said the Bettas need no food or fresh water when they’re placed in that sort of jar — and the rumor has spread! Apparently, the jar can be a fully self-contained, perpetual eco-system! What kind of a cockamamie story is that? I’d like to know what these people were on when they came up with this crud. Would you like to live in a tiny jar, surrounded by your own pee and doo-doo, and be forced to nibble on bitter plant roots when you’re naturally carnivorous? If you do, there’s something wrong with you. Bettas enjoy a nicely sized aquarium as much as the next fish. Don’t forget that while their origin is indeed from Southeast Asia, and they are commonly found in flooded rice paddies, their”aquariums” over there are quite large. They encompass entire fields! Yes, the water may be murky at times, and when the sun dries up the fields, they may shrink in size to little puddles, but that doesn’t mean the Bettas like to live that way all the time.
A mistake that people make is not spending enough time with their Bettas. Most of the time, they are thought of as ornaments to the room. That’s not how a smart fish can be treated. If they are continually ignored by their owners, the Bettas will withdraw into themselves, and will become loners. They will shy away from the owner when they are fed. The owner’s face next to the bowl will cause the fish to be frightened instead of happy.
Another problem I’ve found — and although it may seem minor, it does matter — is the size of the Betta Bits, the round pellets one finds in the pet stores. I’d like to know if the people who make those things have ever tried to feed them to the fish? They are much too big for their small mouths. My poor Bettas struggled to swallow them until I discovered that if I split them in half, it would make the job much easier for them. Why aren’t these things sized right? Bettas are not goldfish. They don’t have huge mouths. They are not the pigs of the aquarium; they are delicate little creatures, and their food ought to be tailor-made for them.
Do you know of other ways in which Bettas are shortchanged or worse, abused? Write about it in the comments.
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Great information post on bettas. I guess I am guilty as well treating them a bit roughly! They are pretty aggressive so you do think they are tough guys!
please come and talk on our Betta forum http://www.bettafishforum.com/ cheers!
Comment — April 29, 2007 @ 2:15 pm
I admire and love your dedication to the Beta, I am completely in love with mine and the food I feed them seems to be the right size and they love it enough to spawn. I would like to get some blood worms or other types of live bait but am not sure where to find it.
Also I have committed a serious offense by letting my Beta mate. They are such good parents and it just seemed natural but now I don’t know what to do with all the baby Beta, I cannot bear the thought of them in a cup at a pet store or in one of those tiny eco-system things that you mentioned. I cannot afford to take a trip to Siam and set them free, although I have already looked into and am seriously considering it. And the climate I live in could not sustain Beta life in an outside pond, it gets too cold in the winter.
Please forgive me for my ignorance and help me find my baby Betas good homes, I won’t let them be neglected, abused orphans because of my stupidity. Not after understanding them better and knowing how much they need to be loved and cared for.
I am currently cultivating insuforia for the fry and am excited to see the little ones grow but am ashamed of my selfishness and thoughtlessness. I will do what ever is in my power to do to provide for them and find them good homes. I don’t know how but I will think of something and maybe anyone reading this can send me an email amelia.maka@hotmail.com, with some ideas and advice. If I have to I will get 50 different spaces and areas for them in my home although this really is not a practical solution, and hoping they are all female and I will just need one giant aquarium where they could live with their beautiful mother is unlikely.
I would be willing to pay for any travel they might need to endure to find a good home, in other words spread the word to anyone you know that would take good care of them that you know where to get them for free.
Thank you for your insight into the Beta world.
Regretfully,
Amelia
Comment — November 6, 2007 @ 4:15 pm
Amelia, I’m not sure what to tell you about the little Betta babies. You can try keeping them together as long as possible, and only separate them when they start to fight. There’s a fair chance that some of them will get along, especially if they’ve grown together since birth. Other than this, I don’t know. Let’s hope someone else chimes in with more advice or an offer to adopt a few of them.
Comment — November 7, 2007 @ 1:07 pm
The thing that saddens me the most about bettas are the enviroment from which you have to buy them from. I went into a pet store the other day to get some water conditioning tabs for my betta, and saw a display of about 6 or 7 of them on a shelf. I walked over to admire them and I was absolutely horrified from what I saw. They were cramped in tiny 4 inch decorative jars swimming in brown/yellow water that looked like it hadn’t been changed in about 2 weeks with fecal material and sunken discolored bloodworms lining the bottom. One of them was so sick that he couldn’t even swim to the top of his jar to get his food. They were all hungry, so I put 4 or 5 bloodworms in per jar, all of which were eaten almost as soon as they were dropped in. I was highly angered by this and would have told the smart-alec teenager working what I thought about the store’s treatment of their fish had it not been for my boyfriends urging. If I had the money, I would have bought every one of them that night.
I think it’s inhumane to keep them in such small quarters and so close together. Mine is in a glass gallon bowl and keeps me company at college. He’s always swims to the side of the bowl that is closest to me and keeps an eye on me while I write my papers. He is very attentive, and flutters his fins back and forth and looks like he’s bouncing whenever I come to his bowl and talk to him. Mine also was very sick when I got him and was eaten up with ick, but he was better within a month. I just hate to see things mistreated.
In response to Ameila, you can find bloodworms just about anywhere now. I got mine at Wal-Mart, but I’ve seen them at most pet stores and aquarium shops.
Comment — December 30, 2007 @ 7:25 pm
Hello.I was looking for a solution for my male betta. All of you guys have the same kind of ideals I have about bettas: they are kept in horrible conditions and deserve some respect and space. Now, I already have one aquarium, but my 2.5 gallon betta tank is separate. My male (Nova) was with me for about two weeks or so before he began making a bubble nest. So, I bought him a female, hoping that they would mate. As soon as I got her, though, she will shy away from everyone and everything. I’ve done everything I can to make her comfortable in her surroundings, even taking Nova out for a couple of days. When I re-introduced him, she just went to hide again. I have no live plants in the tank, but there is one fake one. She hides between these larger rocks I had placed in the aquarium, and even though I bought her a castle, she continues to hide in the same place!
What should I do to get her more comfortable? I can tell she’s stressed, and Nova has tried to mate with her, but he doesn’t pick on her as much as I thought he would, so I don’t know why she does this.
Comment — May 31, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
good for u my friend good for u
Comment — July 22, 2008 @ 9:10 pm
my female fish is like that too. if nova your male is trying to mate with her she may be to stressed to do anything… i will let her relax for now and if she seems better try again…. also she may not be ready. i have mated bettas before and when the female is ready to mate she will look like she ate a marble. she will also try and swim with the male and not be afraid of him. before you mate them, make sure you have tall plants(live ones) for her to hide behind. o and i 10 gallon tank is always better to use…. well i hope this advice helps and i hope your fish is less stressed out with this
sinceraly,
brittany and rain(betta)
P.S. rain says sea salt and stress conditoner helps a lot i have used it(rain) and it make me feel a lot better…enjoy:-)
Comment — July 24, 2008 @ 9:11 pm
I have three bettas that I keep in separate tanks of their own. They all have different personalities. I am concerned about one female who is usually very active. Her habits have changed dramatically. She is very lethargic and she now stays in a vertical postion often. I am thinking that she wants to mate, but I would not be able to take care of the babies and I would not even know where to begin with letting her mate with the male. What I would like to know is if I do not have them mate, am I harming her? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank You!
Comment — September 10, 2008 @ 6:57 pm
hi, i just bought a really pretty red male, and he seems to be adjusting well, but i want to make sure he stays happy and relaxed…some people have suggested u put a mirror in front of him every once in awhile, but i dont want to stress him out unnecessarily. i’d also like to get an algae eater to keep in the tank (unfiltered) with him, but am unsure what other fish can be kept with him in an unfiltered tank…any ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated! i want to make sure Kona stays healthy and happy!
Comment — October 7, 2008 @ 9:20 am
you can email me me your advice at segerose@yahoo.com
thanks!
Comment — October 7, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
I enjoy caring for and getting to know my betta (fillet). He has brought joy to my life simply just by being a betta.
Anyways I thought I would post a great link for all those looking for information about sick fish. It may help answer some questions. This link includes pictures and symptoms and treatments.
http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm
enjoy your betta
Comment — October 12, 2008 @ 1:13 am
After weeks of trying to clean my Betta fish’s one gallon tank without removing him I could never get the tank really clean.
I decided to keep him healthy the water had to be changed. I removed my Betta and cleaned the tank thoroughly. I replaced the water with water set aside for a day. After returning him to the tank he stayed at the top of the tank and did not move. I thought he was not going to make it after the tank cleaning and started researching the problem on line. I attribute his reaction to being stressed. After 24 hours he moves when I move the tank and is swims only then. I also changed the placement of the tank from a table to a side table.
Should I have not removed him for a thorough cleaning?
Should the tank not have it’s water replaced in full?
Should I not have moved the location of his tank?
How do I get his water really clean if not to remove him?
Not sure how to clean his tank without stressing him?
Comment — January 5, 2009 @ 12:40 pm