Gill Passman wrote:
Steve wrote:

With all the betta discussion lately, can someone tell me about bettas
in plastic cups? Why are they offered for sale this way? The losses
must be great and the fish don't look attractive for purchase.

Also, when do the fish go into the plastic cups? Is it for transport,
or are they raised in there? Thanks for any information.

Steve



IMO if you are buying any fish you need to provide them with adequate
and suitable accomodation as you would any pet.....I would never keep a
fish such as a betta in anything other than a heated, filtered 5 gall
(UK) tank....it is not possible to buy anything smaller at the reputable
places I shop....that being said I do understand that bettas can be kept
successfully in smaller, filtered, heated tanks quite happily - although
I would think that probably a 2 gall would be the minimum....anything
less and without the adequate provisions for what is a tropical fish IMO
is cruel on a long term basis - afterall they need room to swim. Now
obviously when breeding bettas a 2 gall tank for each of the fry is
impractical which is why I believe most reputable breeders would go for
a heated room therefore ensuring that the fish are kept at the right
temps and smaller containers with more frequent water changes - in most
cases, other than the very committed hobbyiest breeding these fish is a
business and it is in the breeders interest for the fish to survive...at
least til they hit the shops...

Now, I don't breed bettas, although I do have two males that both live
in their 20L (5UK gall) tanks....I would never consider keeping them in
a cup or small bowl...to me, it just doesn't seem right....

There is a trend, (horrible market), for selling bettas in vases...they
are condemed to living in a small vase with a non-aquatic plant taking
up most of the air space (so they had limited real air to breath). I
believe the advice was that they would live on the plant roots - but
bettas are carnivorous....the idea as far as I can see is that these
fish were treated as ornaments rather than live animals....as expendable
as a bunch of flowers....what you are describing very much smacks of
this type of mentality...."look you can own a fish that can survive in a
cup" - absolute rubbish - and by your question I can very much see that
you are of the same opinion....

All of this is based on my research, what I have heard from other more
experienced betta keepers, the contentment of my bettas in their 5 gall
tanks and a gut feeling that it is just so, so very wrong to provide any
living creature with cramped conditions where they just survive rather
than have any quality of life....hey, ho JMO

Gill



Gill,
Thanks for sharing your betta experiences. I've had 3 male bettas in
long history of keeping aquariums, and two lasted less than a year for
me. The last one lasted perhaps 1.5 year, and it was in a planted,
heated, unfiltered 2 gallon plastic aquarium.

Stores housing/ selling bettas in plastic cups is a trend here in
Canada; its virtually impossible to find bettas in large aquariums in
the stores. All the betta discussion here lately prompted my
question. I'm really quite curious about the reasons behind plastic cup
bettas, although I think the fish stores expect customers to move their
bettas to something larger than a cup once they get home.
Steve