I was into Wally Mart and was talking to the kid working in the pets department and asked him why they didn't have any Betta's. He said they had lots of them, and showed me these stacks of tiny tiny little containers. About the size of the smallest margarine container you could buy. There must have been 70 or 80 of them stacked up. Sorry, but it really pi**ed me off!

How can this be humane? Just because they "can" live like that, doesn't mean they should. I could live crunched up under my desk for quite awhile too, but that doesn't mean I should!

Just made me sick seeing it.

I was reading on your Betta pages Robyn that you had kept your male in a 20 gallon tank. I am wondering how one would make out in my tank with the other community fish? How do they make out with zebra danio's and neon tetras? I can't see a betta being fast enough to catch either, but would they pick at the betta's fins? I have a fair amount of water movement in my tank at the moment, so I doubt a betta would like that much.

I would like to rescue at least one, but hate to kill one also.

If nothing else I do have a large fish bowl that my oldest daughter sacrificed a goldfish in. I suppose I could clean that out and get it set up. It isn't huge, but has to be better than a damn petry dish! :angry:

Derrick

ahhh derick i know that is soooooo sad. i do not know to much about betas but I am sure Robyn does. I want to say a Female works in a community tank or just one male something like that hopefully she will have an answer for ya. here at Wlly world we have the albino frogs too that are int hose little jars. It just breaks my heart. GOOD LUCK!
C2

Bettas can do well in smallish amounts of water if they're kept ammonia-free and they don't get below about 72 degrees F. Any colder than that isn't healthy (really 80 is about ideal). A one or two gallon container could be large enough for a betta. A three or four gallon plastic tub would be even better. If you're using 2 gallons or more you can get a heater; make sure to get one made for smaller tanks though.

Some people have had good results with keeping bettas and neons, but I hear neons sometimes nip fins. I also read that bettas don't like heavy currents, but some people say they have a betta in a community tank with a lot of water movement without the betta being harmed.

I too get sick seeing the bettas in basically cups. They can survive in there for a while but that doesn't mean it's a good place to be! My male betta, Homer, is happy in my 20 gallon tank. I had a betta years ago in there too. Homer doesn't bother the glowlight danios, panda cories, African dwarf frogs, bristlenose pleco, or tangerine shrimp at all. A betta won't catch zebra danios (you know how fast they are!!) and probably won't catch neon tetras either so they should be fine together. I don't think the danios or tetras would bother the betta. My current glowlight danios mostly hide while my former zebra danios were too caught up in their own soap opera to bother with the betta. Bettas can tolerate some water movement but not so much that they are tossed about. They require quite areas and cover to feel safe. You can have both moving water and some still areas in a tank which is good for all the fish. My female betta (who died last month) seemed just as boisterous as the male but she was half as big. Females aren't sold as often because they aren't as showy. Ralph is right; the main thing with bettas is that they need to be warm, at least 72 to 75 degrees F.

I have a Betta named Charlie who is over three years old now. My daughter had to have him and has never looked at him since, that is why he lives at "grandma's" house. Charlie has lived in numerous different fish homes. I get bored at looking at him in the same house all the time and get him a new home every few months. He currently lives in a large fish bowl that has the smaller top as the kitten loves to try and scoop him out all the time. His water temp is always around 66F and he is fine. He is very active and happy and eats like a horse. He gets so excited at feeding time it is a little comical. Basically having him is a pain in the a**. I have dropped him in the sink a couple of times over the years. Dropped him in a clean bowl without de chlorinator (accidentally). Charlie is un killable! My daughter comes over and says "OMG is HE still alive", makes me wonder how a real grand child would fare in her care!

That is funny about what your daughter says.... :lol:

Charlie must be very adaptable to do so well in 66F. That's pretty cold water.

Females are pretty okay in Communities, but never a male.

My betta, a male, Homer, is in my 20 gallon community tank and doing very, very well. He doesn't bother anyone, and they don't bother him. I had another male in there years ago without problems as well. Male bettas are fine in a community tank as long as none of the fish are aggressive or look remotely like bettas (long fins).