Top 5 Myths That Could Kill Your Betta

Top 5 Myths That Could Kill Your Betta

Introduction

For one of America's most popular fish, the betta is surely also one of the most misunderstood. Like most heavily marketed species, the reality of proper care has been confused by the appeal of myths perpetuated by merchants pandering to an uneducated public looking for a cheap, easy pet. Some of these myths have become so imbedded that they have become folk knowledge - that is, socially transmitted information that has become integrated in a given society's collective knowledge. Unfortunately, not all folk knowledge is accurate - and in the case of bettas, virtually none of it is. Below are a few common betta myths you have probably heard and may even believe, as well as the opposing realities.

The Myths

Myth #1: Wild bettas live in tiny mud puddles.

Reality: Wild bettas are actually found in a wide range of habitats, from rice paddies to swaps to shallow ponds and streams. During the dry season, their body of water may shrink, trapping them in small pockets of water until the rains come. Bettas evolved a labrynth organ, which allows them to breath air from the surface, in response to this environmental stressor, and have even known to dig pockets in the mud to dwell in during drought periods. This is NOT, however, the ideal living conditions of a betta, nor what we should base our husbandry off of. Bettas grow, thrive, and mate under wet season conditions: when water is abundant.

The Danger: Many betta vendors have used this myth to promote enclosures that are inappropriately small for bettas. Small volumes of water are difficult to maintain adequate water quality in, challenging to safely heat, prone to dangerous fluctuations in temperature and water quality, and do not permit an adequately enriching environment for bettas. Most illness and death in captive fish is due to inappropriate or unsafe environmental conditions, and most commercial betta habitats are not appropriate or safe for bettas.

Myth #2: Bettas prefer to live in dirty water.
Reality: When you look at a pond, swamp, or rice paddy, the water may indeed look "dirty" to you. Organic particles, mud, and tannins from plant decay often lead to a dark, murky appearence. However, dirty to a human and dirty to a fish are two very different things. Wild ecosystems are carefully balanced environments loaded with organisms and processes that maintain safe and acceptable living conditions for inhabitants. One thing you don't see much of in wild fish habitats is something you see a lot of in a dirty aquarium: harmful levels of ammonia. In wild habitats, plants and bacteria grow in complimentary balance to the "waste management" needs of the inhabitants. In an uncycled 1/2 gallon betta bowl, there is NO beneficial bacteria to contend with ammonia and other harmful waste products. This means that the murky pond that you wouldn't drink out of as a human is actually MUCH more clean and appropriate than a betta bowl after a week without cleaning.
The Danger: While bettas tend to be hardier than many other tropical fish when it comes to water quality, no fish is immune to the chronic stress and physical damage caused by an unclean environment. Remember, an aquarium is a fish's toilet as well as the air he breathes. When you keep a betta in a dirty bowl, you force him to breath in ammonia and other harmful waste products, which over time can cause sickness and even death.

Myth #3: Bettas will "freak out" or die in larger aquariums.
Reality: Considering that a single rice paddy can span several acres and contain hundreds to thousands of gallons of water, it stands to reason that volume is not the reason some bettas seem to be stressed in larger aquariums. Wild bettas form their territories around dense clusters of plants to provide safety from predators and an ambush point as predators. Exposure does not become them; an exposed fish is a dead fish. When someone places their betta in a large, sparsely planted aquarium, the animal may pace, hide, or cling to one small corner of the aquarium. Add to this the strong current produced by filters in large aquariums without plenty of plants to dither the flow, and you have an environment that is stressful for bettas. This is commonly misinterpreted as the betta's distress being caused by the size of the enclosure rather than its appropriateness; most keepers who put their bettas in large but densely planted aquariums report the opposite: active, inquisitive, healthy fish.
The Danger: Even if a small volume of water is kept clean and warm enough to foster a betta's survival, small aquariums are problematic for another reason: they do not provide enough space to offer adequate behavioral enrichment. "Behavioral enrichment" is a fancy way of referring to offering conditions that cater to an animal's behavioral needs & provide mental stimulation. Bettas are intelligent animals that enjoy exploring a varied environment and new stimuli. They also have a behavioral need for hiding places. Having enough space for hiding places, plants, and novel objects not only reduces stress, but prevents boredom (and thus, stereotypical behaviors such as pacing and self mutilation - both common in bettas).

Myth #4: Bettas are not tropical fish/Bettas do not require a heater.
The Reality: Bettas are tropical fish that evolved in Southeast Asia. They are found in countries like Thailand (particularly to the south) where annual temperature lows are 75 degrees, and highs may be in excess of 100 degrees. The waters they are found in are typically quite warm as well, since shallow bodies of water tend to heat more readily than deeper bodies. Despite the betta's hardiness often allowing them to grimly tolerate temperatures below 75 degrees, their ideal temperature range is 76-82 degrees - meaning that in the average household with a "room temperature" of 68-72 degrees, bettas should be provided with a heater like all tropical fish.
The Danger: Even endothermic animals like mammals can fall ill if consistently kept too hot or cold; maintaining appropriate internal temperature under such conditions puts a strain on the body. It is infinitely worse for ectothermic animals like fish, however; their body temperature is directly effected by the environment, and consequently, temperatures that are too hot or too cold can cause a host of serious health problems. When a betta is kept in cold water, its body is put under constant stress. Its immune system can't function properly, resulting in susceptibility to disease. Its digestive system can't operate effectively, causing malabsorption of nutrients and constipation. Its metabolism is slowed, resulting in reduced physical activity that is bad for circulation and heart health. In short, keeping a betta too cold is offering it a poor quality of life and a slow death.

Myth #5: Bettas need to/will eat plant roots to survive.
Reality: This claim originated with the (thankfully waning) fad of bettas being kept in vases with lily plants. These products were falsely marketed as a self-sustaining ecosystem: the betta ate the roots, the plant "cleaned" the water, and - tada! - a virtually maintenence free pet. Unfortunately, this was far from the truth. Bettas are insectivores by nature and need a high protein, meat-based diet to survive. While they will pick at plant roots in starving desperation, they can not survive long term on plant matter.
The Danger: Even outside of the vase, this bizzare myth has persisted. Many individuals still believe their bettas need plant roots to survive, planting betta bulbs or lucky "bamboo" for their fish to feast on. While having a planted aquarium provides an enriched environment and can help manage waste, using plants as the sole food source for a betta will result in death by malnutrition or starvation outright - just like you can't feed your cat a diet of lettuce and expect it to survive.

ConclusionSadly, these myths represent but a tiny handful of the misconceptions surrounding betta care; much like goldfish before them, the scope of the betta's popularity is matched only by the public's ignorance of the fish. Unfortunately, deciphering good information from bad can be tricky; pet store employees, websites, and even books often report false information about bettas. As a prospective betta owner, you are tasked with finding the best information - and perhaps applying a bit of criticial thinking - to ensure that you have a healthy, long lived, properly cared for pet. Hopefully this blog entry has given you a good starting point; we would also like to direct you to a longer list of myths and realities that can be found here.

This image is from the UltimateBettas.com Advocacy section. Want to become an advocate? Read more.

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UB.com Members Chime In:When asked what common betta myths they heard as novice betta keepers, our members told us the following:

"When I tell people that I keep bettas they often respond by telling me that bettas are boring lazy fish that always look dead. This is a very common misconception. While bettas often rest and may not be as active as minnows often seen in larger tanks, they're anything but boring and dead looking. Many bettas can become lethargic due to the improper environments imposed on them by their owners, such as: Inadequate space--how can one expect your fish to be active and healthy when it can barely turn around? Inadequate heat--how can one expect a cold-blooded animal to remain healthy and functional in -10 degrees of its required temperature? Inadequate feeding and sanitation--feeding too much and not cleaning the tank often enough can certainly cause lethargy and can lead to death. In the proper conditions, however, owners can enjoy all of the wide array of playful antics and adorable behaviors that made all of us betta enthusiasts fall in love." ~ Posted by Etcetera

"Way back when I got my first bettas, before getting good information was as easy as sitting down in front of your computer and looking for it (shut up, I'm not old!), I was instructed to keep my male bettas in containers as small as possible to avoid "stressing them out". I was also told by the pet store employees that water temperature wasn't important, that the bettas would thrive at any temperature that's comfortable to humans." ~ Posted by Tess

"Lifespan. I have had so many people say they are doing amazingly because their betta lived 6 months because their natural lifespan is only a year. Their jaws tend to drop when I tell them of my 4-5 yr old fish." ~ Posted by Maryanne

"Oh yes: Never to change their water. I keep getting told that water changes are bad for them and you should only ever do one if something gets into the bowl, otherwise, never change their water." ~ Posted by Twirly

Your Child's First Betta

A Long-Winded Introduction
The iconic image of a child eagerly doling out flakes to a goldfish in a bowl has long been a staple of American culture. Equally familiar imagery is the family standing solemnly around the toilet bowl to whisk their fallen fishy friend to a watery grave, often the child's first experience with death. Many of us recall our childhood fish, sloshing home in tiny excited hands after being won at the fair. Others still might remember that immortal goldfish that never died but often changed colors and sizes, something we would in later years understand as we made our own early morning runs to the pet store to replace our own child's pet before s/he gets home from school.

Sadly, behind the comforting familiarity of the goldfish bowl is a darker story. What served as many a child's introduction to fish keeping or even pet ownership overall happened only through the mass scale suffering and death of the world's favorite fish. Indeed, the goldfish who spiraled down the toilet bowl in our youth did so as children themselves, young animals with a potential lifespan of twenty or more years ahead of them who instead perished after a short life of isolation and misery. And the tears of countless children when they lost their beloved pets could have been easily prevented with adequate fish keeping practices.

This is not a goldfish blog, so I would implore anyone thinking of taking home a fish at the fair or from the 10c "feeder" tank at their local Petco to please read our goldfish articles and caresheet. However, I will take the time to say that goldfish - when properly cared for - are a poor choice for a child's first pet because they require very large aquariums or (depending on the variety) a pond, and may live well into your child's college years if properly cared for.

However, if you would like your child to have an active, beautiful, solitary fish that can be kept in a small aquarium on his/her desk or dresser, you are in luck. Bettas are very interactive with their owners, stay small, come in a variety of colors, have a 3-5 year average lifespan, and can thrive in smaller aquariums. We at UltimateBettas think that a betta can be a child's best buddy - if you provide appropriate care. This guide seeks to prevent the sorrow of prematurely losing a childhood pet while providing parents with great ideas for introducing their child to fish keeping the right way.

Meet the Betta
Even if you've never kept a betta before, you have probably seen or heard of them; they are rising in the ranks of popularity as a typical household fish. Also called the "Siamese Fighting Fish," the betta is a small tropical anabantoid (a type of fish with a special organ that lets them breathe air) native to southeast Asia. A scrappy little insectivore, this 2" fish acts big and bold as it fights to protect its territory or flaunts its fins to impress a mate. Domesticated for hundreds of years, bettas come in a wide variety of colors and tail types, and are known for their unique and fascinating behavior and physiology. In the home aquarium, the betta makes for an interactive and attractive pet that may live upwards of five years with proper husbandry. Their hardiness, small size, and solitary nature make them a favorable choice for a first time aquarist.

Making It Meaningful
Every experience in a child's live helps shape the person he or she will become. The reason we make fools of ourselves in public asking our toddlers questions like "what color is the sky?" is because we want to surround their lives with learning experiences. A pet's primary function should not be to teach children how to cope with death, however - a role the goldfish sadly seems to have taken - but rather, how to nurture, respect, an love another living being. The pet should not be treated like yet another toy, but a very important responsibility. So, before you buy a betta, make sure that both you and your child are prepared to make it a meaningful experience.

• Do your research. Be a good role model by teaching your child that you should learn all about a pet before buying it. If your child is old enough, have him or her help you read articles and books. Ask questions about what s/he read, what was interesting, what was confusing. If your child is too young, summarize the fish's care needs in simple terms to teach him/her about this new pet.
• Keep it interesting. Share fun facts about the fish to keep your child engaged. When possible, compare and contrast these ideas to more familiar animals or even people. For example, "Did you know that bettas can breathe air, just like we do? Except bettas don't have lungs, they have a labyrinth organ."
• Budget time and money (if your child is old enough). If your child has an allowance, have him/her save up pay for part or all of the betta's care needs. Many adults have trouble budgeting for pet care, so is a great opportunity to teach the lesson that you never get a pet unless you can afford all of its needs. While you're at it, teach your child to budget his/her time: work the feeding and cleaning of the betta into the weekly schedule. Make sure that cleaning time happens before recreation to underline its importance.
• Life-long responsibility - for BOTH of you! Children are fickle by nature. It is overwhelmingly common for parents to give up their child's pet when s/he inevitably loses interest. This teaches a dangerous lesson about living things being disposable. As an adult, you have to remember that if children aren't old enough to care for themselves, they can't be expected to be responsible enough to care for another living thing. Any pet for your child is also a pet for you, as you will be in charge of monitoring the child's pet care and, if need be, even taking the reigns should care slack. Instill in your child before you purchase a betta that s/he needs to care for it for his/her entire life, but don't be surprised if it winds up being your fish some day. (P.S. It's not a bad idea to plan for disinterest: there should be penalties for neglect, rewards for care, and plenty of gentle reminders about pets being an important responsibility.)

Bringing Betta Home
Before you & your child bring a betta home, there are some supplies you will need for its care. You should learn all of these things in your research, parents, but to give you an idea of the basic supplies that you can expect to buy, here is a sample list:

• An aquarium of no less than 2.5g, with 5g being ideal. 
  Tip for Parents: Many child-friendly desktop aquariums exist today. Products like the MiniBow are made of lightweight acrylic, which is more shatter resistant than glass, and have colorful hoods.
• A heater that will keep the aquarium at a stable temperature of 76-82. A good rule of thumb is about 5 watts per gallon of water.
  Tip for Parents: Keeping a betta warm not only keeps him healthier, but more active and colorful, too! You can also teach your child about ectothermic animals and how they differ from endotherms like humans.
• A filter if you chose to cycle the tank. Please note that without a filter, you will need to perform weekly 100% water changes to keep the ammonia to the acceptable zero level.
  Tip for Parents: Cycled tanks are easier to keep clean, and teaching a child about the cycling process makes for a great little science lesson about bacteria, chemistry, and nutrient cycles.
• Plants & Decor for the betta to hide in. Live or silk plants are acceptable, but plastic plants and any tank ornaments that can rip pantyhose are dangerous to a betta's fins.
  Tip for Parents: Allowing your child to decorate the aquarium will increase his/her sense of ownership and thus the likelihood that your child will want to keep it well maintained. There are fun ornaments in the shape of childrens' favorites like Dora the Explorer or Spongebob. For the child naturalist, you could make a fun project of trying to re-create the appearance of the betta's natural habitat with live plants and driftwood. This is a great opportunity for a parent/child project, and remember - the larger the aquarium, the more you can go wild with decorating!
• Dechlorinator to remove chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals from tap water. Do not buy into purchasing special "betta water" from the pet store; this is not necessary.
  Tip for Parents: Dechlorinator, depending on the brand, can stain clothing or be irritating to the skin/eyes. When water change time comes around, supervise older children carefully and dose the aquarium for younger children.
• Food and if desired, treats. Bettas should be fed a high quality pelleted diet - Omega One, New Life Spectrum, and Atison's are some favorites here at UltimateBettas.com. They can also eat treats of blood worms, brine shrimp, and other frozen insect foods.
  Tips for Parents: Kids don't always understand portion limiting, so please supervise feedings; overfeeding can damage water quality and make the fish ill. Also, while feeding bloodworms can be a great way to teach about predation, the food web, and the important role of insectivores in our environment, blood worms are a known allergen for many people. Please err on the side of caution: do not leave bloodworms within a young child's reach, and use tweezers or an eyedropper to place them in the aquarium.
• A Siphon if your aquarium is too large/heavy to lift, or if you intend on cycling. Siphons are inexpensive - $2 for a small one - and allow you to remove waste that is building up in the gravel.
  Tips for Parents: Siphoning may be messy or challenging for younger children. Having your child fill up water jugs or re-fill the aquarium may be a more appropriate role for him/her to play in the cleaning process, though older children may be able to siphon with supervision.

Final Thoughts

Bradley Miller was famously quoted saying, "teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar." Animals can be important teachers, instilling in our children virtues of compassion, respect, and responsibility. However, when we purchase a pet for a child and allow it to languish and die due to inappropriate care, or give it away at the first hint of disinterest, we instill very different values: callousness, disregard, and the idea that animals are disposable objects. Your child's first fish is more than just a pet - like your child, it has nearly limitless potential. What you choose do with that potential is up to you.

A healthy, active, long lived fish makes for a happy child! By providing your betta with a proper environment, like UB Staff Member Curegirl80 did, you can be assured that your child's first betta is a fun and valuable experience.

Can't wait until next week to learn more important information on how to care for your betta?

Join Ultimate Bettas today for a wealth of care information and advice from compassionate, experienced aquarists!

UB.com Members Chime In:

 
Of members polled, over 50% of UltimateBettas users had a fish as their first childhood pet. Of those fish, 40% were bettas. Many others also indicated bettas as their first pet fish as adults.

Selecting Appropriate Betta Housing

Selecting Appropriate Betta Housing

Betta housing is an issue that often confuses new & prospective owners. With a myriad of housing products on the market, conflicts between advice from pet stores and internet sources, and rampant myth and misperception about the betta's natural history, it is unsurprising that many bettas find themselves in the wrong sort of enclosure. Generally, the problem is that the enclosure ultimately selected is too small - a fact that surprises well-meaning owners who thought they were giving their fish a great life in a one gallon vase. Here are some facts about the betta's biology to consider, however:

• Wild bettas are found in swamps, rice paddies, and sluggish, shallow streams. They are thus used to wide, shallow bodies of water with plenty of horizontal swimming space.
• Southeast Asia, the region which bettas are native to, is tropical. This means the best water temperature for them is between 76 and 82 *F (24-28*C).
• Bettas come from densely vegetated and shaded waters. This means they are most comfortable with plenty of plants and hiding places.
• Only during the dry season - a stressful time where many bettas die from a lack of resources and toxic water conditions - do bettas live in "tiny mud puddles" as their waterways dry up. This means that their healthiest living conditions - the ones in which they thrive - are during the rainy season when there is plenty of fresh, clean water to live in.

Taking this into account, it is obvious that there are some major problems with typical betta housing on the market. Vases, for example, are tall and narrow - the opposite of what bettas prefer to live in. Smaller designer aquariums can't be safely heated by aquarium heaters, so unless your home has tropical temperatures, your betta will be too cold - and this can make him sick. Tiny tanks can't fit much in the way of plants and hides for your betta's sense of security. And finally, small volumes of water are very difficult to keep as fresh and clean as a betta needs, which can result in nasty health problems like fin rot.

So what should you look for in ideal betta housing?

• Long and wide over narrow and tall. If you had a choice between a tall hexagonal tank, or a shallow, long tank of the same volume, select the latter.
• Sufficient gallonage for heating & water quality. The smallest volume of water that can be safely heated to the appropriate range by commercially available aquarium heaters is about 2.5 gallons (9.5L) of water. Aquariums of this volume also maintain safe water quality for about five days, as opposed to more common 1 gallon (3.8L) aquariums, which start showing harmful levels of ammonia after only two days.
• Enough space for hiding places. Your betta's home should include, at the very least, one hide and several silk or live plants (plastic plants can snag and tear their fins). The bigger the tank, the more enriched the environment can be; while a 2.5g (9.5L) is a good minimum, a slightly larger tank of 5g (19L) can allow much more space for decor, as well as for your betta to explore.

Larger housing needn't break the bank. For example, for the price ( $30) of the "Lavarium Desktop Betta Tank" - a dangerous, stressful, and inappropriate product for bettas - you could purchase the "Tetra Aquarium Starter Kit, 5g" which includes a filter, lighted hood, and of course, an appropriately sized tank! An unfurnished 10g aquarium starts at $8.99 in many stores, which allows you to bargain hunt for cheap accessories. That's much better than a $6.99-10.99 bowl that won't even keep your fish healthy. It is also typical to find second hand 2.5-10g aquariums, often fully stocked with supplies, ranging from free to under $50 on Craigslist, Kijiji, Freecyle, and more. If you're really in a pinch, clear plastic storage bins - while not as attractive as aquariums - make for awesome budget betta housing.

In summation, the key to keeping your betta happy and healthy for years to come is to care for him properly. A significant part of a fish's wellbeing relates to housing it appropriately, which is why selecting the right aquarium for your betta is essential. A clean, heated, spacious aquarium with plenty of hiding places will set you on the right track to a long-lived, beautiful betta.

This attractive aquarium, owned by UltimateBettas member "shecreature," is a heated, filtered, planted 35L betta paradise that would make a far more beautiful addition to one's home than any vase!

Can't wait until next week to learn more important information on how to care for your betta?

Join Ultimate Bettas today for a wealth of care information and advice from compassionate, experienced aquarists!

UB.com Members Chime In:

In a member poll, our users indicated the following in regards to tank sizes:

The overwhelming majority of our members utilize aquariums holding more than 2.5g, with five gallons being the most commonly used size at 40% of voting members. Five gallons is also the preferred size by a 66% majority of responses. The numbers don't lie: experienced, responsible betta hobbyists support larger aquariums for maximum betta welfare.

Welcome!

Welcome to the UltimateBettas.com Betta Blog! The purpose of this blog is to spread accurate, informed advice on appropriate betta husbandry based on the collective knowledge and experience of the largest, most active betta forum on the web.

UltimateBettas.com has been a thriving fish keeping community for over five years, and currently has over 8,000 members. We base our husbandry information not on recommendations of pet stores looking to make a profit, but on the collaborative input of breeders, hobbyists, and rescuers, as well as the natural history of the betta. UltimateBettas.com takes pride in providing a wealth of accurate, free, easily accessible information on betta care, with scores of articles on topics ranging from basic care to genetics and water chemistry. We also maintain a library of care sheets for numerous species of fish, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates, all written by our passionate and educated membership.

It is our hope that this blog will encourage you to join our community and share our love of bettas. However, it is also here to serve our ultimate goal: to better inform the public about appropriate betta husbandry. Enjoy reading!