Why are Bettas SO overated?

[C L O W N K N I F E]

I had my blue crowntail betta in a bowl for months, then when I found a 5g I had in the garage and set it up and transferred him in there he was so much happier and now hes always swimming it seems like. They are pretty underrated...& they are very easy to care for IMO...very hardy fish. Amazing how many colors they come in as well.

Mine looks exactly like this...



I've seen some absolutely stunning bettas, heres one example.

 

[ECW]

Bettas are beautiful and perfect for smaller tanks. I agree they can be underated, but then there is the other side of the coin for people who love bettas. At one of the LFS in my area there is a huge selection of bettas. Some of them are really expensive!

 

[pacu mom]

I recently set up a little 5 gallon ecplise tank (which I hope to have planted) added shrimp, and added one beautiful male betta. My question is, why do people overlook bettas and seem to "nothing" them. This beta I have is more personable then any other fish, constantly flaring its gills at me when I get near, eats from my hands, does not get spooked even when I bump my desk which is where his tank is. I can even place my hand completely in the tank and he doesn't give the slightest care. Not to mention many, if not most, betas when kept in a heated filtered tank and fed well, have beautiful flowing fins with beautiful colors.

I guess because they are everywhere, or maybe because they don't get along well with other fish, be it being fin nipped, or actually atacking the other fish, they would not be liked?

I have seen some beautiful betta planted tanks that I would much rather look at then a huge 300g+ overstocked tank that has fish bumping into each other, a bare bottom, and no driftwood, which seems to be very popular these days.

I think every office desk should have a small 5-10g Betta planted tank some where in it, completely relaxing, hell would probably turn our economy around if every one working in an office was a bit more relaxed haha

I personally feel that this fish diserves more then the "starter" fish that lives 2 months in a glass bowl.


-Jesse

Of course, pictures of him
View attachment 717003
View attachment 717001
View attachment 717002

Bettas are beautiful, feisty fish with big personalities. Unfortunately, they have fairly short life spans and only live a couple of years. I cried for hours with the passing of the first bettas that I had. For years, I had bettas at work and at home and loved them. They really cheered up my work place.

I'd love to have a beautifully planted, beautifully decorated tank. Different fish have different requirements. My big fish need a big tank. They would shred anything in their tank, or be shredded themselves on any objects placed in their tank like driftwood. Even in their bare tank they manage to routinely cut and scrape themselves by slamming into the tank lids. I loved every betta that I owned, however, my relationship with my pacu is different. If you have a dog, I'm sure you relate differently with the dog than you do with your fish. Pacu have a lot of dog like qualities, and to me, they are like dogs confined to water.

Fishkeeping is experienced at many different levels. When I buy a car, I never think, "I'm going to have this car for the rest of my life." Many fishkeepers keep their fish until circumstances change, they get bored with the fish, they just want different fish, or whatever. It's really not that big of a deal--just get the unwanted fish to another fishkeeper who wants them. Getting rid of my fish would be their death sentence. I have made a life time commitment to my fish who could live 30+ years. I have thought long and hard on the subject and have concluded that a large, bare bottom, undecorated tank is the safest home that I can provide for my fish. We are going through a lot of time and money upgrading to a big tank. It would be fantastic if it were esthetically pleasing, but that is not what my fish need. My fish get their entertainment watching us, and don't need to get injured or sick shredding and eating things up in their tank. I'll just have to be content seeing all of your beautiful planted tanks.

 

[Kaosu]

Bettas are beautiful, feisty fish with big personalities. Unfortunately, they have fairly short life spans and only live a couple of years. I cried for hours with the passing of the first bettas that I had. For years, I had bettas at work and at home and loved them. They really cheered up my work place.

..bettas live for 5+ years..

my old betta lived for nearly 5 years..he was an ooolldd man nearly blind and his fins had started to turn clear gray when he finely passed...miss him cried when i found him unmoving in the bottom of his tank...he is what got me in to fish keeping in the first place.

but if you get them young enough..they can live up to 5 years.

 

[Natural Born Killer]

I have 3 Bettas there a great fish

 

[RareExoticFish]

Probably because they are usually cheap and not monsters.

I thick there reputation started here lol.

 

[guanl23]

i believe that bettas are under-rated and under-appreciated because they are often sold at chain stores and lfs in those little cups and along with the "betta starter kit". then you get told that all they need is some water and some water changes, betta like any other fish should be kept happy, clean, and healthy. i was actually thinking of getting a betta for my 29G but im going to wait till i get a 38G ready for one.

 

[BigFishMommy]

or maybe because they don't get along well with other fish, be it being fin nipped, or actually atacking the other fish,

not true at all. i have seen many community setups that include a male (or females) betta. i myself have kept bettas with a number of different fish, snails, and shrimp, ranging in tank sizes from 2.5 gallons up to 55 gallons. my bettas were happier than pigs in mud. they get a bad rap due to misinformation being passed down, and the fact that they are called siamese fighting fish - the fighting is between the bettas, not the bettas picking on anything else that moves in the tank.

it's all in knowing what is compatible with a betta, and not putting them in with fish that 'look' like bettas. bright colours and long fins are not good for betta tank mates most of the time. having said that, i've kept a very docile male veiltail betta with long finned rosy barbs with no problem at all. the individual fishes personalities is one of the key factors in housing bettas with others.

 

[munhuun]

it's my betta

 

[alexanian]

I totally agree with u, they're sooo under rated and I think they're one of the most beautiful fish out there. For me I would rather look at a Betta then an RTC with is soo over rated in my opinion. I don't find many of the so called monsters very appealing. The only disadvantage of a Betta though is the fact that u can't keep more then one male per tank otherwise I would've have a bunch of them in a 100g lol
I am planing a certain setup for the moment though, which is a long tank with some kind of see through dividers making 6 to 10 separate compartments holding male Bettas. My plan is for the water to be inter conected slowly flowing through with the filter beeng feed from one side and pumping water out the other. that's the only way I can think of to keep multiple Betta males without being swamped with small tanks. Might even do a small tank with females for breeding where i would keep one of the males interchangably. (I'm not sure if that's even a word ) still haven't figured out the dividers though they should b see through but at the same time let water flow.