Re: [GSAS-Member] Where to Buy Betta?

[Shamus Young <machismo@eskimo.com>]

Shamgo:

My understanding is that while bettas can spend prolonged periods of time
in oxygen poor environments, or trapped in pools left when water levels
are down, they don't spend their whole lives there.  they do have to get
out and meet each other to keep the species going.

I always thought the rule of thumb was 5 gal min for bettas, but bettatalk
says 1 gallon.

there's what the fish will put up with and what's minimal to make the fish
happy.

I've seen bettas last way longer than I expected in tiny bowls, but
they're lethargic and don't repond much to mirrors or people. What I like
about anabantids is that they've got a little personality.  Unfortunately,
that personality is often "troublemaker".  When they've got a little room
to swim, they seem to exhibit the personality a bit more.

You didn't say how big the bowl is, but if you've got a couple of gallons
and put some moss (I'm thinking you might have some) in there for it to
hide behind, it could be okay.

I have more personal experience with paradise fish, having bred them back
in the day, and now having the one you gave me. They're hardier than
bettas, meaning that they seem impervious to shitty water, and they seem
to stay more active in small containers.  But again, it's clear that they
like room to swim.

As long as you have a stable room temp, you also don't have to worry about
a heater.

Of the 4 you gave me, I tried one in the cichlid tank, and it lasted one
night.  I gave one to a co-worker, and he loves it, in a 10 gallon eclipse
with a few corys.  I left the other two in a 3 gallon hex for a few weeks
trying to figure out what I was going to do to separate them, thinking
that, as juveniles, they wouldn't kill each other yet.  I was wrong.  So I
put the one that's left in my own 12 gallon eclipse.  I haven't figured
out what else to put in there.  It's kind of a crapshoot whether or not
you get a killer or one friendly enough to put up with other fish.

You could have that guy back if you want, and I could put more friendly
fish in the eclipse.



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