Help! My wife wants a betta vase!

[gbeauvin]

The good : At a recent LFS visit, my wife showed an interest in a particularly pretty betta specimen. She has decided she'd like a betta in her office. Yay! My wife wants a fish! (Tanganyikan cichlids are my thing, but I'm happy to have her interested in anything aquaria related)

The bad : She bought into the baloney that the store guy was saying about how since they're from rice paddies they'll do fine in a betta vase, and anything bigger than a 5gallon tank will just stress them out. So now she wants a betta in a betta vase with a plant on top.... Since he's the "expert", she's not going to believe me when I tell her different... Noooooooooo!!!!!!

I offered to set her up a 10 gallon planted tank on her desk, but nooooo... she doesn't want anything "rectangular", and she particularly wants a vase. She at least believed me when I told her the *absolute* minimum volume for a betta would be 1 gallon, though she also said "That vase was a gallon" (it was likely a half-gallon). Talking her into a large vase will be pretty easy, but it's still a betta vase :(.

I'm hoping I can sell her on a mini-bow 5 or one of the smaller eclipse units, but it's still pretty much aquarium shaped. Any other ideas? I figure if she insists on a vase I can get her one of those little goldfish bowl UGF's and a mini-heater, but she's gonna complain about the noise from the airpump.

I also thought about "leading by example"... letting her do her thing *cringe* and setting up an attractively planted 10 gallon tank, and if she goes "ooh, that's pretty" I'll say "Would you like it in your office for your bettafish?". I also have a little 2.5 around, but it's still rectangular.

-GB

P.S. Yes, I can just say "Honey, the guy is plain wrong. Go read the betta forums and see for yourself. He needs a real aquarium." but then I'd be in the doghouse. If I can find a way for it to be HER idea then life is much better ;).

P.P.S. Yes, if she insists on a half-gallon vase with no filtration or heating, I will live in the dog-house rather than keep silent.

[Kytkattin]

Oh dear. Well here are a few not quite rectangle shaped tanks, all rather expensive IMO, but much better than a vase. Though I can honestly say that I get so many more complements on my fish in their heated/filtered/planted boring rectangle tank than others do with their tiny, miserable betta torture chambers. People sometimes don't believe me when I say they are bettas because they look 'too alive and happy'.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=2752385

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=2753110

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=2754536

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...uctId=11051817

[Yaoilover12397]

http://www.petco.com/product/113185/...luvalfishtanks

Maybe show her this? It's rather pretty and cute. It's also five gallons.

[Pitluvs]

I was going to suggest a Fluval tank, they are nice and you can customize them. Chi, Ebi, Edge are beautiful tanks. There's also the Spec which is a 2g tank. Those would look nice!

[tf1265]

While I certainly agree that a betta vase is a bad idea, there are ways for both of you to be happy. What you need to make absolutely sure of is that she does NOT get a vase with a plant on top. Bettas breathe SURFACE air. If the plant covers the entire surface, she will be suffocating her fish. You can argue about tank size all you want, but those ridiculous bamboo betta vases kill fish, period.

Bettas don't need an air pump (because they breathe surface air in addition to dissolved oxygen), so don't try to talk her into one of those. A heater is good, bettas like warm temperatures (78-80). A filter is always good, but not necessary. With a 1 gallon vase or bowl with a single betta and no filter, she will need to change half the water every other day, with a 100% change weekly.

PLEASE don't let her get a betta vase with a plant on top. But a betta would be fine in a 1 gallon heated bowl or vase. But, they still require frequent care and maintenance. It IS cruel to put them in a cold 1 gallon bowl and let them slowly die of ammonia poisoning because she doesn't want the hassle of changing the water.

[Tisia]

this one one is round and has 4 different colored LED lights with different lighting modes
this one doesn't have a light, but you can buy them separate, and it's a bit of a different shape

[BettaMiah]

There is a world of awesome and oddly shaped tanks out there. Her fish WILL die if kept in that vase. Here is the reason:

You can't filter it, so you'd have to do a water change every day which would stress the fish out and would be a ton of work.

You can't properly heat it, it will ither be too cold or too hot

He won't be able to breathe. They breathe air as well as absorb air.

He would be very cramped and probably bored to death.



Just take her to Petco or PetSmart and tell her to look around.

[tsukiowns]

yeah at walmart they have a 3 gallon 360 tank with the 6 different led lights and i was ersonaly attarcted to it before i bought my ten gallon tank for my tsuki, it is relatively cheap at 32 and looks nice with a white top...

[bettaluvies]

do the examplw thing, dont let her get a vase, make up some excuse, then lead by example. What type stuff does she like? if its her thing, plant it beautifully, if its her thing. make it an adorable artificial (like as in dominoes and a mug type thing) tank. the point is make it desirable. maybe ten gallons is overkill, or at least your wife will think so, i think you will make your life eaisier if you use a 3 or 4 gallon tank as "the example". whATS SHE WILLING TO DO IN TERMS OF MAINTENENCE?

edit: that last bit wasnt meant to be capitals

[bettaluvies]

maybe shell like this? http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...id=body_rv_txt - the baby version, 4g

slightly similar feel to a vase, dont know how to heat it though.