I just stumbled upon this thread- my male PKEE (avatar) is a gorgeous fish! His "ears" flutter. I think it actually helps him- is such a subtle motion. I have 2 HMEE girls. In the early days, the girls "ears" got a but torn up they zip around with the non-EEs (the others' tails & fins got a nip mark or 2 as well). Of course, the girls have smaller fins; again, they get extra thrust from those pecs. I would think it would be like a human with diving fins. When I saw pictures of EEs, I thought the fish looked silly, too. Then I saw one- the fluttering motion was so lovely. As for breeders over-emphasizing certain features, well, that horse left the barn long ago. Without the first person to breed 2 wild bettas for color, we wouldn't have our pets. Just as the wolf and bobcat would make very bad choices as pets! None of our little jewels would survive in the wild. These are now "designer fish" and some breeders will ALWAYS have a "why not?" attitude OR they will not cull the extreme mutation if the fry seems healthy. The IBC and the buying public will ultimately dictate the EEs fate.
Last edited by Xaltd1; 02-14-2013 at 06:44 PM.
Reason: typo
Mattsbetta, The reason for this post is to get people to think abou the fish they are producing. We have a responsibility for what we breed and the well being of these LIVING creatures.
Logisticsguy, the physics is there. When a fish does not have control of the finnage, it is a flap that causes extra resistance and makes it harder to swim. This is not an opinion, it is a scientific fact. The flippers you are given to swim with are stiff. You place them on your hands or feet, and they are stiff and help you push water, the same way fins work for fish. You would not place socks on you hands or feet, and let them dangle off the ends of your feet or hands and try to swim because it would be a hindrance and make it harder for you to swim. The small ee are not so bad because the fish have control of the fins. The larger ones they do not.
Mattsbetta, The reason for this post is to get people to think abou the fish they are producing. We have a responsibility for what we breed and the well being of these LIVING creatures.
Logisticsguy, the physics is there. When a fish does not have control of the finnage, it is a flap that causes extra resistance and makes it harder to swim. This is not an opinion, it is a scientific fact. The flippers you are given to swim with are stiff. You place them on your hands or feet, and they are stiff and help you push water, the same way fins work for fish. You would not place socks on you hands or feet, and let them dangle off the ends of your feet or hands and try to swim because it would be a hindrance and make it harder for you to swim. The small ee are not so bad because the fish have control of the fins. The larger ones they do not.
LL, Have you seen an EE swim? They don't "flap" and the fins aren't stiff. They vertically ripple a bit & the fish goes forward. It isn't like a bird flapping it's wings against the air. They physics of movement under water are different than flying in the air. I would think larger fins would be an asset. Butch swims effortlessly.
Well you may be right. I dont know the scientific fact as it has yet to be presented here. Just from experience of owning both very small and very large finned fish, the difference in life quality would be insignificant jmho. Ive seen big finned fish that swim well every day without any visible issues getting around. I maintain that diet, sanitation and over all care given by the pet owner is more important. Every day I see males with extremely large fins zipping around tanks like a lunatics who have ability to really swim fast in a bigger tank but could use more daily exercise than the 10 minutes of flaring every day. The female domestic betta can have a tendency to get obese if your not careful about diet. I respect your point of view but there are far bigger problems in the betta world than this. Pet store sales myths about how little care bettas need, no heater, no filter, hardly ever change the water ect. bother me more personally. Your points are valid and like I like most breeders strive for form and colors more than fin size.
Of course, the girls have smaller fins; again, they get extra thrust from those pecs.
You can't be serious. It's OBVIOUS to anyone (whether you are an EE fan or not) that gigantic fin mutations are a hinderance in nature. Why do you think we don't see EEs running around in the wild rice patties or long finned goldfish swimming around in china??....because they all got caught by the predators long before they could've survived to adulthood!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaltd1
They don't "flap" and the fins aren't stiff.
EXACTLY...you said it yourself. Since those big mutated fins aren't stiff -- then how the heck do they function to a swimming advantage? If they're floppy then they're a mere hinderance! And a big waving hand to predators to say "hi here is your next meal!"
You can't be serious. It's OBVIOUS to anyone (whether you are an EE fan or not) that gigantic fin mutations are a hinderance in nature. Why do you think we don't see EEs running around in the wild rice patties or long finned goldfish swimming around in china??....because they all got caught by the predators long before they could've survived to adulthood!
EXACTLY...you said it yourself. Since those big mutated fins aren't stiff -- then how the heck do they function to a swimming advantage? If they're floppy then they're a mere hinderance! And a big waving hand to predators to say "hi here is your next meal!"
Do you have any EEs? Have you seen them swim? Or swim w/ with other bettas?
I speak from observations of my 3 EEs- 1 male, 2 females in a sorority. Look at the pectoral fins of your bettas. They undulate, rather than flap. Just imagine them bigger. My sorority EEs should be dead by now if they were at a significant handicap of the other 7 females. They're just as speedy!
This whole thread was created for the sole purpose of putting down anyone who likes EE's. It's ridiculous. If I posted a thread complaining about another variety, everyone would be on me like a pack of dogs to defend whatever it is.
It's lame that someone feels the need to degrade the breed, and the people who enjoy them...
Oh, and NONE of our fancy, colorful fish would last 10 seconds in nature. And who knows if evolution would have created larger pecs for bettas, or even permitted bettas to continue? Humans have intervened, for "betta" or worse...
This whole thread was created for the sole purpose of putting down anyone who likes EE's. It's ridiculous. If I posted a thread complaining about another variety, everyone would be on me like a pack of dogs to defend whatever it is.
It's lame that someone feels the need to degrade the breed, and the people who enjoy them...
Amen! PLEASE don't "dis" a fish unless you've seen one. I NEVER would have purchased a $35+ EE unless I saw one swim in person. Still pics do no justice to the EE. I have never seen anything so glorious and lush!!!
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It's OBVIOUS to anyone (whether you are an EE fan or not) that gigantic fin mutations are a hinderance in nature. Why do you think we don't see EEs running around in the wild rice patties or long finned goldfish swimming around in china??....because they all got caught by the predators long before they could've survived to adulthood!
