[michbelle]

I don't have any to give but I'm hoping to get some. I just have the hardest time buying ANYthing for my bettas. I feel lucky to have gotten a 5 gallon tank for my first boy and I feel truly bad inside of me knowing that the other two are in tiny tanks. 2 and 3 gallons just are not enough if you ask me. I don't fathom at all with any cell in my brain how everyone else seems to be so small minded when it comes to these fish or fish in general. I have been wanting to buy them all at least ten gallon tanks but my boyfriend complains that I spend all my money on fish stuff.

Ugh. I just feel completely alone when it comes to what I want for my fish. I have come to a compromise with him that I will instead house my baby betta in the five gallon and buy a ten gallon to split with my hmpk and my other betta. This made me happy but then I can't get the tank when I want it and that is as soon as possible. I have to wait for my next pay check. I have more than enough to buy the tank and substrate and plants but I can't buy it.

I just wish other people could understand that to me and so many others like you guys out there, these fish are beloved pets. As much as I love my puppy I love my fish. I hate seeing the plakat we have in his tiny 2 gallon and he is so energetic and constantly moving but he has such small space to move in. I fell guilty and I have a constant fear that he will die without having been in a tank big enough for all the life he has in him.

Sorry guys for the length of this. Anyone else experience this stuff on a daily basis?

 

[Alcemistnv]

I understand where you're coming from, in a sense.

I wish I could give Buddha a bigger tank sometimes, but since I don't have the money for it (I'm a college student with no job or driver's license), he has to stay in his 2 gallon. Luckily, he enjoys it a lot, so I guess it's somewhat good.

But I understand that for some people, a betta in a small tank is like a great dane in a 10x10 yard.

I hope you are able to get the tank(s) that you want for your fish

 

[Bombalurina]

I know how you feel. Those of my friends who don't care about fish think I'm crazy. Most of those who do look down on bettas as boring, easy beginner fish that require no skill to keep or raise, and have told me I should go out and buy some "real" fish.

 

[betta lover1507]

i have most of my fish in 1 gals
but you could try to upgrade them to 5 gallons good luck

 

[thekoimaiden]

Trust me. You aren't alone in wanting the best for your bettas. Many of us here feel the exact same way and it is probably part of the reason we are here. I stopped trying to figure out why people use being a fish as justification to do things that you would never do to a mammal (small tanks as the equivalent of small cages; no heat as the equivalent of leaving a short-coat, small dog outside in the winter). I've had some fishkeeping friends make fun of my for keeping betta, but they also look around at my other tanks and can see that I know my stuff. Betta are just another fish that I like to keep.

I'm a divided tank advocate and believe that is the best way to house bettas. The startup cost is going to be a bit more, but the end result is worth it. I also have a hard time feeding my fishkeeping habit, but I've learned a few tricks. When people ask what to get me for my birthday or Christmas I tell them Amazon gift cards because Amazon sells a lot of good fish stuff for much cheaper than local pet stores. I'm also very efficient with money. It's just a matter of budgeting. Before you buy make sure that the item is exactly what you want.

 

[michbelle]

Thanks. I used to keep mine in teeny vases when I was younger and I feel pretty bad now that I finally got a job and am able to do better by them. Yes! Thank you for answering about the divided tanks I plan on certainly getting the ten for my fish as soon as I can. I'll definitely start asking for amazon gift cards as well since I pretty much buy everything for my tanks there too.

 

[Aus]

2 and 3 gallons just are not enough if you ask me.

I can understand that - but you make it sound like a 2- or 3-gallon is fish abuse.. My little girl is sooo happy and healthy in her 3.5g tank. My other fish lives permanently in a 1.5g hospital tank now, because he was bred with such enormous fins compared to body mass that the poor little thing struggles to swim at all and bites himself to relieve the weight. He is much happier now in the smaller tank, where he doesn't have so much drag on his fins. He is less stressed now, and bites his fins less, too.

I think 1g is too small for regular fish.. but if the fish are healthy and well-cared for, they are better off than many bettas out there.

I don't mean to sound snippy or anything.. I'm glad you care for your fish. But I wanted to say that not all folks who prefer smaller tanks (or fish who prefer them..) are 'small-minded'.

 

[Ramble]

I have one guy in a 6.6 gallon, and others in 2 and 2 1/2 gallons. I'm hoping to upgrade to a divided tank for the others, but for now I make sure they have plenty of things to keep them happy, like places to hide, sit on or swim around, as well as live plants. they may not be huge tanks, but I try to get my fish as comfortable and happy as possible.

My other fish lives permanently in a 1.5g hospital tank now, because he was bred with such enormous fins compared to body mass that the poor little thing struggles to swim at all and bites himself to relieve the weight. He is much happier now in the smaller tank, where he doesn't have so much drag on his fins. He is less stressed now, and bites his fins less, too.

This is true of one of my half moons who was a big fin-biter. I have him in a shallow two-gallon set up like a river bed. He has plenty of room to swim horizontally without having to struggle to the surface. He seems much less stressed, and his fins are growing out nicely!

 

[ZackyBear]

I feel I could do better for Portal Prime. a 1.5 gal tetra starter tank isn't how I wanted to start with my first betta.

But as I see it, as long as a betta is happy and healthy, then you're already doing your best.

It's better to see them there instead of stuffed on a shelf somewhere.

 

[lelei]

I think as long as prev posts said..if you provide a house that makes yur fishy content..perform water changes on a regular basis..give them places to hide..comfortable leaves to rest on..in a tank that works for yur lifestyle..and budget..its fine..if yu neef to upgrade at a later date..even better..I started with a fishbowl..a few gravels of sand..and a lil plastic plant..and this cute betta that my daughter brought home..as her fish..upgraded to a critterkeeper..med size..to give him more room..and invested shortly after that a 3 gal..more plants..way better gravel..and stones..and I watch Sammy swim and play..and he is active and growing and healthy..and in the process of another upgrade..but there are space limits so I cannot go too much bigger..yet..alth next year tax season..i may get a 30 gal..(hoping)..but this is one lil fish..that is very loved and well taken care of

 

[lelei]

Forgot to add..he didnt have htr at first..didnt know he needed one..but when I got him in the 3..i found a htr that keeps his water a constant temp of 78°..& sad as ijt sounds there are some who dont use heaters..or anything bigger than the store basic plastic bowl...very sad

 

[MollyJean]

I know how you feel.. My husband makes it very clear he doesn't like the fish because he can't do anything with them and they don't make him money. He's pushed and pushed me to start breeding them so I can make money and pay back all the cash he's dished out for tanks and decor and fish. It's so hard to explain that breeding fish doesn't really MAKE money, so the whole thing just frustrates him. He gets mad when I look at Aquabid and show my daughter fish cause he says "I know you want to get another one.. NO" and I don't even ask for one. He doesn't understand how I can look at pretty fish all day as a form of entertainment.. >.< He also doesn't understand how I can want more, doesn't understand how important they are and can't fathom them as anything more then decorations.

We've had many an exchange about how I assign humanized personality traits to each fish through my need to bring them closer to my own level, which in turn enables my drive to interact with them. And that if I could simply disassociate those characteristics and see their behavior as nothing more then natural survival instinct, I would understand why they're not good pets. Of course when I explain that we humanize every animal we have, the dog, the cats, he doesn't want to hear it, because dogs can follow verbal commands and fish can't.

Basically he says they're boring and the only reason i like them is because I have a stronger imagination then him. Which is true. But I still get picked on for my fishies and snails and you should see his face when I find insects outside and get all coo-y over them! Some people are just unable to understand the attachment a person can have to another creature, fish or otherwise.

Like you've, we've come to a compromise. I have a 15 dollar a month budget. If I want to spend more, I have to save up. And I keep my fish talk on the forums or just.. away from him. Thankfully my daughter has mollies and my brother has adopted Corrin (dirty fish thief!) so they're still safe to talk to, as long as my hubby isn't around.

Remember you have us, we understand, and we won't judge! ((((hug))))

 

[birdielikestomatoes]

Same problems here. Recently I did my research and upgraded by 3 bettas into bigger tanks. After I got a 5g for my 2 girls I wanted to move Steve into a new tank as he was living in an unheated vase.

The first time I mentioned this my mom's reaction was like, "No, I like him where he is. He looks nice in that room and he's fine." *Sigh* He's not a decoration and he was pretty much ignored in the room he was in. I convinced her.
My dad of course was a lot worse, his exact words were, "He's a betta fish. They like smaller spaces and I've had bettas that have lived for years without heating and filters. It's all a waste of money." My dad has been keeping bettas for years, I think he's had about 8 or 9 in the past 7 years, only owning 1 at a time. Thank god I was bit by the betta bug and took over fish keeping.
My brother...well he's a loser and I don't care what he thinks. x3 And last my little sister who will be turning 2 soon! She adores my fish, she calls Steve 'daddy fish,' Eugeney is 'mommy fish,' and Hilda is 'baby fish.' lol She even learned how to say Spongebob because of the pineapple house we used for the girls before they upgraded. And yes, I do love bragging about how my not-yet-two sis can say a ton a things. The other day she said 'beat up.' LOL

Yeah, I'm done rambling now.

 

[dramaqueen]

I have my female in a 1 gallon and everyone else is in 1.5 to 2.5 gallon critter keepers. Also, I don't think the op meant that keeping bettas in anything small was fish abuse. I think she meant that FOR HER, she feels that 5 gallons and smaller isn't enough.

 

[Bombalurina]

+1. I have no problem with other people keeping fish in things as small as a gallon (as long as they keep it properly, the way you guys do!) but I couldn't do it. I'm just too addicted to seeing my fish gliding around their 5 gals.