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so why do you guys think its okay for betta's to live in bowls, while you think gourami's need tank

Ummm, who exactly is "you guys"? I wasn't aware we all had the same opinion

Anywho, about your "money shows more about the owner than the fish," let's suppose your right. Now let's see, who doesn't really care about spending wads of cash on their fish ever? That's right: most of your friendly lfs. Have you ever seen the little cups they keep them in? Now Joe Shmoe is a loving, caring person who can't afford to buy a 5-gallon tank, but he doesn't want his friends telling him he's a bad person for buying anything smaller than that. So Joe forgets about buying a fish altogether, and the betta he would have brought home with him continues to sit in a little cup on the shelf crying "Save me! Save me from this mad house!"

Let's see: nice 1-gallon to 2-gallon tank with kind Joe Shmoe caring for betta, or little cup on lfs shelf with (often) indifferent employees doing basic maintenance to keep betta alive? You decide.


[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-06-16 08:43][/span]

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-06-16 08:44][/span]

Active or not I think depends on the individual fish, just like people.

I've been keeping bettas off & on for over 20 years. I started out with no fish knowledge keeping them in those small betta hexes, all the way to individual 2g tanks and even trying a number of males in community tanks. Regardless of tank mates that situation never worked out. I noticed too that my bettas were less active in larger tanks than in the smaller.

I do agree though that this post seems to just be bait for an argument.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Whoa, Veteric! Bettas aren't very intelligent?!
I'll have you know mine spends all day planning and contructing complicated bubble nests.

And by the way, he is quite active in his 1 gal round bowl and has plenty of space.

[span class="edited"][Edited by Danielle 2004-06-16 07:58][/span]

I think he's trolling for an argument, there have been a few people like that who have joined recently. I wonder sometimes why its a big deal though, if the fish isn't stressed and lives a healthy life, thats more than most betas get. Beta's aren't very inteligent, they don't need complex stimulation. They're also living in puddles how many months out of the year? People don't thrive living in boxes, but lo and behold here we are in condos and cubicles and little cars, looking into glowing boxes on a forum. Personaly I think keeping any fish alive without detrimental stress and access to medical treatment without a waiting list is a better life than I or my family has received.

*doesn't know why you would start a thread to get a question answered, and then proceed to tell everyone their ideas basically are wrong*

most people's rooms ARE in the mid-high 70s

What we intend is that:

Betta Splendens - Males fight with each other, and attacks other fish with long fins.

Gouramis - Are peaceful and do not attack other fish (usually).

Most aquarists do not afford to but a tank bigger than 5g for just a fish.

Let's face it: Bettas are not nearly as active as other fish, let alone dwarf gouramis (who, IMO need about 30 gallons to zip around in)

Provided with clean warm water, plenty of stimulation and good food, there is no reason a betta will not thrive. I wish I had a digital camera so I could show you some of my gorgeous bettas, which I keep in anything from 1-5 gallons.

Some bettas actually freak out when introduced to a large tank. Also with community tanks, filtration becomes an issue as it is a burden for the fish. But maybe that 'excercise' of the fish desperately fighting against the current to the top of the tank for some air is good for them, and it will help them thrive

At one point I had 16 bettas. If I had the space and money for 16 fully equipped 5 gallon tanks, then I would not be keeping bettas. I would be keeping mandarins

tell you the truth, how many ppl actually know a betta is a labyrinth fish, most ppl just keep them in cups because the pet store tells them they can.

and the idea that they are found in puddles, is never explained, naturally betta's live in swamps and things like swamps(like rice paddies) where most of the year they are large bodies of water, now naturally there is dry seasons, where water gets low, this happens world wide. now these puddles are still much larger than what we would call puddles, most ppl have smaller ponds than these puddles. yes a betta will SURVIVE in one of these puddles, but it won't thrive, and ism't that the goal of keeping animals, is to make sure they thrive.

i mean world wide the puddle thing happens, it happens to most crocidilains, but how often do you hear of somebody(somebody who actually cares) keeping them in a kiddy pool in their back yard.

i mean think about it this way, i could go buy a puppy, put it in a closet and make it live its whole life there, will it survive, probably, will it thrive, no it wont.



[span class="edited"][Edited by alpha 2004-06-15 20:24][/span]

Honestly, what percentage of people would know that both betas and dwarf gourami's are labrythn fish? Look around at the people buying fish at the LFS, how much do they appear to know? Also keep in mind that dwarf gourami's originate from the ganges river delta while bettas come from swamp and little puddles in the ditch. I think people have kept beta's in cups because in nature they have been found living just fine in those conditions, and i think the average person continues it on because everyone else does it.

how active a betta is depends on what you keep it in, mine are all active,and frankly every one i've ever had has been. but if you keep in in some tiny tank or bowl of course it wont be active, but then again how can it be.

most bettas, though i find my plakat is different, aren't very active, whereas gouramis are

betta's go just fine into community tanks, but like ALL fish you have to be careful what you put it with.

and frankly not to be rude, but if you can't afford proper hosuing than why get the fish in the first place, if money is the only reason, than that says alot. i mean i wouldn't buy a oscar and put him in a 5g tank because i couldn't afford a proper size tank.

What we intend is that:

Betta Splendens - Males fight with each other, and attacks other fish with long fins.

Gouramis - Are peaceful and do not attack other fish (usually).

Most aquarists do not afford to but a tank bigger than 5g for just a fish.

Let's face it: Bettas are not nearly as active as other fish, let alone dwarf gouramis (who, IMO need about 30 gallons to zip around in)

Provided with clean warm water, plenty of stimulation and good food, there is no reason a betta will not thrive. I wish I had a digital camera so I could show you some of my gorgeous bettas, which I keep in anything from 1-5 gallons.

Some bettas actually freak out when introduced to a large tank. Also with community tanks, filtration becomes an issue as it is a burden for the fish. But maybe that 'excercise' of the fish desperately fighting against the current to the top of the tank for some air is good for them, and it will help them thrive

At one point I had 16 bettas. If I had the space and money for 16 fully equipped 5 gallon tanks, then I would not be keeping bettas. I would be keeping mandarins

the whole idea that by buying a betta your saving it, is crap, for every betta they buy thery will just put another one easily into its place, are you going to go save that one too, and then its replacement, and so on and so on.

and this wasn't started for a argument, it's started to see if anyone could give me a real answer to why ppl beleive this is exceptable.

the idea the betta's aren't intellegent, well right i got a few hundred ppl that will say otherwise, i think you have just been getting too many inbreed babys. cause i've had some very intellegent ones, but its just like ppl it depends on the individual, and if your saying that just because a fish isn't smart it dosent diserve a good home. well i won't even go there.

and of course a betta seems more active in a bowl than a tank, it just moves 4inchs in a bowl, and it just explored the whole thing, moves for inches in a tank, and well it moved 4 inches.

and im not sure who said it, but they said about they have kept betta's for 20 years on and off, i don't know about you, but i haven't heard the idea of keeping them in tiny tanks up till abbout 3-4 years ago. heck i rember they weren't even called betta's then and sometimes you realy had to look to find them, this was when most pet shops just kept 5-6 in a few random fish tanks. and you bought them as fighting fish.

so why do you guys think its okay for betta's to live in bowls, while you think gourami's need tank

Ummm, who exactly is "you guys"? I wasn't aware we all had the same opinion

Anywho, about your "money shows more about the owner than the fish," let's suppose your right. Now let's see, who doesn't really care about spending wads of cash on their fish ever? That's right: most of your friendly lfs. Have you ever seen the little cups they keep them in? Now Joe Shmoe is a loving, caring person who can't afford to buy a 5-gallon tank, but he doesn't want his friends telling him he's a bad person for buying anything smaller than that. So Joe forgets about buying a fish altogether, and the betta he would have brought home with him continues to sit in a little cup on the shelf crying "Save me! Save me from this mad house!"

Let's see: nice 1-gallon to 2-gallon tank with kind Joe Shmoe caring for betta, or little cup on lfs shelf with (often) indifferent employees doing basic maintenance to keep betta alive? You decide.


[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-06-16 08:43][/span]

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-06-16 08:44][/span]

Active or not I think depends on the individual fish, just like people.

I've been keeping bettas off & on for over 20 years. I started out with no fish knowledge keeping them in those small betta hexes, all the way to individual 2g tanks and even trying a number of males in community tanks. Regardless of tank mates that situation never worked out. I noticed too that my bettas were less active in larger tanks than in the smaller.

I do agree though that this post seems to just be bait for an argument.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Whoa, Veteric! Bettas aren't very intelligent?!
I'll have you know mine spends all day planning and contructing complicated bubble nests.

And by the way, he is quite active in his 1 gal round bowl and has plenty of space.

[span class="edited"][Edited by Danielle 2004-06-16 07:58][/span]

I think he's trolling for an argument, there have been a few people like that who have joined recently. I wonder sometimes why its a big deal though, if the fish isn't stressed and lives a healthy life, thats more than most betas get. Beta's aren't very inteligent, they don't need complex stimulation. They're also living in puddles how many months out of the year? People don't thrive living in boxes, but lo and behold here we are in condos and cubicles and little cars, looking into glowing boxes on a forum. Personaly I think keeping any fish alive without detrimental stress and access to medical treatment without a waiting list is a better life than I or my family has received.

*doesn't know why you would start a thread to get a question answered, and then proceed to tell everyone their ideas basically are wrong*

most people's rooms ARE in the mid-high 70s

my betta's have always been just as active if not more than dwarf gourami's. and frankly they are more active than most fish IF they are given the chance to be.

and also the whole filtration thing, should always be a issue, different fish prefer different water movement levels. the biggest tank i have a betta in is a 55, and he's doing better than he ever has, and he's not the first betta ive had in this large of a tank. i've seen who quality betta's in tanks as large as 200g with little or no problem. no matter what the size of a tank, you should always make sure the water movement is right for the fish you have. this is something any respectable aquairist should know and do.

o and you brought up another point, about warm water, betta's are tropical fish, so they need a heated tank, which realy can't be done in smaller than a 5g, and i don't know many ppl who have a average room temp in the mid-high 70's.

and bring money into a subject, says NOTHING about a fish, only the owner.

about the territories, they aren't all that small if you think about it, in just about all species, their territories are large enough so they can't constantly see other competators, if you will notice in that pic, posted before the water is quite clear, so this means a even larger territory, now of course the size will depend on which part of their ecosystem they are in, because of how good vision is in it.


but as far a show betta's have never seen any better, think about this, in puppy mills most puppys and dogs are never removed from a single room, and they are rarley large rooms, so does this make it okay to keep them in a room their entire life, we'll few ppl think so, and this is very similar to the betta trade, now i know its not possable to keep every male in his own 5g, especially when large scale breeder can have well over 1000 at a time.

so does the way they have previously treated make it right to just give them a extra gallon and make it right.

and yeah betta's don't always take well to a community tank, they are all individuals, but i have yet to have one that didn't come to enjoy a tank or large tank, with proper filtration and current, which are probably 2 of the easiest thing in a any aquarium to change.

I've tried bowls, vases, small tanks, normal tank, and even tanks over 100g's, and they have always been happier and healthier in tanks than anything else. thou above a 100g's can cause problems with height.

i've had o probably atleast 50+(not includding babys),now maybe i was just lucky that they all liked tanks, but thru out all of them, i never saw anything to show they enjoyed a bowl or small tanks. if given the chance they are quite active, heck the one in my 55 just cruises around the tank checking out everything, includding all the other fish. thou i have had some who didn't like company, and they didn't get any less treatment than the others.

tell you the truth, how many ppl actually know a betta is a labyrinth fish, most ppl just keep them in cups because the pet store tells them they can.

and the idea that they are found in puddles, is never explained, naturally betta's live in swamps and things like swamps(like rice paddies) where most of the year they are large bodies of water, now naturally there is dry seasons, where water gets low, this happens world wide. now these puddles are still much larger than what we would call puddles, most ppl have smaller ponds than these puddles. yes a betta will SURVIVE in one of these puddles, but it won't thrive, and ism't that the goal of keeping animals, is to make sure they thrive.

i mean world wide the puddle thing happens, it happens to most crocidilains, but how often do you hear of somebody(somebody who actually cares) keeping them in a kiddy pool in their back yard.

i mean think about it this way, i could go buy a puppy, put it in a closet and make it live its whole life there, will it survive, probably, will it thrive, no it wont.



[span class="edited"][Edited by alpha 2004-06-15 20:24][/span]

Honestly, what percentage of people would know that both betas and dwarf gourami's are labrythn fish? Look around at the people buying fish at the LFS, how much do they appear to know? Also keep in mind that dwarf gourami's originate from the ganges river delta while bettas come from swamp and little puddles in the ditch. I think people have kept beta's in cups because in nature they have been found living just fine in those conditions, and i think the average person continues it on because everyone else does it.

how active a betta is depends on what you keep it in, mine are all active,and frankly every one i've ever had has been. but if you keep in in some tiny tank or bowl of course it wont be active, but then again how can it be.

most bettas, though i find my plakat is different, aren't very active, whereas gouramis are

betta's go just fine into community tanks, but like ALL fish you have to be careful what you put it with.

and frankly not to be rude, but if you can't afford proper hosuing than why get the fish in the first place, if money is the only reason, than that says alot. i mean i wouldn't buy a oscar and put him in a 5g tank because i couldn't afford a proper size tank.

okay this is a question i've had since the whole betta bowl idea came out.

for those of you who don't know, im not for the betta bowl idea, or frankly keeping anyfish in anything smaller than 5g's.

but anyways this is what i would like to know, dwarf gourami's have the same ability to breath air as betta's, both are about the same size(about a inch differnece), both are equally delicate, and relativley same water conditions. so why do you guys think its okay for betta's to live in bowls, while you think gourami's need tank, this is not ment to critize you guys, its a serious question.

o yeah and also don't use the whole rice paddy, are little puddle stuff, cause they aren't thou they aren't deep, even small ones are larger than a acre, and it's common for them to strech many acres.

so does the way they have previously treated make it right to just give them a extra gallon and make it right

Well, yes, actually, it does. Bettas don't thrive in a cup but bettas will thrive in a gallon of water if that water is clean and the betta is fed. People like to give animals human qualities and feelings but really the intellegence of a fish is not the same. Personality is really temperment and happiness is really contentment in that all the fish's needs are met. It's been proven time and time again that a betta will live a full life with beautiful finnage showing no signs of discontent or stress in a one gallon container. I think that's proof enough. I agree that a betta can live a good life in a large tank with other tankmates but that doesn't make it wrong to have one in a small tank. My bettas are not wishing they were in a rice paddie. They are in a stress-free environment where all their needs are met.

Of course a puppy mill cage is too small for a puppy, just as a cup is too small for a betta. But a small puppy can live in an apartment and a large dog can live in a house, same as betta can live in a 1G while an Oscar can live in a 120G.

Rice paddies really don't matter. Most commercially bred bettas have been several generations from a rice paddy and would not survive in the wild.

___________________________________________

If at first you DO succeed, try not to look astonished.

I keep my betta boys in one gallon heated tanks. Before I knew any better, my first betta was in a 1/2 gallon tank. Now, I can tell you that, without a doubt, he's much happier in his one gallon tank with heat. He has never been so active. (And who wouldn't be when your previous, smaller apartment was freezing cold at night? Parents and the need to conserve heat... bah!)

Would I like to give them bigger tanks? Yes, of course. Can I afford the money and the parental complaints? Not really. I have no more space to PUT tanks in my room and the shelf that holds my betta tanks won't accomodate anything much bigger. Did I prevent these poor lil bettas from being shoved into a tiny betta hex? Most likely. I know at least one of them was in imminent peril of suffocating on his own waste in the store. The water he was in was disgusting.

On the other hand, I'd love to see them in the same situation as my betta girls... frolicking around my twenty gallon, feeding their insatiable curiousity and making my tank one of the most playful tanks I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. (With the help of their cory and BN friends, of course!) If I could feasibly do that, I'd like nothing better.

I agree that one gallon is probably not enough for bettas to stretch out their fins to the fullest. I can see them being happy in a nice 2.5 or 5 gallon, though.

You make the argument that they have these huge rice paddies and whatnot to swim in. Well, true, but sorry to tell you... MOST fish are used to HUGE spaces to swim in. Even if you give them the luxury of "huge" tanks, that's STILL not comparable to what they had in the wild. That must seem like a tiny apartment to them.

I mean, really, I could take a fish out of the lake by our lakehouse and give him a "luxurious" 150 gallon tank... but our lake covers nearly 1000 acres. Isn't that the same sort of scenario?

I *am* still plotting how to fit bigger tanks into the betta apartment complex. The space COULD hold more, but why do bigger tanks have to be so bloody tall? *ponders custom tanks and winces at the cost*

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

20+ years, that would be me. I am 37 and bought my first betta when I was 15.

Maybe it depends on where you're from and availability but yes they were called bettas then, they were sold in cups, and sold as pet fish.


~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Drinkmonkey I have a unknown res too

Anyway Alpha, my dad has been taken care of bettas since he was 16 in Vietnam. Let's see he is currently 52...hmmm 36 years of experience with bettas. So whoever said they had bettas for 20 years on and off is quite possible.

I just want to say somethings first:

1) It's insulting and pointless to call Alpha a troll: even if he brings up a question, answers it himself, and is reluctant to listen to what "you guys" have to say. He posted a topic in a forum for discussion. Isn't that the point of a forum? He is discussing an issue which is relevant and he feels is significant. If you don't want to discuss it, or if you are annoyed at the "trolling" (which I don't think it is) then you are more than welcome NOT to post a reply, and you are certainly welcome not to read further.

And if "you guys" doesn't apply to you (if you think that keeping bettas in a small tank is not okay), then why would you take offense to the use of "you guys"? Obviously, it doesn't apply to you. Furthermore, I agree that the majority of people consider 2gallons fine for a betta. I consider 2 gallons fine for a betta. The reason I think 2gallons is fine for a betta is because I have seen them thrive. They do well - are active, eat healthily, are personable, and seem generally lively. Which is the reason I think 2gallons is fine for a betta and not a gourami - simply because bettas can thrive in 2gallons; while a gourami most likely cannot.

2) Saving the betta by buying it - Well, I see it in a similar way - at least that is one more betta that can have a better home than it would in the LFS. It's true that this would be "supporting the trade". But the fundamental point is there you are now caring for one betta and can hopefully provide for it to help it thrive. Of course, there are farms for many times of animals - bettas, puppies, danios, goldfish. I don't see how the demand is going to stop, so the farming will continue with or without your refusal to buy a betta. But by buying one betta, you can provide for it a better home than the LFS.

3) I agree that the current bettas you find in the stores are too many generations away from their humble origin in the rice paddies. Similarly, though my ancestors came from a "jungle", I live in a town now - in a completely different environment from my ancestors. If you put me back into the "jungle" I will probably not survive. Consequently, I think that trying to determine the water depth of rice paddies, or if bettas leave their territories in rice paddies, or if bettas come in contact with others in rice paddies, or the length of dry spells in rice paddies - well, it's all a little pointless, and can be argued many times over.

4) I also think bettas are intelligent. They seem very personable to me, and have a distinct personality. There have been times when my bettas will act stubborn and refuse to eat. Or act friendly and put on a show for me. Contrastingly, goldfish just swim around and wander about kind of aimlessly. Goldfish will certainly learn to recognize you as well as feeding time. But isn't it cute when a betta will leave the confines of his plant to come look squarely at you? I consider bettas to be quite intelligent compared to many other fish. Are they as intelligent as an Oscar? No, I wouldn't say that. But I would certainly say they are more intelligent than goldfish. Bettas have a great personality, imho.

I didn't base my concept of intelligence on environmental stimulation because I don't think that shows a good concept of intelligence. Bettas will do fine in a simple environment. Some other fish, cichlids certainly, need more stimulation. But I don't equate stimulation with intelligence. It's a concept that holds with mammals (because mammals are warm blooded and very active, thus = intelligence = the ability to interact and react to stimulation). However, I wouldn't apply it to fish. So I base my concept of intelligence on a fish' capacity for "personality". Some guppies are fools compared to bettas. Lol.

Well, that is a lot. I am done.

I see your point, tetra fan, but I would think that there is not so little territory that the fish would confine itself to that small of a size of territory. I don't think a gallon is bad necessarily, even so.. I keep mine in a 2 ish gallon, like I said, but I've used a gallon tank before. It's the betta spheres with poor lighting ( led moonlight thingie or whatever.. fish can hardly see his own food) that have no top and only hold about 4 cups of water, and the betta barraks that people use as permanent housing, and other insanely confined places that people have decided was acceptable just because they were sold for bettas with a picture of a betta on it. Those are the things I have a problem with.. not a gallon container that gets fresh water on a regular basis. I provided the picture of a betta's natural habitat to dispell the " Well, that tiny cup is just like their natural habitat... they like it." myth I keep hearing and seeing. Our tank bred bettas have never been in a rice patty, but some of their health requirements are obviously going to be the same. I don't think you can breed a fish to be " happy" in three cups of water.

Ok, well, lets see, why do most find this acceptable?

Because they are told it is the way things are i would guess.

but lets look at something that a lot of you seem to have missed. (tho some of you have touched on)

the betta of today is far far removed from what it was when it was swimming around in rice paddies.
The constant human interferance has produced a fish that couldn't survive in the wild if it tried! (exactly how far do you think a bright yellow HM male would get? the birds would have it within minutes. and the fins would prevent it from swimming fast enough to escape)

fancy bettas (what most people keep) can only use pectoral fins to motor around. the other fins are somewhat useless. Sure they can display with them, but they do very little for swimming.

Now, gouramis, for the most part, arent nearly as horribly inbred and messed with as the fancy betta, so they are quite able to act more naturally when it comes to in-tank behaviour.

Gouramis from the pet store are almost always going to be better swimmers than bettas.

I do keep a few wild bettas (probably a few generations from the paddy as well, but definately less inbred and displaying natural finnage) and these fish could survive quite well in a larger tank physically i think. they are good swimmers, quite territorial and can get to the food. They still do not like filter currents tho... i assume because they are unused to them.

Now, another angle. Bettas (sad to say) have almost always been jarred at an early age for sale. This means that they have had very little social interaction as a young fish. It also means that the "home" that they grew up in is very small. These fish very rarely get to see the inside of a 4' community tank before they are sold.

so what does this mean?
Lets go with an analogy. you have lived in a small laundry your entire life. you can see through your walls into other laundries but you cannot communicate with the inhabitants. All of a sudden your laundry is upended into a bustling cocktail party.
Or for arguements sake, an empty football field.

if the fish hasnt been prepared for this, it is not going to handle it well. Some fish never get used to it, others will put on a brave face and learn about the new environment.

In most cases, gouramis are far better socialised as young fish.

A lot of people bypass this part of the fish.
What? a fish has an emotional state i should be concerned about?? YES. And why wouldn't it? Almost all betta owners know that fish have different personalities, different actions, different responses to stress and stimuli, so the easiest way for you to comprehend this as a layman behaviouralist is to say "well, i think this fish is *feeling* this or that"

People do the same things to dogs. you get an abused dog, you don't treat it the same way as you treat a well socialised puppy from a breeder do you? Well, why do fish require any less thought?

A car trip and water change is stressful enough, but add a new environment and tankmates to this mix and you are either going to have an angry fish or a petrified one.

Now, i know some well adjusted abused dogs, and i know some that never ever recovered. I also know some well socialised puppies that well, hmm, yes... there are a lot of things that go towards making up a personality, and unfortunately/fortunately humans arent in control of them all.
Apply the same thinking to bettas.


Just pointing out that there is far more to consider when thinking about this topic that "bettas need rice paddies too"

[span class="edited"][Edited by Callatya 2004-06-16 23:34][/span]

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

u have an interesting point there jake...er pointS. the picture does prove they live in a larger area...but do they swim into other bettas territories? no not likely. therefore they stay around the same place until the dry season. then they move to a new territory but they will only stay in there territory. they have fresh water but are used to living in a confined space. weekly or every other day water changes will help the betta feel right at home. with fresh water and a small space it is very roghly mimicking there natural hibitat. VERY roughly. but enough to make them feel at home they get fresh water every day in the wild...get fresh water every other day or so in a 1 gallon tank. have a small place to live in, in the wild. a small place to live in the tank. see my point?(i hope SOMEONE does)

Just to give my 2 cents... the natural habitat of the betta is not a puddle. They developed this interesting way of breathing as a way to survive in the dry season... to move from one small body of water to another if sections of the greater body of water they are in dry out. Therfore, a cup is not " like it's natural habitat".

It is not feasible if you are a breeder to have a 5 gal tank for each betta. You may have 500 bettas at a time or more. Let's be realistic. If you only have a couple bettas, maybe dividing a ten gallon wouldn't hurt though. I have my male betta in a 2.5 gallon, with a box filter. The tank has a light as well, but no heat. The room is a constant 75 F. My betta was about 1 1/2 years old when I got him and I've had him for one year. Their life span is 2 to 4 years or so, so apparently I'm doing something right. I would never put myself in a situation requiring me to put a betta in anything less than a gallon, as I believe this is the minimum requirement for them. Any male betta I've tried to keep in a community setting has done horribly bad. Any female betta I have kept in a community setting has thrived.

Lastly, I would say that I would treat the betta no differently as far as basic requirements it needs than I would any other fish. If most fish need one gallon per inch, I would use the same rule for bettas. They need constant water parameters, clean water, etc just like any other fish. Having a 5 gallon tank per betta is ridiculous, but on the other side of that, so is a cup or a quart sized bowl.

For your viewing pleasure, I have a picture of some actual betta habitat in Thailand.[/font]