Calling all betta keepers

aqua-naut:

I need sources to prove a few things

1 gallon is NOT suitable for any fish to live in

if you keep a fish in 1 gallon it need 2x daily water changes.

If I could have pics of ammonia tests or scientific sources please!

kai-ni askscalestails iantojonesthebetta theblondeaquarist

Here you go, friend!

General betta care (with reference to why smaller setups are dangerous):

7 Tips for Building a Simple Betta Tank

Pet Supplies You Need to Take Care of Betta Fish

Healthy Vs. Unhealthy Betta Fish

Other helpful reads as well (mentioning size requirements and also busting bowl myths in general):

Betta Care Sheet by aquariadise

Betta Myths Debunked by scalestails

Your bowl, vase, betta keeper, jars, and alcohol bottles are BAD betta homes by badatnamingbettas

Before and After a Bowl: Rescue Stories by scalestails

Goldfish Myths by scalestails

Why Goldfish Bowls Should Be Banned by aquariadise

Scientific and authority resources outside of Tumblr for people that just won’t take experienced fishkeeping hobbyists’ word for it:

Your Duty of Care for Keeping Fish Under the Animal Welfare Act

The Siamese Fighting Fish

RSCPA: Siamese Fighting Fish

Ornamental Fish Association

Betta Splendens

In at least one of the above scientific and authority resources outside of Tumblr, it’s specifically stated that bettas should not be kept in anything less than 2.5 gallons.

I hope this will help. Just keep in mind that many ignorant people will just go all TL;DR no matter what you provide.

Bettas have never EVER EVER been found in animal footprints. This is complete fiction.

The tank itself is acceptable, when heated and the filter baffled. It is however too small to be divided and the divider it comes with is dangerous.

None of these animals can survive in this tank. None.

It is suitable only for shrimp and snails, period.

A water change schedule like that will ensure a dead fish within a year.

Rice paddy myth. They are found there but do not originate in man made water bodies. They also do not prefer small spaces.

You know what you get when you keep a betta in one of these?

scalestails:

On the left, the lies on the box. On the right, the product itself.

If you’re ever wondering why people think it’s ok to keep bettas and goldfish in bowls, this is a major cause. Companies want to sell overpriced decorative bowls that they churn out en masse, Pet stores gain from this as well. A person spends $40 on a betta “bowl”, gravel, a plant, food, and the fish. The betta dies a slow painful death, they buy a replacement and are told by employees and companies world wide that it was how the betta wanted to live, and they only live up to a year. This repeats over and over and over again. The store makes more money on replacement fish than if they bought a proper set up that would last them 4 years or more.

It has entered our general consciousness that goldfish bowls are right and bettas like small spaces. All of those horrific myths floating around are perpetuated not only by pet stores who know nothing, but by large name brand companies. That is why it’s so hard to convince people it’s wrong. They are told over and over again throughout their lives that it is right.

Elmos goldfish Dorothy on Sesame Street.

Commercials for Petco featuring several goldfish in bowls.

Friends and family who have been told misinformation by pet stores.

The packages themselves, lying to people.

The idea that a goldfish is a good way to teach responsibility.

In fact, almost everyone has had a goldfish as a child. These fish always die when they are little more than babies. A fraction of their adult size, a fraction of their natural lifespan. And yet they are told that is how it goes. Goldfish don’t live very long, goldfish don’t get big, goldfish don’t need a filter. Bettas like small spaces, bettas don’t need a heater, bettas like dirty water. This information is spread over and over and over again when you are a child, then you go out and tell your children and they tell their children.

It’s really difficult to deal with a situation like this. Trying to change an idea so deeply rooted in our society is extraordinarily hard, especially if people realize they are so horribly wrong that means they’ve participated in animal abuse. And that makes them a bad person. This thought makes them defensive, sometimes violently so. People often have extreme reactions when proven wrong.

So please, be persistent, be patient, and above all be calm. I know it is hard, I know it all too well, but the message HAS to get out there. If we work together we can slowly bring this abuse to a stop. Never be afraid to speak out against animal abuse, no matter what the form.

To understand why all of these packages are wrong please read these articles and their sources. The mud puddle myth and goldfish bowl concept must be stopped.

Betta Myths Debunked

Goldfish Myths Debunked

if you would be so kind as to reblog this if you feel insecure about your writing skills.

I really want to write. And i love writing. But having any one read my writing gives mesuper acute anxiety and i feel like I’m going to die.

putthecactusinthebag:

the grumpiest boy

@buggy-megu

plantanarchy:

See like look at all those random color splotches he’s gained? Also, he’s healing from the biting he did when he had ich (and the tumor hasn’t gotten bigger)

@buggy-megu

Do you want a betta fish yet?