How Retailers Routinely Mistreat Betta's

A common sight in stores that sell fish is a lonely shelf with a group of tiny little fish bowls; each about the size of your fist. Inside you'll often find a brightly colored fish with long, flowing fins. Have you ever wondered why they're there? These beautiful creatures are male Bettas, and they're horribly mistreated every day.

The female of the species does not have long, beautiful fins. They're rather plain looking, and normally quite docile. They mix well with other fish and can be sold in community tanks with ease. But male Bettas are territorial and aggressive. Two or more in the same aquarium will fight to the death. Even a single male will often pick on and sometimes kill other types of fish in the same tank; particularly when the aquarium is crowded, as is normally the case in stores. Somewhere along the line, retailers figured out that although their stunning looks made them great sellers, they were a real problem to keep in stock. Great sellers or not, they were eating into profit margins, and something had to be done.

To combat this problem, (and keep those dollars flowing), someone came up with the idea of selling the males in teeny, tiny little bowls. The bowls are placed next to one another specifically so they can see each other. This causes them to display their best selling point--those beautiful fins. When male Bettas stretch out their fins, (very pretty, good for sales), it isn't because they're content, as retailers are fond of spewing. It's an aggressive statement. A male on full display is agitated and trying to scare away the other males he sees beside him.

To justify this treatment, retailers claim male Bettas 'prefer' enclosed places. They even have the audacity to sell tiny little 'Betta' tanks. Don't you believe it! Just because they're tough enough to survive in those bowls doesn't mean they prefer them. After all, a human being could survive in a closet if someone brought food and removed waste. Does that mean humans prefer to live in closets, just because they can survive the experience?

Male Bettas are dominant, proud, territorial beings. We've raised a few over the years, and currently have one in a 50 gallon tank which happily co-exists with a thirteen inch Oscar. Our Betta doesn't often seek out small hidey holes, he swims in the open all over the tank!

If you'd like to do something to help these poor creatures, bring their mistreatment to your local retailer's attention. Feel free to use the sample letter below if you like:

Dear Sir or Madame,

On a recent trip to your pet store, it disturbed me to see male Bettas with inadequate housing. The misconception that they in some way prefer small spaces is completely false. Male Bettas are proud, territorial creatures who require the same air to water ratio as any other fish species their size. A single male requires a gallon of heated, aerated water at minimum for optimum health. Yet because they're often too aggressive to keep in community aquariums, their needs are routinely ignored. Your store would not house kittens in shoeboxes. Why would it sell other species housed in such an appalling manner? If space constraints make adequate housing impossible, please be kind enough to discontinue selling Bettas.

Sincerely,
Your Name

The glass-of-water treatment stores inflict upon this beautiful species is shameful. Their health is endangered and quality of life ignored just to turn a buck. How sad. You know I find interesting? Because they're 'only' fish, retailers can treat them as they please and no one seems to care. If they really were kittens forced to live in a shoebox, you'd see the story all over CNN!