Opinions on an artical I found

[Ishkabod]

Betta bowls can be horrible but because of their perceived simplicity it does give some people more confidence in keeping fish. Personally I have a 5 gallon tank with a little waterfall ornament that has a halogen lamp in it. I put some foam in the bottom of the waterfall container around the pump so it acts like a filter. Then i added some floating plants and on the sides i have 2 plastic lilly like things and the betta loves the tank and between evaporation and the plants i haven't had any ammonia or other build ups. I do change the water but i've givem up testing since i constantly got no readings. This is one stunning looking tank and the betta loves it. Much better than a betta bowl and much better looking too.

L

[Evolution]

i have kept bettas in both bowls and in a range of tank sizes (2.5, 10, and 20 gal). i can very strongly say that the bettas in tanks are much happier, livelier, and healthier!

have you ever done an ammonia test on a betta's bowl? within 2 days of a 100% water change on a 2 gallon bowl, the ammonia levels were scary!

i vow to never keep a betta in an unfiltered bowl again.

to add, quite often when a pet store sells a betta/bowl setup to somebody, they give them incorrect information on how often the water needs changed and the betta suffers from ammonia poisoning as a result. One store told me that every 2 weeks was too often to be doing a water change (stresses the fish) and once a month was fine. i feel badly for the bettas that go home with people that listen to that store's advice!

With the way we maintain bettas in bowls ammonia concentration is insignificant. I respect that you do not keep bettas in bowls as my own personal bettas are not in bowls either, but in custom made cube tanks that I made. I do not filter or heat my Betta bowls or tanks, but I do have live plants in them, including peace lilies that consume a lot of ammonia fast. We recommend keeping bettas in bowls with peace lilies because of this. We also advicate weekly water changes and bowl cleaning. What and how the betta is fed is an top priority. We are constantly told we have the healthiest bettas in the city (at a store level) and that is because of the time a care we put into them.

Please understand that I am not saying bowls are better than tanks, but what I am saying is bowls can and do make good environments for maintaining bettas in.

Edited July 26, 2010 by Evolution

[BettaFishMommy]

any unfiltered container is considered a bowl, IMO.

[Evolution]

Whatever, plants are filters too.

Edited July 26, 2010 by Evolution

[JORG]

Yes, like I said, I have no problem with it and I think it is fantastic, the effort the person made. I do not just feel this is good for the hobby, I know for a fact that it is. The stability of water in a 2.5 and a 5 is not much different than a 1 gallon. In fact, a Betta is likely to get better treatment in a bowl, than it is in a similarly set up small tank. Bowl maintanance is far easier than tank maintanance and takes a person far less time and effort. The important thing is that the person buying the betta in a bowl is educated properly as to how to maintain the environment and keep the fish healthy. Bettas in bowls, like I said, do very well and suffer no ill effects do to the close quarters.

This is not just my opinion, it is also my 25 years worth of experience and my dads 45 years of experience keeping and selling bettas in bowls. You'll never see a betta sold in a cup or a rose bowl in my store, but I noticed everywhere NLS is sold, bettas are sold in cups or rose bowls and everyone of those stores has no problem selling bettas to be put into bowls.

Hypocritical double standard?

I for one am tired of you baiting for arguments you did it to toirtis and then to Sam Chicklets, and now you are back playing Neil---get a life Will -Neil has something you will never have and that is our respect.

[fishclubgirl]

I think the thread starter is just looking for opinions.. And for those of you with the time to debate this, please come on over and help me change my bettas water instead.

[syno321]

Yes, like I said, I have no problem with it and I think it is fantastic, the effort the person made. I do not just feel this is good for the hobby, I know for a fact that it is. The stability of water in a 2.5 and a 5 is not much different than a 1 gallon. In fact, a Betta is likely to get better treatment in a bowl, than it is in a similarly set up small tank. Bowl maintanance is far easier than tank maintanance and takes a person far less time and effort. The important thing is that the person buying the betta in a bowl is educated properly as to how to maintain the environment and keep the fish healthy. Bettas in bowls, like I said, do very well and suffer no ill effects do to the close quarters.

This is not just my opinion, it is also my 25 years worth of experience and my dads 45 years of experience keeping and selling bettas in bowls. You'll never see a betta sold in a cup or a rose bowl in my store, but I noticed everywhere NLS is sold, bettas are sold in cups or rose bowls and everyone of those stores has no problem selling bettas to be put into bowls.

Hypocritical double standard?

I for one am tired of you baiting for arguments you did it to toirtis and then to Sam Chicklets, and now you are back playing Neil---get a life Will -Neil has something you will never have and that is our respect.

Fully agree with you Jorg! These kind of attacks are not what I come to this site to view! I don't know the motivation behind this kind of behaviour and I don't want to know. I'd just like to see this stop. I do advocate free speech but not this kind of attack! :boxed:

Neil I know and respect you as well, and I hope this doesn't stop you from adding your valued opinion when you can. :thumbs:

[Evolution]

I'm sorry I have offened some of you, but please understand that I was defending my opinion.

I have no intention of attacking or insulting anyone, regardless of who they are. All I wanted to do was share my opinion and I did. My opinion was criticize to the point of having no validity and it was implied that my opinion was cruel in nature. I simply pointed out that I stood by my opinion and why I do and I pointed out the double standard in the one criticizing me.

Will

[RD.]

I wasn't criticizing you personally, Will, I was critiquing the logic used in the link posted in the original comment in this thread, which apparently you agreed with. But instead of simply defending your position, you want to once again make things personal, insinuating that my comments here somehow constitute a double standard as I may do business with retail vendors that sell bettas in bowls. <insert big yawn>

Sorry, but I'm not part of the BPF (betta police force), nor do I tell customers of mine how to run their business. Quite frankly, there are stores in both Edmonton & Calgary that I do business with that I have never even stepped foot in, so how or what they sell is beyond me.

You have apparently felt the need to involve my business, and my product line, in a number of your comments during your short stay on this forum, in most cases where my business (or product line) has absolutely nothing to do with the OP's comment/question/etc. Once going so far as to even mention this in a "looking for" (decorus catfish) classified ad.

Some might consider this action of yours to be malicious in nature, done for no other reason than my refusal to do business with the likes of you. (gee, I wonder why that would be?)

You might want to pause & give that some very serious thought before you continue any further down this road.

[fishclubgirl]

Okay boys ENOUGH!!! Take it outside please. I come here to read about the beautiful world of anabantoids period!! Mods, could you please shut this one down???

[RD.]

So now that it suddenly affects you, and your use of this site, it's no longer ok?

Not to worry, I have no intentions of taking this any further,

in this discussion or elsewhere.

Happy fish keeping everyone.

[Evolution]

Again everyone, including Neil, I am sorry for my roll in this. I will not and cannot partake in it again here or anywhere else on this board.

I just want to talk fish and make new friends.

Will Shaw

[strayner]

I feel like this bowl would need some water movement and maybe twice the size to be more successful.... a small tube that would run down the side with an intake and an outtake. In my experience lack of current causes all sorts of problems. Allows bacteria to multiply faster etc etc.

[Evolution]

The key with these little bowls is water change and proper feeding. Adding the plants such as they did will help to filter the water of any trace amounts of ammonia. Changing the majority of the water once a week will also keep organic waste down to almost nothing. Feeding only what the fish will eat in a 2-3 minute time span will also keep the water quality in good condition until it's time for the next water change. Uneaten food left in the water is a disaster waiting to happen.

I have two males on either side of my monitor in 8x8x8 cubes (2.2g) with peace lilies around the edges and a hidy hole. My one male has been in there for 2 years with out a single problem and he right now has a 1 cm thick bubble nest.

If someone wants to try this plant bowl concept for bettas and paradise fish I can tell you it works and I say go for it! If you want to go larger than 1 gallon then that's great, but a one gallon works too and without any problems.

Also keep in mind that a betta in a one gallon bowl is in more water per length and weight of fish than most of the silver arrowanas, tiger shovelnoses, id sharks and redtail cats and many many more. Yet bettas do not develop the symptoms from cramped quarters like those other fish do and they are in usually well filtered tanks!

I just recently purchased 11 female bettas and they were all raised in little glass jars (everyones bettas were raised in jars) and these 11 bettas are just as healthy if not healthier than most fish i've seen in private filtered tanks and stores.