Readers Respond: Would you keep a Betta in a vase?

Responses: 167

By Shirlie Sharpe, About.com Guide

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I cannot believe how outright ignorant people can be, especially when they want to justify their own lack of care for a living thing. Small living space or not -- for God's sake, learn about water chemistry and basic care for TROPICAL fish. It's not hard. 'Google' can help you, it's quite magical how it works really, if you can be bothered taking 10 mins to give it a shot. Warm, clean water + room to swim = healthy betta. How hard is it? Really?
—Guest Aussie

if you had to spend your life in a room the size of a bathroom, would YOU be happy??
—Guest Tikibirds

I have 4 betta's in 2.5 gallon heated aquariums, one in a 6.6 gallon heated and a 29 gallon sorority. Shame on you people who say it's "Just a fish" Betta's are intelligent
—Guest Shaina

I tried putting 4 female bettas in with my male betta because of this video, and he didn't attack them they attacked HIM! I woke up the morning after i got them to find my male betta cowering in the corner with his tail pretty much gone with only a few shreds left. I watched the tank for a bit to confirm the females did it and they started harassing him. Needless to say I promptly returned them
—Guest oyuofvPgPxTNEvJ

I have a blue betta in my 18th birthday glass and he loves it I haven't seen him this happy before I put him in there, so I think it's ok to have them in a vase
—Guest studnprettyboy

I have a 80 L net aquarium, would it be wise to put a male Betta with a pair of rams. The male ram is v peaceful and lives with corys, harlequins, glow light tetras and cherry barbs
—Guest John McL

Not saying my bettas are super happy but both my male And female make bubble nests every other day! The female lives in a 2 gallon vase and my male is in a 3 gallon vase! both have lots of live plants, but theres alot of room for them to surface and breathe. Both have rocks and gravel on the bottom and they eat every single day twice! Not saying a vase is the best home but certainly better then living in a damn cup at a store!!! Ive had them for months and they are both highly active everytime i look at them. i also have a couple snails in there with them and they all do fine together...
—Guest Beta colors

It is cruel to keep a betta in the actual vase.... The toxins from peace lily roots will eventually kill ur betta. Instead, I have 2 bettas in seperate ''big brandywine bowls'' and I use rocks in a seperate, slender, taller, glass container. This leaving my vettas seperate from the harmful toxins, and plenty of room to swim. Ive had it like this for a long time. Cruel? No because the way I keep them seperate. If not, than you are slowly poisoning your lil pets... rocks or any other substrate in a seperate, skender vase
—Guest Shaebae

Sure it is ok to keep a betta fish in a vase as long as it is a big one. I've had mine in a 2 gallon one and it's doing fine. Just Rember to change the water at least once a week
—Guest Jasmine

I rescued a Betta I saw at Stop&Shop Nov of 2011 and paid 40.00 to get him home as he was dying, fins low etc. I changed water, put him where I could see him and in a couple of days he was doing much better as I know they knew nothing about the fish and thought like other people that they eat the plant roots. They don't, only out of desparation they nibble it. I bought a 2 gal. bowl a month or so after buying him, put him in it and he went to the bottom and didn't move, I thought the change was it, the next day the same, he wouldn't eat whatever, I went in the cellar took out the original container filled it, put him in with the plant on top and within an hour or so he was looking to eat, acting like he did before the move??? He goes in between the roots and rests. Never saw anything like it and now I'm afraid to move him again. I change the water often and he is beautiful. He gets three different kinds of food, some sun from the window. I feel bad about the vase . he does good.
—Guest Chris

And I am not a "Peta nazi". It's that the basic biological FACTS (forget all the crap you've heard about cow footprints, etc) do not support the betta species living in tiny, dirty bowls of cold water. Biologically speaking, they evolved in wide stretches of shallow, stagnant or slow-moving wetlands, though they only occupy and defend about a square meter of territory. That's a LOT more water than a 1/2 gallon. A lot. And it's healthy water, free of ammonia (fish pee) buildups. Nothing could be further from a healthy enviroment for a horizontal-swimming, tropical, territorial fish than a tiny puddle of chilly tap water. And that's what the facts ares.
—Guest Ausfish

As long as you perform daily water changes for a small vase keeping ammonia / nitrites to 0PPM and Nitrates at or under 10 PPM, a vase is FINE. But I guarantee that 99 of 100 people do not bother doing this in which case yes it is cruel. Spend the 20 dollars to get a 2.5 gallon tank set with a very LIGHT filter. Bettas DO NOT LIKE currents so you need one of those itty bitty filters that do not cause much surface disturbance. The filter in this case works more for a biological filter than a mechanical one, allowing for beneficial bacteria to grow as opposed to actively filtering out impurities with carbon. SO YOU STILL NEED TO DO WATER CHANGES.
—Guest mpf

It is totally cruel and your Betta fish will surely die sooner or later. Think of it as this way would you liked to kept in a vase for the rest of your life
—Guest jacob

That is so cruel. Keeping a betta in a vase? Youre literally torturing you beloved betta!!! How about stuffing you in a vase? Huh? How would that feel? Now, get real and get at LEAST a 2.5 gallons tank with a filter AND heater. I bet your betta is very stressed and miserable.
—Guest Betta lover

Shirlie Sharpe
Freshwater Aquariums Guide