flashiefins:

optometrictzedek:

wtf-fun-factss:

Why you shouldn’t put goldfish in a bowl – WTF fun facts

By the way, bettas are the same. It’s a myth that they live  in puddles. Wild bettas live in rice patties that look like this: 

And you know how males fight in captivity? Yeah see, in the wild, each male betta has a territory of roughly one square meter [X]. That’s over 260 gallons of water per betta! Of course they’ll fight in a tiny 1 gallon tank! (The myth about puddles exists because, in the dry season, a betta may get trapped in a puddle, and it is equipped to survive that, but only for a short period of time). Also, notice how much is growing in that water – bettas need a lot of places to hide in and rest on, not just a single bamboo shoot in  the center of a vase! They will get stressed and even more aggressive without the hides. 

Fish are animals just like your other pets. Do your research before buying and treat them appropriately. If you can’t afford a proper betta or goldfish set up (at LEAST 5 gallons for a betta with a heater and hides, at LEAST 20 gallons for a goldfish with a strong filtering system and NO GRAVEL, and I recommend adding at least 10 gallons to those minimums for healthy and happy fish), don’t get one. They are living things, not decor pieces. 

Here is more information on how to properly care for:
Goldfish: 1 2 3 4  
Bettas: 1 2 3 

Males mostly fight in captivity because the captive-bred B. splendens were originally bred to fight, then were bred for color. They’re still territorial in the wild, but less ferocious about it. 

Some species of betta, wild ones which have NOT been bred to fight and are less territorial anyway, can be kept in small groups. The males flare at each other now and then but get along well. 

B. splendens, the ones you buy in fish stores, are the fish equivalent of fighting roosters. They are horrendously aggressive towards each other and cannot be kept together, even the females. Groups of female bettas will eventually devolve into violent mayhem, if they ever establish anything like a hierarchy in the first place, and are stressful in the meantime. Don’t do that to the animals you’re supposed to be taking care of.