# Betta fish centerpieces??



## TianTian

So I was browsing my craft store yesterday and I saw these "vases" that look more like 1 gal. goldfish bowls. 

I then thought, "gee, I bet people have used Bettas for weddings". Sure enough, a Google search later that evening proved my hunch correct. 

Then, I thought, "well, I don't see an inherent problem with using Bettas for a one-night wedding reception." I mean, the temperature indoors (oh yes, I'd have mine in a ballroom) can be regulated, so heating isn't too much of an issue.

My idea was to use a large, square vase, 1 silk (fake) flower, decorative pebbles at the bottom and just one Betta per vase (NO floating candles). 










I figure if I did that for my wedding (in the far, FAR future), I could rescue a few Bettas of my own and then send one or two guests home with a Betta care booklet of some sort and Betta food. :-D

Thoughts?


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## dramaqueen

Well, that WOULD be a good way to get more bettas. lol


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## Noko

It should be okay for the bettas as long as no one tries to do anything with them. You never know what people would end up doing.

Heating would be an issue though. The temperature of the water is always less than the temperature of the air. I don't think you would want to keep the temperature at 70 something degrees. It would get really hot and nasty.


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## TianTian

Unless I used one of those portable heating pads to place under the vase. Would that work?


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## nochoramet

I've thought about that myself, because it looks really pretty. The only reservation I'd have is what are you going to do with all of them afterwards? I don't want to have a bunch of bettas I can't look after, and I definitely don't want to doom them to someone who won't take care of them. Still looks pretty though...


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## kelly528

Yeah I think the MAJOR problem with bettas as centerpieces is that they are often given away to wedding guests at the end which for obvious reasons raises a lot of eyebrows as far as animal welfare goes.

But if you plan on keeping them all its a different story. I would still be cautious because 

a) Lots of noise, vibrations, lights, strange smells and even fumes at a wedding table.
b) Temperature will be yo-yoing.
c) Potential for accidents ie someone knocks it over
d) Nowhere for the betta to hide
e) The new tank might scare them.


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## TianTian

Well, they'd be heavy vases at the center of the table.
Also, I'm an asthmatic so NO SMOKING at my wedding reception.  Fumes from candles won't be an issue because I don't think I want them too close to the fish, anyway.

Also, the vases aren't permanent homes. They're bigger than fish store cups for one.  

And I saw a suggestion elsewhere to return the fish to the store when done. Good/bad idea?


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## vaygirl

I'm going to sound mean and I really, really don't intend it that way but I don't think an animal of any kind should be used as a decoration. 

It's your wedding though (congrats by the way) and having been a bride myself once I know that we all want it to be special and beautiful and bettas ARE both. 

At least make sure your guests aren't going to keep the bettas in a vase. Make sure they know they need a heater. I know you said you'd give a care sheet, please put both those requirements on it. Or keep all of the bettas and tell the guests you want X amount of 2.5 or 5 gallon tanks for them as wedding gifts.


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## TianTian

Haha, just get a bunch of critter keepers as wedding favors.  


Oh, I'm not getting married anytime soon! I was at a craft store the other day and I just got to thinking about it randomly. Thanks for the kind thought, though!

It's either that or I go with fake swimming fish. 









Which, if done right, would probably look just as elegant.


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## kuklachica

You could just get, let's say, 10 bettas and only put them in the vases at the head table and cake table and then just put similar vases minus the fish at the guest tables. that way you'd have less, then you could have a raffle or "anyone with the sticker under their chair gets the bettas" at the end and give them a large kritter keeper and heater along with the betta. that would keep costs down but still convey the fish idea/theme.


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## kelly528

TianTian said:


> Well, they'd be heavy vases at the center of the table.
> Also, I'm an asthmatic so NO SMOKING at my wedding reception.  Fumes from candles won't be an issue because I don't think I want them too close to the fish, anyway.
> 
> Also, the vases aren't permanent homes. They're bigger than fish store cups for one.
> 
> And I saw a suggestion elsewhere to return the fish to the store when done. Good/bad idea?


 
I never said it had to be a permanent home. But there have been times when I have had to keep my betta in a bowl for as little as a few hours and they jump right out of their skin.

Also you might raise a few eyebrows if you return a lot of bettas back to the pet store. Managers may not be happy / refuse the fish.


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## vaygirl

Those were fake fish? No way, they look real!!


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## TianTian

Yeah, after thinking it over a little more, I think I'll do some fake fish like in the picture I posted.  
They don't seem hard to make at all, really. And plus: less mess.

Maybe, if I can convince my future fiancee, we can get one Betta for our table.  In a big bowl. With a heater. And a castle. And we'd take him home later.


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## dramaqueen

That sounds like a good idea.


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## Tinthalas Tigris

My wife and I, instead of flowers, chose to do exactly this for our wedding. 

With the number of people who do doves, ornate flowers, swans, and so many other things involving animals, we decided to do fish.

We went to all sorts of pet stores, and finally settled on one that gave great advice. We were looking at dalmation mollies originally (the white and black seemed elegant in the setting of a wedding), and we were so set, until the sales rep told us that the only fish it wouldn't be hurtful to do it to would be bettas.

He informed us of nitrogen cycles, filtration, oxygen in the water, etc. Really informative guy for the 15 or 20 minutes we were there, and it was from there that he set us on the female sorority tank and everything.

I could stand to have learned and researched *alot* more before going through with everything I did. My first post here consisted of a terrible wipeout of 2 fish initially, and finally dropping from 13 fish to 6. (I know, it was really terrible how naive I was to this whole hobby).

Anyhow, to keep it all short. We loved the idea initially, and a good load of people took fish home that evening (fewer than we wanted), and I ended up getting to enjoy a brand new really cool (and addictive) hobby in result. 

I feel very bad for those 7 bettas I lost, but I the ones that lived really seem to enjoy themselves.


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## kelly528

Yeah I think a huge problem with providing guests with appropriate housing for the bettas is that you are still thrusting a responsibility upon thme that they didn't ask for or research. Even if they recieve a proper tank you are still imposing upon them to find a nice place for it in their home, clean the tank weekly, feed the fish, and medicate it when it gets sick for 3-7 years. 

In the same way that giving someone a puppy for Christmas with leash, collar, food and vet bills included is a recipe for disaster so is this. They never asked for a pet, may not have any idea what they are 'signing up' for and therefore I think fake fish would be a far more suitable idea.


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## veganchick

My teacher did bettas and they looked very pretty but they handed them out at the end of the wedding and most people kept them in the tiny vases they came in....


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## TianTian

Yeah, I'll probably go with fake fish. Mostly 'cause they're cheaper and better, ethically-speaking. 

IF I were to do real Betta fish, the math is this:

15 tables total for guests
1 vase and 1 Betta per table
Each Betta costs 4 dollars. 

4 x 15 = $60 USD. That's just for the fish, not including the bowls and the flowers and decorative stones, etc... I'll be just out of college by the time I get married and have bills to pay off and all that (and more than likely so will my fiance). 

I would like a big wedding (what girl doesn't?) but with today's economy I just don't see that happening. $80+ for just table centerpieces just doesn't sit well with me. I'd still have food to pay for the guests (catered or otherwise), music, lighting... the list goes on and on. 

So fake fish it is.


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## FancyFins

I'm going to have my wedding on the river so there will be tons of fish 

Sorry I couldn't resist...


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## smallvle

That's actually how I got my first betta, Phinnegan. (Only it was at a dinner dance, not a wedding.) And by the end of the night he was one of the few fish either not belly-up or in horrible condition. They just all looked pretty terrible by the time the event was over.


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## sericinda

Try this instead...even more elegant since Bettas, when in new/bad situations, tend to hide at the bottom and "deflate" their fins for lack of better wording...they don't look all that pretty in that bowl at all.

Do a tall, SQUARE vase (round distorts), add a dark sand to the bottom, a flower if wanted and a blown glass fish. You can find them pretty cheap in bulk if you search.










Skip any other plans for favours (they usually are more work than needed and no one really cares for little bags of candy or candles or all that junky little stuff anyhow) and let the guests take home a blown glass fish. It will always remind them of you and your wedding and it's something most people really would like to keep.

Just a thought!


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## TianTian

Wow! Those are gorgeous!! Thanks for the wonderful suggestion! I'll definitely give it some serious thought!


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## doggyhog

Those fish ARE gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## bettamaniac

where can I get fake goldfish like that because I want to get a bowl and put those fake goldfish in it


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## naturegirl243

My uncle's wedding reception had bettas in vases with a stick of bamboo in it.That's how I got my beloved Carlisle I miss him so much.


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## SmokeNLark

Actually, (and I've been embarrassed to say this for fear of getting flamed) I had bettas at my grad party. That's actually how I got back into them. I wanted something different for a centerpiece and I thought of bettas. I never knew they were used for weddings. I figured out I wanted to get 14 of them for the tables. They had small vases, that were bigger than their cups, and gravel. It was during the summer and in a building at the park so they would be plenty warm enough.

Now, I made sure I had homes for them BEFORE I had my grad party. None were "raffled off". I typed up care sheets myself and asked friends and family if they wanted them. I wouldn't have done this if I didn't have homes for them already prearranged. I even had most people pick out which ones they wanted before the party and i put tape with their name on it on the bottom of the bowl. I did have 2 red VTs leftover, but I figured I could care for them until I found someone to take them. Luckily, one of the caterers had a gf who was in love with bettas. She sounded to be really knowledgeable. So he took one and another caterer took the other.

It actually worked out nicely. They were only there for about 4 hours and none seemed too stressed. Everyone loved it and it kept kids occupied. I took every measure to make sure they were cared for and it worked.


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## Pekemom

I don't trust people to take good care of the fish. I say go with the fake fish. You'll sleep better at night knowing no one mistreated the bettas.


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## DazzleKitty

Wow, this is an old thread, right?

I think the betta centerpiece idea is really a pretty idea, but it does impose on guests. If I were to do that, I'd make an announcement somewhere during the wedding that those who can take one home and give it the proper care can. You could buy some critter keepers to have on hand for those who want to take one home (and return the rest to the store of there are no takers for them). And if you don't have takers.....well, I'd advise that you at least have a way to keep them all or see if there is a fish store in the area you can donate them to. Or even craigslist them off. But I can understand that it may sound appealing as you don't know who will get it and how they will care for it.


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